Every time I see footage of the impending Street Fighter IV, I get a wave of nostalgia. I remember the days of waiting in line at the arcade and even the days of being at the bowling alley waiting for the game to be over so we could plunk down more quarters. What can I say, I still love the fighting games. Whenever we see this game on our shores, it will be a good day.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Cheesecake What!?
Far be it from me to slam a restaurant for anything, but here I am checking out the morning Truehoop and find out that the Cheesecake Factory is an unusual favorite of many NBA stars. Check out the link and believe that a man will eat ungodly portions from a gargantuan menu. I am just shocked!
Not to leave it there, but it's been quite some time since I've been there and the restaurant itself is nuts. I don't think their food is terrible by any stretch, but the wait time is always ridiculous, you often leave with a giant brick lodged from your colon to your duodenum and perhaps snaking even as far as the middle of the esophagus. If you had millions of dollars to spend and plenty of time on your hands post-game or even in the off-season, would you spend it at the Cheesecake Factory?
My thought is, the portions are huge, these guys eat a ton, and it's not an unreasonable place. My second thought is, these guys are just like the rest of us and seriously, who needs to be eating at Cut every day of the week. It's also no wonder that most of the athletes you see on cribs have empty refrigerators, something tells me the majority of them aren't leaving the restaurant with those technicolor dreamcoat-striped doggie bags.
Not to leave it there, but it's been quite some time since I've been there and the restaurant itself is nuts. I don't think their food is terrible by any stretch, but the wait time is always ridiculous, you often leave with a giant brick lodged from your colon to your duodenum and perhaps snaking even as far as the middle of the esophagus. If you had millions of dollars to spend and plenty of time on your hands post-game or even in the off-season, would you spend it at the Cheesecake Factory?
My thought is, the portions are huge, these guys eat a ton, and it's not an unreasonable place. My second thought is, these guys are just like the rest of us and seriously, who needs to be eating at Cut every day of the week. It's also no wonder that most of the athletes you see on cribs have empty refrigerators, something tells me the majority of them aren't leaving the restaurant with those technicolor dreamcoat-striped doggie bags.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Oscars 2008 Wrap
Yea, it's the post-Oscar wrap up. Let's see how I did.
So out of the predicted categories I scored 10 out of 19 for a whopping winning percentage of .526. Highlights for me were seeing the inevitable win by Daniel Day-Lewis and the always self-effacing John Stewart not suck at hosting. What I didn't like were some of the overblown performances, underdone performances, and probably the same tired ubiquitous montages. Am I a pundit? Hardly, but this will have to do until next year.
BEST PICTURE
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "No Country for Old Men"
BEST ACTRESS
Prediction - Marion Cotillard
Winner - Marion Cotillard
BEST ACTOR
Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner - Daniel Day-Lewis
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Prediction - Saoirse Ronan
Winner - Tilda Swinton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Prediction - Javier Bardem
Winner - Javier Bardem
BEST DIRECTOR
Prediction - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Winner - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Prediction - Diablo Cody
Winner - Diablo Cody
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Prediction - Paul Thomas Anderson
Winner - Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Prediction - "Ratatouille"
Winner - "Ratatouille"
BEST ART DIRECTION
Prediction - Atonement
Winner - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "There Will Be Blood"
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Prediction - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Winner - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
BEST FILM EDITING
Prediction - "There Will be Blood"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST MAKEUP
Prediction - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
Winner - "La Vie en Rose"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "Atonement"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Prediction - "Falling Slowly"
Winner - "Falling Slowly"
BEST SOUND EDITING
Prediction - "Transformers"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST SOUND MIXING
Prediction - "Transformers"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Prediction - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
Winner - "The Golden Compass"
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "No Country for Old Men"
BEST ACTRESS
Prediction - Marion Cotillard
Winner - Marion Cotillard
BEST ACTOR
Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner - Daniel Day-Lewis
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Prediction - Saoirse Ronan
Winner - Tilda Swinton
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Prediction - Javier Bardem
Winner - Javier Bardem
BEST DIRECTOR
Prediction - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Winner - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Prediction - Diablo Cody
Winner - Diablo Cody
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Prediction - Paul Thomas Anderson
Winner - Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Prediction - "Ratatouille"
Winner - "Ratatouille"
BEST ART DIRECTION
Prediction - Atonement
Winner - "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "There Will Be Blood"
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Prediction - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Winner - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
BEST FILM EDITING
Prediction - "There Will be Blood"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST MAKEUP
Prediction - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
Winner - "La Vie en Rose"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Prediction - "Atonement"
Winner - "Atonement"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Prediction - "Falling Slowly"
Winner - "Falling Slowly"
BEST SOUND EDITING
Prediction - "Transformers"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST SOUND MIXING
Prediction - "Transformers"
Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Prediction - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
Winner - "The Golden Compass"
So out of the predicted categories I scored 10 out of 19 for a whopping winning percentage of .526. Highlights for me were seeing the inevitable win by Daniel Day-Lewis and the always self-effacing John Stewart not suck at hosting. What I didn't like were some of the overblown performances, underdone performances, and probably the same tired ubiquitous montages. Am I a pundit? Hardly, but this will have to do until next year.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Manufacturing Laughs
Comedy was in the air this Saturday as we dragged ourselves out of the confines of the apartment and sought out the Laugh Factory on the Sunset Strip. Yes, it wasn't that far, but it was our friend's birthday and we couldn't miss out on an opportunity to check out what the Factory had to offer up for the comedically inclined.
On the agenda tonight? Arie Spears, Dov Davidoff, Bret Ernst, and Dane Cook. You might recognize the first name from Mad TV, the middle two comedians are indeed lesser known, but rising, and of course everyone with a pulse has heard of or seen Dane Cook gesticulate in one form or another. Yes, they were all funny in their own way, with my favorite being Mr. Davidoff, but a common theme is that all these comedians worked "Blue." Yea, if you know what that means, then I don't have to describe it for you.
The etymology of the term is pretty simple. An early era comedian, Max Miller, used to keep all of his adult material in a small, blue notebook for reference. As such, any off-color or profane material has since been referred to by the term "blue" or "working blue." As G put it, it's easy to get laughs this way, but it's more interesting and it takes a particular talent to avoid the easy way out.
I've seen my fair share of comedians and that night's brand of comedy was hilarious (high notes included Mr. Spears' rap impressions and Dov Davidoff's nervous stream-of-concsiousness dialogue), but afterwards, talking with G, it got me thinking about the comedians I've enjoyed in the past. Seinfeld himself doesn't work blue at all really, perhaps his material being now colored by fatherhood. Chris Rock does tend to skew in that direction from time to time, but there's always an underlying message of thematic social commentary. George Lopez focuses instead on his own ethnic background rather than relying on commentary of others. Demitri Martin is a master of wordplay and awkward visuals. And there are a host of others I'm probably forgetting, but I suppose it's just the time of day, the brand of comedian, it's a certain list of things that set the joke atmosphere for the night, primary of which is always the comedian.
Where does this leave us, though? I tend to think that the comedian who plies his craft night in and night out will form his own personality and be as successful as his diligence lets him. Myself, I don't think I could ever put myself out there, because matter-of-factly, I'm not funny. What we do have though, are a small group of people willing to make others laugh, most often at their own expense. I appreciate it all, but in the end, it's the most original and hard-working comedians making the grade.
On the agenda tonight? Arie Spears, Dov Davidoff, Bret Ernst, and Dane Cook. You might recognize the first name from Mad TV, the middle two comedians are indeed lesser known, but rising, and of course everyone with a pulse has heard of or seen Dane Cook gesticulate in one form or another. Yes, they were all funny in their own way, with my favorite being Mr. Davidoff, but a common theme is that all these comedians worked "Blue." Yea, if you know what that means, then I don't have to describe it for you.
The etymology of the term is pretty simple. An early era comedian, Max Miller, used to keep all of his adult material in a small, blue notebook for reference. As such, any off-color or profane material has since been referred to by the term "blue" or "working blue." As G put it, it's easy to get laughs this way, but it's more interesting and it takes a particular talent to avoid the easy way out.
I've seen my fair share of comedians and that night's brand of comedy was hilarious (high notes included Mr. Spears' rap impressions and Dov Davidoff's nervous stream-of-concsiousness dialogue), but afterwards, talking with G, it got me thinking about the comedians I've enjoyed in the past. Seinfeld himself doesn't work blue at all really, perhaps his material being now colored by fatherhood. Chris Rock does tend to skew in that direction from time to time, but there's always an underlying message of thematic social commentary. George Lopez focuses instead on his own ethnic background rather than relying on commentary of others. Demitri Martin is a master of wordplay and awkward visuals. And there are a host of others I'm probably forgetting, but I suppose it's just the time of day, the brand of comedian, it's a certain list of things that set the joke atmosphere for the night, primary of which is always the comedian.
Where does this leave us, though? I tend to think that the comedian who plies his craft night in and night out will form his own personality and be as successful as his diligence lets him. Myself, I don't think I could ever put myself out there, because matter-of-factly, I'm not funny. What we do have though, are a small group of people willing to make others laugh, most often at their own expense. I appreciate it all, but in the end, it's the most original and hard-working comedians making the grade.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Blog Silence
The grind has been an über-grind lately and it's sapped my posting strength to its bare bones. Aside from the occasional dabbling in some Guitar Hero III, Super Mario Galaxy, taking part in some Amazon MP3 buying, and weekends of driving all over Southern California, everything's been pleasantly quiet.
Almost too quiet.
So while I sit here and contemplate the near future to prepare for the distant future, I submit that I've neglected to maintain a superficial online presence on the ol' Blog of Mine. In this sense, I shall attempt to rectify things
Here's to productivity!
Almost too quiet.
So while I sit here and contemplate the near future to prepare for the distant future, I submit that I've neglected to maintain a superficial online presence on the ol' Blog of Mine. In this sense, I shall attempt to rectify things
Here's to productivity!
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Oscars Predictions - 2008
Here's a breakdown for this year's Oscars. My record hasn't been too good over the last couple of years, but whatever. Here we go!
80th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS
BEST PICTURE
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
PREDICTION - "Atonement". The Academy loves sweeping epics, and it's less oblique than "Blood" and "Old Men."
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
PREDICTION - Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose." Cate Blanchett already has her "Elizabeth" win. "Juno" is too sweet a movie to win anything but a screenplay award (if it's lucky) and the Academy loves biographical roles. This one is a shoo in.
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"
PREDICTION - Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood." If anyone but DDL wins this one, I may have to give up going to the movies.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
PREDICTION - Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement." I have a feeling this movie will clean up at the awards.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
PREDICTION - Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men." The Academy and the Globes have been fairly consistent in this category.
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"
PREDICTION - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men." Haven't seen it, but I'm pulling for these guys over the sappiness and nihilism.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"
PREDICTION - Diablo Cody, "Juno." Ratatouille has a great script, but I have a feeling this one is a lock given its commercial success.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"
PREDICTION - Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood." This would be an upset over "Atonement," but the freedom PT takes with the adapted material should be award enough.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Beaufort" (Israel)
"The Counterfeiters" (Austria)
"Katyn" (Poland)
"Mongol" (Kazakhstan)
"12" (Russia)
PREDICTION - Not a fair fight, since I haven't seen any of the movies in this category.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up"
PREDICTION - "Ratatouille." "Persepolis" is a close second, but I believe the art-houseishness of the movie may not be enough to save it.
BEST ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"
PREDICTION - "Atonement." If nothing else, I'd expect to see "Sweeney," but everyone seems to love this movie's look.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Roger Deakins
"Atonement," Seamus Mcgarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Janusz Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men," Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood," Robert Elswit
PREDICTION - "Atonement." Like I said, this movie will take most of the major awards.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood
PREDICTION - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." The Academy loves period pieces for this category.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"
PREDICTION - Same for this one. I haven't seen any of these films.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Freeheld"
"La Corona" ("The Crown")
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"
PREDICTION - What?
BEST FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum," Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild," Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men," Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor
PREDICTION - "There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor. Why not?
BEST MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
PREDICTION - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Haven't seen the other two, but Norbit winning any award would just be wrong.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Atonement", Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami
PREDICTION - "Atonement." I'd like to see Giaccino win, since his work on the Incredibles was so awesome, but the score for Ratatouille was not as memorable.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"
PREDICTION - "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Easily, the best soundtrack of the year. Based on this movie alone, I have to pick up an album by The Frames.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"
PREDICTION - Same gap here. I should really watch these at some point.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"
PREDICTION - I really should see some of these auxiliary award nominees.
BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Transformers." The best technical movie has to win the best technical awards.
BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Transformers." Why not?
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." While Transformers was amazing, they can't win 'em all. I take a mulligan here.
BEST PICTURE
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"
PREDICTION - "Atonement". The Academy loves sweeping epics, and it's less oblique than "Blood" and "Old Men."
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
PREDICTION - Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose." Cate Blanchett already has her "Elizabeth" win. "Juno" is too sweet a movie to win anything but a screenplay award (if it's lucky) and the Academy loves biographical roles. This one is a shoo in.
BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"
PREDICTION - Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood." If anyone but DDL wins this one, I may have to give up going to the movies.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
PREDICTION - Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement." I have a feeling this movie will clean up at the awards.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"
PREDICTION - Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men." The Academy and the Globes have been fairly consistent in this category.
BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"
PREDICTION - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men." Haven't seen it, but I'm pulling for these guys over the sappiness and nihilism.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"
PREDICTION - Diablo Cody, "Juno." Ratatouille has a great script, but I have a feeling this one is a lock given its commercial success.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"
PREDICTION - Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood." This would be an upset over "Atonement," but the freedom PT takes with the adapted material should be award enough.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Beaufort" (Israel)
"The Counterfeiters" (Austria)
"Katyn" (Poland)
"Mongol" (Kazakhstan)
"12" (Russia)
PREDICTION - Not a fair fight, since I haven't seen any of the movies in this category.
BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up"
PREDICTION - "Ratatouille." "Persepolis" is a close second, but I believe the art-houseishness of the movie may not be enough to save it.
BEST ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"
PREDICTION - "Atonement." If nothing else, I'd expect to see "Sweeney," but everyone seems to love this movie's look.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Roger Deakins
"Atonement," Seamus Mcgarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Janusz Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men," Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood," Robert Elswit
PREDICTION - "Atonement." Like I said, this movie will take most of the major awards.
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood
PREDICTION - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." The Academy loves period pieces for this category.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"
PREDICTION - Same for this one. I haven't seen any of these films.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Freeheld"
"La Corona" ("The Crown")
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"
PREDICTION - What?
BEST FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum," Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild," Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men," Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor
PREDICTION - "There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor. Why not?
BEST MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
PREDICTION - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Haven't seen the other two, but Norbit winning any award would just be wrong.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Atonement", Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami
PREDICTION - "Atonement." I'd like to see Giaccino win, since his work on the Incredibles was so awesome, but the score for Ratatouille was not as memorable.
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"
PREDICTION - "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Easily, the best soundtrack of the year. Based on this movie alone, I have to pick up an album by The Frames.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"
PREDICTION - Same gap here. I should really watch these at some point.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"
PREDICTION - I really should see some of these auxiliary award nominees.
BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Transformers." The best technical movie has to win the best technical awards.
BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Transformers." Why not?
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"
PREDICTION - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." While Transformers was amazing, they can't win 'em all. I take a mulligan here.
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