THROUGHOUT THE YEARS OF WRITING MOVIE reviews, I have mentioned numerous times how I struggle with change. I am never the one running out to buy the latest “must have,” or being the quickest one to update or convert to the latest/newest software or apps. You could say I come from the old school philosophy, “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broke.” Recently, I made the leap to paying my bills online; something that a majority of the population is already doing. It was a struggle for me, including my first week attempting to pay bills yet all being flagged as fraudulent activity. The lunacy reached a high point when, after multiple calls to the bank’s customer service and fraud departments, a manager suggested I write checks for my bills. I asked if they realized how ridiculous their answer was to me, thanked them for their time, and hung up. It took a face to face meeting with a personal banker at the bank, to clear up my issues. It is things like this that increase my hesitation when it comes to doing something different from the usual way I do things. So, you can imagine how I felt when it was announced the Academy Awards telecast would be moving to Youtube in 2029. Except for the occasional times I watch a video clip on Youtube, I do not want to be forced to pay and/or sign up for another streaming service to see the telecast, or to watch it on a computer. What was wrong with having it air on network TV?      I AM ALREADY DISTRAUGHT OVER THIS upcoming change and am even experiencing anxiety for one of the biggest changes in my life: for the first time that I can remember, I will not be able to watch the Oscar telecast this year when it airs. I will be out of the country. In the past, I have been conscious of not making any travel plans around the Oscars show, going as far as cutting my travel plans short to book an early morning flight, so I would be home in time to watch the show. But this year, I will be on a cruise ship. I cannot begin to tell you how upsetting this is for me; I can recall as a little kid sitting on the floor while watching the Oscars program on a black and white console television. And if this is not enough to push me over the edge, there is something more troubling I am still processing in my mind.      EVERY YEAR I TAKE THE TIME to list what I think should win and what I think the academy will choose as the winner. I would spend the time trying to see all the nominated movies in as many categories as I could to make an informed prediction. Since COVID, it has been harder to achieve this with the movie theater business in flux. The most recent change I discovered this year is the movie theater I frequent, has stopped all their afternoon showings of films. As a result there are fewer options for me to catch a movie, besides the agony of discovering a nominated film is on a streaming service I do not have in my package. And just think my biggest irritation in the past was hearing about a new film opening on the east and west coast but nowhere else, just to qualify for that year’s Oscar picks. As a result of being on vacation for nearly two months earlier this year, and the less frequent opportunity to even watch a movie, for the first time in my life, I cannot in good conscious write down my predictions. I have barely seen any of the nominated movies. All I can tell you is my favorite films this past year were Hamnet and Sinners. I wish things were different and it will take time for me to get over the grief this change has caused me. Despite all of this, I do hope you enjoy watching the telecast and that your favorites from the past year turn out being winners. Take care.