What's with the Grand Hotel this year? Seems to have put up its prices but left its service levels unchanged. I mean, take away coffee from the lobby $7? But that's not the worst of it.

Some of Variety's critics thrilled when they stepped into their rooms for the first time and found brand new fancy schmanzy flat-screen TVs. Great they thought, we can watch all those screeners that people give us and be sure not to miss anything. Only thing is the rooms still don't have DVD players, so they still end up watching movies on their laptops.

Oh well, fingers crossed that the promised improvements to the elevators will miraculously click into effect by the beginning of the market tomorrow.

(P. Frater)