Good riddance, Golden Globes; let's move on

Look, we can call me biased right from the beginning. There's no reason to deny or even try to thinly veil it.

The following is from a hopeless Modesto booster who wants to see a local guy grandly succeed.

It's also from someone who isn't a particularly big fan of CGI spectacles or, really, animated movies in general.

And, it's from someone who — rather unbiasedly, actually — thought "The Hurt Locker" was an amazing piece of filmmaking.

So here it is:

"Avatar"? Really, Hollywood Foreign Press? Really?

OK, so in all fairness, I haven't seen "Avatar." I know, I know. You would think that might keep a logical person from suggesting it shouldn't have won the Golden Globe Award for best picture Sunday night.

But, remember, I'm biased. And I don't really care for CGI animated spectacles.

Or, to be honest, James Cameron films.

I mean the guy won the best picture Academy Award for "Titanic."

Really? "Titanic?"

Bleck.

And, yes, I did see "Titanic," so there.

So when "Avatar" and director Cameron took the big prizes at the end of the Golden Globe Awards telecast, my reaction was to roll my eyes and grunt in disgust.

Mostly, I was just bummed for Jeremy Renner and the rest of the folks behind "The Hurt Locker."

Renner, if you live under a Modesto rock, is the Beyer High School graduate who stars in the film and has been reaping the rewards of his acting success in the film for the past few months.

And the film is on pretty much every critic's short list for an Academy Award nomination.

Just two nights earlier, in fact, the Broadcast Critics Association named "The Hurt Locker" the best film of the year over nine other films including, ahem, "Avatar," during the Critics Choice Awards.

Man, I love broadcast critics, don't you?

Renner was nominated for best actor at the Critics Choice Awards, but lost to "Crazy Heart" star Jeff Bridges.

He wasn't nominated by the Golden Globes folks, however, which was a total ... well don't get me started again on that one.

Look, I get that "Avatar" is mind-boggling stunning to see and is wowing audiences all over the country. Maybe it deserved to win, blah, blah, blah.

Whatever.

I just want the hometown guy's film to win it all.

We won't know about Oscar nominations until Feb. 2, but the film is a lock and Renner is getting serious Oscar buzz.

But before that, Renner and film get fresh chances Saturday night during the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. Renner is nominated for best actor and the cast is nominated for best ensemble — the closest thing to a best-picture nod the SAGs offer.

Reality check: Jeff Bridges likely is going to win every best-actor award left and "Inglourious Basterds" had a shockingly good ensemble (and, yes, I did see "Inglourious Basterds").

Tonight might not be the night for "The Hurt Locker."

But on a high note, "Avatar" isn't nominated for anything at the SAGs.

Hey, I feel better, already.

I'm hooked on a new TV show that might be running under the radar of most viewers, being on cable and all.

"Men of a Certain Age" is a funny, sometimes sad look at three baby boomer boys dealing with midlife.

It's almost a "Sex in the City" for men, with three guys instead of four gals, and without the graphic HBO sex.

It does have less graphic cable sex. And a lot of sex talk. And a lot of dealing with life and relationships.

And one of the three guys is played by Andre Braugher, an amazing actor you might remember best from the superb TV drama "Homicide: Life on the Street." Braugher's character is overweight, in shaky health and under the thumb of his tyrannical father, who owns the car dealership where he works.

He's also the cynical one, the one who talks logic. (He's Miranda, for you "Sex in the City" aficionados.)

The other two are played by Scott Bakula, as an aging actor with the overblown libido (read Samantha), and Ray Romano as a party store owner with a gambling habit and a marriage that's crumbled. (He's kind of the Carrie in the bunch, in that he's the funniest and the one with the relationship that's most out of whack ... but that may be a stretch).

As shows on midlife men go, this one is a winner. Give it a shot Mondays on TNT.

Scene editor Pat Clark's column will return in March.