Johnny Simmons

ART DIRECTION
This is where I predict that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will most likely take home the award. It is the deserving winner here, although The Dark Knight could become a spoiler. The Duchess could prove a threat, but the movie didn’t catch on enough, although Sweeney Todd won here last year with only one other nomination. Anyway, I say The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which is my favourite, so there.

COSTUME DESIGN
This is a tough category for me. I rule out Milk just because I don’t think it can win here. Revolutionary Road has beautiful costumes, but I think they’re too subtle for the Academy. Australia has great costumes, and I won’t be surprised if it wins, but the Catherine Martin already has an Oscar. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is my pick to win, just like Atonement but I think it will end up losing out to the elaborate costumes of The Duchess, which isn’t wholly undeserved.

CINEMATOGRAPHY
This is an equally difficult category to predict. As much as I liked Changeling, I’ll rule that out from having an actual chance. I don’t think The Dark Knight is going to be a big threat as persons expect it to be here, but I could be wrong. That leaves the three best picture finalists. Slumdog Millionaire is the undisputable frontrunner in every category but I don’t think it deserves the nods, especially here. The Reader deserves a nod, but I don’t think it will win… which leaves The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which I want to win, but I don’t think it will. If I have to pick a winner I’ll say it will probably be Slumdog Millionaire with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as an alternate.

FILM EDITING
This is the best picture lineup with an undeserved snub for The Reader in place of The Dark Knight. For some reason I feel whoever wins here will NOT win the Best Picture award. I don’t know why but I feel that The Dark Knight will win here as a makeup for the snub. I suppose that Slumdog Millionaire is a threat here, which annoys me. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is my pick followed closely by Frost/Nixon which is a bit underrated in terms of technical achievements.

MAKEUP
Hellboy is too cartoonish and The Dark Knight was not THAT innovative, so I predict that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button deserves to and WILL win.

ORIGINAL SCORE
With the upset at the Guild called Alexandre Desplat I am more confident in my favourite and current prediction of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button for the prize. Of course Slumdog Millionaire cannot be counted out just yet. I don’t think WALL-E will be able to gain any traction here, and the other two films are just happy to be here.




ORIGINAL SONG
This is my least favourite category. Hopefully the best song here from WALL-E will be able to upset the fact that Slumdog Millionaire has 2/3 of the categories here. Jai Ho could win, though.

SOUND MIXING
Wanted cannot win here, and that’s the only thing I can bet on. I think WALL-E should win, but really Slumdog Millionaire could sweep… I hope not. As good as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is, AMPAS does not go for subtlety here which probably means that The Dark Knight will win.

SOUND EDITING
I’d like Wanted to win here, but I doubt it could. So once again I pick WALL-E with The Dark Knight as a spoiler.

VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The end.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Milk is the most prestigious of the nominees and it won the WGA, which makes it a serious threat. Based on good writing I think In Bruges could become an upset, and I wouldn’t mind. I don’t think Happy-Go Lucky is a good enough example of Mike Leigh’s talent so I don’t see it winning. Frozen River is good, but I don’t think it will win. It’s a bit like the nomination for Away From Her last year, a prize in itself.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Slumdog Millionaire is the favourite here, although the screenplay is probably the weakest link of the movie. If it wins it will be a travesty since all of the four films are better, but I’ll predict even though I’m not decided. Frost/Nixon is good as is Doubt, the former has a better screenplay but I don’t think either will win. I think The Reader has huge upset potential and I’d love if it happens. Of course you can guess my favourite to win it is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I have not given up hope.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
What to do? What to do? My favourite to win is a tie between the luminous Penelope Cruz and the underappreciated Taraji P. Henson. I don’t want Cruz to win just because everyone else is predicting it, but she’s my prediction and I don’t mind if she wins. Third in my preference is Tomei, whom I love; closely followed by Adams who I also love. Davis is fifth for me, sorry but I just don’t get the hype. But in terms of predictions she is the alternate to Cruz and I won’t be surprised if she wins. Hopefully that won’t happen.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
So Heath Ledger is probably going to win this. He’s third in my preference though, behind Hoffman and Shannon. Then there’s Downey who could upset, and I wouldn’t mind… and then there’s Brolin.

LEAD ACTRESS
Winslet is my pick for will win and should win. No analysis of the category, I suppose Streep could upset, but I sincerely doubt.

LEAD ACTOR
I predict Langella to upset. I really do. This seems like such a stupid prediction, and it probably is, but call it blind faith – and a belief that he was the best of the five. He’s also my favourite of the five followed by Penn and Pitt, then Rourke and then Jenkins.

PICTURE & DIRECTOR
I think that there will be a split between the two directors and obviously one of them will be going to Slumdog Millionaire. So I predict Danny Boyle to win best director and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to win best picture. I’d love to see either Fincher or Daldry take home best director though.

Sound off below.

My God what a night. So the first night of Idol Semi finals has begun and already I am pissed, but we'll get to that later. After hearing the first six boys and girls I've been surprised, impressed, disappointed and annoyed. So let's do a rundown.

JACKIE TOHN starts off the night singing 'A Little Less Conversation' and she's wearing these ridiculous pants, but not in a necessarily bad way. She sings the song and it's not bad. She has a definite stage presence and I'm liking it. The judges are a bit reticent with praise, Simon hates the pants - he says she blows it; but more or less the general verdict is just okay.

RICKY BRADDY is the guy we've never seen. He sings 'A Song For You' and I'm immediately nervous for him, but he nails it. And I mean he NAILS it. This guy sings this song without breaking a sweat and I am impressed. I mean, where has he been hiding? He is the bomb! I am definitely a fan. The three judges like it and then Simon says he has no star quality - but I think he's nitpicking.

Alexis Grace is next and I'm wondering what pop song she'll do and she says she's doing Aretha Franklin. Say what? 'Never Love A Man' is a huge song and she does good. I can't be believe that THAT is her voice, it wasn't what I expected. The judges are impressed and Simon compares her to Kelly Clarkson - which could be the kiss of death (remember Carly) so she'll probably reach the twelve and not win.

Brent Keith who is the token country guy sings a song I can't remember the name of. I think it's called 'Hicktown'. Enough said. It's goodish, the judges are a little meh about it, but they do admit that country is his niche. Oh well. Simon makes an implied insult to Bucky Covington. Ouch!

Stevie Wright is like a Jordin Sparks and Jessica Biels love child with huge teeth. She sings 'You Belong to Me' and it is painful to listen to. She is all smiles and I think SHE thinks it's good, but good grief - it's horrid. The judges agree with me - THANK GOD! I expected way more from her.

Anoop Desai sings 'Angel of Mine' which is worrisome because Monica has such a unique voice. He does it and it borders on boring but it's not bad. The judges won't admit it, but they basically say he can do better and he deserves to be there... yadah yadah. Interestingly I closed my eyes and thought I was listening to David Archuletta.

Casey Carlson the hot girl is doing The Police - 'Everything She Does is Magic' and this is another horrid performance. She is pretty but this is just uncomfortable, and once again the judges agree.

Michael Sarver sings 'I Don't Wanna Be' and I like it. I really do, he starts off a little flat but he grooves into it and I am liking it, but the judges don't agree although he sounds another person they LOVED (we'll get to that later). I don't understand. I mean it wasn't the bomb, but it was not bad at all.

Anne Marie Boskovich tackles Aretha with 'Natural Woman'. It's a little pitchy. It's in the middle of the pack. The judges are torn. Actually I keep forgetting this performance, but I do remember her dress was pretty tight.

Stephen Fowler tackles 'Rock With You' which is one of the few Michael songs I don't like and he is utterly bland. The vocal is not bad, but I'm absolutely bored and the judges agree with me. Dreadful dude, he seems cocky.

Tatiana Del Toro who I am backing if only because every is not sings Whitney Houston, 'Saving All My Love For You' and I am immediately throwing in the towel and she sings and it's pretty damn good. I don't know if you'll agree but I was impressed. This girl has a seriously good voice. The judges comment more on her personality than her singing which is annoying. She's acting demure and it's bothering them. This is so annoying. It's like you can't please them. They didn't like her then, and now Simon is all 'You're a drama queen, stick to yourself? Oh the hypocrisy.

Danny Gokey is singing Mariah's 'Hero' and he annoys me from the get go. His voice is good, but his range is lacking and I'm expecting the judges to call him out on that. Big surprise that Paula AND Kara give him standing ovations and Randy is all THAT WAS THE BOMB. What the f#^*. Seriously? I mean Simon said it was good, not great, but even that seems too much. I mean it was okay, not bad. Kara says anyone who can sing Mariah well deserves praise, but he's a guy, of course it's less easier to compare him to Mariah.

MY RANKINGS

A Ricky Braddy
A- Alexis Grace
A- Tatiana Del Toro




My top three


B+ Anoop Desai

B Danny Gokey
B- Michael Sarver
B- Jackie Tohn
B- Anne Marie Boskovich

D- Casey Carlson

F- Stevie Wright

I decided I'd start to doing a rundown of DH episodes. Not exactly a recap, but a criticism if you will. Last night's episode was arguably one of the best of the seasons. It had all the things I like about DH and it wasn't predictable. Since Season 5 has begun I've realised why people believe that all four women shouldn't submit themselves for Lead Actress in a Comedy. There is so little screentime available to them that someone is always left with the short end of the stick... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

In terms of the four leads I think all four gave good performances, I think that for the most part Teri Hatcher was the weakest link in the episode, but she wasn't bad and I enjoyed her scenes even if some were cringe worthy. If any of the women were to submit this episode for Emmy Consideration I could see Eva Longoria Parker doing so. Maybe she'll go for one of the earlier episodes when she was 'uglier', but I think she did a good job last night and I felt her subplot was the 'biggest'.

In terms of the supporting players neither Dana Delaney or Nicolette Sheridan had enough time on screen although I did love Katharine and Susan sparring. In terms of the men Doug Savant gave a great performance - I am tempted to call it the best of the episode. The scene where he almost hits his twin son is priceless and really the tension... good acting. That was an awards worthy performance.


SUSAN AND KATHERINE: FRENEMIES?

Little Things I Liked
I loved the little exchange Bree and Orson had concerning her dog - what kind of a name for an animal is Munchy? For anyone really? I'm still freaked out when I see Bree looking way hotter five years in the future, but I guess it's the money.

Carlos' philandering boss... a bit cliched but still funny. I especially liked his reaction when Gabrielle told him.

Susan's son - MJ, he has been bugging me all season, but I'm warming up to him. His head doesn't look so big and he isn't annoying.

I loved Katherine's line when MJ said box brownies are not real brownies and she laugh's nervously and goes, "Except when your Mom makes them... with love!" Priceless. I love Dana Delaney.

Little Things I didn't like
Susan annoyed through the entire episode. Get a life you!

Does Andrew's 'husband' annoy anyone else, he seems so boring for Andrew.

The other Scavo son. I can't remember his name but his face looks weird... he's not a bad actor though, but his face expressions... blech!

Not much else, I liked this episode.

RATE - 87%

So American Idol is heading into the Semi Finals – which I like to think of as the official beginning of the season.

I pretty much guess that everyone knows how it’s going to work so I’m not going to belabour you with that. I’ll just take a quick rundown of the Top 36, what I perceive their chances to be and how I hope the competition turns out.

Adam Lambert – alternately known as the Broadway Guy or the Guy who did Cher. For some reason he got a lot of slack of performing Cher, which seems weird on paper – but he changed the melody (not dramatically) but still. And he has a pretty good voice. I like this guy and I’d like to see him go far. He has the star look too.



Anoop Desai – the Indian guy. He blew me away in his group performance during Hollywood. He has a cool name, he looks sort of funny, but he has a great voice. A strong contender.



Felicia Barton – I think I remember her audition, good but unimpressive a less sexy Haley Scarnato if you will. I don’t see her making it far…



Ju’Not Joyner – could be the token black male R&B singer… which is weird because there were quite a few black dudes who didn’t make it (Jamar anyone?). I don’t remember much about him.





Lil’ Rounds – I do not like her, I hated her ‘rapping’ and I don’t like how the judges are primping her. She’s good though – I hope she ends turning out like that Alexandra girl from last season who peaked in auditions and didn’t make the top 12, but I doubt.



Nathaniel Marshall – I HATE HIM. I pray to god America sends him home.



Stevie Wright – I’m a bit meh about her, I think she has potential though.



Jeanine Vailes – No idea who she, she looks a bit like a thin version of Mandesa.




Anne Marie Boskovich – will always be remembered as the girl who had to go through that pointless makeover. I liked her, and I still like her. She needs to step up though and really outsing the competition.




Danny Gokey – I don’t like Danny as much as AI wants us to, but I don’t have a problem with him. To me he is an annoying and less endearing version of Elliot (my favourite male from Season 5). He’ll probably be going far… and I wouldn’t mind.


Jorge Nunez-Mendez – is the Latino guy. I liked him in his initial audition, although I’ve become a bit lukewarm since. I still like him. He could make it, and then he could not… I hope he does, but I could see him getting monotonous.




Kristin McNamara – is probably going to go far. The ones Simon picks on usually do. I’m not incredibly fond of her. She pissed me off during Hollywood week for sure.



Mishovanna Henson – I remember seeing her, I don’t remember hearing her. Go figure.



Stephen Fowler – For me he was a less annoying Chiekizie, and oh how I hated Chiekizie. He’s not bad. I don’t mind him, a little indifferent maybe.


Von Smith – I like Von. Maybe it’s just my propensity to like those that most don’t, but I like him. He has a cool voice and he doesn’t annoy like so many of the guys who sing like he does do. I am definitely a fan.


Scott Macintyre – the token blind guy… back up… what? Yep. The blind guy. This is painful. They love him, but his voice is not THAT impressive. I don’t hate him though, so there’s hope… but will he stand during performances?


Michael Sarver – looks a little annoying to me. He reminds me of Bucky Covington from Season 5. With this new system I doubt that he’ll reach the top 12. I initially liked him, but he doesn’t have staying power.


Kris Allen – is one of those we haven’t seen much or anything of. But I like his name and he looks all right, so I hope he does well.


Jesse Langsleth – She’s pretty, but if it depends on her voice only she may get lost in the crowd.


Casey Carlson – is gorgeous. Can she sing? I can’t even remember. I doubt she’ll go too far, or I hope… hopefully she doesn’t become Antonella Barbra – I hated her.


Allison Iraheta – is the girl I remember had the ridiculously red hair. She could stand out I suppose, she’s pretty.


Alexis Grace – is another one I remember seeing, but can’t remember singing, probably the hair. I think she had a baby or something...


Ariana Asfar – forgettable... but pretty...


Jackie Tohn – is one of my favourites. She is a less polished version of Carly (my third place pick last season from the 24). She’ll go far.


Kai Kelama – I like him, but I don’t know if his voice is impressive enough.


Matt Breitzke – okay, seriously. Can this guy win this? A resounding NO!


Nick Marshall – AI should be ashamed putting this guy through. This was/is laughable – and all that screen time he got was ridiculous. I don’t know what the judges were thinking.



Tatiana Del Toro – I may be the only one who likes her, but I do. Her laughter may be annoying, and she may be just a tad bit too dramatic – but so is that Nathaniel guy who people seem to love. I hope she goes far and starts showing some positive personality traits – she has a considerably good voice.


Megan Corkey – is likeable enough and she doesn’t have a bad voice. If she manages to reach the top 12 she could become a Kellie Pickler… but then again – maybe not.


Taylor Vaifuna – is another sixteen year old. I think she has an okay voice, but I don’t see her going very far. Another forgettable girl.


Ricky Braddy – is another person we’ve never seen. I’m curious as to what kind of a person he is with a name like Ricky Braddy. I mean seriously, Archie Comics anyone? He looks a little annoying, but I’m open – maybe I’ll like him.


Matt Giraud – is my favourite contestant this season. Just like season when I dubbed Michael Johns my favourite from his audition I liked Matt from the inception. I think he has what it takes to become a big star, but to win idol… well we’ll see.


Kendell Beard – is one of the prettiest girls in the competition and I like her. I don’t think she can actually win the competition, but I think she can go far and I like her.


Jasmine Murray – is another pretty young thing. She’s the girl that sang Fergie during her auditions. She was good. I’ve been hearing some Paris Bennett comparisons, but I don’t think she has the power – she’s more of an edgier Jordin Sparks… and I liked Jordin.


Brent Keith – I think he was on Nashville Superstar. He reminds me of Michael Sarver… enough said.


Alexander Wagner – Trugman – annoys me. I know he has a strong voice, but I’m not a big fan. I don’t hate him though.


Casey Carlson Stephen Fowler
Jackie Tohn Ricky Braddy
Anne Marie Boskovich Brent Keith
Alexis Grace Michael Sarver
Stevie Wright Danny Gokey
Tatiana Del Toro Anoop Desai

This is the first group that will be going. Most sites have Jackie Tohn as the top girl and Anoop and Danny being the two guys in. We don’t know Ricky Braddy so he could be an upset, Tatiana is hated – but she has the chops and she could surprise. Randy like Stephen Fowler and Anne Marie and Stevie are two girls who could become dark horses. Brent Keith has a memorable name and experience.

TIMO
WELCOMING FIRST YEARS TO THE DEPARTMENT
Aristotle once said, “The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.”
In the Law Faculty of the University of Guyana there are few maxims more salient. It’s been said before, but University is a completely different chapter from high school, and other than the credentials that earn you a place in the programme the race begins afresh to discern those most suited for the profession.
The legal field is one that holds glamour for many, and like any ostensibly glamorous profession the journey there is exceedingly difficult. The difficulty that lies ahead of you as first year students are reminiscent of the same difficulties that the burgeoning law faculty. It was a mere twelve years ago that the Law Faculty became a reality at the University ___ years after our Caribbean counterparts had started their programme. The journey for Guyana’s law department was thorny and arduous and it is such a road that is before you as lawmakers. Of course the word law-makers is an oxymoron in itself, law cannot be made – but our task is to uphold the tenets of the abstract concept of law and order.

[ ]

What the law programme entails.
History of the faculty.
Importance of law in Guyana/the Caribbean.

This post is waaay overdue. Sorry.

MY REACTION TO THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS

I suppose that I May be just a little weird. I spend most of my year waiting for the Oscar nominations to come around. So, they’re finally here and I have mixed feelings. I must say that my predictions were generally quite good, but there were some snubs that hurt – and definitely some surprises... some good and some... well you know. So here’s a run down.

ARTISTIC AWARDS
COSTUME DESIGN

I scored four out of five here – I got The Duchess, Revolutionary Road, Australia and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but surprisingly they left off Changeling in favour of Milk. Obviously I did not anticipate the love that Milk would get here. I am sorry to see Changeling ignored here, but I’m satisfied with this category.

ART DIRECTION

Once again I scored four out of five here – I got Changeling, Revolutionary Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Duchess. I had Australia (which I felt deserved a nod) over The Dark Knight (which was my alternate). Of course I was just being foolhardy ignoring The Dark Knight.

MAKEUP

Two out of three here. Some people were predicting Hellboy, but I didn’t buy it. I guess they weren’t in love with The Reader so much.

So it’s 10/13 for the Artistic Awards

MUSIC AWARDS
ORIGINAL SONG
Okay, I got one out of three. Of course I was expecting five nominations – the good thing about this category (I had one song from Slumdog Millionaire, who went on to score two nods) is that there’s no Miley Cyrus, but I don’t think three nominations were enough. And seriously, two nods for Slumdog here? Talk about drinking the soup... I am so pissed that I forgot to put down the song from WALL – E which I was backing. I love Peter Gabriel.

ORIGINAL SCORE
I scored three out of five here, which was a bit embarrassing... I knew that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and WALL – E were locked. But I thought that The Dark Knight would sneak in... I don’t mind being wrong, but I think it had more to do with it having two composers than being a bad score. Then I thought they’d reward Eastwood for Changeling. I was crossing my fingers for a shock and I’m glad Defiance made it in... then there’s Milk, I didn’t mind the nod – but seriously? I guess they had to reward Danny Elfman somewhere.

So it’s 5/8 for the Musical Awards

TECHNICAL AWARDS
EDITING

So I ended up with four out of five here, just because I insisted on ignoring The Dark Knight for The Reader. I’m not surprised that I got the others right. This seemed pretty predetermined.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Okay, I scored three out of five here which is disappointing, because I was really banking on those two films that got snubbed – Australia and Revolutionary Road, but it does assuage me that my two alternates Changeling and The Reader were the ones to replace them.

SOUND EDITING

This is my worst category, I got two out of five correct. My words came back to bite me, I contemplated replacing Changeling for WALL – E , but I didn’t. I did not anticipate the love for Wanted. I felt The Curious Case of Benjamin would score here and I thought Australia would surprise us. They opted for Slumdog Millionaire, which probably mean it will win best score – I hope not.

SOUND MIXING

Okay, four out of five here – and I can’t blame myself. I don’t think anyone expected to see Wanted here, I don’t mind though. The other four seem deserving, but what do I know?

VISUAL EFFECTS
Two out of three here – I left off The Dark Knight for The Mummy which I felt was more visual.

So it’s 15/23 for the Technical Awards

THE BIG EIGHT CATEGORIES
ORIGNAL SCREENPLAY

I’m still in shock – Vicky Cristina Barcelona did not get a nomination. I can’t believe it – they robbed Woody!!! And I am surprised at Rachel Getting Married being snubbed, but I’m not saddened. I’m a little meh about the nod for Frozen River and I am psyched about In Bruges!

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
I scored five out of five here... I’m still sad that they’ve snubbed Revolutionary Road. Aaugh!!! At least they didn’t drink the water for The Dark Knight.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
I think I have to save my feelings on the Winslet situation for another post, but that being said I am content with the nominations. I’d have loved Rosemarie DeWitt to turn up... but I’ve got to level with myself. She didn’t have a shot. So I scored four out of five here. Go Amy Adams and Taraji!!! I would love if either of them wins on an ‘upset’.


SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Shannon got nominated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh that’s rich, and no Dev Patel. This was my favourite acting category. I had already realised Ralph Fiennes and Jason Butler Harner were out, but Shannon coming back in is great! The other four have turned up everywhere so I’m not surprised.

LEADING ACTRESS
So I scored four out of five here with Winslet for the wrong film. Melissa Leo who I had completely overlooked despite a SAG nod sneaked in and I’m glad that it’s her and not Sally Hawkins. I don’t know who’s going to win now. I am sad for Kristin Scott Thomas... that was the snub that made me saddest.

LEADING ACTOR
Four out of five again – DiCaprio for Jenkins... I know that this was because AMPAS just snubbed Revolutionary Road completely. Leo deserved to be there over Jenkins, and maybe even Brad – who I like. I’d still like it if he sneaks and wins it – but who am I kidding?

DIRECTOR
Damn it!!! I predicted a snub for The Dark Knight in the BP race, but I thought they’d fawn for Nolan. Crap... and I could have gone 5 for 5. Well, there you go. That’s what happens when you don’t follow your gut.

PICTURE
Yeah!!! I got five for five! I am so happy with this list (okay, maybe if it was Revolutionary Road). But at least Gran Tornino didn’t sneak in and do some crap.

33/40 for the big eight.

I’ll be back later with a more cohesive rundown.

62/84 overall is not pretty bad. That’s 74% overall and 82% for the top categories. I’m generally content with the nominations – there were not many big surprises.

LITTLE SURPRISES
Does anyone else realise that all three of Angelina Jolie’s movies got nominated. Kung Fu Panda was nominated for Best Animated flick and Wanted got two sound nominations and of course Changeling. It looks like she’s back in the business.

Gran Torino was completely shut out of the awards. I didn’t predict it for any categories, but I didn’t think I’d be so correct. I didn’t predict Letters From Iwo Jima and looked what happened there.

The two biggest shocks for me were In Bruges and Michael Shannon and I’m happy for both. I’d be so psyched if they both end up winning in their respective categories. But you know me and my unattainable wishes.

The love for Frozen River was interesting. I don’t hate the film, so I don’t mind. It really was interesting, though.

This post is waaay overdue. Sorry.

MY REACTION TO THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS

I suppose that I May be just a little weird. I spend most of my year waiting for the Oscar nominations to come around. So, they’re finally here and I have mixed feelings. I must say that my predictions were generally quite good, but there were some snubs that hurt – and definitely some surprises... some good and some... well you know. So here’s a run down.

ARTISTIC AWARDS
COSTUME DESIGN

I scored four out of five here – I got The Duchess, Revolutionary Road, Australia and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but surprisingly they left off Changeling in favour of Milk. Obviously I did not anticipate the love that Milk would get here. I am sorry to see Changeling ignored here, but I’m satisfied with this category.

ART DIRECTION

Once again I scored four out of five here – I got Changeling, Revolutionary Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Duchess. I had Australia (which I felt deserved a nod) over The Dark Knight (which was my alternate). Of course I was just being foolhardy ignoring The Dark Knight.

MAKEUP

Two out of three here. Some people were predicting Hellboy, but I didn’t buy it. I guess they weren’t in love with The Reader so much.

So it’s 10/13 for the Artistic Awards

MUSIC AWARDS
ORIGINAL SONG
Okay, I got one out of three. Of course I was expecting five nominations – the good thing about this category (I had one song from Slumdog Millionaire, who went on to score two nods) is that there’s no Miley Cyrus, but I don’t think three nominations were enough. And seriously, two nods for Slumdog here? Talk about drinking the soup... I am so pissed that I forgot to put down the song from WALL – E which I was backing. I love Peter Gabriel.

ORIGINAL SCORE
I scored three out of five here, which was a bit embarrassing... I knew that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and WALL – E were locked. But I thought that The Dark Knight would sneak in... I don’t mind being wrong, but I think it had more to do with it having two composers than being a bad score. Then I thought they’d reward Eastwood for Changeling. I was crossing my fingers for a shock and I’m glad Defiance made it in... then there’s Milk, I didn’t mind the nod – but seriously? I guess they had to reward Danny Elfman somewhere.

So it’s 5/8 for the Musical Awards

TECHNICAL AWARDS
EDITING

So I ended up with four out of five here, just because I insisted on ignoring The Dark Knight for The Reader. I’m not surprised that I got the others right. This seemed pretty predetermined.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Okay, I scored three out of five here which is disappointing, because I was really banking on those two films that got snubbed – Australia and Revolutionary Road, but it does assuage me that my two alternates Changeling and The Reader were the ones to replace them.

SOUND EDITING

This is my worst category, I got two out of five correct. My words came back to bite me, I contemplated replacing Changeling for WALL – E , but I didn’t. I did not anticipate the love for Wanted. I felt The Curious Case of Benjamin would score here and I thought Australia would surprise us. They opted for Slumdog Millionaire, which probably mean it will win best score – I hope not.

SOUND MIXING

Okay, four out of five here – and I can’t blame myself. I don’t think anyone expected to see Wanted here, I don’t mind though. The other four seem deserving, but what do I know?

VISUAL EFFECTS
Two out of three here – I left off The Dark Knight for The Mummy which I felt was more visual.

So it’s 15/23 for the Technical Awards

THE BIG EIGHT CATEGORIES
ORIGNAL SCREENPLAY

I’m still in shock – Vicky Cristina Barcelona did not get a nomination. I can’t believe it – they robbed Woody!!! And I am surprised at Rachel Getting Married being snubbed, but I’m not saddened. I’m a little meh about the nod for Frozen River and I am psyched about In Bruges!

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
I scored five out of five here... I’m still sad that they’ve snubbed Revolutionary Road. Aaugh!!! At least they didn’t drink the water for The Dark Knight.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
I think I have to save my feelings on the Winslet situation for another post, but that being said I am content with the nominations. I’d have loved Rosemarie DeWitt to turn up... but I’ve got to level with myself. She didn’t have a shot. So I scored four out of five here. Go Amy Adams and Taraji!!! I would love if either of them wins on an ‘upset’.


SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Shannon got nominated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh that’s rich, and no Dev Patel. This was my favourite acting category. I had already realised Ralph Fiennes and Jason Butler Harner were out, but Shannon coming back in is great! The other four have turned up everywhere so I’m not surprised.

LEADING ACTRESS
So I scored four out of five here with Winslet for the wrong film. Melissa Leo who I had completely overlooked despite a SAG nod sneaked in and I’m glad that it’s her and not Sally Hawkins. I don’t know who’s going to win now. I am sad for Kristin Scott Thomas... that was the snub that made me saddest.

LEADING ACTOR
Four out of five again – DiCaprio for Jenkins... I know that this was because AMPAS just snubbed Revolutionary Road completely. Leo deserved to be there over Jenkins, and maybe even Brad – who I like. I’d still like it if he sneaks and wins it – but who am I kidding?

DIRECTOR
Damn it!!! I predicted a snub for The Dark Knight in the BP race, but I thought they’d fawn for Nolan. Crap... and I could have gone 5 for 5. Well, there you go. That’s what happens when you don’t follow your gut.

PICTURE
Yeah!!! I got five for five! I am so happy with this list (okay, maybe if it was Revolutionary Road). But at least Gran Tornino didn’t sneak in and do some crap.

33/40 for the big eight.

I’ll be back later with a more cohesive rundown.

62/84 overall is not pretty bad. That’s 74% overall and 82% for the top categories. I’m generally content with the nominations – there were not many big surprises.

LITTLE SURPRISES
Does anyone else realise that all three of Angelina Jolie’s movies got nominated. Kung Fu Panda was nominated for Best Animated flick and Wanted got two sound nominations and of course Changeling. It looks like she’s back in the business.

Gran Torino was completely shut out of the awards. I didn’t predict it for any categories, but I didn’t think I’d be so correct. I didn’t predict Letters From Iwo Jima and looked what happened there.

The two biggest shocks for me were In Bruges and Michael Shannon and I’m happy for both. I’d be so psyched if they both end up winning in their respective categories. But you know me and my unattainable wishes.

The love for Frozen River was interesting. I don’t hate the film, so I don’t mind. It really was interesting, though.