CPAC After Dark, Kramer vs. Kramer, Fox’s D.C. Drama

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your pocket guide to the latest reporting from Puck.

Today, we lead with Matt Belloni’s second annual Awards Season Awards—a totally subjective, news-nugget imbued, partially grievance-based salute to Hollywood’s interminable Oscar season.

Then, below the fold: Tara Palmeri explores the budding Mitch McConnell-Steve Daines bromance, and Fox News’s devolution into the black sheep of the D.C. press pool. Julia Ioffe joins Peter Hamby to discuss how Putin’s nemesis became Oscar bait. Tina Nguyen and Ben Landy break down the unraveling of CPAC. And on The Town, Matt grills Academy C.E.O. Bill Kramer about changes to this year’s broadcast and lessons from the Slap.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Puck’s second annual, totally subjective and partially grievance-based salute to the oddities and embarrassments of Hollywood’s interminable Oscar season.

TARA PALMERI

News and notes around town: Republican senatorial rapprochement and a media scrum for our times.

PETER HAMBY, JULIA IOFFE, BEN LANDY, and TINA NGUYEN

Julia Ioffe joins Peter Hamby to discuss how Putin’s nemesis turned into Oscar bait. Then Tina Nguyen and Ben Landy dig into the unraveling of CPAC.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Matt is joined by the C.E.O. of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Bill Kramer, to talk about his first year as CEO, the changes we will see on this year's broadcast, what they have learned from the Slap, and more.