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The Oscar Race is On!

Yesterday, the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were announced. I know I am a day late in blogging them, but in case you haven’t heard, here are a few the more prominent nominations: Best Actor Javier Bardem (Biutiful) Jeff Bridges – (True Grit) Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) James Franco (127 Hours) Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale – (The Fighter) John Hawkes – (Winter’s Bone) Jeremy Renner (The Town) Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech) Best Actress Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) Nicole Kidman (Rabbit … Continue reading →

Focus on the Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire

Tonight, is the Academy Awards and among those nominated for Best Picture is a film that features Brad Pitt, one that features Leonardo DiCaprio, and one that features Sean Penn. There is a film that chronicles the exchange between a talk show host and a disgraced U.S. President. And then, there is Slumdog Millionaire. More than any of the other films, Slumdog Millionaire has generated a ton of Oscar buzz. Although many mistake it for a Bollywood film because of its Indian background, it is actually a British film. It was written by Simon Beaufov and directed Danny Boyle. It … Continue reading →

Nancy Grace vs. William Balfour’s Mother

CNN’s Nancy Grace contained herself for about six minutes before she lit into a hot-tempered, defensive, and at times, incomprehensible Michele Davis-Balfour. Balfour is the mother of William Balfour—-the “person of interest” in the murders of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew. Did you see the interview last night? What an absolute train wreck! Balfour was invited on Grace’s TV show to explain the events leading up to her son’s arrest as she understood them. Believe me; she didn’t do her son any favors. Balfour started out fine, but it didn’t take long before she lapsed into a barrage … Continue reading →

2008 Oscar Fashion

Did you honestly think I would overlook this year’s fashion at the Academy Awards? I definitely had some opinions about the outfits, although I must say the guys for the most part were well dressed but dull. Even Johnny Depp looked normal! For the women, I must say that I didn’t really like Marion Cotillard’s dress. Yes, it was kind of pretty, but didn’t you think it made her look a bit like a mermaid with all the scales? Okay, okay, I know, she is French; she innately knows more about fashion than I do. Moving on, I thought Jennifer … Continue reading →

The Oscar Aftermath

Well, I only got to watch about 9 hours of Oscar coverage yesterday as my hubby and I decided to take our son to a train show. Then, I missed some of E!’s coverage because I couldn’t hear it over the steamy train engine running in my kitchen. But, I still loved it. Oscar Day is THE yearly holiday for me at my house and this year, it didn’t disappoint (even though I, unlike most people, thought it ran a bit short!). So what were the highlights and lowlights of the night? Well, on the red carpet, certain sites are … Continue reading →

Mark Ruffalo Talks Fracking

Academy Award nominated actor Mark Ruffalo appeared on “The Colbert Report” last night to talk about fracking – hydro-fracking in particular. I’ve blogged about fracking before. It is the practice of drilling for natural gas using a combination of water and chemicals. The fluid is injected into shale, which causes fractures in the rock, which releases the natural gas. The problem is many believe this method of extracting natural contaminates local drinking water. I remember reading an article about the pros and cons of fracking in PEOPLE magazine. One lady, I cannot remember what state she lived in, was actually … Continue reading →

Princess John Carter of Mars

This is the story of a guy called John Carter. He’s a protagonist from a series of Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novels. The first is called “The Princess of Mars” because the book is as much about Dejah Thoris, the titular princess, as it is about Carter. Today Disney releases its adaptation of the book, called “John Carter.” Wait, what? “John Carter” sounds like an Oscar-bait movie about an unassuming middle management guy who has a mid-life crisis and learns the meaning of family, or something like that. It definitely doesn’t bring the genre “space epic” to mind. So … Continue reading →

The 84th Academy Awards

The 84th Academy Awards is over and it was record setting. For the first time since 1929 (when Wings won), a silent film, The Artist has taken the Best Picture statue. It was also the first movie filmed in the 4:3 aspect ratio to win Best Picture since 1955. It was the first non R-rated film to get Best Picture since 2004 (when Million Dollar Baby won). Jean Dujardin because the first Frenchman to win a Best Actor award. Was his acceptance speech charming or what? Michel Hazanavicius becomes only the second Frenchman to win Best Director (Roman Polanski, who … Continue reading →

The Artist Predicted to Win Big

When I first heard about The Artist, I wasn’t quite sure what to think about it. It was a French silent film. I wasn’t a big fan of French or silent films, other than a brief Clara Bow phase I went through. But, I am always up for something new, so one afternoon, I took off work and went to see The Artist. If you are wondering why I took off work, it’s because I knew that neither my 7-year-old son nor my husband would sit through a silent film. I went to a newly renovated theater near our house. … Continue reading →

Peter Falk Dies at 83

Television lost another legend this week. Actor Peter Falk, best known as television’s “Columbo,” died today at age 83. Although a cause of death was not listed, he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Falk was born in New York City and had his right eye removed due to retinoblastoma when he was only three years old. After graduating from high school, he briefly attended college then served in the United States Merchant Marine. Falk eventually returned to college to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. He was rejected for a job with the CIA and eventually became … Continue reading →