Hello and welcome to the first of Entertainment Manchester's all-new spangly blog which will be updated whenever something tickles our fancy. As Uncle Ben once told a young Peter Parker: "with great power, comes great responsibility", so this blog won't descend into the same irresponsible, lazy slagging matches that a certain non-Brit Award winning pop star has been known to indulge in. Instead, we strive to supply intelligent, informed and interesting opinions, enlivened with a sprinkling of controversy which we hope will be enough to spark a debate amongst you, our loyal readers.

First up, with the Oscars coming this weekend, we're going to address the potential winners and losers of the star spangled night, most notably Martin Scorsese. A five times Best Director loser, this year seems destined to give the bushy-browed auteur his moment in the spotlight for Boston-set mob thriller The Departed. It's a decision which would be greeted with cheers from critics and movie fans alike and probably earn Scorsese a well-deserved standing ovation from the Kodak Theatre audience. But there's still something nagging us about the prospect of Marty winning.

We’re big fans of The Departed, as we are of most Scorsese films. Everything from Jack Nicholson's delightfully OTT performance to Scorsese's cheeky sight gag in the very last scene made for a cracking thriller which, in our humble opinion, surpassed the original, rather full-of-itself, Infernal Affairs. But therein lies the crux of the matter. While this may be Scorsese returning to the glossy mob heights of Goodfellas, it's still a remake, one which will go down as a lesser Scorsese effort in years to come along with Casino and fellow remake Cape Fear.

That such wonderful films can be considered lesser Scorsese efforts proves just what a great innovator he is. He filmed Raging Bull in black and white, when such a thing was unfashionable. While Travis Bickle was on the phone in Taxi Driver, he moved the camera away from our protagonist and onto an empty corridor, highlighting Bickle's alienation in a fresh, invigorating way. And when he took on the bible in the stunning Last Temptation of Christ, he did so in an un-patronising manner, which bowed not to commercial or church pressure, but only to his own, deeply held religious beliefs.

That a man so innovative and so vital to modern cinema and its evolution could win for a remake is a crying shame, but one that we're certainly not going to deny him. Scorsese has earned this with every raw frame, every bloodied punch and every dark drum beat of his work. It's just a shame the Academy couldn't realise it earlier...

Quick update for Oscar predictions...

BEST FILM

Letters From Iwo Jima

BEST DIRECTOR

Martin Scorsese - The Departed

BEST ACTOR

Forest Whitaker - Last King Of Scotland

BEST ACTRESS

Helen Mirren - The Queen

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Pan's Labyrinth

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Cars

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Children of Men

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Babel