We all need something to take our mind of Britney and Anna Nicole. Thank goodness the time has come for The Brians. This marks the fifth year I have given awards for the best new movies which I saw in the theater during the preceeding year. In 2006, I had to bend the rules and add in movies I rented or bought on pay-per-view because we hardly made it to the movies.

This year, we’re back to the old rules with lots of contenders. In no particular order (except the order I remember them), we saw “Casino Royale,” “Click,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Talladega Nights,” “The Break-Up,” and “Date Movie.” The field of six is the largest in Brians history, I think.

We also have a new category for animated films. Those can be called the Bridgets because I came along for the ride to see “Curious George,” “Over the Hedge” and “Ice Age: the Meltdown.”

So without further ado, come down the Rivers-free red carpet and find out the winners.
Best Supporting Actress: Queen Latifah, “Stranger Than Fiction.” This is the second time Queen has won this award. Her first was three years ago for “Chicago.”

Best Supporting Actor: This was a tough category with Dustin Hoffman (Stranger Than Fiction), Christopher Walken (Click) and John C. Reilly (Talladega Nights). I have to give it to Hoffman though. The movie could have gotten too weird, but Hoffman’s character added an extra touch.

Best Actress: Kate Beckinsale, “Click.” Both she and Maggie Gyllenhaal from “Stranger Than Fiction” are real pretty, but Kate gets the nod in an underrated movie.

Best Actor: Will Ferrell, “Talladega Nights.” Let’s just say he loaned the award to Vince Vaughn for a year. Vince followed up last year’s win with a mediocre performance in “The Break-Up,” while Will created Ricky Bobby, one of the greatest comedic characters in recent years. Will has now won three of the five Brians for best actor.

Best Animated Movie: “Ice Age: The Meltdown.” This one kept my attention the best. I think “Curious George” was too simplistic and “Over the Hedge” tried to cram too much into the movie. “Ice Age” just put enough silly between the morality message for me.

Best Movie: “Talladega Nights.” There really wasn’t much of a contest. That’s not to put down the other movies I saw because this really was a good year. Some people put down this movie, but I just couldn’t stop laughing. Even when I knew certain jokes were coming because of the trailer, they still made me laugh.

And now for the minor awards:

Best Song: “Lost in the Supermarket” by Ben Folds from “Over the Hedge.” Rock pianist Folds plus a classic from The Clash equals good times.

Best Scene: The grace scene from “Talladega Nights” could have been one of the single funniest scenes in recent years. I can think of close to a dozen pieces of that which will be quotable material by immature guys for years to come.

Best Villian: James Bond. Yes, Bond was a villain of sorts in Casino Royale. I really like the tougher, edgier character and hope they incorporate that into future movies.