Important Stuff

+ Final weekend of The Big Bad Musical is upon us. It's been a fun and interesting experience. I hope we get a nice audience. This past Friday's show I absolutely killed it, then Saturday I tanked it. Saturday's performance was being taped of course. That's live theatre. Not sure what's next on the horizon for me acting-wise. I know I want to concentrate on getting my play "Chasing Ghosts" produced before year's end, so whatever capacity it's going to take for me to make that happen whether I have to produce, direct & design it, acting in it, whatever then that's what I have to do. I also think that since the whole stand-up thing dried up last year when I moved back out of Austin and couldn't just drive down to some open mic night after a few too many Zeigen Bachs, that I would like to take some improv classes with hopes of meeting some like minded people to start a troupe with for live performances as well as some comedy short films that I've been tinkering with for a while now.

+Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band have announced thier Spring U.S. tour dates. They are playing Austin, Texas on April 5th. That's just two days before my birthday, so HINT HINT. 'Nuff said.

+ So I finally caught Slumdog Millionaire this past weekend and dare I say “overrated”. I know it’s the little engine that could and probably will this awards season, but I was kind of under whelmed by the picture. That’s not to say that I disliked it. The performances by the children were impeccable and the story has all the hallmarks of a classic Dickensian tale, but there was just a level of disconnect that I couldn’t get past. Although I can certainly understand why people are big fans of the film, it’s not like Little Miss Sunshine where I am just flabbergasted by all the lauds and praise. Overall I think Slumdog Millionaire had more potential and failed to deliver on it.

+ Super Bowl Sunday is bearing down on us and it’s been relatively hype-free. I guess there are bigger and better things for people to have focused on this past two weeks. Which makes me think of a quote I read in Peter King’s SI.com column – “We have a black President, the Arizona Cardinals are in the Super Bowl and someone safely landed a plane in the Hudson River,” yeah it’s been a crazy and eventful start to the year. I don’t really have a rooting interest in either team. Especially when you consider that they both beat the Dallas Cowboys this year.

The Steelers rivalry with the Cowboys is not what is was in 1970s before I was born and I like Coach Tomlin, but considering that Pittsburg did just win the Super Bowl at the end of the 2005 season and the Cardinals are a franchise that have the second longest championship drought, 61 years, behind the 100 years of the baseball Chicago Cubs, I guess I have to go with the underdogs Cardinals. My prediction: “There Will Be Points” - Arizona 42, Pittsburg 31. Larry Fitzgerald is named the MVP with about 10 grabs for over 150 in yardage in a few TDs if not more, capping off a season which has seen him grow into the best receiver in the NFL. Kurt Warner would also likely ride off into the sunset and retire with his Hall of Fame credentials even more intact.


+ Compiling a list of the worst movies of 2008 is easier than I thought and there’s a lot of stuff you’d expect to see on such a list that I haven’t even bothered seeing. So with the recent misfortune of watching another bad Mark Walhberg flick here is my current list of the 15 worst movies of 2008(in no particular order): One Missed Call, The Eye, Max Payne, The Happening, Quarantine, Jumper, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Doomsday, 10,000 B.C., Vantage Point, Prom Night, Made of Honor, Fool’s Gold, Untraceable, Shutter.

I implore you to avoid these films but if you do watch then don’t say that you were not warned. And while I play catch-up on all the Oscar contenders. Let me shift gears and offer up a list of some of my favorite movies of 2008 that you might not have seen but I highly recommend. Now not all of these films are technically 2008 releases but they are recent and something I did see in the last year: The Bank Job (Yes Jason Statham can do more than just kick and growl), In Bruges (a profound and profoundly funny crime film), Man on Wire (a real life fairy-tale), Cassandra’s Dream (another dip into the dark side of Woody Allen), Bella (a heart-wrenching story about how one person can change your life) , Bigger Stronger Faster: Side Effects of the American Dream (wonderful documentary about steroid culture), Appaloosa (a straight-up old fashion western), Grace is Gone (John Cusak is brilliant as a grieving father who has trouble breaking the news to his two daughters of their mother’s death in the Iraq war), Young @ Heart (a lovely documentary about a thriving and inspiring group of senior citizens).

+ I’m not really doing the New Year’s resolution thing this, never really have done it, except for the many, many times I’ve tried to read Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. I guess I’ll give it another shot this year, but who knows. As much reading I do, I always try to keep forcing myself to read even more and I wanted to mention the best book I read in all of 2008, which coincidentally was written by the same author who wrote my favorite novel of 2007 as well. Robert Bolano is the writer I speak of and the novels and The Savage Detectives and 2666 respectively.

I picked up Detectives in ’07 on the recommendation of the cutest “in that bookish/nerdy kind of way” Book People employee who shall remain nameless because she still has a boyfriend. Anyway, we had bonded over our love of Don Quixote and other gems of Spanish culture and literature. So she turned me onto Bolano, the hard living Chilean who died tragically in 2003, but left one hell of a legacy. Detectives chronicles a fictional late 1970s Mexico City where multiple protagonists are involved in a poetry movement. It’s a seductive and strange work, while the next and unfortunately final Bolano novel 2666 is a massive (around 900 pages) and haunting tale about hundreds of mysterious unsolved murders of women in the border towns of Northern Mexico and the many investigations of the social, political and moral realms that could be responsible. Not a light summer read by any means but if you loved David Fincher’s criminally overlooked 2007 film Zodiac, you’ll probably love 2666.

I would be remiss without mentioning the fantastic work of Natasha Wimmer, who translated both of Bolano’s novels into English so that uno language minds like myself can still read and enjoy such great things.

Until next time the bloggcony is closed.

"Bitch may be the new Black, but Black is the new President, Bitch!"

O-S-C-A-R

Wolverine is hosting this year's Academy Awards. That's cool. Not as cool as it would be if Ricky Gervais was hosting, but anyway here be the nominations along with my predicted winners in bold italics and commentary.

BEST PICTURE
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Amazingly I have yet to see any of these films, but I will catch-up on them all before the awards. I think its shame “The Dark Knight” was passed up but I think ultimately “Button” will eek out a win over “Slumdog” although they will both end up with a several trophies before the nights over.

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

I would have gone with Hathaway if Kate was nominated here for “Revolutionary Road” and in the supporting category for “The Reader” as she was at the Golden Globes, but since this is her lone nomination it’s hers to lose and I don’t think she will.

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"

So very happy to see Richard Jenkins pick-up a nod here. If Clint Eastwood had snuck in with “Gran Torino” I’d be liking his chances at finally getting a golden statue for acting, but alas he’ll have to live with a slew of trophies for his amazing work behind the camera. That leaves comeback boy Rourke as the favorite.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Cruz was an early front-runner for this category and then Winslet starting gaining a lot of momentum for “The Reader” but now that she’s nominated in the Lead category I think it falls back to Penelope, although this race feels very wide open. It’s Adams’ second nom and Tomei is a previous winner in this very category.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Another very strong category all-around. Brolin and Downey are being nominated for their body of recent strong work as much as these individual performances. I hear Shannon is a revelation and Hoffman is a stalwart, but the sentimental and deserving pick is Ledger. His Joker is a thing of legend and icon.

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

I think Boyle will follow-up his Golden Globe with another win here. Fincher could very well win here though while “Slumdog” wins Best Picture. But I think it will more likely split this way. The lack of a nom for Chris Nolan is disheartening and considering his film is closest to Fincher’s amongst this group that also did not get a Best Picture nom makes me think Boyle is more the likely winner.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, "WALL-E"

I loved “WALL-E” but it’s a shame Jenny Lumet’s screenplay for “Rachel Getting Married” didn’t get a nomination. Decorated playwright McDonagh is probably the best pure writer amongst this group, he also penned an Oscar winning short film a few years ago, but I think Black’s original take on the life of Harvey Milk is our winner. There were many competing Harvey Milk projects and source materials that never came to fruition but Black just started from scratch and created his own passion project.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare, "The Reader"
Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"
John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Three playwrights nominated here, two of whom adapted their very own stage material. Roth is a past winner for Forest Gump and taking the task of turning a short story into an epic film seems like it would be a lock, but I have a feeling Peter Morgan, who has been on a tear recently with great screenplays for “The Queen” and “The Last King of Scotland” helps “Frost/Nixon” avoid a shut-out by picking up his first trophy in this category for his timely and sharp piece of historical fiction.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"The Baader-Meinhof Complex" (Germany)
"The Class" (France)
"Departures" (Japan)
"Revanche" (Austria)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)

I’m not very familiar with any of the nominated films outside of “Bashir” but the buzz has been pretty incredible on it and I can not wait to see it.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Wall-E"

This is your lock of locks.

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
"Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Revolutionary Road"

The gorgeous southern gothic scope of “Button” will probably win out.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Changeling" Tom Stern
"Slumdog Millionaire," Anthony Dod Mantle
"The Reader," Chris Menges
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight," Wally Pfister

Ditto from above.

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight," Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon," Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
"Milk," Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire," Chris Dickens

It appears Dickens and director Boyle worked close together to craft a perfectly compressed film and I think they’ll be rewarded for it. The film has even been described as "Dickensian" which is a good thing.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Australia," Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Jacqueline West
"The Duchess," Michael O'Conner
"Milk", Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road," Albert Wolsky

Gotta go with the 19th Century British royalty almost anytime. Safe choice, but nothing else really pops out. Another "Dark Knight" snub in this category.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire"
"Trouble the Water"

“Man on Wire” is breathtaking and inspiring. A lovely film that is a tribute to brave and bold spirits everywhere.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Slumdog Millionaire," "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman
"Slumdog Millionaire," "O Saya," A.R. Rahman & M.I.A.
"Wall-E," "Down To Earth," Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman

No. No. No. Only three songs nominated and one of them is not Bruce Springsteen for the title track to “The Wrestler”. Travesty. “Down to earth” is pretty vanilla so I’d have to go with something from “Slumdog”. Probably the track with M.I.A. I'm interested in hearing the music from "Slumdog" so it should be one of the first films I try to catch up with.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance," James Newton Howard
"Milk," Danny Elfman
"Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E," Thomas Newman

A.R. Rahman hot off his Golden Globe win looks poised for another Golden trophy, even with stiff competition from four of Hollywood’s best known and recognized composers.

BEST MAKEUP
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Colleen Callaghan, Fionagh Cush
"The Dark Knight," Peter Robb-King, John Caglione Jr.
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz

Great work in all three films here, but “Button” breaks new ground.

BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Dark Knight," Richard King
"Iron Man," Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire," Tom Sayers
"Wall-E," Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
"Wanted," Wylie Stateman

I’m just guessing the Academy will throw “The Dark Knight” a bone here. Action films tend to do well in this category, look at “Bourne Ultimatum” win last year.

BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Mark Weingarten, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce
"The Dark Knight," Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
"Slumdog Millionaire," Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"Wall-E," Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick
"Wanted," Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Another win “Slumdog”, which seems to dazzle as much with aesthetics as it does with soul.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Eric Barba
"The Dark Knight," Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
"Iron Man," John Nelson

Same as with the make-up category, “Button” gets the win for using its effects more seamlessly than fantasy or action films.

Yes we did!

"Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right'cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonightand only time we chill is when we kill each otherit takes skill to be real, time to heal each otherAnd although it seems heaven sentWe ain't ready, to see a black President"

- TuPac Shakur circa 1996

Those words from the song "Changes" that was released posthumously two years after his death in September 1996 take on such vivid and now dated feeling. In our lives it seems as though the watershed historical moments which mold the times we live in are more often than not connected to tragic events like the death of Tupac Shakur. For me there was the suicide of Kurt Cobain on my twelfth birthday in 1994. The helicopter crash that killed Stevie Ray Vaughan in August 1990, which was the first and one of the only times I've ever seen my father cry. The Challenger shuttle explosion in 1986 that I watched with the rest of my pre-school class and luckily was still too young to fully understand the tragedy of it at the time. The death of Princess Diana in 1997. The Columbine Massacre on April 20, 1999. Voting for the first time ever in the 2000 Presidential election, which will undoubtedly go down as the most controversial of modern times. The horrific events of September 11, 2001 in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. The War in Iraq that began March 2003 and will end…well, we'll see about that. Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005.

Now not everything has been tragic though. Sometimes petty and disappointing, like watching President Clinton impeached but not removed from office for lying about oral sex with an intern. And knowing that the U.S. Congress spent millions of tax payer dollars trying to bring the President down with the investigation that lead to the discovery of said sex scandal.

There have been unforgettable and inspiring times like when I was over at my neighbor's, The Alexander family, as we watched the Berlin Wall come tumbling down piece by piece and the cold come to an end.

There have been historical non-events like Y2K. While I've seen technology grow from floppy discs to flash drives. The once amazing 8-bit graphics of Atari and NES game systems are now replaced by the Sony Playstation 3 with its High-Def picture and interactive play. We have set a robotic foot on Mars and one of the earliest Voyagers satellites that had been launched ten years before I was born has now left our known solar system.

I watched with pride as Vince Young delivered a National Championship to the Texas Longhorns that was 30 years in the waiting in arguably the greatest college football game of all-time during the 2006 Rose Bowl victory over the USC Trojans. I watched in amazement as the Boston Red Sox went from down 0-3 against the hated New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series to winning their next 7 games in a row to capture their first World Series title in 86 years.

I've seen Will Smith go from winning the first ever Grammy award presented for Rap music to becoming Hollywood's most bankable leading man. And speaking of the Grammys, I've also witnessed Jethro Tull defeat Metallica for the first ever Heavy Metal Grammy.

My first musical listening device was an actual record player that I received secondhand from my uncle, along with many beloved secondhand vinyl albums; before moving onto cassettes, cds, and now mp3s. From a ghetto blaster boom-box that took a dozen D-sized batteries to operate to a Sony Disc Walkman and now my iPod with 80 gigs of memory for music, movies, pictures and games.

When I was born a former B-Movie actor was in the White House. Now, god forbid someone like Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon or Natalie Maines express their political opinions before there are riots of complaint and overreaction.

In almost 27 years, I've seen the world grow and change in many ways. But I can only wish that Tupac were here today to witness what I've just witnessed and wonder what kind of verse he would come up with now. What rhymes with Obama?