The next batch of Academy Awards will be handed out tonight. In fact, they’re probably being handed out right now, so east coast viewers can watch the proceedings live.

Living on the west coast means everything happens three hours earlier.

It works out better for the attendees, too, because they can be finished with the official broadcast in the early evening, which allows for more partying time afterwards.

I’ve been watching much television lately, which has seriously cut into my movie viewing time, so I must confess that I’ve seen few of the nominated films. I’ve even got a copy of The Departed on my shelf that I haven’t taken time to watch, yet.

I can’t really recommend the Oscars as exciting viewing, anyway. It is overly scripted and bland, and the speeches are so monitored for time these days that rarely will any award recipient have anything truly shocking to say. And let’s be honest, isn’t that why we watch these things?

I’ll tune in this year to watch Ellen, though, the same way I tuned in last year to watch Jon Stewart.

I’ll even confess that I watch Ellen’s daytime talk show, from time to time. I think she is brilliant. Witty, down-to-earth, and with her own unique style, I like that she clearly has fun doing what she’s doing.

So I’ll watch the 2007 Oscars, out of the corner of my eye, for Ellen. Forget about the rest of the celebrities, she’s worth it.