Can you smell it? It’s Oscar season. And, although I don't carry an Academy card, I do have an opinion. So, here are my slightly gossipy and very uninformed picks:
Actor in Leading Role
The nominees are…
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor (my pick)
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
This one's a no brainer. Richard Jenkins was the patriarch of my favorite TV family. Most of you have heard me sing my Six Feet Under love song. Brilliant (the show, not my song). Have I seen The Visitor? Nope, but I warned you of my uninformed-ness ahead of time.
Actor in a Supporting Role
The nominees are…
Josh Brolin – Milk
Robert Downey Jr – Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt (my pick)
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
Welcome to post-racial America! Robert Downey Jr. is nominated for being a white American actor playing a white Australian actor playing an African-American character. Too bad he’s fighting the impossible posthumous award battle. But, despite all that nonsense, Philip Seymour Hoffman is my pick. I’m still not over his Capote performance.
Actress in a Leading Role
The nominees are…
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Melissa Leo – Frozen River
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kate Winslet – The Reader
Kate Winslet would have been my pick. I have an affinity for dark, depressing period dramas and this one totally fit the bill. In real life, her kids are enrolled at this fancy private school that I pass every day on the way to work. Coincidentally, one of the fancy pants executives that sits near me also has a daughter at that school. Last week, she was bragging about PTO meetings with Kate Winslet, blah blah. The story ended with her telling me that Kate doesn’t allow any of the African American nannies in her apartment. What?! So, I’m changing my pick to Sally Hawkins. Yes, I know she’s not nominated. But, I'm planning a write-in campaign.
Actress in a Supporting Role
The nominees are…
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (my pick)
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Marisa Tomei plays a stripper in The Wrestler. Nobody wants to win an Oscar for their portrayal of a stripper. She’s already won once for playing an abrasive ditz and a second win would set a poor precedent. Taraji is my pick –- mostly because she has a great name, but also because she was really good in TCCBB. This movie I have seen, so I can vote on something a bit more substantial than office gossip.
Directing
The nominees are…
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button(my pick)
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Clint Eastwood (a ten-time nominee) and Woody Allen (a 21-time nominee!) were shut out, despite a ridiculously pandering “Last chance—he might retire!” campaign for Clint, and the fact that Woody made a movie that people actually went to see (not me). While TCCBB was not my favorite movie of the year, I appreciate that it had incredible directing. Finch – you’re my pick.
Score
The nominees are…
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Defiance
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire (my pick)
Wall-E
The Academy finally recognized Bollywood film culture! Well, sort of. Slumdog was made mostly by Brits and the music was not all Indian. But, can we talk about how much I love the song Paper Planes?!
Best Picture
The nominees are…
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire (my pick)
Perhaps Slumdog is not Mumbai’s pick, but it’s definitely mine.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A Slow, Painful Death
EXPO, 17, went to over-priced, design superstore heaven on Monday. She’s survived by a series of existential print ads, a sweet managers’ meeting video, some remarkable Muzak scripts, and a lot of empty warehouse space. While her short life was a rocky one marked by a revolving door of management and non-existent advertising budgets, she’ll always be remembered for the good times –- figuring out how to get a bath tub to the desert for a photo shoot, finding 27 different ways to describe the same fake fireplace, and annoying the rest of the account team with EXPO jobs during our group status calls. In lieu of flowers, donations should be directed to The Great Indoors Has Always Been A Better Store Anyways Foundation.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tips for Your Match.com Profile
I was considering writing about the plane that landed in the river outside my office. And, then I thought I should comment on today’s inauguration. But, finally I decided that Greg would prefer that I forgo these topics for one of those “Deep Thoughts by Leslie” entries. He loves those.
They say there's joy in balance.
I had a friend in college that was confident that a glass of milk could balance any meal. In my humble opinion, milk and Ramen will never be a harmonious pair. But, what do I know? Correcting my Diet Coke imbalance with this theory would probably do me some good. HR once made us take a survey on work-life balance. After compiling the results, they then criticized the Gen Y employees for their desire to work less. All I have to say is -- they asked!! We should get bonus points for honesty.
Balance. Balance. Balance. And, it seems that when we're not trying to balance things, we're attempting to center them.
Ommm.
Centeredness. This is where I get a bit fuzzy. Society tells us to break out of the pack and pick a side. C's won't get you anywhere. Averageness is boringness. In fact, I'm pretty sure the center is only good for politicians and tightrope walkers.
OK, I realize that's not the center everyone's talking about. But, it seems to me that Centeredness is too nuanced and ethereal to throw around so frivolously. We follow these prescribed eating, praying and exercise regimes in search for a centered life. But in this search, try not to stumble upon Attention's, Stage's or Universe's center! These won't do you much good in the long run. You probably want to leave "self-centeredness" off your Match.com profile too.
If you’re still interested in my surface-level philosophical dribble on balance, here’s the finale... Maybe it's not joy that comes from balance, but meaning. How would you know light without dark? Sweet without sour? Happy without sad? And, further, perhaps it’s not joy that comes from meaning, but rather relief that you've finally figured it all out.
All of this center talk has me turned around. If someone could just point me in the right direction -- I'm not sure where to stand.
They say there's joy in balance.
I had a friend in college that was confident that a glass of milk could balance any meal. In my humble opinion, milk and Ramen will never be a harmonious pair. But, what do I know? Correcting my Diet Coke imbalance with this theory would probably do me some good. HR once made us take a survey on work-life balance. After compiling the results, they then criticized the Gen Y employees for their desire to work less. All I have to say is -- they asked!! We should get bonus points for honesty.
Balance. Balance. Balance. And, it seems that when we're not trying to balance things, we're attempting to center them.
Ommm.
Centeredness. This is where I get a bit fuzzy. Society tells us to break out of the pack and pick a side. C's won't get you anywhere. Averageness is boringness. In fact, I'm pretty sure the center is only good for politicians and tightrope walkers.
OK, I realize that's not the center everyone's talking about. But, it seems to me that Centeredness is too nuanced and ethereal to throw around so frivolously. We follow these prescribed eating, praying and exercise regimes in search for a centered life. But in this search, try not to stumble upon Attention's, Stage's or Universe's center! These won't do you much good in the long run. You probably want to leave "self-centeredness" off your Match.com profile too.
If you’re still interested in my surface-level philosophical dribble on balance, here’s the finale... Maybe it's not joy that comes from balance, but meaning. How would you know light without dark? Sweet without sour? Happy without sad? And, further, perhaps it’s not joy that comes from meaning, but rather relief that you've finally figured it all out.
All of this center talk has me turned around. If someone could just point me in the right direction -- I'm not sure where to stand.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rockin the Suburbs
I know I’ve been a bit blog-negligent recently. Sickness, travel, and lack of inspiration are to blame. But, now I’m well, at home, and (somewhat) motivated. So, here’s what I’ve been up to:
The 2008 Plague
I was SICK. And, then I began feeling better. And, then I got sick again. I had this fantastic cough that would make everyone in the room cringe. I coughed so hard that my teeth hurt. Crazy, right? Fortunately, I was home for the worst of it and got to eat soup and lay around and watch reruns until I was sufficiently better.
The Land of Sugar
I had the pleasure of being in Texas for 12 days and I loved every second of it. Let me tell you -- one could get used to that kind of treatment. Daily happy hours. How lucky am I? I also got to enjoy weather that was 50+ degrees warmer than NYC. I’ll never get used to that humidity, though. It felt like I was running in a swimming pool. (Perhaps it was the bronchitis rather than the weather, but the humidity was suffocating nonetheless).
Aunt Yeshie
In between the great meals and Law & Order reruns, I spent tons of time with my niece and nephew. Maddie and I played with all her new Christmas toys, talked ALOT about princesses, and watched a whole DVR-worth of some weird French Canadian cartoon. She’s precocious and charming and wild and so much fun. Oliver’s activities are still mostly limited to eating and sleeping and bodily functions. But, there’s nothing like holding him. He’s got quite the sense of humor. Ever heard an infant belly laugh? It will change your mind about the universe -- I promise.
Meat and I on Christmas morning
The Madd-icane
Back to the Future
New York welcomed me back with a snow storm. Temperatures this weekend are supposed to be in the single digits! Brrr. Since I’ve been back, there’s been: Fiesta Bowl festivities (woohoo), Stephanie’s birthday at a bar with a mechanical bull (ew), a near miss by a tour bus (eek), and Cheerios drama over a commercial featuring a woman arrested for domestic violence (ugh). But, things are looking up -- Steph and I are meeting for dinner at Esca tonight; Julie is in town this weekend from Boston; Roxanne, Sarah and I bought tickets to Corinne’s play (that's her in the promo pic); and, I don’t have to work Monday!!
The 2008 Plague
I was SICK. And, then I began feeling better. And, then I got sick again. I had this fantastic cough that would make everyone in the room cringe. I coughed so hard that my teeth hurt. Crazy, right? Fortunately, I was home for the worst of it and got to eat soup and lay around and watch reruns until I was sufficiently better.
The Land of Sugar
I had the pleasure of being in Texas for 12 days and I loved every second of it. Let me tell you -- one could get used to that kind of treatment. Daily happy hours. How lucky am I? I also got to enjoy weather that was 50+ degrees warmer than NYC. I’ll never get used to that humidity, though. It felt like I was running in a swimming pool. (Perhaps it was the bronchitis rather than the weather, but the humidity was suffocating nonetheless).
Aunt Yeshie
In between the great meals and Law & Order reruns, I spent tons of time with my niece and nephew. Maddie and I played with all her new Christmas toys, talked ALOT about princesses, and watched a whole DVR-worth of some weird French Canadian cartoon. She’s precocious and charming and wild and so much fun. Oliver’s activities are still mostly limited to eating and sleeping and bodily functions. But, there’s nothing like holding him. He’s got quite the sense of humor. Ever heard an infant belly laugh? It will change your mind about the universe -- I promise.
Meat and I on Christmas morning
The Madd-icane
Back to the Future
New York welcomed me back with a snow storm. Temperatures this weekend are supposed to be in the single digits! Brrr. Since I’ve been back, there’s been: Fiesta Bowl festivities (woohoo), Stephanie’s birthday at a bar with a mechanical bull (ew), a near miss by a tour bus (eek), and Cheerios drama over a commercial featuring a woman arrested for domestic violence (ugh). But, things are looking up -- Steph and I are meeting for dinner at Esca tonight; Julie is in town this weekend from Boston; Roxanne, Sarah and I bought tickets to Corinne’s play (that's her in the promo pic); and, I don’t have to work Monday!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)