"Hurt Locker" leaves "Avatar" blue-faced at the Oscars!
Hello, everybody. As always, they were not broadcast live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, but for 3 hours and 37 minutes the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin kept things lively for every moment.
And in the case of "The Hurt Locker", it was a very lively affair for them as the big winner of the night with six Oscars including Original Screenplay, Best Picture of 2009, and for the first time ever -- a female taking Best Director, as Kathryn Bigelow beat out ex-husband James Cameron for that prize. But his "Avatar" didn't go home empty-handed, picking up Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Art Direction.
Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique as expected claimed Supporting Actor and Actress for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Precious" respectively (for Mo'Nique, it came just 60 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first ever black Oscar winner for "Gone With The Wind"); Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for "Crazy Heart"; and the heavily favored Sandra Bullock, 24 hours after being dis-honored with a Worst Actress Razzie ("All About Steve"), capped off her year to remember with Best Actress gold for "The Blind Side." More on her in a moment. And for the third time...I got all my picks right on the nose!!!!
Meanwhile, "Up" got Animated Feature; Argentina's "El Secreto du Sus Ojos", Foreign Language Film; and Original Song went to "The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart."
Now, on to the show: Neil Patrick Harris opened with a song-and-dance number before segueing to Martin and Baldwin handling the festivities for the rest of the night. And I thought they moved things along pretty well, even cracking a Toyota joke during the monologue.
But the best highlight of the show was Brat Packers Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson, as well as Matthew Broderick, Jon Cryer, and "Home Alone's" Macaulay Culkin all on stage paying an emotional tribute to fellow director and friend John Hughes with his family in the audience.
There was also the ubiquitous "In Memoriam" montage set to music by James Taylor performing "In My Life", though there was a lot of outcry over Farrah Fawcett being excluded. Let's set things straight about this before I continue:
1. Farrah was known primarily for her television work than feature films, and
2. She was already included in the "In Memoriam" piece at the Primetime Emmy Awards last September! Now do you understand?
Anyway...another moment was Ben Stiller going "Avatar" on us presenting Best Makeup in blue Na'vi makeup.
But the skies above the Kodak Theatre prior to the show was more gray than blue, though the tented red carpet turned into the world's largest greenhouse with blossoming fashions aplenty. We saw Meryl Streep as classy as she can be, Anna Kendrick elegant in Elie Saab, Cameron Diaz looking marvelous in metallic Oscar de la Renta, Miley Cyrus feeling like a woman in Jenny Packham, and Rachel McAdams awash also in Elie Saab.
So...who blossomed the most? Has to be Sandra Bullock; she definitely looked like an Oscar winner in her Marchesa with hubby Jesse James as her accessory. And for Gabourey Sidibie, Diane Kruger, Mariah Carey, and Zoe Saldana? Too much Miracle-Gro!
For the first time in over seven decades, we had ten films up for Best Picture. And only one of them had to stand out from the pack with Kathryn Bigelow finally doing something Jane Campion couldn't in 1994 when she lost to Steven Spielberg: Becoming the first female Best Director winner. As for Jeff Bridges? His father Lloyd must be smiling up above knowing that one of his sons finally caught the big one.
But in the end, Oscar Night 2010 ultimately belonged to a woman who was voted "Most Likely To Brighten Your Day" by her senior class at Arlington, Virginia's Washington-Lee High School in 1982. And in the years since, she has indeed brightened everybody's days, starting out on the short-lived TV version of "Working Girl" then working alongside Sylvester Stallone in "Demolition Man" before "Speed" would put her on the map followed by "While You Were Sleeping" and "The Net" to come.
The two "Miss Congeniality" movies would keep her busy during the 21st Century, then "Crash" and "The Lake House", reuniting her with "Speed's" co-star Keanu Reeves. And then came 2009, with "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side" both raking in enough money to put her back in the spotlight. Now, over two decades of living and breathing her career has paid off for the better, as Sandra Annette Bullock has a second man in her life to go along with Jesse James: a gold-plated fellow named Oscar!
Mo'Nique said it best during her speech: It's the performances, not the politics, that make you a winner. And that was what the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were all about, as the night's theme should well be "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!"
By the way...ratingswise, the Oscarcast was a hit, up 20% from last year.
Now that I've got the Oscars out of the way...I'm just getting started, folks!
Within moments after her win, Sandra Bullock immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. However, it's Jesse James that's getting the congratulatory tweets on her behalf because he has a Twitter, she doesn't.
Since my first wishlist, fellow Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon established their own homes on Facebook instead of Twitter as well as Sarah Jessica Parker who has both. And even though they have been tape delayed in Alaska as I mentioned on top, I have been following this year's awards on Twitter. But enough babbling; here now is my second Celebrity Twitter/Facebook Wish List:
Now onto the 38th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, where over 70 of the world's finest mushers have one goal in mind: to prevent Lance Mackey from claiming a fourth straight title as they take on 1,150 miles of the most challenging terrain known to man while facing who knows what along the journey to Nome. As of Monday afternoon, Sebastian Schnuelle, John Baker, and Warren Palfrey have all exited Rainy Pass while Mackey is 15th.
Of course the race is just getting started, and you know Mackey as always will make his move when the homestretch comes. Who will be the first to cross the famed Burled Arch in Nome for $50,000 (yes, it's down from the usual $69,000) and the keys to a new Dodge Truck? We'll find out in the next week-and-a-half.
And last but not least: Okay, I'll admit it...I'm a soft-core porn junkie.
With the current state of TV nowadays with "Real Housewives" this and "Jersey Shore" that, the late night fare offered on Cinemax has always been a sensual respite with shows like "Life On Top", "Lingerie", and "Zane's Sex Chronicles" airing at random. Alright, so I sampled hardcore porn as well, but it's not my cup of tea.
The idea for this topic came a few weeks ago while browsing through a Castle Megastore here in Fairbanks (my boss at work calls it White Castle) looking for any softcore fare on DVD. I was shocked to find out that rarely any of that are released on DVD, especially on Amazon, eBay, and even Netflix! And I should know because I had my first taste of softcore porn while staying at a hotel room in Juneau in 1994, only to realize my bill would run up to $45!
But how come softcore porn is never on DVD but the hardcore are? Is it because the producers couldn't find any good distributors to market them exclusively to online retailers like Amazon? Or is it because we're better off taping them off of Cinemax and then dubbing it to DVD ourselves?
I have ordered only a few of those softporn movies from Amazon over the years, but that ain't enough. After all, I don't mind seeing hot and heavy action, though many of us miss the funky '70s porno music that made us want to "get it on!" So long and stay strong!
Hello, everybody. As always, they were not broadcast live at 4:00 pm here in Alaska, but for 3 hours and 37 minutes the 82nd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin kept things lively for every moment.
And in the case of "The Hurt Locker", it was a very lively affair for them as the big winner of the night with six Oscars including Original Screenplay, Best Picture of 2009, and for the first time ever -- a female taking Best Director, as Kathryn Bigelow beat out ex-husband James Cameron for that prize. But his "Avatar" didn't go home empty-handed, picking up Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Art Direction.
Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique as expected claimed Supporting Actor and Actress for "Inglourious Basterds" and "Precious" respectively (for Mo'Nique, it came just 60 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first ever black Oscar winner for "Gone With The Wind"); Jeff Bridges got Best Actor for "Crazy Heart"; and the heavily favored Sandra Bullock, 24 hours after being dis-honored with a Worst Actress Razzie ("All About Steve"), capped off her year to remember with Best Actress gold for "The Blind Side." More on her in a moment. And for the third time...I got all my picks right on the nose!!!!
Meanwhile, "Up" got Animated Feature; Argentina's "El Secreto du Sus Ojos", Foreign Language Film; and Original Song went to "The Weary Kind" from "Crazy Heart."
Now, on to the show: Neil Patrick Harris opened with a song-and-dance number before segueing to Martin and Baldwin handling the festivities for the rest of the night. And I thought they moved things along pretty well, even cracking a Toyota joke during the monologue.
But the best highlight of the show was Brat Packers Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson, as well as Matthew Broderick, Jon Cryer, and "Home Alone's" Macaulay Culkin all on stage paying an emotional tribute to fellow director and friend John Hughes with his family in the audience.
There was also the ubiquitous "In Memoriam" montage set to music by James Taylor performing "In My Life", though there was a lot of outcry over Farrah Fawcett being excluded. Let's set things straight about this before I continue:
1. Farrah was known primarily for her television work than feature films, and
2. She was already included in the "In Memoriam" piece at the Primetime Emmy Awards last September! Now do you understand?
Anyway...another moment was Ben Stiller going "Avatar" on us presenting Best Makeup in blue Na'vi makeup.
But the skies above the Kodak Theatre prior to the show was more gray than blue, though the tented red carpet turned into the world's largest greenhouse with blossoming fashions aplenty. We saw Meryl Streep as classy as she can be, Anna Kendrick elegant in Elie Saab, Cameron Diaz looking marvelous in metallic Oscar de la Renta, Miley Cyrus feeling like a woman in Jenny Packham, and Rachel McAdams awash also in Elie Saab.
So...who blossomed the most? Has to be Sandra Bullock; she definitely looked like an Oscar winner in her Marchesa with hubby Jesse James as her accessory. And for Gabourey Sidibie, Diane Kruger, Mariah Carey, and Zoe Saldana? Too much Miracle-Gro!
For the first time in over seven decades, we had ten films up for Best Picture. And only one of them had to stand out from the pack with Kathryn Bigelow finally doing something Jane Campion couldn't in 1994 when she lost to Steven Spielberg: Becoming the first female Best Director winner. As for Jeff Bridges? His father Lloyd must be smiling up above knowing that one of his sons finally caught the big one.
But in the end, Oscar Night 2010 ultimately belonged to a woman who was voted "Most Likely To Brighten Your Day" by her senior class at Arlington, Virginia's Washington-Lee High School in 1982. And in the years since, she has indeed brightened everybody's days, starting out on the short-lived TV version of "Working Girl" then working alongside Sylvester Stallone in "Demolition Man" before "Speed" would put her on the map followed by "While You Were Sleeping" and "The Net" to come.The two "Miss Congeniality" movies would keep her busy during the 21st Century, then "Crash" and "The Lake House", reuniting her with "Speed's" co-star Keanu Reeves. And then came 2009, with "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side" both raking in enough money to put her back in the spotlight. Now, over two decades of living and breathing her career has paid off for the better, as Sandra Annette Bullock has a second man in her life to go along with Jesse James: a gold-plated fellow named Oscar!
Mo'Nique said it best during her speech: It's the performances, not the politics, that make you a winner. And that was what the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were all about, as the night's theme should well be "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!"
By the way...ratingswise, the Oscarcast was a hit, up 20% from last year.
Now that I've got the Oscars out of the way...I'm just getting started, folks!
Within moments after her win, Sandra Bullock immediately became a trending topic on Twitter. However, it's Jesse James that's getting the congratulatory tweets on her behalf because he has a Twitter, she doesn't.
Since my first wishlist, fellow Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Reese Witherspoon established their own homes on Facebook instead of Twitter as well as Sarah Jessica Parker who has both. And even though they have been tape delayed in Alaska as I mentioned on top, I have been following this year's awards on Twitter. But enough babbling; here now is my second Celebrity Twitter/Facebook Wish List:
- Michelle Pfeiffer (see August 13, 2007 blog)
- Tara Lipinski (hey, fellow Olympian Evan Lysacek has an account, so why not her? And after all, she isn't doing anything!)
- Hilary Swank (who wowed us five years ago in a backless gown when she picked up her second Best Actress and once again at the Vanity Fair party on Sunday in a low-cut number)
- Kate Winslet (last year's Best Actress had a Twitter before, but somehow deleted it)
- Lori Loughlin (if a middle-aged hottie like Demi Moore has a Twitter, so can her!)
Now onto the 38th running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, where over 70 of the world's finest mushers have one goal in mind: to prevent Lance Mackey from claiming a fourth straight title as they take on 1,150 miles of the most challenging terrain known to man while facing who knows what along the journey to Nome. As of Monday afternoon, Sebastian Schnuelle, John Baker, and Warren Palfrey have all exited Rainy Pass while Mackey is 15th.
Of course the race is just getting started, and you know Mackey as always will make his move when the homestretch comes. Who will be the first to cross the famed Burled Arch in Nome for $50,000 (yes, it's down from the usual $69,000) and the keys to a new Dodge Truck? We'll find out in the next week-and-a-half.
And last but not least: Okay, I'll admit it...I'm a soft-core porn junkie.
With the current state of TV nowadays with "Real Housewives" this and "Jersey Shore" that, the late night fare offered on Cinemax has always been a sensual respite with shows like "Life On Top", "Lingerie", and "Zane's Sex Chronicles" airing at random. Alright, so I sampled hardcore porn as well, but it's not my cup of tea.
The idea for this topic came a few weeks ago while browsing through a Castle Megastore here in Fairbanks (my boss at work calls it White Castle) looking for any softcore fare on DVD. I was shocked to find out that rarely any of that are released on DVD, especially on Amazon, eBay, and even Netflix! And I should know because I had my first taste of softcore porn while staying at a hotel room in Juneau in 1994, only to realize my bill would run up to $45!
But how come softcore porn is never on DVD but the hardcore are? Is it because the producers couldn't find any good distributors to market them exclusively to online retailers like Amazon? Or is it because we're better off taping them off of Cinemax and then dubbing it to DVD ourselves?
I have ordered only a few of those softporn movies from Amazon over the years, but that ain't enough. After all, I don't mind seeing hot and heavy action, though many of us miss the funky '70s porno music that made us want to "get it on!" So long and stay strong!
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