As someone who loves the Oscars, movies, and awards shows in general, I have to say that this year's ceremony was the most boring in modern memory. It seemed like the whole night was mired in Billy Crystal's mediocre nostalgia and nothing got to shine, except Meryl Streep, which shouldn't be a surprise at all.

As some of us continue to lament Academy Awards snubs, Martin Scorsese has embarked on a nobler cause. The director of the Oscar-nominated Hugo feels that his film's dog, a Doberman named Blackie, was unfairly overlooked by the prestigious Golden Collar Awards. (Actually, these are the first annual Golden Collar Awards, but I treat all animal-related contests with the esteem they deserve.)

I go to the movies a lot. Just about every week, in fact. Rather than just telling you the best and worst movies of the year, I thought it would be fun to rank every single movie I sat through in a movie theater in 2011. Here's the complete list.

Here's the trailer for Hugo, a 3D fantasy/adventure film that will hit theaters this November. Based on Brian Selznick's children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret and directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, Hugo tells the story of an orphan who lives in the walls of a 1930s Paris train station. A mysterious/magical train station! The movie stars Sacha Baron-Cohen and Ben Kingsley, among others, and while Joe Pesci is conspicuously absent, Hugo still looks to be a Thanksgiving Weekend must-see. [via NYM]

Praise be the gods, our long national nightmare of peace and quiet is over. After firing Gilbert Gottfried from his job voicing Aflac's screaming spokes-duck, the insurance company has completed its national search for a less offensive replacement. The winner is a sales manager from Hugo, Minnesota (population: 13,000) named Daniel McKeague. Congratulations, Daniel. We can't wait to scramble for the mute button every time your bone-chilling squawk comes on TV.