THE GREAT DIVIDE: As of today, the average domestic gross of the 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees is just over $126M, and at least 5 (possibly 6) of the nominees seem likely to cross the $100M barrier by the end of their domestic runs, and Toy Story 3 is both the top-grossing and one of the best-reviewed films of last year. However, over on the television side, there's a massive divergence between critical and commercial favorites--look at last week's overall ratings, with a top 10 made up of Idol x2, a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, the Pro Bowl, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, Bones, Two and A Half Men, and House. Nary a one of those is even remotely a critical favorite (though House used to be), and Two and A Half Men may be the biggest critical punching bag on TV. Heck, in the Top 25 shows, the closest to a critical favorite is Big Bang Theory (#19, but it was a repeat). Admittedly, the key demo Top 25 looks more critically friendly--Parks and Rec at #10, a Modern Family repeat at #13, 30 Rock at #16, and Community at #25. Add to that that audiences have staunchly rejected a number of critical faves (both on broadcast and cable) over the past few years--Lone Star, Terriers, Pushing Daisies--and I wonder, has television ever been so divided, not just between critics and audiences, but between younger and older, with some shows apparently exclusively watched by the young (Parks and Rec, Community) and some shows exclusively watched by the old (Harry's Law and Blue Bloods)?

PET IT! You know how sometimes there is an author that is so on your wavelength that you are constantly going, "I wish I had thought of that," or maybe thinking that you really ought to be email buddies? Apropos of that, I give you Jeff Sullivan's Baseball Players as Complete Sentences and Baseball Player Surnames as Commands.

#FIRSTWORLDPROBLEMS: The Inquirer's Craig LaBan reports today that my favorite restaurant in the city, Vetri, is moving to all tasting menus, all the time, starting in March. Previously, it was only on the weekends that tasting menus were required, with a la carte available during the week, but:

"When people walk in and just order an appetizer and entree and then leave, they're not getting what we really set out to offer. They're not getting the whole experience," says [Marc] Vetri....

"This isn't the place you brought your in-laws to 12 years ago for rib-eye and broccoli rabe and spinach gnocchi," Vetri says. "You can still get that" on the tasting menu dedicated to Vetri classics. "But it's something more than that now. We're allowing evolution to happen."

Aside from the classics-menu option and the more inventive "degustazione," there will also be a pasta tasting and a vegetarian menu to choose from. And with the entire dining room tuned to the rhythm of the multicourse meals, the service, Benjamin says, should flow.

As you'll see from the current menu, Vetri is a high-end, rustic Italian restaurant that's not afraid to go game-y, and features unique, exceptional pasta dishes. I've had fantastic meals there for a decade, including, yes, one whirl at the tasting menu that traveled through an array of pastas and other specialties before winding up with roast goat which was, indeed, out of this world succulent. (Some of their tasting menus are collected here; you can also get some sense of his style from his Iron Chef appearance.)

Tasting menus are about trust -- both trust in the restaurant to please you, and trust in your own palate to appreciate whatever's offered. It is weird to spend that much money for a meal yet surrender control over it. A few years ago, we went with the Cosmopolitans to Masa for my birthday, and it was, literally, a once in a lifetime experience. Extraordinary and oddly solemn, yes, but I don't appreciate the intricacies of sushi enough to make that worth it again.

Vetri, I trust. I don't mind being surprised or challenged when I'm in the restaurant's hands; I welcome it. Yes, I'm going to miss having control, but it's not going to stop me from returning.

THE IRISH JIG GUY?  We respond to reader requests even when they're informal.  Marsha writes:

A few weeks ago someone was looking to see the Chanandeler Bong episode of Friends, but in the comments, they're listed as Guest, so I can't tell them. If you know who it is, please tell them that my TiVo indicates that it's scheduled for 2/15, 11:30 on WGN in Chicago, and that if the times don't match up in their market, it can be searched for as "The One with the Embryos."

GREEN AND GOLD:  Congratulations to Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Mike McCarthy, the 112,158 owners and millions of fans of the Green Bay Packers.  All thoughts on the game and the between-the-game stuff  are welcome.

The three ads that I enjoyed most: Eminem/Chrysler; Budweiser/"Wild West" and, of course, Volkswagen.  Worst?  The other Eminem ad, among others.

added: AdMeter results -- the Bud Light and Doritos dog ads tie for first with Little Lord Vader just behind, and the masses neither like Adrien Brody nor Hyundai.

IT WASN'T THE BEST EFFORT NECESSARILY AS A SHOW, BUT IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO GENERATE INTEREST AND BUZZ, IT SUCCEEDED IN DROVES: So Dana Carvey hosted SNL last night, and while it was sure nice seeing the Church Lady and his Regis again, as well as the Jon Lovitz cameo, Carvey was already too old to play Garth when he was actually playing Garth, let alone 20+ years later. (And since when did Wayne Campbell speak with a pronounced Canadian accent?)

It's a shame we'll never know what could have happened with Carvey's post-SNL career.  The ABC sketch show was too edgy, too soon, and then Carvey's 1997 botched open-heart surgery sidelined him for far too long.  (Oh, Brokaw on the death of Gerald Ford.)

All SNL episodes are imperfect, so why not 2-3 nostalgic episodes like this each year?  Lovitz can come back whenever he wants, and if that Eddie Murphy fellow were ever interested in a return ...

IT WASN'T THE BEST EFFORT NECESSARILY AS A SHOW, BUT IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO GENERATE INTEREST AND BUZZ, IT SUCCEEDED IN DROVES: The true story of 1989's Super Bowl halftime show, a 3-D extravaganza starring "Elvis Presto" and a heaping helping of lameness. (Speaking of which: who thought having Brian Boitano and Dorothy Hamill skating in 1992 was a good idea?)

The best halftime performance, of course: Prince. I have no idea what #2 is (U2?), but it won't be challenged today.