I Rule The Oscar Pool!

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

I usually do well in these things, but this year I did exceedingly well.

I got all the "major categories" right: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Director.

I also got right: Best Cinematography, Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, Best Original Screenplay, Best Makeup, Best Art Direction, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Sound Mixing

But I got wrong:  Best Song, Best Score, Best Foreign Film (not "Pan’s Labyrinth"?  What gives?), Best Costumes, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Animated Short Film, Best Documentary Short

That’s 14 out of 24 (more if you weight the bigger categories).  I usually get 10-11.

Sadly, I didn’t participate in any pools or sweepstakes.

In retrospect, I really should have pegged "The Departed" for Best Film Editing, and gone with popular sentiment by picking "The Departed" for Best Adapted Screenplay.  Other than that, I don’t have any second thoughts about my picks.

Best Oscar telecast moment:  You know, there really weren’t any.  I like Forest Whitaker’s speech.  The orchestra cutting off Gore’s "important announcement" was kind of funny, although Al Gore really can’t do comedy.  Could have done with out the weird shadow dancers and gospel choirs.  And waaaaay too long.

Why Jennifer Hudson Shouldn’t Win

Ken AshfordPopular Culture2 Comments

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[UPDATE NOTE: I may or may not be liveblogging the Oscars this Sunday, as I may or may not be attending an Oscar party.  Depends on my mood.  I’m fickle that way.  In any event, to all my readers (both of you) have a good weekend.  Don’t shoot anybody in the face.]

Below is a repost of my Oscar predictions (posted here earlier on January 23).

One month later, I stand by all of them, except maybe "Children of Men" for Best Adapted Screenplay (it’ll probably be "The Departed").  I still realize that Eddie Murphy is the odds-on favorite for Best Supporting, but I’m still liking Arkin.

But even though I predicted an Oscar nod for Ms. Hudson, let me explain why she shouldn’t win.  It’s quite simple — she wasn’t that good.

I know this amounts to heresy to some, but I said the same thing about Crash, the movie people loooooved because it used the awesomely innovative! fiendishly clever! never-before-done! story-telling technique of having several intertwining vignettes, and its compelling! earth-shattering! message that, yes, some people are racist. 

Well, it’s a year later, and can you even remember most of the movie, save perhaps a scene where Matt Dillon gropes/saves Thandie Newton?  I suspect not.

Don’t get me wrong — I liked Crash.  I just didn’t think it deserved Best Picture.  Same with Ms. Hudson’s performance in Dreamgirls.  Yes, she sang "that song" well, and she showed adequate emotion when she sang it.  Emphasize "adequate".  The original, Jennifer Holiday, did it much better — both from a singing and emotional standpoint — and without heavy editing.  [SIDENOTE: Ms. Holiday, who has to be, like 60 now, is reprising her Dreamgirls role as Effie next month in Georgia for the National Black Theater Festival.  Ten bucks says she can still out-perform Hudson in that role].

By contrast, Ms. Hudson’s three-minute American-Idol-like performance is not the stuff for which Oscars are given.  And she was barely there throughout the rest of the movie.  Yes, she furrowed her brown brow and pigeon-strutted her neck when she was required to be angry, but I didn’t believer believe her.  And she moped good, too.  But there wasn’t much depth to what she did, ever.  And frankly, I think Best Supporting Actress nominee Abigail Benson (the little girl in Little Miss Sunshine) showed more emotional range and believability.

So yes.  I admit there is a certain pleasure in giving an Oscar to a virtual unknown — an American Idol finalist making her big screen debut.  It’s a Cinderella story, and that makes it a crowdpleaser.  But Cinderella at least earned her spot at the prince’s side.  Hudson’s performance, while good, simply wasn’t enough to merit the statuette.  And in time, you’ll agree with me.

Okay.  Sorry to pee in the Oscar pool, but it just had to be said.

And now my Oscar predictions……(again)

My predicted winners are in red:

1. Best Picture: "Babel," "The Departed," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Queen."

Comments:  The surprise here is, of course, the failure of "Dreamgirls" to be nominated.  It was a movie that many expected to not only be nominated, but to win.  With "Dreamgirls" out of the mix, it is an open question.  LMS is too light and fluffy for an Oscar, and Queen is too, well, British.  "Letters From Iwo Jima" has an outstanding chance, not only because it is a well-done film, but it stands beside Eastwood’s other Iwo Jima epic of this year "Flags Of Our Fathers".  Still, I think it’s going to Scorsese. (P.S. Kudos for not nominating "Borat")

2. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond"; Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson"; Peter O’Toole, "Venus"; Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness"; Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"

Comments: Whitaker won the Golden Globe and the Academy likes him.  DiCaprio has a good chance (especially since he wasn’t nominated for best supporting for his role in "The Departed"), and Peter O’Toole is a sentimental favorite, since it looks like he might not be with us much longer.  Still, I give Whitaker the slight edge.

3. Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Volver"; Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal"; Helen Mirren, "The Queen" ; Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"; Kate Winslet, "Little Children."

Comments:  Personally, I would love to see Meryl win another Oscar, and she did take the Golden Globe.  But Mirren’s performance was, according to the buzz, outstanding.  Meryl will be nipping at her heels, and don’t be surprised by an "upset" from Penelope Cruz.

4. Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine" ; Jackie Earle Haley, "Little Children"; Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond"; Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"; Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed."

Comments:  A lot of people are saying it’s Eddie Murphy, and I certainly was pleasantly surprised by his performance in "Dreamgirls", and pleased with his Golden Globe win.  Still, I have this feeling about Arkin — a consistently good actor who has yet to be recognized.

5. Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza, "Babel"; Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal"; Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss Sunshine"; Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"; Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel."

Comments:  The only sure thing in the top categories — Jennifer Hudson.

6. Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, "Babel"; Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"; Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima"; Stephen Frears, "The Queen"; Paul Greengrass, "United 93."

Comments:  Again, a bit of a surprise that Bill Condon wasn’t nominated for "Dreamgirls", but even if he had, I think this is the year when Scorsese finally wins his first Oscar for Best Directing.

7. Foreign Language Film: "After the Wedding," Denmark; "Days of Glory (Indigenes)," Algeria; "The Lives of Others," Germany; "Pan’s Labyrinth," Mexico; "Water," Canada.

Comments:  Not even close.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Sacha Baron Cohen and Anthony Hines and Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer and Todd Phillips, "Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"; Alfonso Cuaron and Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, "Children of Men"; William Monahan, "The Departed"; Todd Field and Tom Perrotta, "Little Children"; Patrick Marber, "Notes on a Scandal."

Comments:  A bit of a surprise that "Thank You For Not Smoking" wasn’t nominated.  I’m leaning toward "Children of Men" but it could be "The Departed"

9. Original Screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga, "Babel"; Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis, "Letters From Iwo Jima"; Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine" ; Guillermo del Toro, "Pan’s Labyrinth"; Peter Morgan, "The Queen."

Comments:  It’s either "Little Mary Sunshine" or "Babel".  I’m guessing the former.

10. Animated Feature Film: "Cars," "Happy Feet", Monster House."

Comments:  Its environmental message and good music will give "Happy Feet" the edge over "Cars"

11. Art Direction: "Dreamgirls," "The Good Shepherd," "Pan’s Labyrinth", "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest," "The Prestige."

Comments:  I’m picking "Pan’s Labyrinth" simply because it’s otherworldly, and (apparently) done very well.

12. Cinematography: "The Black Dahlia," "Children of Men," "The Illusionist," "Pan’s Labyrinth", "The Prestige."

Comments:  Futuristic ("Children of Men") and historical ("The Black Dahlia", "The Illusionist") often do well, but so do the otherworldly.  I’m leaning toward Pan again.

13. Sound Mixing: "Apocalypto," "Blood Diamond," "Dreamgirls", "Flags of Our Fathers," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest."

14. Sound Editing: "Apocalypto," "Blood Diamond," "Flags of Our Fathers", "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest."

15. Original Score: "Babel," Gustavo Santaolalla; "The Good German," Thomas Newman; "Notes on a Scandal," Philip Glass; "Pan’s Labyrinth", Javier Navarrete; "The Queen," Alexandre Desplat.

Comments:  Never go against Philip Glass.

16. Original Song: "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth," Melissa Etheridge; "Listen" from "Dreamgirls," Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler and Anne Preven; "Love You I Do" from "Dreamgirls", Henry Krieger and Siedah Garrett; "Our Town" from "Cars," Randy Newman; "Patience" from "Dreamgirls," Henry Krieger and Willie Reale.

Comments:  Very odd.  "Love You I Do" was from the original Broadway score, so one wonders why "I’m Not Going" wasn’t nominated.  In truth, the winner will probably be something from "Dreamgirls".  I just don’t like "Listen" or "Patience" very much.  [UPDATE:  Heather says I am wrong about "Love You I Do" being from the original Broadway score, and I probably am.]

17. Costume: "Curse of the Golden Flower," "The Devil Wears Prada", "Dreamgirls," "Marie Antoinette," "The Queen."

Comments:  The costume award just has to go to a movie about fashion.

18. Documentary Feature: "Deliver Us From Evil," "An Inconvenient Truth", "Iraq in Fragments," "Jesus Camp," "My Country, My Country."

Comments:  Usually, popular documentaries don’t win, but this year will be different.

19. Documentary (short subject): "The Blood of Yingzhou District," "Recycled Life," "Rehearsing a Dream," "Two Hands."

20. Film Editing: "Babel", "Blood Diamond," "Children of Men," "The Departed," "United 93."

21. Makeup: "Apocalypto," "Click," "Pan’s Labyrinth"

22. Animated Short Film: "The Danish Poet," "Lifted," "The Little Matchgirl," "Maestro," "No Time for Nuts."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)," "Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)," "Helmer & Son," "The Saviour," "West Bank Story."

24. Visual Effects: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest," "Poseidon," "Superman Returns"

Universal Symbol For Radiation Gets A Makeover

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

This is the warning label for radiation that we’re all used to:

Trefoil

Apparently, people didn’t "get" what this meant, so the International Atomic Energy Agency has just announced and released a new universal symbol:

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For those of you didn’t understand the old universal symbol, let me translate the new one, just so we’re all the same page:

WARNING!  A SHIP’S PROPELLER IS SHOOTING DEATH RAYS AT PIRATES AND MARATHON RUNNERS!  MOVE TO YOUR RIGHT!

This has been a public service announcement from The Seventh Sense.  You may now return to your relatively radiation-free lives.

How To Deal With A Psychotic Astronaut

Ken AshfordScience & TechnologyLeave a Comment

Believe it or not, NASA had already figured out this contingency — long before the Lisa Nowak incident:

It turns out NASA has detailed, written procedures for dealing with a suicidal or psychotic astronaut in space. The documents, obtained this week by The Associated Press, say the astronaut’s crewmates should bind his wrists and ankles with duct tape, tie him down with a bungee cord and inject him with tranquilizers if necessary.

"Talk with the patient while you are restraining him," the instructions say. "Explain what you are doing, and that you are using a restraint to ensure that he is safe."

The instructions do not spell out what happens after that. But NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said the space agency, a flight surgeon on the ground and the commander in space would decide on a case-by-case basis whether to abort the flight, in the case of the shuttle, or send the astronaut home, if the episode took place on the international space station.

Good to know they’ve thought this one through.  Of course, they probably still don’t know how to handle a psychotic computer.

Hal9000

Friday iPod Random Ten

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

  1. Your Feet’s Too Big – Ain’t Misbehavin’ [Original Broadway Cast]
  2. Skating – Vince Guaraldi (from "A Charlie Brown Christmas")
  3. I Got You Babe – Sonny & Cher
  4. Love Shack – B-52’s
  5. Bamboleo – Gipsy Kings
  6. Elecrtic Blues/Old Fashioned Melody – Hair (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
  7. Sheba – Mike Oldfield
  8. Underture – The Who
  9. A Miracle Would Happen – The Last Five Years [Original Broadway Cast]
  10. Getting Better – Paul McCartney (Live!)

Thinking About Autism

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

Another viral video from YouTube.  This one however, is actually educational and even inspiring.

The short homemade film is entitled "In My Language" and it shows the Amanda Baggs in her typical routine.

Amanda Baggs has severe autism. She didn’t cry when she was born. She had to be taught how to nurse. As a little girl, she rocked her head back and forth but could speak. As she grew, she would go longer and longer without speaking, until her spoken language disappeared altogether.  She slowly learned how to type. Now, she relies on her computer or a voice synthesizer linked to a keyboard to interact with people. 

For Amanda, it takes a great deal of energy to think in words. It is not her natural state of mind. "It’s like being bilingual," she types. "A lot of the way I naturally communicate is just through direct response to what is around me in a very physical sort of way. It’s dealing with patterns and colors rather than with symbolic words."

The first part of the film is simply her being, well, autistic.  The second part of the film is Amanda’s translation, in her own language, of what she is doing and thinking.  As the description reads:

This is not a look-at-the-autie gawking freakshow as much as it is a statement about what gets considered thought, intelligence, personhood, language, and communication, and what does not.

In the film, Amanda poignantly asks why her inability to learn our language is considered a deficiency, yet nobody bothers to understand the nature of her language.

A really good YouTube video, so popular that even CNN picked up on it.  Enjoy:

Guy Who Never Had A Chance In Hell Drops Out

Ken AshfordElection 2008Leave a Comment

Vilsack ends his 2008 presidential bid.

For those of you who don’t know him (98% of us), he is the ex-governor of Iowa.  Here’s a photo:

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UPDATE: CNN gives us Vilsack-in-a-nutshell:

Tom Vilsack (D-Iowa)

  • Filed candidacy papers with the FEC on 11/9/2006 (two days after midterm)
  • Dropping out 2/23/2007
  • Length of campaign: 15 weeks, 1 day (106 days)
  • Not the first 2008 presidential hopeful to drop out: Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) dropped out 12/15/2006
  • Also not the shortest presidential campaign of 2008: Sen. Evan Bayh dropped out after 10 days
  • Elected Iowa governor in 1998; served two terms

    Presidential Fundraising from 11/9/2006 thru 12/31/2006:

    Total Raised:                 $1,165,075.99
    Total Contributions:          $1,133,827.51
    Contribs. from candidate:     $2,100.00
    Loans from candidate:         $31,148.48
    Total Spent:                  $769,113.13
    Cash on hand (as of 12/31/06):$395,962.86

    Personal Finances:
    Personal assets between $761,000 and $2,315,000
    Liabilities between $115,000 and $300,000

    On the issues

    Abortion: Supports abortion rights.

    Immigration: Expressed concern over Bush immigration proposals, but eventually deployed Iowa National Guard troops to assist at the California-Mexico border. Signed law establishing English as Iowa’s official language, but now says he regrets that decision.

    Iraq: Opposes Bush plan to send more American troops to Iraq. Opposes setting a specific time-table for troop withdrawal. Would consult with military advisers on removing troops from Baghdad and central and southern Iraq, while keeping them in northern Iraq.

    Same-Sex Marriage: Supports Iowa’s law banning on same-sex marriage, but says a federal or state constitutional ban is unnecessary. Supports civil unions for same-sex couples.

    Social Security: Opposes Bush plan allowing workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. Signed state law phasing out income taxes on Social Security benefits.

    Taxes: Signed law cutting or eliminating certain taxes for Iowa seniors and reducing tax rate on pensions. Vetoed income tax cuts in a 2004 state economic bill, but was later overturned by the courts.

    • At Last — Something Non Non-Binding

    Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

    AP:

    Determined to challenge President Bush, Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to limit the mission of U.S. troops in Iraq, effectively revoking the broad authority Congress granted in 2002, officials said Thursday.

    While these officials said the precise wording of the measure remains unsettled, one draft would restrict American troops in Iraq to combating al-Qaida, training Iraqi army and police forces, maintaining Iraq’s territorial integrity, and otherwise proceeding with the withdrawal of combat forces.

    Realistically, this doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of passing, seeing as how the Senate cannot pass a non-binding resolution.  And certainly, it will cause a lot of wingnuts to claim how Democrats are all terrorist sympahtizers blah blah blah.

    But it’s still the right thing to do.  Iraq is a cesspool, and our continued involvement there only makes the threat of terrorism worse.  Throwing good bodies after bad is not good policy.  Time to redeploy the troops to places where real threats to America actually exist.

    More details on the bill here.

    The Nietzche Family Circus

    Ken AshfordWeb RecommendationsLeave a Comment

    I like this site: it pairs random Family Circle drawings with random Nietzche quotes.

    Example:

    166famcir

    "To predict the behavior of ordinary people in advance, you only have to assume that they will always try to escape a disagreeable situation with the smallest possible expenditure of intelligence."

    Another one:

    52famcir

    "There are no facts, only interpretations."

    Okay, one more:

    84famcir

    Has a woman who knew herself to be well dressed ever caught a cold?

    Uh, whatevs.

    My Apologies To Michael Medved…

    Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

    for implying in a recent post that he is gay.

    Jesus General set me, uh, straight:

    MedvedI’ve learned a couple of things about Mr. Medved since yesterday when I asked you to remind yourselves that he’s as heterosexual as Lindsey Graham. I think it’s important that I address them quickly before people get the wrong idea.

    First, Seattle Dan tells us he saw Mr. Medved on a mandate with former WA gubernatorial candidate John Carlson at a Seattle movie theater. According to Dan, the manly couple seemed to enjoy the film, Shrek, very much. He also reports that he did not see them holding hands, but he can’t rule it out either.

    I don’t see anything wrong with a man bonding with another man by attending a children’s movie about a love affair between an ogre and a princess. It sounds like good, clean, manly, heterosexual fun to me, like watching NASCAR or punching each other in the shoulder. And inasmuch as Dan doesn’t mention any tongue action, I think we have to conclude, notwithstanding any popcorn tricks, that it wasn’t anything more than a harmless little mandate between two very special friends.

    Second, on his Thursday show, Sam Seder told a story about an interview he had with Medved when Sam was promoting his book, F.U.B.A.R.. During a break, Medved asked him if his coauthor, Stephen Sherrill, was his "partner." Seder replied that while he and Sherrill sometimes collaborated, "partner" might not be the right term. Medved responded that he meant "partner" in the sense of being lovers. Seder said, "No, I’m married," and Medved replied with something like "but, so am I."

    Hmmmm…

    Please notice that at no time did Mr. Medved invite Seder’s little soldier to go spelunking in his cave of ecstasy. I think that’s all the evidence we need. Obviously, Mr. Medved is 110% heterosexual.

    Noted.

    I, For One, Welcome Our New Ape Overlords

    Ken AshfordEnvironment & Global Warming & EnergyLeave a Comment

    They’ve figured out they have opposible thumbs or something:

    Chimpanzees have been seen using spears to hunt bush babies, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a study that demonstrates a whole new level of tool use and planning by our closest living relatives.

    You know what this means, right?

    Actaully, if you read the article, you’ll learn that the innovative chimps were the females.  Way to go, gals!

    Thursday Night Spam Poetry

    Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

    The following was composed solely from the subject lines of spam emails I have received.  All I’ve added is punctuation:

    Keep A Chance

    If George Washington had an iPod,
    You can make history.
    This one is hardly promoted —
    Invisible text …it’s fixed.
    It is you who choose to go against the world.
    Two questions I have tho:
    "Hey, where’ve you been?"
    "Miss me yet?"
    Forgot, Sorry.
    Normalized.

    A Nice Tribute To Actors You Know But Don’t Know

    Ken AshfordPopular Culture2 Comments

    Daniel Carlson sings the praises of consistently good, hard-working, character actors who never receive due praise or nominations.  He notes that some of these actors — people like Paul Giamatti or William H. Macy — break the ceiling, but many of them don’t.

    Here are a few of the un-nominated, but praise-worthy charactor actors cited by Carlson:

    James Rebhorn:

    Rebhorn_mugthumb

    (The late) James T. Walsh:

    Walsh_mugthumb

    David Morse:

    Morse_mugthumb

    William Sadler:

    Sadler_mugthumb

    Stephen Toblowsky:

    Tobolowsky_mugthumb

    Peter Stromare:

    Stormare_mugthumb

    Michael Rooker:

    Rooker_mugthumb

    What about for women?  Any thoughts?

    I’ve always admired Lili Taylor:

    Blili1149197_150x200

    and Ileana Douglas

    Illeanasm

    and Anna Deavere Smith:

    Annadeaveresmith2sized

    Those are just off the top of my head.  Any others?

    Guess What? The News Is Overplaying The Anna Nicole Smith Thing

    Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

    This is a little bit "dog bites man", but still….

    From Pew Research:

    3052

    I find this encouraging.  It shows that the American people are more interested in important topics (like Iraq) than they are the fluff, like dead models and batshit insane astronauts.  It’s just that the news organization are feeding us mindless "infotainment" instead of news.

    But here’s what I found interesting.  Who exactly is driving the obsessive interest in Anna Nicole?  I would have thought it would be younger males, seeing as how Anna Nicole was a buxom woman and all that.  Not so.  It’s the women who can’t get enough of the dead-and-now-decomposing bimbo:

    3056