IF THIS ISN'T A REASON TO OVERINDULGE IN SOMETHING QUAFFABLE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS: Apparently, Paul Giamatti's performance in Sideways was not one of the best five male lead acting performances of 2005, at least according to The Academy.

Here's the nominations, fresh off the presses. There's much to discuss.

I STARTED OUT IN A GASEOUS STATE, AND THEN I COOLED: Just about every Johnny Carson obit -- and, really, start with this one -- has made mention of the lengthy profile of Carson that Kenneth Tynan did for the New Yorker in 1978.

It's now online, and if you've got a few minutes, it's well worth your time, starting with this observation made by the late, great writer-director Billy Wilder:

“By the simple law of survival, Carson is the best,” he said. “He enchants the invalids and the insomniacs as well as the people who have to get up at dawn. He is the Valium and the Nembutal of a nation. No matter what kind of dead-asses are on the show, he has to make them funny and exciting. He has to be their nurse and their surgeon. He has no conceit. He does his work and he comes prepared. If he’s talking to an author, he has read the book. Even his rehearsed routines sound improvised. He’s the cream of middle-class elegance, yet he’s not a mannequin. He has captivated the American bourgeoisie without ever offending the highbrows, and he has never said anything that wasn’t liberal or progressive. Every night, in front of millions of people, he has to do the salto mortale”—circus parlance for an aerial somersault performed on the tightrope. “What’s more” and here Wilder leaned forward, tapping my knee for emphasis—”he does it without a net. No rewrites. No retakes. The jokes must work tonight.”

No one will ever dominate the medium the way Carson did, or do so with such wit and grace.

IT'S THE ONLY AWARDS SHOW THAT HAS NO NOMINATIONS WHATSOEVER FOR "SIDEWAYS:" Yes, your nominees for the 25th annual Golden Raspberry Awards have arrived. Leading the nominations, with 7 (including Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director, and Worst Screenplay) is "Catwoman." Right behind is "Alexander," with nods for Farrell, Kilmer, Jolie, and Stone. The surprise big "winner?" "Fahrenheit 9/11," which racked up five nods, including George W. Bush for Worst Actor, Donald Rumsfeld for Worst Supporting Actor, and both Britney Spears and Condoleeza Rice for Worst Supporting Actress.

For the silver anniversary, the Razzies are also recognizing the nadirs of the last 25 years, with the "Worst Comedy" category being particularly painful, pitting "The Cat In The Hat" against "Freddy Got Fingered" against "Gigli," with the dark horse opportunity for "Leonard Part 6." What should win?

PICTURES CAME AND BROKE YOUR HEART: A quarter-century or so after the Buggles declared the radio star dead, done in by video (in the conservatory with the candlestick), a new poll conducted by British cell phone company 3 seems to suggest that the video star might now want to look into estate planning, as Johnny Cash's haunting video for "Hurt" topped a list of the Top 20 Music Videos of All Time. That Cash's simple and haunting video for a Nine Inch Nails' song could beat "Thriller," even after "13 Going on 30," has to be considered a major upset and a odd coda to Cash's legendary career.

I couldn't find the full list, picked by musicians like Michael Stipe, Robert Smith, and Bjork, anywhere on the Web, but rounding out the top five were "Thriller" Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy," Radiohead's "Just" and "Billie Jean." Refreshing absent from the top five were such perennials as "Sledgehammer," "You Might Think," "Money for Nothing," and Madonna's entire oeuvre, though you can bet they--and the Spike Jonze collection--made the top 20.

Related: Slant Magazine's top 100 music videos; MTV's 1999 list of the 100 best videos; and MTVe's top 20 of 2004.

AND BY THE WAY, SOYLENT GREEN IS MADE OUT OF PEOPLE: Sometimes, you just couldn't make up opinions. On a theatre message board I frequent, a hot topic for discussion today is whether NYT theatre critic Ben Brantley improperly "spoils" a plot point in the new musical "Little Women" by revealing that Beth dies during the course of the show. Of course, the segment of the population that this would be a spoiler to is rather small.

E! A! G! L! E! S! For once, I don't have to dust this post off for another two weeks.

Man, New England's going to eat us up like Sam Waterston on untouched scenery, but I'm happy to keep enjoying this ride until then.

WELL, THAT ANSWERS THE QUESTION OF WHO'S GETTING THE MOST APPLAUSE DURING THE NECROLOGY: Johnny Carson, dead at 79. CNN has a comprehensive obituary. Most of Carson's career was before I was old enough to be watching late night, but I do have a clear memory of his final shows, particularly his last one with guests Robin Williams and Bette Midler. Interestingly, Carson died only a few days after the New York Post broke the story that Carson has been feeding jokes to David Letterman for several years. I'm sure both Letterman and Leno will pay their respects on Monday night, and NBC is likely to (rightly) preempt its regular programming tonight to pay tribute.