And the award goes to...

Okay, so the Oscars are usually a pretty big deal with me. When the show used to be on Monday nights (anyone remember this?), my mom would get home as soon as possible after work and we would plant ourselves in front of the tube to catch all of the pre-show coverage, discuss who was wearing what, laugh at the host's jokes (Billy, where are you??), and be completely sick of sitting on our butts by the end of the night after our marathon.

Well, now I'm older and wiser and the pre-shows generally just drive me absolutely crazy. I don't want to sit and listen to all of the second-rate "news" reporters interview celebrities whose films they know nothing about, and what designers made their dresses.... no one really cares.

However, I still love to see what the hosts are going to do, and there are a few years where I am interested in what films actually win awards. I did boycott a few times - I remember years ago when The English Patient was nominated for everything, so I refused to see it. Too much hype. I couldn't overcome the hype for Titanic, but now I look back and realize there really was no acting in that movie, except for the star - the boat. And it got boring when it kept winning, and winning... and winning. B-O-R-I-N-G.

So, here are my pics for winners this year. I didn't see EVERY SINGLE movie nominated for something, so some of my picks will be based on no reason at all. I've also included my favorite quote from each of the movies... also for no reason at all except that I just like quotes.

"There it is, now we both know the sordid truth: I sweat, and you're deaf. Aren't we a fine pair of misfits?"
For Best Picture, I am leaning toward The Aviator, with Million Dollar Baby a close second. The Aviator is a true epic, and a great epic, at that. I didn't want to see it. I am not a big Leonardo fan, and during the first 20 seconds of the film, I was dreading it because I realized "oh, crap, I forgot it's Leo". But after that - I totally forgot it was him and got sucked into the story he was telling as Howard Hughes. This man was a true freak and I was fascinated by the quirks and problems this guy had, along with all that he had accomplished. The movie was beautiful and huge.

"My darling, my blood"
Million Dollar Baby was also a beautiful story, and I almost wish I didn't know the end of the movie before I saw it. I won't ruin it, but it's a tear-jerker and makes you think. And it got me so involved I didn't even leave to pee - which, for me is quite a feat.

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about. And that was the beginning of fairies".
Finding Neverland is a movie I wish would win all kinds of awards, but it's going to be a tough year with tough competition for it to win any at all. I LOVED this movie so much I saw it twice. An absolutely BEAUTIFUL story that caught me completely off-guard several times, and one that I bawled my eyes out several times - both times I saw it. As I mentioned before, Peter Pan is a story that is meaningful to my family, which may influence how I feel about it. But nonetheless, I really wish this movie had gotten more press and that more people I know had seen it.

"Never let nobody or nothing turn you into no cripple".
Ray was simply amazing. Another movie where I completely forgot that this was an actor playing the part. I was impressed by the way the movie wove so many different aspects into the film with flashbacks and tying everything together so seamlessly and believably. It was a bit long for me, and I could not get the fact that the Atlantic Records guy, Ahmet, was being portrayed by the guy who played Booger in Revenge of the Nerds. Anyone else???

"You don't understand my plight".
Sideways was a good story, but I did not care for the movie. Mostly because the characters received none of my sympathy throughout the film, and by the end came, I didn't care less what happened to any of them. I didn't believe any of the acting, and just felt sorry for all of them - including the press who have so lavishly praised this movie. I don't get it, but maybe that's why I don't get paid to be a critic. I didn't hate it, but I would be fine if it didn't win any awards and if I didn't have to see it ever again.

For the rest, here are my picks:
Best Actor: Gotta go with Jamie Foxx, although I already mentioned Leonardo's ability to make me forget it was him and though Clint was great - he was Clint. Funny, but a tough guy.

Best Supporting Actor: Love love love Morgan Freeman in almost anything he does. My mom reminded me today that I used to watch him when I was little on some kid's show. Maybe this is why. He was great in this film.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet was amazing in Eternal Sunshine, but I think I might be leaning more towards Hilary Swank for Oscar #2.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, hands down.

Best Adapted Screenplay: I gotta give Finding Neverland some sort of pick, so this is it.

Best Original Screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind because I love Charlie Kaufman.

Best Cinematography: Because it was robbed of nominations this year, I'm going to go with The Passion of the Christ.

Best Animated Feature: I absolutely cannot pick one because I loved all of them - The Incredibles, Shark Tale, and Shrek 2. But I'll pick Shark Tale because it's the last one I saw. See? I told you it would be scientific!!

Pull out the ballot

I accomplished my goal today of seeing all five movies nominated for Best Picture. This is very exciting for me.




Thursday night after work Blockbuster had one copy of Ray available just for me. Yay for me!



Today I had a small window of opportunity to see the final movie on my list, so I went and saw Million Dollar Baby. Yay for me!

Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

Such a fine sight to see, indeed. Well, except I was in Phoenix, not Winslow. Still need to get that keychain as a keepsake. Someday, someday...

Last weekend was spent visiting the fam I miss so dearly in Phoenix. Hadn't yet visited since they moved in September, so I was long overdue. I miss those darn kids. And their parents are okay, too. My step-brother and his wife are two of my favorite people, and so glad I can call them family. It rained the entire time, so the elaborate plans the kids had to take me to the local zoo, "Coasters and Castles", and everything else involving the outdoors, was a no-go. We spent a lot of time just hangin' out doing nothing in particular, which was fine by me. Although Jackson and I did learn a few funky dance moves from the special features at the end of Shark Tales. Good times with a 6-year old.

I forgot to take pictures the entire weekend, so the only evidence I have to share with the class are the pictures I took on the plane ride home. Heather joined me on the trip, although it wasn't exactly an H & H adventure as we went our separate ways at the airport where her cousin picked her up for some quality family time as well. Here's what I have for show and tell:


Okay, so I did take one pic while still on the ground in Phoenix. This is my niece playing her Lizzie Maguire game on the way to the airport.


Self portrait with the cursed left eyebrow that won't stay down!


Heather's tray. Gatorade and two packets of peanuts. Breakfast of Champions.


My tray.


Our fancy shoes. Note to self: Moccasins and rain are not a good combo.


My Valentine's gift from Heather made a tasty treat on the 45-minute plane ride. And in case you were wondering - she's got the magic touch.


The Southwest Airlines logo, a.k.a. Heather's future tattoo.


The view of the energy windmills near Palm Springs from the plane. For some reason I was intrigued.

Baby, I'm a cop, stop, put up your hands and surrender to me

Last night went and saw Gavin DeGraw for the very first time. I broke one of my cardinal rules by attending this show - those who know me, know my rule; those who don't wouldn't understand anyway...



Strange venue - Claremont College Auditorium. Lots of kids. LOTS. Much different atmosphere than I'm used to. And it had odd gay constellations etched in the ceiling. Whatever. Our seats were further back than I would have liked. I'm used to standing in a small venue like that, but with seats, you're stuck. And without screens to give you a better view of what's going on onstage, it pretty much sucks. Plus we were just under the balcony, so the sound was a little bouncy. Rather annoying.

Michael Tolcher opened the night. Yeah- that's what I said: "Who??" Pretty good set, but the highlight was his band. Three brothas who can jam it - The drummer Lefty was amazing, the bass player Big Tiny was groovin, and the guitar player... well, he needed a new wardrobe. I don't mean to sound shallow, but I absolutely could not get past his appearance. Super skinny kid with way too tight jeans on. Not a good combo, especially when paired with a semi-baggy "vintage" t-shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. Top that off with his big afro, and I was utterly confused. Michael himself was a white boy who had all the right moves. And he showed us them - all of them. That was probably the best part of his set, when he put the guitar down and just danced back and forth across the stage. Good at least for pointing and laughing.

No, but seriously, he was a good performer with an really great voice. I may consider buying a CD in the near future. Emphasis on MAY....

THEN comes Gavin. My suspicions that I love him for his music alone and not for his looks were confirmed right away. As stated before, I really am not shallow (I swear), but his appearance was a mystery to me alllllll night. To his credit, I *was* seated further away from the stage than I'm used to, but my perfect eyesight usually does not lie. I can appreciate that Gavin does practice what he preaches: "I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been tryin' to be lately" but he might want to try to figure out what he's trying to be right now. His hair can best be described as a current Roger Daltry fro circa 1979. It's styled without trying too hard to be. Thankfully he put on a Kangol hat right before the second song, so the mane was covered the rest of the night. But the hat was also annoying - he kept adjusting it between each song, placing his palms on either side of it, lifting it up off his head about 2 inches, then smashing it back on. It was like he was getting ready to do a hat trick, but changed his mind at the last minute... over and over and over. And a Kangol??? At least it wasn't the beanie I see him photographed in every time.

Then there's the chain... Ohhh, the chain. More like BLING. He had a button down shirt over a tee for most of his set, and I kept seeing something sparkling just under his collar. I kept trying to figure out what it was, because it was much too glaring to be what it appeared at first to be - a giant silver chain. But it was. He finally took off his button down and I actually got caught off guard and verbalized my shock with an "OH!" Yes, it was a huge silver chain that shimmered and shined under all those lights for the rest of the night. Beyond distracting, I had a really puzzled look for the rest of the night, as I squinted trying to shield my eyes from the glare.

I promise I'm not shallow.

Which again proves how much I love this guy's music. Nothing could take away from this guy's stuff. Before I dig into his set, I do have to mention that I was a bit disappointed with his band. At best they were boring. A bunch of white dudes just standing there seeming uninterested. Whole bunch of blah. Anyway, I digress....

As I've mentioned before, I have not been able to stay away from his CDs for more than a day or so. Something about it strikes a chord with me, and I was not disappointed with his live set. He sings with everything he's got and it's amazing he still has a voice after each show. He's got soul and he lets you know. Besides the fact that I'm a sucker for a guy who can play the piano, he also surprised me by picking up the guitar on more than a few songs. Not sure how well he can actually play the 6-string, but he gets an A for effort.

He played every song off "Chariot" except one, plus a brand new one and a few old ones. Throw in 2 or 3 covers of classics, and you have yourself a good mix of material. I would say the majority of the people in that crowd didn't have the album and only really knew "I Don't Wanna Be". Good number of people were like me and knew every song off the album - and then you always gotta have your true fanatics who knew every word to EVERY song. How they do that, I'll never know. He could have written a song at 2pm and played it for the first time that night and somehow they would know it.

Sang a very funny song called "Few Drinks to Fall in Love" which I found extremely entertaining. And another one called "Cop Stop" which I swear I've heard somewhere before but still took me til the end of the song to figure out exactly what he was singing. Super cheesy, but the entire content of the song is sweet.

He's got a great sense of humor and kept the crowd into it all night. I was not disappointed in the least bit by the show, and was super excited to have finally seen him. Just today I've discovered the joy of downloading live shows online, and have been sitting here listening to a few shows people have recorded while I type this. Disappointed that I missed him at a couple awesome venues last year - but I can't regret the past. Instead, I'll look forward to the next time I get to see him.

Citrus, passion fruit, just the faintest soupçon of asparagus, and, like, a nutty Edam cheese.

Today I got another step closer to my Oscar movie goal. I saw Sideways. Again, I am holding all opinions on all best picture nominees until I have seen all of them. Still have Ray and Million Dollar Baby left... But I will say this: I am still certain that I will never be any sort of wine afficianado. Just pour it and I'll drink it. That's that.

Chemical Party

Tomorrow night I will be seeing Gavin DeGraw live. This makes me very excited, it's hard to put it into words. So I won't.

Details to come...