Hello, everybody.
Well...here we are. After spending most of my life here for a total of 25 years, this is my last day in Fairbanks, Alaska. Late night tonight, I'm leaving here for the final time for my new digs in Georgia. More on that in a bit.
But I am blessed and proud to have grown up here since 1983. I started my education at Joy Elementary, started my love for technology at Barnette Magnet School in 1985 (when I returned for the second time), and in 1995, started my career at the Geist Road McDonald's at the age of 16. And over those years, I have made personal and professional friendships with anybody and everybody, especially with some of the area's best-known celebrities like Glen "Glenner" Anderson, Jerry Evans, Mike Shultz, Darryl Lewis Sr., and Curtis Thomas.
And speaking of celebrities...I've had a front row seat -- or close to it -- to some top names right here. Who could ever forget B.B. King and 98 Degrees in 2001, John Leguizamo in 2006, and Jerry Seinfeld last year? I sure missed out on Elton John in 2008, and my leaving here will cost me Martin Short and Dave Chapelle in October.
As one of those "tough Alaskans", I have survived unexpected weather and brutal winters here, especially the deep freeze in 1989 and the 2010 ice storm that blanketed Fairbanks and Anchorage which closed down roads, businesses, and schools. In late April, Mother Nature brought us unneeded snow when it was supposed to melt away.
But now, with fall already here, the time has come to turn a new leaf. And for me, it's also time for a new change in scenery. This weekend, I'll be movin' on up like "The Jeffersons" to a far more world-class city than Fairbanks: Atlanta, Georgia!
It's no secret that I've always wanted to settle down there ever since they won the bid to host the 1996 Olympics. Okay, so the story was we were torn between that and Seattle; but when we found out that the living costs in Seattle are worth more than our Permanent Fund Dividend ($900 is this year's payout), we decided in the end, Atlanta.
I have been to some sporting events here in Fairbanks like the Top of the World Classic and a few Fairbanks Grizzlies games, but they pale in comparison to the real sports Atlanta has in store (Falcons, Braves, Hawks), especially college. We have the Alaska Nanooks with hockey and basketball as their top sports; they have the Georgia Bulldogs and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the SEC and ACC respectively, and their main sport? Football!!!
Atlanta has a more burgeoning economy, with Coca-Cola, The Weather Channel, and the Turner networks all headquartered there. And when it comes to media, they run circles around Fairbanks in that, especially film and television production (Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries, Family Feud, anything Tyler Perry). For the latter, 20 years ago, Orlando, Florida used to be Hollywood South with studio lots at Disney World and Universal; but tax breaks have led to producers migrating up I-75 to Atlanta.
Being in the foodservice/restaurant/hospitality industry since 1995, I sure know that Atlanta will be a definite "step up" from Fairbanks in my career...considering they're also home to the CDC. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, as I'm between jobs at the moment.
Alaska has been my home for most of my life, and when opportunity knocks elsewhere, you have to follow your instincts. For the last year, losses of longtime businesses and rising energy costs had us questioning our future: stay in Fairbanks and tough it out or raise the white flag and hightail to the Lower 48 once again? The decision has already been made, and it's goodbye to Fairbanks and hello to Atlanta. I want to thank those for making me feel right at home here for all those 25 years, especially the aforementioned people as well as my fellow colleagues past and present. Thank you for all those memories I've made in the Golden Heart City, good and bad; and most of all...thank you, Fairbanks, for making me grow up in the place I love.
And so, for the final time from Fairbanks before I come to you from Hotlanta...so long and stay strong.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Hello, everybody. The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards reached seniority Sunday night with a few junior wins. AMC's "Breaking Bad" (in its final season) picked up Outstanding Drama Series, beating out "House of Cards" and last year's winner "Homeland", which earned Claire Danes back-to-back Lead Actress honors over sentimental favorites Kerry Washington and Connie Britton. "The Newsroom's" Jeff Daniels surprisingly took Lead Actor while Supporting Acting went to Bobby Cannavale ("Boardwalk Empire") and Anna Gunn ("Breaking Bad"). HBO's "Behind The Candelabra" also won big with Outstanding Movie/Miniseries, Lead Actor (Michael Douglas) and Director (Stephen Soderbergh).
"Modern Family" remained unstoppable as far as Outstanding Comedy Series was concerned, while Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep", making her the only person to have won for three different series) once again collected the lead acting trophies. The Supporting acting side belonged to first-timers Merritt Wever ("Nurse Jackie", in what was the briefest speech ever) and Tony Hale (also "Veep", who later stood behind Louis-Dreyfus).
"The Voice" became the second show to topple perennial Reality Competition Program winner "The Amazing Race", while after ten years, the streak was over for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" as sister show "The Colbert Report" won not only Variety Series, but Writing as well. Other winners include: Derek Hough (Choreography, "Dancing With The Stars" and the show's second), David Fincher (Directing/Drama, "House of Cards"), Laura Linney (Actress, Miniseries/Movie, "The Big C"); and at last week's Creative Arts Awards, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn (Reality Competition Host, "Project Runway") and, finally, Bob Newhart (Guest Actor/Comedy, "The Big Bang Theory").
There was a twist in the usual In Memoriam segment, as there were five special ones devoted to Cory Monteith (eulogized by Jane Lynch), James Gandolfini (Edie Falco), Gary David Goldberg (Michael J. Fox), Jonathan Winters (Robin Williams), and Jean Stapleton (Rob Reiner). Jack Klugman, Larry Hagman, Bonnie Franklin, Andy Williams, and Roger Ebert among others were featured in the extended version.
For the second time (and being that it was on CBS), Neil Patrick Harris served as host; Elton John performed his new song "Home Again" while Carrie Underwood did The Beatles' "Yesterday", and at the halfway point, the Emmys became the Tonys once again with "The Emmy Gold Dancers" and "The Number in the Middle of the Show."
Of course, there a lot of fashionable numbers before the show: Heidi Klum (Versace), Claire Danes (Armami Prive), Kerry Washington (Marchesa), Julianne Hough (showing a lot of sheer leg in Jenny Packham), and Carrie Underwood (designer info unknown). I thought Sofia Vergara in her Vera Wang ultimately sizzled the most, while "Girls'" Lena Dunham: Is that a table cloth, or do my eyes deceive me?
This year's Emmys was also the last awards show I'll ever watch live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, as next week, my new home sweet home will be Atlanta. More on that in a special blog on Friday; till then, so long and stay strong.
"Modern Family" remained unstoppable as far as Outstanding Comedy Series was concerned, while Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") and Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("Veep", making her the only person to have won for three different series) once again collected the lead acting trophies. The Supporting acting side belonged to first-timers Merritt Wever ("Nurse Jackie", in what was the briefest speech ever) and Tony Hale (also "Veep", who later stood behind Louis-Dreyfus).
"The Voice" became the second show to topple perennial Reality Competition Program winner "The Amazing Race", while after ten years, the streak was over for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" as sister show "The Colbert Report" won not only Variety Series, but Writing as well. Other winners include: Derek Hough (Choreography, "Dancing With The Stars" and the show's second), David Fincher (Directing/Drama, "House of Cards"), Laura Linney (Actress, Miniseries/Movie, "The Big C"); and at last week's Creative Arts Awards, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn (Reality Competition Host, "Project Runway") and, finally, Bob Newhart (Guest Actor/Comedy, "The Big Bang Theory").
There was a twist in the usual In Memoriam segment, as there were five special ones devoted to Cory Monteith (eulogized by Jane Lynch), James Gandolfini (Edie Falco), Gary David Goldberg (Michael J. Fox), Jonathan Winters (Robin Williams), and Jean Stapleton (Rob Reiner). Jack Klugman, Larry Hagman, Bonnie Franklin, Andy Williams, and Roger Ebert among others were featured in the extended version.
For the second time (and being that it was on CBS), Neil Patrick Harris served as host; Elton John performed his new song "Home Again" while Carrie Underwood did The Beatles' "Yesterday", and at the halfway point, the Emmys became the Tonys once again with "The Emmy Gold Dancers" and "The Number in the Middle of the Show."
Of course, there a lot of fashionable numbers before the show: Heidi Klum (Versace), Claire Danes (Armami Prive), Kerry Washington (Marchesa), Julianne Hough (showing a lot of sheer leg in Jenny Packham), and Carrie Underwood (designer info unknown). I thought Sofia Vergara in her Vera Wang ultimately sizzled the most, while "Girls'" Lena Dunham: Is that a table cloth, or do my eyes deceive me?
This year's Emmys was also the last awards show I'll ever watch live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, as next week, my new home sweet home will be Atlanta. More on that in a special blog on Friday; till then, so long and stay strong.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Hello, everybody. I know it continues to be very, very hot in many parts of the country, so consider this to be a cool-off.
We begin first up with the controversial acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Marton, which went down last Saturday and resulted in some supposedly peaceful protests turning more than that...at least in California. Jurors found Zimmerman, an Hispanic, not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter while acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed 17-year-old Martin.
In Los Angeles, 13 people were arrested, while upwards to 150 people jumped on cars and even vandalized convenience stores. Up the coast in Oakland, nine arrests were made and demonstrators blocked off Interstate 880 for several minutes during rush hour traffic. And one on Thursday in San Bernardino resulted in six more arrests after protestors hurled bottles and rocks at vehicles' direction.
President Obama on Friday wanted the nation to move forward after the trial in a more civilized manner, saying that Martin "could have been me 35 years ago" and that state and local laws such as Florida's "stand your ground" law should be X-rayed even further. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has noted that the Justice Department is looking into the case, seeing whether or not Zimmerman violated Martin's civil rights.
I think just like Rodney King's which ignited the L.A. riots over 20 years ago, the Zimmerman verdict has torn many of us apart. Race didn't play any key role in the trial whatsoever, but one thing was clear: It has been the first time in 45 years that somebody with a "Martin" in his name was slain, only this time, valuable lessons were learned after Memphis and Florida.
"Rolling Stone" has been home to the most provocative covers in history, but the latest one of surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev isn't likely to become a hit at newsstands. Several chain stores opted not to sell the issue out of respect.
And now comes new photos of a bloodied Tsarnaev from his capture, taken by Sgt. Sean Murphy of the Massachusetts State Police and appearing in "Boston" magazine. But back to the "Rolling Stone" cover for a bit: Is it just me or does Tsarnaev look like he's the Brad Pitt of terrorism?
Anyway, he's not alone. There were other magazine covers that have crossed the line for as long as we can remember, like "Time's" (the darkened mugshot of O.J. Simpson, the red X on Adolf Hitler, "Is God Dead?"), "National Lampoon" ("If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog") "Vanity Fair" (a nude and pregnant Demi Moore, a swimsuit-clad Cindy Crawford shaving k.d. lang's face), and "Newsweek" with a wonky-eyed Michele Bachmann.
Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show sang it best in 1972: "We're big rock singers, we've got golden fingers and we're loved everywhere we go. We sing about beauty and we sing about truth, at $10,000 a show. We take all kinds of pills to give us all kinds of thrills, but the thrill we've never known is the thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone."
Among those who also landed on the cover of the Rolling Stone over the years is the cast of "Glee", who is still suffering the loss of star Cory Monteith from an overdose of alcohol and heroin in a Vancouver hotel room also last Saturday.
At first, Monteith was sober here in the States, but appeared to have left the demons in his native Canada. Celebrity hotel deaths have become common over the last 30 years; cases in point: John Belushi, Chris Farley, Anna Nicole Smith, Whitney Houston, and just a few weeks ago, James Gandolfini. Cory's death from heroin, meanwhile, comes almost 20 years since River Phoenix and later Kurt Cobain fell victim to the drug. It's so sad that someone from a hit TV show would be the latest to go just too soon.
And last but not least: The second time I moved back to Fairbanks, it was in 1985 when we were still riding high. The following year, oil prices plummeted like a stone, moving many Alaskans to the Lower 48 while others like myself soldered on for as long as we can.
At the same time, Detroit was still coming on strong like never before. But now, the Motor City has become the Broke City as Detroit becomes the largest U.S. city to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy (replacing Stockton, California) with an $18 billion debt.
So...what happened? During the first half of the 20th Century, Detroit as the automobile capital of the world rode high as a kite. But then sometime in the '70s and the first gas shortage, the Japanese and European auto industries began making cheaper, fuel-efficient cars that wouldn't bust everyone's budgets, and Detroit would start falling further behind. The final blow came when General Motors lost their longtime dominance of the market to Toyota and went bankrupt.
But that's not the only problem. The average wait time for police is close to an hour, 50% of all city parks have been closed over the last five years, the city's population is now down to 700,000 (triple than Anchorage's), over 78,000 abandoned buildings have transformed Detroit from a metropolis into a war zone, and the unemployment rate is at its highest ever.
Seattle -- which will be my new home this fall -- is no Detroit by a longshot, but as the home of Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft, and game show contestant extraordinaire Ken Jennings, their economy...nah, I won't go there. And you thought Eminem's Chrysler Super Bowl commercial would help get Detroit out of their mess! So long and stay strong.
We begin first up with the controversial acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Marton, which went down last Saturday and resulted in some supposedly peaceful protests turning more than that...at least in California. Jurors found Zimmerman, an Hispanic, not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter while acting in self-defense when he shot the unarmed 17-year-old Martin.
In Los Angeles, 13 people were arrested, while upwards to 150 people jumped on cars and even vandalized convenience stores. Up the coast in Oakland, nine arrests were made and demonstrators blocked off Interstate 880 for several minutes during rush hour traffic. And one on Thursday in San Bernardino resulted in six more arrests after protestors hurled bottles and rocks at vehicles' direction.
President Obama on Friday wanted the nation to move forward after the trial in a more civilized manner, saying that Martin "could have been me 35 years ago" and that state and local laws such as Florida's "stand your ground" law should be X-rayed even further. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has noted that the Justice Department is looking into the case, seeing whether or not Zimmerman violated Martin's civil rights.
I think just like Rodney King's which ignited the L.A. riots over 20 years ago, the Zimmerman verdict has torn many of us apart. Race didn't play any key role in the trial whatsoever, but one thing was clear: It has been the first time in 45 years that somebody with a "Martin" in his name was slain, only this time, valuable lessons were learned after Memphis and Florida.
"Rolling Stone" has been home to the most provocative covers in history, but the latest one of surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev isn't likely to become a hit at newsstands. Several chain stores opted not to sell the issue out of respect.
And now comes new photos of a bloodied Tsarnaev from his capture, taken by Sgt. Sean Murphy of the Massachusetts State Police and appearing in "Boston" magazine. But back to the "Rolling Stone" cover for a bit: Is it just me or does Tsarnaev look like he's the Brad Pitt of terrorism?
Anyway, he's not alone. There were other magazine covers that have crossed the line for as long as we can remember, like "Time's" (the darkened mugshot of O.J. Simpson, the red X on Adolf Hitler, "Is God Dead?"), "National Lampoon" ("If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog") "Vanity Fair" (a nude and pregnant Demi Moore, a swimsuit-clad Cindy Crawford shaving k.d. lang's face), and "Newsweek" with a wonky-eyed Michele Bachmann.
Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show sang it best in 1972: "We're big rock singers, we've got golden fingers and we're loved everywhere we go. We sing about beauty and we sing about truth, at $10,000 a show. We take all kinds of pills to give us all kinds of thrills, but the thrill we've never known is the thrill that'll getcha when you get your picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone."
Among those who also landed on the cover of the Rolling Stone over the years is the cast of "Glee", who is still suffering the loss of star Cory Monteith from an overdose of alcohol and heroin in a Vancouver hotel room also last Saturday.
At first, Monteith was sober here in the States, but appeared to have left the demons in his native Canada. Celebrity hotel deaths have become common over the last 30 years; cases in point: John Belushi, Chris Farley, Anna Nicole Smith, Whitney Houston, and just a few weeks ago, James Gandolfini. Cory's death from heroin, meanwhile, comes almost 20 years since River Phoenix and later Kurt Cobain fell victim to the drug. It's so sad that someone from a hit TV show would be the latest to go just too soon.
And last but not least: The second time I moved back to Fairbanks, it was in 1985 when we were still riding high. The following year, oil prices plummeted like a stone, moving many Alaskans to the Lower 48 while others like myself soldered on for as long as we can.
At the same time, Detroit was still coming on strong like never before. But now, the Motor City has become the Broke City as Detroit becomes the largest U.S. city to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy (replacing Stockton, California) with an $18 billion debt.
So...what happened? During the first half of the 20th Century, Detroit as the automobile capital of the world rode high as a kite. But then sometime in the '70s and the first gas shortage, the Japanese and European auto industries began making cheaper, fuel-efficient cars that wouldn't bust everyone's budgets, and Detroit would start falling further behind. The final blow came when General Motors lost their longtime dominance of the market to Toyota and went bankrupt.
But that's not the only problem. The average wait time for police is close to an hour, 50% of all city parks have been closed over the last five years, the city's population is now down to 700,000 (triple than Anchorage's), over 78,000 abandoned buildings have transformed Detroit from a metropolis into a war zone, and the unemployment rate is at its highest ever.
Seattle -- which will be my new home this fall -- is no Detroit by a longshot, but as the home of Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft, and game show contestant extraordinaire Ken Jennings, their economy...nah, I won't go there. And you thought Eminem's Chrysler Super Bowl commercial would help get Detroit out of their mess! So long and stay strong.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Terror Hits Beantown
Hello, everybody. We closed off last week with Adam Scott's win at the Masters on Sunday (its first finally for Australia after Greg Norman's numerous attempts), but his green jacket celebration would be short-lived as the attention of the world would later shift from Augusta to 1,000 miles up the road in Boston.
Two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon on Monday, injuring 140 and killing three as a result. The first blast came from the north side of Boylston Street just yards from the finish line with the second to follow and came four hours into the race and two hours after the men's winner, Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia, crossed the finish line (Kenya's Rita Jeptoo was the women's winner).
Broken bones, shrapnel wounds, and ruptured eardrums were among the reported injuries. Two unexploded bombs were found near the end of the 26.2-mile course which attracted 23,000 runners from around the world; 34 of them are from Alaska including ten from Fairbanks, and they were all very fine at the end.
The FBI has taken over the lead role in the investigation and all of downtoqn Boston has been sealed off with the Federal Aviation Administration creating a no-fly zone over the site of the two explosions. Security was stepped up all over the country with the Secret Service expanding the White House security perimeter by shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue; however, the White House itself was not on lockdown. President Barack Obama in a news conference late afternoon made his intention that "any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
At the moment, we don't know who was the mastermind behind the bombings, but they are the latest in a series of many that have rocked our country over the years.
September 11, 2001 is perhaps the most notable, but others come to mind, including:
Two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon on Monday, injuring 140 and killing three as a result. The first blast came from the north side of Boylston Street just yards from the finish line with the second to follow and came four hours into the race and two hours after the men's winner, Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia, crossed the finish line (Kenya's Rita Jeptoo was the women's winner).
Broken bones, shrapnel wounds, and ruptured eardrums were among the reported injuries. Two unexploded bombs were found near the end of the 26.2-mile course which attracted 23,000 runners from around the world; 34 of them are from Alaska including ten from Fairbanks, and they were all very fine at the end.
The FBI has taken over the lead role in the investigation and all of downtoqn Boston has been sealed off with the Federal Aviation Administration creating a no-fly zone over the site of the two explosions. Security was stepped up all over the country with the Secret Service expanding the White House security perimeter by shutting down Pennsylvania Avenue; however, the White House itself was not on lockdown. President Barack Obama in a news conference late afternoon made his intention that "any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
At the moment, we don't know who was the mastermind behind the bombings, but they are the latest in a series of many that have rocked our country over the years.
September 11, 2001 is perhaps the most notable, but others come to mind, including:
- 168 people killed and more than 500 injured as a car bomb was set off outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. The two people behind it, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, were convicted and executed in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison respectively.
- The Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics which killed only two people and injuring over 100. It wasn't till 2003 when Eric Robert Rudolph would be arrested and sentenced to life; he was also responsible for a later bombing in a Birmingham, Ala. abortion clinic in January 1998.
- The radical left group Weather Underground's two bombings at the U.S. Capitol and State Department buildings in 1971 and 1975.
- The World Trade Center bombing in 1993 that left six people dead and 1,000 in hospital; five extremists would be convicted.
Saturday, March 02, 2013
Hello, everybody. We've got so much ground to cover, and we begin this packed blog with the pontiff now a "simple pilgrim."
Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday became the first pope in over 600 years to resign, leaving the 1.2 billion Catholics without a leader. Now his was the polar opposite of Richard Nixon's, except that unlike the president, Benedict (who now assumes the title of Pope Emeritus) left on his own free will, and the Vatican is now under "sede vacante" mode, or "vacant see", as a few key officials will assume power for the time being.
A couple months ago, the pope entered the social media landscape with his Twitter handle @pontifex; his last words before that and all other tweets would be deleted: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."
Well, it didn't take long for Hollywood to return back to normal after Sunday's Oscars...and is Joan Rivers fuming! On "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday, the legendary tart-mouthed comedienne tore up Best Song winner Adele by miming a blimp shape with her arms and then later saying, "What's her song, 'Rolling In The Deep'? She should add fried chicken!" to boos from the audience.
Now a couple days earlier, Rivers's remarks over Heidi Klum and her very low-cut gown at the Elton John AIDS Party during E!'s "Fashion Police" Oscar show ("The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens") drew more fire that even the Anti-Defamation League said that Joan "should know better; this remark is so vulgar and offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors." But Rivers went on the defensive, stating, "My husband lost the majority of his family at Auschwitz, and I can assure you that I have always made it a point to remind people of the Holocaust through humor."
There was more afterglow from the awards, which was watched by over 40 million people: Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway regretted her choice for wearing what some called "the nipple dress", telling "Women's Wear Daily": "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear. Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself. I deeply regret any disappointment caused."
So Anne is a staunch Valentino supporter, and she went for Prada at the Oscars? It's like jumping from Armani to Elie Saab at the last minute, but I can tell you this: It won't happen again.
And one day and a hair dye later, Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence wasted no time returning to work on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in Hawaii. Paparazzi caught her enjoying some downtime in her hotel balcony sipping on some wine with her friend and later puffing on what is believed to be an electronic cigarette. Guess she really bounced back after that fall seen 'round the world. As for the other big winners, Ben Affleck and Daniel Day-Lewis? Their post-Oscar whereabouts are unknown.
Hollywood's Super Bowl is over for another year, and we now move forward to Alaska's Super Bowl, the Iditarod. For the 41st time, 67 of the best dog mushers on the planet will be spending a week and a half (or two) in the isolated Alaskan wilderness, as they tough out treacherous terrain and bone-chilling temperatures along the way to Nome.
Defending champion Dallas Seavey is among those in...Rick Swenson. Personal reasons had the five-time champion dropping out of this year's race; he was the first under the Burled Arch in Nome in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991, and it'll be 35 years since he and Dick Mackey totally went at it right down to the wire. In the end, it was Mackey in a photo finish.
The first 30 finishers this year will share a $600,000 purse, but only one who's in Nome first will also be awarded with a new Ram truck. Will it be Seavey again, John Baker breaking his own record, Lance Mackey or Jeff King in their drive for five, or someone else? We'll find out in the days to come.
And last but not least: Once upon a time, there was "The Dating Game." But in 1983, "Love Connection" would bring video dating to the next level. The shows' legacies would usher in a new generation of dating as it would carry over from the television screen to our computer screens in the '90s.
For years, Match.com, eHarmony, and even part of Craigslist have been the premier dating sites, but not anymore when Zoosk.com started up. And now we have all kinds of dating sites that appeal to a wide array of palates, like ChristianMingle.com, JewDate.com, OurTime.com (aimed at seniors), Farmersonly.com, and even CougarLife.com (for a certain type on the prowl for young'uns), which I saw being advertised on "WWE Raw" recently.
I may have been voted "Biggest Flirt" in my high school graduating class of 1997, but at that time, if you were looking for that special someone you would have to hit the newspaper or online classifieds. When eHarmony was born, it was all about finding a certain quality that matches yours, regardless of background, race, or religion. That's why we have all these other sites, though my younger brother Lawrence found love in Niesha the old-fashioned way.
If you've had enough, maybe I should start a dating site of my own. And what could I call it? Maybe JustDateAlreadyGetMarriedandMoveOnWithYourLife.com! So long and stay strong.
Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday became the first pope in over 600 years to resign, leaving the 1.2 billion Catholics without a leader. Now his was the polar opposite of Richard Nixon's, except that unlike the president, Benedict (who now assumes the title of Pope Emeritus) left on his own free will, and the Vatican is now under "sede vacante" mode, or "vacant see", as a few key officials will assume power for the time being.
A couple months ago, the pope entered the social media landscape with his Twitter handle @pontifex; his last words before that and all other tweets would be deleted: "Thank you for your love and support. May you always experience the joy that comes from putting Christ at the centre of your lives."
Well, it didn't take long for Hollywood to return back to normal after Sunday's Oscars...and is Joan Rivers fuming! On "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday, the legendary tart-mouthed comedienne tore up Best Song winner Adele by miming a blimp shape with her arms and then later saying, "What's her song, 'Rolling In The Deep'? She should add fried chicken!" to boos from the audience.
Now a couple days earlier, Rivers's remarks over Heidi Klum and her very low-cut gown at the Elton John AIDS Party during E!'s "Fashion Police" Oscar show ("The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens") drew more fire that even the Anti-Defamation League said that Joan "should know better; this remark is so vulgar and offensive to Jews and Holocaust survivors." But Rivers went on the defensive, stating, "My husband lost the majority of his family at Auschwitz, and I can assure you that I have always made it a point to remind people of the Holocaust through humor."
There was more afterglow from the awards, which was watched by over 40 million people: Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway regretted her choice for wearing what some called "the nipple dress", telling "Women's Wear Daily": "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear. Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision as I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself. I deeply regret any disappointment caused."
So Anne is a staunch Valentino supporter, and she went for Prada at the Oscars? It's like jumping from Armani to Elie Saab at the last minute, but I can tell you this: It won't happen again.
And one day and a hair dye later, Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence wasted no time returning to work on "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" in Hawaii. Paparazzi caught her enjoying some downtime in her hotel balcony sipping on some wine with her friend and later puffing on what is believed to be an electronic cigarette. Guess she really bounced back after that fall seen 'round the world. As for the other big winners, Ben Affleck and Daniel Day-Lewis? Their post-Oscar whereabouts are unknown.
Hollywood's Super Bowl is over for another year, and we now move forward to Alaska's Super Bowl, the Iditarod. For the 41st time, 67 of the best dog mushers on the planet will be spending a week and a half (or two) in the isolated Alaskan wilderness, as they tough out treacherous terrain and bone-chilling temperatures along the way to Nome.
Defending champion Dallas Seavey is among those in...Rick Swenson. Personal reasons had the five-time champion dropping out of this year's race; he was the first under the Burled Arch in Nome in 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1991, and it'll be 35 years since he and Dick Mackey totally went at it right down to the wire. In the end, it was Mackey in a photo finish.
The first 30 finishers this year will share a $600,000 purse, but only one who's in Nome first will also be awarded with a new Ram truck. Will it be Seavey again, John Baker breaking his own record, Lance Mackey or Jeff King in their drive for five, or someone else? We'll find out in the days to come.
And last but not least: Once upon a time, there was "The Dating Game." But in 1983, "Love Connection" would bring video dating to the next level. The shows' legacies would usher in a new generation of dating as it would carry over from the television screen to our computer screens in the '90s.
For years, Match.com, eHarmony, and even part of Craigslist have been the premier dating sites, but not anymore when Zoosk.com started up. And now we have all kinds of dating sites that appeal to a wide array of palates, like ChristianMingle.com, JewDate.com, OurTime.com (aimed at seniors), Farmersonly.com, and even CougarLife.com (for a certain type on the prowl for young'uns), which I saw being advertised on "WWE Raw" recently.
I may have been voted "Biggest Flirt" in my high school graduating class of 1997, but at that time, if you were looking for that special someone you would have to hit the newspaper or online classifieds. When eHarmony was born, it was all about finding a certain quality that matches yours, regardless of background, race, or religion. That's why we have all these other sites, though my younger brother Lawrence found love in Niesha the old-fashioned way.
If you've had enough, maybe I should start a dating site of my own. And what could I call it? Maybe JustDateAlreadyGetMarriedandMoveOnWithYourLife.com! So long and stay strong.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Golden night for "Argo" at the Oscars!
Hello, everybody. Not even a Best Director snub for Ben Affleck couldn't stop "Argo" from winning big at the 85th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, with Film Editing, Adapted Screenplay, and the ultimate consolation prize: Best Picture of 2012. This is not only Affleck's second win, but producer George Clooney's as well.
"Life of Pi" took the most haul with four: Visual Effects, Cinematography, Original Score, and Director for Ang Lee (his second).
As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis makes history as a three-time Best Actor winner thanks to his role in "Lincoln", while the odds were in Jennifer Lawrence's favor as she picks up Best Actress for "Silver Linings Playbook"...but not before she stumbled on the way to the stage (at 22, she's now the second youngest winner behind Marlee Matlin)!
Christoph Waltz claims his second Supporting Actor for "Django Unchained" (which also got Original Screenplay for Quentin Tarantino), and of course, Supporting Actress went to Anne Hathaway for "Les Miserables." Consider that payback for her wooden hosting stint two years ago with James Franco. By the way...I was 4 out of 6 in my picks this year.
Its star Emmanuelle Riva may have been denied quite a birthday present by upsetting Lawrence (and thus becoming the oldest Oscar winner ever at 86), but "Amour" did pick up Foreign Language Film. Adele added Best Song for "Skyfall" to go along with her several Grammys, "Brave" received Animated Feature Film, and in a tie...Sound Editing go to Skyfall and Zero Dark Thirty.
For the first 17 minutes of the 3 1/2 hour extravaganza, host Seth McFarlane turned the Oscars into the mini-Tonys with a little help from William Shatner, who from the future warned McFarlane about his emceeing performance. From there, it started with a pre-taped production number that featured Seth singing "We Saw Your Boobs." Hey, tell that to Halle Berry and Kate Winslet, who bared theirs and won Oscars.
The highlights of the show: Barbra Streisand's tribute to Marvin Hamlisch that capped off the In Memoriam segment, the 50th anniversary of James Bond with Adele and Shirley Bassey performing "Skyfall" and "Goldfinger" respectively, and First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House co-presenting Best Picture to "Argo" with Jack Nicholson.
As for the fashion highlights: Anne Hathaway decided to substitute Prada for Valentino, while Armani was the choice for Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain, and Quvenzhane Wallis. Jennifer Lawrence was the bell of the ball in Dior (who also dressed Charlize Theron), Valentino had Jennifer Aniston, and Halle Berry looked cougarlicious in Versace. As for the men, the fashion accessory for Clooney, Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Bradley Cooper? Beards!
Far and away, the best-dressed was far and away from Hollywood with the First Lady in silver Naeem Khan (who also did Stacy Keibler). As for Helena Bonham Carter? Since the Oscars almost ended at midnight, I guess her gown might've been turned back into a potato sack.
Daniel Day-Lewis now holds the distinction of being the first actor to win three Best Actor Oscars. For Anne Hathaway, what a difference two years have made; last time, she had the unfortunate task of hosting the show with James Franco to pitiful ratings, though she held her ground nonetheless. Her Supporting Actress prize proved to be quite the redemption.
And of course, you've got the young lady from Louisville, Kentucky who started her long journey on the TBS comedy "The Bil Engvall Show" as a teenager. Though she never took acting classes, she would educate herself along the way to "Winter's Bone" that put her on the map.
2012 was quite a banner year with "X-Men: First Class" and the "The Hunger Games" upgrading her to superstar status. A sequel to the latter is on the way, and you can bet it will say on the trailer and poster: "Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence"!
Just like the Grammys a few weeks ago, Oscar spread its wealth all around for the 85th time. But in the end, it was the two Sexiest Men Alive in Ben Affleck and George Clooney that ruled the night and for the former, it was sweet revenge. So long and stay strong.
(RATINGS UPDATE: This year's Oscarcast brought in its best ratings since 2010 with 40.3 million viewers tuning in)
The highlights of the show: Barbra Streisand's tribute to Marvin Hamlisch that capped off the In Memoriam segment, the 50th anniversary of James Bond with Adele and Shirley Bassey performing "Skyfall" and "Goldfinger" respectively, and First Lady Michelle Obama from the White House co-presenting Best Picture to "Argo" with Jack Nicholson.
As for the fashion highlights: Anne Hathaway decided to substitute Prada for Valentino, while Armani was the choice for Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain, and Quvenzhane Wallis. Jennifer Lawrence was the bell of the ball in Dior (who also dressed Charlize Theron), Valentino had Jennifer Aniston, and Halle Berry looked cougarlicious in Versace. As for the men, the fashion accessory for Clooney, Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, and Bradley Cooper? Beards!
Far and away, the best-dressed was far and away from Hollywood with the First Lady in silver Naeem Khan (who also did Stacy Keibler). As for Helena Bonham Carter? Since the Oscars almost ended at midnight, I guess her gown might've been turned back into a potato sack.
Daniel Day-Lewis now holds the distinction of being the first actor to win three Best Actor Oscars. For Anne Hathaway, what a difference two years have made; last time, she had the unfortunate task of hosting the show with James Franco to pitiful ratings, though she held her ground nonetheless. Her Supporting Actress prize proved to be quite the redemption.
And of course, you've got the young lady from Louisville, Kentucky who started her long journey on the TBS comedy "The Bil Engvall Show" as a teenager. Though she never took acting classes, she would educate herself along the way to "Winter's Bone" that put her on the map.
2012 was quite a banner year with "X-Men: First Class" and the "The Hunger Games" upgrading her to superstar status. A sequel to the latter is on the way, and you can bet it will say on the trailer and poster: "Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence"!
Just like the Grammys a few weeks ago, Oscar spread its wealth all around for the 85th time. But in the end, it was the two Sexiest Men Alive in Ben Affleck and George Clooney that ruled the night and for the former, it was sweet revenge. So long and stay strong.
(RATINGS UPDATE: This year's Oscarcast brought in its best ratings since 2010 with 40.3 million viewers tuning in)
Friday, February 22, 2013
Hello, everybody. I'll get to my Oscar preview in a jiffy, but we begin with another Oscar.
If O.J. Simpson had the Trial of the 20th Century, then Oscar Pistorius' may be the Trial of the 21st Century. On Friday, the South African athlete who inspired the world last summer at the Olympics was released on 1 million rand bail ($113,000) as his reputation was put to the test over the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.
The bail hearing lasted four days, and Pistorius said in a sworn statement that he accidentally killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last week, thinking she was an intruder in his Pretoria home. But prosecutors begged to differ, saying that a loud argument between the two led to the murder. Due to the seriousness of the charge, Pistorius would've faced the harshest bail requirements in South Africa, more harsh than here in the States.
Just like O.J., Pistorius' reputation and image may have been tarnished for the long haul. Will the Blade Runner get back on track? It all depends on his fate stemming from the criminal trial yet to come.
Back here in the States, the Justice Department also on Friday joined the fraud lawsuit against an already disgraced athlete: Lance Armstrong, as the former seven-time Tour de France champion has defrauded his sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, by concealing his use of banned substances and performance-enhancing drugs.
For the USPS, it was another black eye as the other week, they announced they were going to discontinue mail service on Saturday effective in August. I guess the two bits of news proved to be bad delivery.
And now we segue from Oscar and Lance to the Oscars: The 85th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, as host/Best Song nominee Seth MacFarlane plans to pull no punches by perking up the usually stodgy but still prestigious ceremony as it celebrates its 60th anniversary on television.
Ratings have been up and down in the last few years, and the Oscars have tried everything in their power with surprise presenters (2009), director Hamish Hamilton and "And the winner is..." replacing "And the Oscar goes to..." (2010; thankfully, Hamilton would be shown the door), infusing some youth in hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway (the latter which I'll get to, 2011), and even bringing back Billy Crystal as host (2012). The cost for ad time has even jumped to $1.7 million for a 30-second spot, as the Oscars are attempting to rival the Super Bowl in that.
Two advertisers know the power of the year's two most-watched television events very well: Apple and Coca-Cola. Apple used Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 to show their famous Macintosh commercial, and the first commercial for the iPad debuted during the 2010 Oscars. Diet Coke is generally seen on the Oscarcast, while the flagship Coke product is reserved for the Super Bowl.
But now let's get on this year's awards: "Lincoln" leads the way with 12 nominations, but not even a Director snub for Ben Affleck couldn't stop "Argo" from collecting major honors along the way and is already the heavy favorite to take Best Picture. But if not either the two, it could be "Amour" (also up for Foreign Language Film), "Beasts of the Southern Wild", "Django Unchained", "Les Miserables", "Life of Pi", "Silver Linings Playbook", or "Zero Dark Thirty" in an upset.
Supporting Actor may be about Christoph Waltz vs. Tommy Lee Jones, as both of them or Alan Arkin want to make it two. Then again, you have two-time winner Robert De Niro (gunning for his first Oscar since 1980) and 2005 Best Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Anne Hathaway is a guaranteed lock for Supporting Actress, but then there's two-timer Sally Field, 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, and returnees Amy Adams and Jacki Weaver.
For Best Actor, it could be all about Daniel Day-Lewis; he has won that in 1990 and 2007. Denzel Washington also wants to make it three overall, but there's a snowball's chance in hell he, Bradley Cooper, 1999 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, or Joaquin Phoenix could take the stage.
And then there's Best Actress. When the nominations came out, Jessica Chastain appeared to be the early favorite...that is, until Jennifer Lawrence steamrolled her with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honors. But Emmanuelle Riva's BAFTA win tested Jennifer's nerve just a bit, therefore tightening the race as Riva -- or maybe 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis -- wants to make Oscar history. In other words, Academy voters may wish Emmanuelle a very happy birthday their way on Sunday; she turns 86. Oh, and Naomi Watts is in there as well, but who cares?
Whose names will be engraved on that 8.5 lb. symbol of cinematic excellence after Sunday night? I already did a few of the lesser-known categories on Thursday, so here are the ones that really matter:
Supporting Actor: At first, it was going to be a duel between Tommy Lee Jones and Christoph Waltz, but come on! They already own that prize, and as we've found out last year with Meryl Streep, over three decades should be good enough for Robert De Niro as well.
If O.J. Simpson had the Trial of the 20th Century, then Oscar Pistorius' may be the Trial of the 21st Century. On Friday, the South African athlete who inspired the world last summer at the Olympics was released on 1 million rand bail ($113,000) as his reputation was put to the test over the shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp.
The bail hearing lasted four days, and Pistorius said in a sworn statement that he accidentally killed Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last week, thinking she was an intruder in his Pretoria home. But prosecutors begged to differ, saying that a loud argument between the two led to the murder. Due to the seriousness of the charge, Pistorius would've faced the harshest bail requirements in South Africa, more harsh than here in the States.
Just like O.J., Pistorius' reputation and image may have been tarnished for the long haul. Will the Blade Runner get back on track? It all depends on his fate stemming from the criminal trial yet to come.
Back here in the States, the Justice Department also on Friday joined the fraud lawsuit against an already disgraced athlete: Lance Armstrong, as the former seven-time Tour de France champion has defrauded his sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service, by concealing his use of banned substances and performance-enhancing drugs.
For the USPS, it was another black eye as the other week, they announced they were going to discontinue mail service on Saturday effective in August. I guess the two bits of news proved to be bad delivery.
And now we segue from Oscar and Lance to the Oscars: The 85th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, as host/Best Song nominee Seth MacFarlane plans to pull no punches by perking up the usually stodgy but still prestigious ceremony as it celebrates its 60th anniversary on television.
Ratings have been up and down in the last few years, and the Oscars have tried everything in their power with surprise presenters (2009), director Hamish Hamilton and "And the winner is..." replacing "And the Oscar goes to..." (2010; thankfully, Hamilton would be shown the door), infusing some youth in hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway (the latter which I'll get to, 2011), and even bringing back Billy Crystal as host (2012). The cost for ad time has even jumped to $1.7 million for a 30-second spot, as the Oscars are attempting to rival the Super Bowl in that.
Two advertisers know the power of the year's two most-watched television events very well: Apple and Coca-Cola. Apple used Super Bowl XVIII in 1984 to show their famous Macintosh commercial, and the first commercial for the iPad debuted during the 2010 Oscars. Diet Coke is generally seen on the Oscarcast, while the flagship Coke product is reserved for the Super Bowl.
But now let's get on this year's awards: "Lincoln" leads the way with 12 nominations, but not even a Director snub for Ben Affleck couldn't stop "Argo" from collecting major honors along the way and is already the heavy favorite to take Best Picture. But if not either the two, it could be "Amour" (also up for Foreign Language Film), "Beasts of the Southern Wild", "Django Unchained", "Les Miserables", "Life of Pi", "Silver Linings Playbook", or "Zero Dark Thirty" in an upset.
Supporting Actor may be about Christoph Waltz vs. Tommy Lee Jones, as both of them or Alan Arkin want to make it two. Then again, you have two-time winner Robert De Niro (gunning for his first Oscar since 1980) and 2005 Best Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. Anne Hathaway is a guaranteed lock for Supporting Actress, but then there's two-timer Sally Field, 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, and returnees Amy Adams and Jacki Weaver.
For Best Actor, it could be all about Daniel Day-Lewis; he has won that in 1990 and 2007. Denzel Washington also wants to make it three overall, but there's a snowball's chance in hell he, Bradley Cooper, 1999 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, or Joaquin Phoenix could take the stage.
And then there's Best Actress. When the nominations came out, Jessica Chastain appeared to be the early favorite...that is, until Jennifer Lawrence steamrolled her with Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honors. But Emmanuelle Riva's BAFTA win tested Jennifer's nerve just a bit, therefore tightening the race as Riva -- or maybe 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis -- wants to make Oscar history. In other words, Academy voters may wish Emmanuelle a very happy birthday their way on Sunday; she turns 86. Oh, and Naomi Watts is in there as well, but who cares?
Whose names will be engraved on that 8.5 lb. symbol of cinematic excellence after Sunday night? I already did a few of the lesser-known categories on Thursday, so here are the ones that really matter:
Supporting Actor: At first, it was going to be a duel between Tommy Lee Jones and Christoph Waltz, but come on! They already own that prize, and as we've found out last year with Meryl Streep, over three decades should be good enough for Robert De Niro as well.
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (duh!)
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (double duh!)
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva may be a veteran who's been in the game longer than the other nominees, but let's face it: Her BAFTA won't guarantee her the Oscar that quick. When it comes right down to it, she has had a stellar year with "The Hunger Games" and a sequel on the way, plus her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" has already drawn praise all around. So it's easy to say that we can't wait for Jean Dujardin to open the envelope and say Jennifer Lawrence's name!
Director: Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln")
Best Picture: "Argo"
We'll see how I fare on Sunday night when the richest prizes in entertainment will be handed out. Follow me on Twitter @jonathanallen as I'll be live tweeting the Oscars; a full recap will follow on Monday's blog. So long and stay strong.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Hello, everybody. We'll get to the Grammys in a bit, but first up...
For the first time in over 600 years, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he's turning in his resignation papers on February 28. It was a bombshell move no one saw coming, and it's up to the already troubled Catholic Church to find a new leader by Easter.
At age 85, Benedict felt that at his age, he couldn't have enough muster to carry on his life duties unlike the other pontiffs, though he was the oldest elected in 2005 after John Paul II.
I'm not Catholic myself, but this news has stunned all kinds of religions and as we've seen almost eight years ago, choosing a successor will be very tough as the cardinals will once again go into conclave mode.
Now...the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, and since there was no big winner, it was all about spreading the wealth this time around. Mumford and Sons' "Babel" picked up Album of the Year, while Record of the Year and Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Goyte for "Somebody That I Used to Know." Fun. got Best New Artist and Song of the Year ("We Are Young"), and then there were the usual suspects: Kelly Clarkson (Pop Vocal Album, "Stronger"), Adele (Pop Solo Performance), Carrie Underwood (Country Solo Performance), and Beyonce (Traditional R&B Performance, "Love On Top").
Among the many pre-telecast winners: Jimmy Fallon (Comedy Album, "Blow Your Pants Off"), Jay-Z and Kanye West (Rap Performance, N----s in Paris), and Janis Ian (Spoken Word Album, "Society's Child: My Autobiography")
The big story prior to the show was that dress code CBS issued out to everybody stating no excessive cleavage or anything see-through, but Katy Perry and Kelly Rowland were like, "What dress code?!" But the one who dared to bare was Jennifer Lopez as she pulled an Angelina Jolie and showed some leg, which is why she was the standout. As for Adele? She may have cleaned house last year, but her gown this year didn't sweep us off our feet.
And last but not least...since they happened first due to the time zone difference, the EE British Academy Film Awards were in London also on Sunday. Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway are both one away from completing the quadfecta with Oscar gold, and Jennifer Lawrence was poised to join them.
Instead, Best Actress went to Emmanuelle Riva, putting Lawrence's chances at that big prize in jeopardy. Even though she's a veteran, Riva is pretty much unknown to most of us...so was Marion Cotillard, until she won five years ago. And also, "Silver Linings Playbook" has a baseball theme to it, which explains Riva's win.
Emmanuelle at 85 may become the oldest Oscar winner in history (surpassing last year's Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer), but that one BAFTA won't get her the Oscar that quick. Lawrence has been filling up her trophy case with awards left and right, which is a sure sign that in less than two weeks on the 24th, we could be hearing Jean Dujardin say these words: "And the Oscar goes to...Jennifer Lawrence in 'Silver Linings Playbook'!!!" So long and stay strong.
For the first time in over 600 years, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday that he's turning in his resignation papers on February 28. It was a bombshell move no one saw coming, and it's up to the already troubled Catholic Church to find a new leader by Easter.
At age 85, Benedict felt that at his age, he couldn't have enough muster to carry on his life duties unlike the other pontiffs, though he was the oldest elected in 2005 after John Paul II.
I'm not Catholic myself, but this news has stunned all kinds of religions and as we've seen almost eight years ago, choosing a successor will be very tough as the cardinals will once again go into conclave mode.
Now...the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, and since there was no big winner, it was all about spreading the wealth this time around. Mumford and Sons' "Babel" picked up Album of the Year, while Record of the Year and Pop Duo/Group Performance went to Goyte for "Somebody That I Used to Know." Fun. got Best New Artist and Song of the Year ("We Are Young"), and then there were the usual suspects: Kelly Clarkson (Pop Vocal Album, "Stronger"), Adele (Pop Solo Performance), Carrie Underwood (Country Solo Performance), and Beyonce (Traditional R&B Performance, "Love On Top").
Among the many pre-telecast winners: Jimmy Fallon (Comedy Album, "Blow Your Pants Off"), Jay-Z and Kanye West (Rap Performance, N----s in Paris), and Janis Ian (Spoken Word Album, "Society's Child: My Autobiography")
The big story prior to the show was that dress code CBS issued out to everybody stating no excessive cleavage or anything see-through, but Katy Perry and Kelly Rowland were like, "What dress code?!" But the one who dared to bare was Jennifer Lopez as she pulled an Angelina Jolie and showed some leg, which is why she was the standout. As for Adele? She may have cleaned house last year, but her gown this year didn't sweep us off our feet.
And last but not least...since they happened first due to the time zone difference, the EE British Academy Film Awards were in London also on Sunday. Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway are both one away from completing the quadfecta with Oscar gold, and Jennifer Lawrence was poised to join them.
Instead, Best Actress went to Emmanuelle Riva, putting Lawrence's chances at that big prize in jeopardy. Even though she's a veteran, Riva is pretty much unknown to most of us...so was Marion Cotillard, until she won five years ago. And also, "Silver Linings Playbook" has a baseball theme to it, which explains Riva's win.
Emmanuelle at 85 may become the oldest Oscar winner in history (surpassing last year's Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer), but that one BAFTA won't get her the Oscar that quick. Lawrence has been filling up her trophy case with awards left and right, which is a sure sign that in less than two weeks on the 24th, we could be hearing Jean Dujardin say these words: "And the Oscar goes to...Jennifer Lawrence in 'Silver Linings Playbook'!!!" So long and stay strong.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
The Ravens "black out" San Francisco!
Hello, everybody. Not even a blackout a few seconds into the second half of Super Bowl XLVII could stop the Baltimore Ravens from deflating the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in what was also known as the "Harbaugh Bowl" between brothers John and Jim in a sibling rivalry watched by 108.4 million people. That number fell short from out-rating last year's Super Bowl, though it is one game away from knocking the "M*A*S*H" finale out of the top five most-watched television programs of all time. Joe Flacco was MVP while Ray Lewis closed out his career with his team's second hoisting of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The Ravens appeared to have had a huge advantage, but then moments after they were ahead 28-6 with 13:22 left in the third quarter...lights out in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as New Orleans hosted their tenth Super Bowl. For 34 minutes everything went into a complete halt; it was like last year's Daytona 500. According to officials, an "abnormality" triggered the shutdown, though it was not known who was responsible for the power outage (Beyonce, perhaps, which I'll get to in a moment?).
That proved to be a good thing for San Francisco, as that power surge would help the 49ers surge ahead of the Ravens after full power restored, thanks to a 31-yard touchdown from Michael Crabtree followed by Frank Gore's 6-yard run then a 32-yard punt return from Ted Ginn Jr. But what won the game for Baltimore? A failed two-point conversion by San Francisco and then 38-yard field goal by Justin Tucker.
Among the celebrities in attendance was fellow Baltimoreian Stacy Keibler, who once upon a time before WWE and George Clooney, used to be a Ravens cheerleader. Jennifer Hudson with the Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus sang "America The Beautiful" followed by Alicia Keys doing the national anthem. But that was the pre-game festivities. Halftime of course belonged to Beyonce after the flack she got for singing to a pre-recorded track at President Barack Obama's second inauguration two weeks ago, and with that touted Destiny's Child reunion with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, she didn't disappoint.
And then, of course, you have the millions of dollars of hard work paid off 30 seconds (or one minute) at a time. Since there was a plethora to choose from, I've decided to count down my top five favorite commercials from Super Bowl XLVII:
5. Audi's "Prom" (proving that the car was more important than the girl after all)
4. Taco Bell's "Viva Young" (Betty White and her geriatric prank show, see what you did?!)
3. Samsung's "Next Big Thing" with Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd (probably the biggest "F you!" to Apple)
2. Toyota's "Wish Granted" with Kaley Cuoco (suddenly, Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory" has been masturbating furiously while screaming out "PENNNNNYYYY!!!!")
And these two are my #1 favorites from the big game; both of them touched heartstrings though one of them topped "USA Today's" Ad Meter:
1. Budweiser's Clydesdales "Brotherhood" and Ram Trucks' "God Made A Farmer"
(the horses were back after a few years' absence, while Chrysler outdid themselves again with the calming dulcet tones of the late Paul Harvey)
All the hoopla surrounding Kate Upton's Mercedes-Benz commercial proved to be a disappointment, while Go Daddy I think wore out their welcome even with Bar Refaeli.
I also enjoyed Volkswagen's "Get In. Get Happy", though it failed to hit the mark as opposed to last year. And Tide's "Miracle Stain"? It probably would've a miracle if Joe Montana himself appeared in it.
Now let me clear up one other thing: Sure, the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup is older than the Super Bowl (the 100th game, won by Toronto, was seen on the NBC Sports Network stateside), but let's face it: Even though it is brought out onto the field by a couple Mounties, the winning team only gets to keep it temporarily. The Vince Lombardi Trophy, on the other hand? It is carried out by an NFL Hall of Famer, lets the teammates touch it while it makes its way to the stage, and they keep it permanently!!! So in the case of Baltimore, they may have won their one and only Grey Cup in 1995 (during the CFL's short-lived U.S. expansion), but their two Lombardis are theirs for all times.
Also, it is made every year by R.S. Owens and Company of Chicago; soon, they'll be hard at work making one other thing that's also for keeps: The Oscars; those babies will be handed out less than three weeks from now. So long and stay strong.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Hello, everybody. With the nominations already announced, the road to the Academy Awards began with the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, as "Les Miserables" and "Argo" ruled the film category. "Les Mis" scored a trifecta on the Comedy/Musical side with Motion Picture, Director, and Best Actor and Supporting Actress for Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway; "Argo's" wins for Drama Motion Picture and Director proved to be a consolation prize for Ben Affleck after his Oscar shut out. Jennifer Lawrence's ("Silver Linings Playbook") and Jessica Chastain's ("Zero Dark Thirty") wins set the stage for the ultimate Best Actress showdown between the two, while "Lincoln's" sole award was Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, which leads me to believe that they're saving the big honors for February 24.
On the television front..."Homeland", "Game Change", and Kevin Costner ("Hatfields and McCoy's") resume their dominance left over by the Emmys; "Modern Family's" was ended by HBO's "Girls" and its star Lena Dunham. Other winners include: Adele (Original Song-Motion Picture), Don Cheadle ("House of Lies"), and "Brave" (Animated Feature).
Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were no Ricky Gervais, but they were the life of the party, even going into disguises as faux nominees. But the night's highlight was Jodie Foster being presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, turning her speech into a quasi-coming out party all while proclaiming she's single (thanks, but no thanks), quoting Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley from "Saturday Night Live" (which became "Sunday Night Live", with Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Bill "Yosemite Sam" Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jimmy Fallon, and Lorne Michaels all there as well), and even referencing Honey Boo Boo and "Modern Family." And despite rumors to the contrary, even at the age of 50 she won't be riding into the sunset anytime soon.
I'm going to bypass the red carpet rundown and say my best dressed was Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta; worst dressed goes to Jessica Chastain, fearing she would expose some globes herself.
Now that the Golden Globes are over, it's back to sports as we're now down to the Final Four in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons) with only two earning a free trip to New Orleans, Lance Armstrong about to channel his Jimmy Swaggart in front of Oprah Winfrey and admitting to doping, and the NHL season finally in full swing with an abbreviated season due to the lockout.
But last week's big sports story was that the baseball writers denied Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens into the Hall of Fame, meaning that no one is in this year's class for the first time since 1996. 75% or more of the ballots were required; the only one who came close was Craig Biggio with 68%. Clemens got 37.6%; Bonds, 36.2%. The steroids issue may have played a key role in the shutout.
There are other sports halls of fame that have shied away from controversy, whether it's drugs or gambling (see Pete Rose). In 2011, Dennis Rodman was inducted into Basketball's Hall of Fame, which was surprising as he led the NBA in rebounds during most of the '90s in three different teams. Two years earlier, his Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan got in, and rightfully so. I can't say much about the Pro Football Hall of Fame though.
So, unlike Cooperstown, the sports journalists who decide the enshrinees really play it strict. And if all else fails, there's always the WWE Hall of Fame. So long and stay strong.
On the television front..."Homeland", "Game Change", and Kevin Costner ("Hatfields and McCoy's") resume their dominance left over by the Emmys; "Modern Family's" was ended by HBO's "Girls" and its star Lena Dunham. Other winners include: Adele (Original Song-Motion Picture), Don Cheadle ("House of Lies"), and "Brave" (Animated Feature).
Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were no Ricky Gervais, but they were the life of the party, even going into disguises as faux nominees. But the night's highlight was Jodie Foster being presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, turning her speech into a quasi-coming out party all while proclaiming she's single (thanks, but no thanks), quoting Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley from "Saturday Night Live" (which became "Sunday Night Live", with Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Bill "Yosemite Sam" Murray, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jimmy Fallon, and Lorne Michaels all there as well), and even referencing Honey Boo Boo and "Modern Family." And despite rumors to the contrary, even at the age of 50 she won't be riding into the sunset anytime soon.
I'm going to bypass the red carpet rundown and say my best dressed was Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta; worst dressed goes to Jessica Chastain, fearing she would expose some globes herself.
Now that the Golden Globes are over, it's back to sports as we're now down to the Final Four in the NFL (Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons) with only two earning a free trip to New Orleans, Lance Armstrong about to channel his Jimmy Swaggart in front of Oprah Winfrey and admitting to doping, and the NHL season finally in full swing with an abbreviated season due to the lockout.
But last week's big sports story was that the baseball writers denied Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens into the Hall of Fame, meaning that no one is in this year's class for the first time since 1996. 75% or more of the ballots were required; the only one who came close was Craig Biggio with 68%. Clemens got 37.6%; Bonds, 36.2%. The steroids issue may have played a key role in the shutout.
There are other sports halls of fame that have shied away from controversy, whether it's drugs or gambling (see Pete Rose). In 2011, Dennis Rodman was inducted into Basketball's Hall of Fame, which was surprising as he led the NBA in rebounds during most of the '90s in three different teams. Two years earlier, his Chicago Bulls teammate Michael Jordan got in, and rightfully so. I can't say much about the Pro Football Hall of Fame though.
So, unlike Cooperstown, the sports journalists who decide the enshrinees really play it strict. And if all else fails, there's always the WWE Hall of Fame. So long and stay strong.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Hello, everybody. We'll get to the Oscar nominations in a bit, but we begin the first blog of 2013 with the flu outbreak that has crippled 45 states including Alaska. So far, more than 2,250 have been hospitalized with 20 children dead according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Northeast, still licking their wounds from Superstorm Sandy, is the hardest hit as record numbers of emergency room visits have been reported with Boston declared a public health emergency. Its mayor, Thomas Merino, says that it's the worst flu season his city has seen in four years with the Swine Flu scare. Is there an end in sight as we're already into the first few weeks of the year? Unless if it becomes an epidemic, I believe so.
There is another fever that'll be gripping us soon, but of the non-fatal kind: Oscar fever, as nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards were announced by host Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone Thursday morning. Now for decades, they were used to be presented in formal fashion by the Academy president and a recent winner or nominee. Not anymore, as that tradition was broken; no more lectern or that fanfare we've been familiar with for the last 15 years, but yes riffing on the nominees.
"Lincoln" dominates the field with 12 including nominations Supporting Acting (Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Director (Steven Spielberg), and Best Picture of 2012; the latter's other eight contenders are Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained (which I saw on New Year's Eve), Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty.
Jessica Chastain is already the early favorite for Best Actor, which also includes Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Naomi Watts. If not Chastain, Oscar history could be made with either 85-year-old Riva or 9-year-old Wallis as the oldest or youngest winner ever. As for Best Actor, Lewis or Denzel Washington want to make it three; but don't rule out Bradley Cooper, 2009 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, and Joaquin Phoenix.
The Supporting Acting field, with one exception, is loaded with familiar names. Supporting Actor alone has five former winners: Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Christoph Waltz. Only De Niro and Hoffman already own Best Actor, while the other three went up on stage before to collect Supp. Actor. Supporting Actress features two-time winner Sally Field and 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, plus Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, and the third newcomer along with Riva and Wallis: Jacki Weaver.
While these names I've mentioned were jumping for joy knowing that there is only one month to go, there were some who are depressed. I'm talking about Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) and perhaps the biggest snub of them all: Ben Affleck (Argo).
No Affleck, Hooper, and Bigelow could mean a huge advantage already for "Lincoln" leaving the Dolby Theatre with the top prizes, as Seth MacFarlane is not only doing the 85th Annual Academy Awards February 24 on ABC...he's also up for one himself (Original Song, "Ted")! But before that, we have the first major stop along the way: Sunday's Golden Globes, which I'll recap on Monday.
And last but not least: Alabama may have denied Notre Dame's quest for perfection Monday night with their third BCS National Championship in four years, but the real winners? Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb...and Brent Musburger's hormones!
During the first quarter, with Alabama already decimating the Fighting Irish, the 73-year-old Musburger appears to have had a verbal hard-on for Webb as cameras cut to her. That would later result to a huge spike in Twitter followers ballooning to 260,000. Brent's remarks didn't sit well with ESPN, who issued an apology saying that "the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that." Webb, on the other hand, told "Today's" Matt Lauer that that wasn't necessary.
But this is not the first time the legendary sportscaster would be smitten with a beauty on the sidelines. In 2005, aspiring actress, model, and TV host Jenn Sterger caught the attention of Musburger; years later, she would be in the headlines again thanks to a sexting scandal involving Brett Favre, who allegedly snapped cell phone pictures of his penis to Sterger.
Now, it's Katherine Webb, and heed my words: This ain't the last we'll be seeing of her. If only Brent said his trademark "You are looking LIVE!!..." So long and stay strong.
The Northeast, still licking their wounds from Superstorm Sandy, is the hardest hit as record numbers of emergency room visits have been reported with Boston declared a public health emergency. Its mayor, Thomas Merino, says that it's the worst flu season his city has seen in four years with the Swine Flu scare. Is there an end in sight as we're already into the first few weeks of the year? Unless if it becomes an epidemic, I believe so.
There is another fever that'll be gripping us soon, but of the non-fatal kind: Oscar fever, as nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards were announced by host Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone Thursday morning. Now for decades, they were used to be presented in formal fashion by the Academy president and a recent winner or nominee. Not anymore, as that tradition was broken; no more lectern or that fanfare we've been familiar with for the last 15 years, but yes riffing on the nominees.
"Lincoln" dominates the field with 12 including nominations Supporting Acting (Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field), Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Director (Steven Spielberg), and Best Picture of 2012; the latter's other eight contenders are Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained (which I saw on New Year's Eve), Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty.
Jessica Chastain is already the early favorite for Best Actor, which also includes Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis, and Naomi Watts. If not Chastain, Oscar history could be made with either 85-year-old Riva or 9-year-old Wallis as the oldest or youngest winner ever. As for Best Actor, Lewis or Denzel Washington want to make it three; but don't rule out Bradley Cooper, 2009 Oscars host Hugh Jackman, and Joaquin Phoenix.
The Supporting Acting field, with one exception, is loaded with familiar names. Supporting Actor alone has five former winners: Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Christoph Waltz. Only De Niro and Hoffman already own Best Actor, while the other three went up on stage before to collect Supp. Actor. Supporting Actress features two-time winner Sally Field and 1997 Best Actress Helen Hunt, plus Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway, and the third newcomer along with Riva and Wallis: Jacki Weaver.
While these names I've mentioned were jumping for joy knowing that there is only one month to go, there were some who are depressed. I'm talking about Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables) and perhaps the biggest snub of them all: Ben Affleck (Argo).
No Affleck, Hooper, and Bigelow could mean a huge advantage already for "Lincoln" leaving the Dolby Theatre with the top prizes, as Seth MacFarlane is not only doing the 85th Annual Academy Awards February 24 on ABC...he's also up for one himself (Original Song, "Ted")! But before that, we have the first major stop along the way: Sunday's Golden Globes, which I'll recap on Monday.
And last but not least: Alabama may have denied Notre Dame's quest for perfection Monday night with their third BCS National Championship in four years, but the real winners? Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend, Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb...and Brent Musburger's hormones!
During the first quarter, with Alabama already decimating the Fighting Irish, the 73-year-old Musburger appears to have had a verbal hard-on for Webb as cameras cut to her. That would later result to a huge spike in Twitter followers ballooning to 260,000. Brent's remarks didn't sit well with ESPN, who issued an apology saying that "the commentary in this instance went too far and Brent understands that." Webb, on the other hand, told "Today's" Matt Lauer that that wasn't necessary.
But this is not the first time the legendary sportscaster would be smitten with a beauty on the sidelines. In 2005, aspiring actress, model, and TV host Jenn Sterger caught the attention of Musburger; years later, she would be in the headlines again thanks to a sexting scandal involving Brett Favre, who allegedly snapped cell phone pictures of his penis to Sterger.
Now, it's Katherine Webb, and heed my words: This ain't the last we'll be seeing of her. If only Brent said his trademark "You are looking LIVE!!..." So long and stay strong.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
I've got to get this out of the way fast before 2012 ends and 2013 begins, so in its 23rd year...
The Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2012
20. Facebook going public (and millions of investors clicking "unlike")
19. The nut who tried to steal Webb Simpson's spotlight after just winning the U.S. Open (if this happens at Augusta, Jim Nantz will beat him senseless)
18. Tim Tebow traded to the New York Jets while Peyton Manning goes to the Denver Broncos (therefore exorcising the Mile High City from Tebowism)
17. Clint Eastwood and his invisible chair at the Republican National Convention (to be later joined by an invisible audience laughing at his invisible jokes)
16. "Ted" (somewhere, Teddy Ruxpin and Snuggle Bear were launching a vendetta against Seth MacFarlane)
15. Steve Harvey (the movie version of "Think Like A Man" was a hit, his talk show is becoming the anti-Dr. Phil, and "Family Feud" has been climbing in the ratings...Ryan who???)
14. Lance Armstrong being stripped of all his Tour de France titles (and who says he doesn't have the balls to defend himself?)
13. The iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III (one had long lines stretching for miles, the other has you sharing videos you regret taking)
12. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey joining "American Idol" (stick a fork in that show...it's already been well done)
11 (and making her 14th consecutive appearance). Britney Spears (proving that she always had the "X Factor (sorry, Khloe Kardashian!))
10. "Call Me Maybe" (last year it was "Friday", and now, this?! God, no wonder why I'm getting old!)
9. Mitt Romney vs. Big Bird (a day after the first debate, Big Bird left a little "present" on Romney's campaign bus)
8. TIE: Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes (no comment)/NFL replacement referees (more inept at their jobs than a small-market local news anchor)
7. The Olympics (or as we called it, "The Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt Show II featuring Ryan Lochte, Queen Elizabeth II on a parachute, and the Fierce Five!")
6. Adele cleaning up the Grammys (yeah, that'll teach those young punks a lesson! And speaking of which...)
5. One Direction (this decade's Beatles/New Kids/'NSync/Hanson/Jonas Brothers...so far)
4. TIE: Honey Boo Boo (another reason why our society is going down the crapper. But at least she outrated that comedy showcase which was the Republican National Convention!)/The General David Petraeus scandal (Dirty little secret? Yeah, right!)
3. TIE: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorcing (the "Free Katie!" t-shirts finally paid off)/Pope Benedict XVI and Betty White on Twitter (now we're waiting on which one will fire off a sexy Instagram)
2. "Gangnam Style" (it was infectious, just like the Macarena)
And not even a little photo scandal or a nurse the victim of a prank call from Australian DJs couldn't hurt the #1 thing that was trending in 2012...
1. Duchess Kate's pregnancy (and already, baby naming games have begun)
And that's the AllenBlog's 2012 Year In Review. So long, stay strong, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
The Year in Pop Culture
What didn't kill us throughout 2012 in the world of pop culture made us stronger alright: A YouTube sensation causing more flash mobs than the Macarena, the box office avenged by superheroes and vampires, more exposure of William and Kate than we expected, a tween group and a very pre-pre-pre-pre-tween ruling the universe, two new rival singing competition shows duking it out for supremacy while another has pooped out, and a certain celebrity still keeping the tabloids' presses rolling...it was hard to put down "Fifty Shades of Grey" while jamming to the soothing beats of "Call Me Maybe".
The silent film "The Artist" spoke more than volumes at the 84th Annual Academy Awards; although it and "Hugo" each claimed five awards (including one for former Fairbanksan Ben Grossmann), "The Artist" came out as the big winner with Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Director, and Best Picture of 2011. Meryl Streep's Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" won her Best Actress, which almost nobody saw coming after almost three decades. But host Billy Crystal was still a little rusty after the 2004 awards, and Seth McFarlane is hoping to shake that off next year.
Cable (with a side of network) ruled the 54th Primetime Emmys, as Showtime's "Homeland" scored a Drama trifecta: Series, Actor (Damian Lewis), and Actress (Claire Danes, who recently gave birth to a baby boy). "Modern Family" was still Best Comedy, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" continued their streak, and Tracy Morgan is still alive after falling for Jimmy Kimmel's "drop dead" stunt. For the first time ever, not one single network show was up for Best Drama, though the networks still reap the comedy honors.
While we're sticking with television, "The X Factor" (now with Britney Spears and Demi Lovato joining Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid) and "The Voice" (still with Christina Aguilera, but not next season) duked it out to become the new king of singing competitions with "American Idol" no longer the #1 show (NBC's "Sunday Night Football" ended their eight-year reign of terror), Aaron Sorkin -- fresh off his Oscar win for "The Social Network" -- returned to television with HBO's "The Newsroom"; the new generation of "Dallas" which also had Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray, and the late Larry Hagman from the old generation, "Gossip Girl's" revelation that it's actually Gossip Guy, Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere proved they're a little bit country alright in "Nashville", and the year's most popular TV catchphrase: "Here comes Honey Boo Boo child!", as the pint-sized, plus-sized tot suddenly became a breakout star; she even outrated the Republican National Convention! Unfortunately, "Partners", "666 Park Avenue", and "Made In Jersey" were deleted from DVR drives' season passes. Not even "Two And a Half Men's" Angus T. Jones imploring us to stop watching his "filthy" show (he would later apologize for his remarks) couldn't stop it from scoring its highest ratings so far this season.
Action heroes ruled the box office with more than an iron fist, as "The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises" each scored opening weekend records (one all-time, the other for a non-3D film) while "Twilight" closed out their run with "Breaking Dawn: Part 2". "The Hunger Games", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Magic Mike" with "Sexiest Man Alive" Channing Tatum, the latest James Bond masterpiece "Skyfall" and potential Oscar contenders "Lincoln", "Les Miserables", and "Argo" have also kept us in our seats, while "Cloud Atlas", "John Carter", "Dredd", "Rock of Ages", and "Battleship" (proving that Rihanna should stick to music) had us bolting out of them. Even Tim Burton had a disappointing year himself with "Frankenweenie" and the feature film version of "Dark Shadows."
Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, Kelly Clarkson, and Taylor Swift churned out some new hits this year, but there were even newer sensations: fun., Carly Rae Jepsen with this summer's theme song "Call Me Maybe", and some quintet of young boys from England called One Direction. But perhaps the biggest story of them all was South Korean singer Psy, who's "Gangnam Style" became YouTube's most-viewed video ever (1 billion and counting) and the dance craze sweeping the entire planet.
Two other entertainment highlights also included: Disney buying the Lucasfilm studio for $4.05 billion, and the book "Fifty Shades of Grey" so hot, it was like Lifetime meeting Cinemax. And in September, Apple released the iPhone 5 and the new line of iPods including the iPod Touch now with Siri.
No year would be complete without our fair share of scandals, and boy, there were plenty! The biggie was Kate Middleton, as while she and Prince William were touring Southeast Asia, the French magazine "Closer" ran grainy photos of the royal couple sunbathing topless in France from a few months ago. A lawsuit couldn't stop an Italian publication from publishing the pics either, but in early December, we've found out that there will be a future King of England on the way. An Australian radio station cashed in on the news by prank calling the duchess's hospital in hopes of getting in touch with Kate, but the nurse who received the call would pay the ultimate price by committing suicide shortly thereafter. As a result, the two DJs were fired. Meanwhile, brother Prince Harry took the "Whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" motto a little too far as he was caught frolicking naked at a Las Vegas hotel.
Washington was rocked by two: the Secret Service appearing to be working behind President Obama's back as they were involved with prostitutes in Colombia, and general David Petraeus's extramarital affiair that cost him his job as CIA Director. Over in Britain, it was revealed that the late BBC personality Jimmy Savile had sexually abused pre-teens over 40 years ago, with 300 victims coming forward giving the world's #1 public broadcaster a black eye.
And there were more: Pics of Kristen Stewart and Rupert Sanders getting hot and heavy with each other behind Robert Pattinson's back left Twihards in a depression before things returned to normal, a new sex tape starring...wrestling legend Hulk Hogan (?????); and Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, quitting "Sesame Street" over a barrage of sexual allegations by him from underage boys
Plus of course you have the annual queen of scandals: Lindsay Lohan. Her return to acting as Elizabeth Taylor in the TV movie "Liz & Dick" may have bombed, but that was okay. It was all the same old, same old and now a judge has revoked her probation, meaning another trip to jail which could last 3-4 months (translation: 3-4 weeks).
In celebrity couples: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Kate Winslet and Ned Rocknroll (as of publish time) and Matthew McConaughey and Camilla Alves among others had us singing "We Belong Together", while (back to Taylor Swift) "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together" were played for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Heidi Klum and Seal, Bethenny Frankel and Jason Hoppy (as of publish time); and to no one's surprise, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez...or so we thought? Oh yeah, and George Clooney and Stacy Keibler are still together.
The nurseries were quite busy as usual, as Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Anna Paquin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar expanded their families, while room is being made for Kristen Bell and Channing and Jenna Dewan-Tatum, as well as (as of publish time) Jessica Simpson once again.
Adele may have been voted Entertainer of the Year by the Associated Press, but who was my selection this year? Well, not a person, but a thing: The tablet!
Okay, so we had a false start in 2011 with the very short-lived HP TouchPad, but during 2012, the iPad knew they weren't the only game in town anymore. Amazon unveiled their new line of Kindles including the Kindle Fire HD, rival Barnes & Noble had the Nook HD, Microsoft launched the Surface (with an actual attachable keyboard!), and Samsung and Google rolled out the Galaxy 2 and Nexus 7 respectively. In between all those, there were other, yet inexpensive tablets. To keep up, Apple unleashed the iPad Mini, and tablet usage this year, whether for business or pleasure, was on an immense rise that even the most popular apps like Instagram and Angry Birds had to be created for more than just Apple's iOS.
Two honoralble mentions go out to Eva Longoria and Maria Menounos, winner and runner-up of Sexiest Woman of 2012 respectively. Both of them had one hell of a year; Eva's was headlined by the end of "Desperate Housewives" and her successful campaigning for Prestident Obama as national co-chair. Maria's year was chock full, with "Dancing With The Stars", an brief match at Wrestlemania 28, and of course, "Extra." Oh yeah, she braved the cold -- and herself -- by doing her show in a bikini in Times Square as a consequence for her New England Patriots' Super Bowl XLVI loss to the N.Y. Giants.
But when it comes to what was the biggest entertainment story of 2012, you have to go back to Grammy weekend and the sudden death of Whitney Houston. She had been plagued with drugs and alcohol problems thanks to her ex-husband Bobby Brown, but her drowning from a hotel bathtub came as a shock to us all. Coroners later discovered that heart disease and cocaine contributed to her death, but aside from all that, her legacy will remain; "Sparkle" was an example.
As we're about to change calendars, what will 2013 bring to the table? We could be seeing Ben Affleck vs. Steven Spielberg at the Oscars, as "Argo" and "Lincoln" may be clashing for the top honors. With the "Twilight" franchise done, it'll be up to "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", "Iron Man 3", and "Scary Movie 5" among others picking up the slack. A "Carrie" remake with Chloe Moretz is in the can, while Christina Aguilera will be taking a break from "The Voice" to tour the world. And oh yeah...there's also the late night return of Arsenio Hall. All other sorts of stuff will happen within the next 365 days, so we'll wait and see.
Next time...we cap it all off with the Top 20 Things That Were Trending in 2012!
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