Momma's little baby loves Altman, Altman

My most anticipated movie this year is not Superman Returns, Idiocracy, The Fountain, or The Departed. My most anticipated movie of this year: A Prairie Home Companion.

I found a lot of the NPR shows during my formative years, including A Prairie Home Companion. I remember hearing Keillor devote an entire show to Buddy Holly on the anniversary of his death. He delivered a stunning play-by-play of the fateful night that a young Iowa farm boy, Roger Peterson blinded by the snow with flawed instrument readings, crashed his single-engined Beechcraft Bonanza plane into the ground, killing himself and the music giants. Keillor transitioned into Holly's 'Everyday' he dedicated the song to Roger Peterson, saying "Like so many young people, when danger presented itself and he could have turned back, he continued on."

A Prairie Home Companion has always been a great example of the power of radio. I love the amazingly awful badness of the annual Really Bad Joke Show, a virtuosso onslaught of jokes delivered with lightning speed. I love the Talent From Towns Under Two-Thousand contest where young kids from small towns compete for the entire show. I love that Keillor reads dedications from the audience. I love that he's back and forth with highbrow, high concept humor and scatalogical.

And look at the cast:

Woody Harrelson .... Lefty
Tommy Lee Jones .... Axeman
Garrison Keillor.... Himself
Kevin Kline .... Guy Noir
Pete Lee .... Stage Hand
Lindsay Lohan .... Lola Johnson
Virginia Madsen .... The Dangerous Woman
John C. Reilly .... Dusty
Maya Rudolph .... Loretta, Assistant Stage Manager
Tim Russell .... Al, Stage Manager
Sue Scott .... Donna, Make-Up Lady
Meryl Streep .... Yolanda Johnson
Lily Tomlin .... Rhonda Johnson
Jim Westcott .... Stage Hand
Linda Williams .... Herself
Robin Williams .... Himself

Maybe the movie will stink up the joint on ice. But the show's track record, cast, and an up-and-coming director named Bobby Altman lead me to think otherwise. And today the trailer launched so I have a little better idea of how they're playing up the story. I'm a sucker for underdog stories, and a national, two-hour radio show versus 2006, I'm there.

"...but the time's up, life moves on."

Don't let me down Keillor. I'll stop buying your damn biscuits if you do.