Parched

Well, it's mid-summer, so, where's the sleeper?

One year ago almost precisely (July 28), "Little Miss Sunshine'' arrived and began its relentless march toward making a lot of money on a modest production budget, playing through the late fall in first-run theaters and beguiling enough people with clout that an Academy Award was a given.

It was. Alan Arkin, a veteran actor in his 70s, who has deserved the award for years ("Catch 22" is an obvious example) won the best supporting actor Oscar. Abigail Breslin, playing his granddaughter, was nominated but didn't win.

So, here we are one year later and nothing of that ilk has surfaced.

A "Knocked Up'' doesn't count because that had way too much advance publicity and flacking based on its filmmaker's previous hit ("40 Year Old Virgin").

A sleeper must arrive unheralded with little anticipation, and more important, not pander or be "targeted to a demographic.'' Like "Sunshine'' and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'' it must have a unique tone and personality and appeal to an enormous cross section of audiences.

I'd put "Boogie Nights,'' "Speed'' and "Ghost World'' in this category.

Without a sleeper, the year, especially the summer, seems drab and not very exciting.

We're waiting.