The hit parade.

Peoples,

A quick Hello, Hi, all that, and then back to work.

What you should know:

• I made the mistake of watching Fox's Prison Break. Dear Lord, we knew Brett Ratner can't direct films and we now know that he sure as hell can't direct for TV. In addition to creating a visually dull pilot, the performances he elicited from the actors... Well, let's just leave it at: It tells you something about the director when that level of acting is deemed acceptable.
  
  
• I feel guilty for liking John Madden's Proof. What's funny is most of the reasons for feeling guilty--the Oscar-bait sheen, the wobbly mix of "realism" with Big Movie Moments, my unrelenting crush on the Gawky Bird--are the reasons I liked it so much. Hell, Hope Davis is usually a deal-breaker; here, in a role where the decks are entirely stacked against her, she slays. Remember back in 2001, when all those critics were smoking crack and recommending Ron Howard's limp and artless A Beautiful Mind? Yeah, well here's a way better entry in the genre of "Glossy Films About Tormented Math Geniuses."
  
  
• Kanye West's Late Registration isn't quite the masterpiece that its hyped to be, but it's still bold and odd and pop and unlike any other hip hop album out there. But would someone please get Ye a copy of that memo about skits on rap/hip hop albums. He's still under the impression that they're funny and, you know, don't kill the flow.