The person who made this cover of "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals made this version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" as well.
Showing posts with label Distraction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Distraction. Show all posts
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Someone Call The Wahbulance!
Because conservatives are taking over Twitter hash tags to make fun of Obama and Gonzalo Cordova isn't going to stand for it.
So instead of pointing out what's funny and what isn't (simple word play, what's funnier? Fender or bumper? Normally bumper is funnier but fender is usually better) he just points out a few jokes that fell flat or some that he just did not get. Which-- as a writer for Comedy Central-- is a bit below his paygrade.
Countless blogs have already done that for free.
What a good comedy writer would have done is shown where the funny was and maybe even thrown in a few jokes himself. After all, even Gonzalo said that: Everyone in power deserves to be ridiculed.
Unless they are doing their best to carry water for the super cool, hip and sassiest president evah! Then no ridicule is needed.
Thanks to Beth for the find.
So instead of pointing out what's funny and what isn't (simple word play, what's funnier? Fender or bumper? Normally bumper is funnier but fender is usually better) he just points out a few jokes that fell flat or some that he just did not get. Which-- as a writer for Comedy Central-- is a bit below his paygrade.
Countless blogs have already done that for free.
What a good comedy writer would have done is shown where the funny was and maybe even thrown in a few jokes himself. After all, even Gonzalo said that: Everyone in power deserves to be ridiculed.
Unless they are doing their best to carry water for the super cool, hip and sassiest president evah! Then no ridicule is needed.
Thanks to Beth for the find.
Labels:
culture,
Distraction,
Hollywood,
Twitter
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Video: Trailer For The Hobbit
An Unexpected Journey. Coming to theaters in December. Of 2012.
I think most people should look up who exactly the dwarfs are before checking out the the movie. There are 13 of them, it would help to track of who is who.
I think most people should look up who exactly the dwarfs are before checking out the the movie. There are 13 of them, it would help to track of who is who.
Labels:
Distraction,
Hollywood
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
According To Instapundit. . .
. . . This is what is causing the latest buzz around the internet.
Labels:
Distraction,
Hollywood
Friday, August 19, 2011
Another Episode Of Separated At Birth
This week, it's Rachel Maddow and Ben Folds.
Eerie coincidence, doppelgangers or long lost siblings? You be the judge.
Eerie coincidence, doppelgangers or long lost siblings? You be the judge.
Labels:
Distraction,
Humor
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Weinergate: The Top Ten List
So it's come to this. Almost two weeks of Weinergate-- one week of him denying anything and the second week of him finally admitting that it was him after all-- and the worst of the worst picture was leaked. No, not a direct link but a link to a link. That way, it's up to the viewer to decide.
So here in the inevitable List Of Top Ten Things Said About Anthony Weiner's, uh, picture. From the home office in Shaftsburg, Michigan.
10. Gone from sex scandals to sexting scandals.
09. He takes those Congressional Briefings very seriously.
08. Possible campaign slogan, "Weiner for 2012: All my issues are laid bare."
07. I guess he's all for transparency.
06. Standing firm on the issues of the day.
05. How did Breitbart convince Weiner to take a naked picture of himself?
04. [Insert your own Weiner joke here]
03. Does anyone still believe #hacked! anymore?
02. He poles well with impressionable women and gay men.
And the number one thing that was said about Antony Weiner:
01. Who knew that Anthony Weiner was such an upstanding member of Congress?
So here in the inevitable List Of Top Ten Things Said About Anthony Weiner's, uh, picture. From the home office in Shaftsburg, Michigan.
10. Gone from sex scandals to sexting scandals.
09. He takes those Congressional Briefings very seriously.
08. Possible campaign slogan, "Weiner for 2012: All my issues are laid bare."
07. I guess he's all for transparency.
06. Standing firm on the issues of the day.
05. How did Breitbart convince Weiner to take a naked picture of himself?
04. [Insert your own Weiner joke here]
03. Does anyone still believe #hacked! anymore?
02. He poles well with impressionable women and gay men.
And the number one thing that was said about Antony Weiner:
01. Who knew that Anthony Weiner was such an upstanding member of Congress?
Labels:
Anthony Weiner,
Distraction
Monday, May 2, 2011
Round Up Of Pictures From Last Week
Either these weren't enough for a post on their own or I couldn't make them fit in with some other posting.
Thanks to Lance at The TrogloPundit.
And this is where I do an impression of Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs:
Open Thread:
Interesting note about that comic. It was written by Batton Lash, who is doing the Obama Nation series of cartoons over at Big Hollywood.
And this is where I do an impression of Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs:
Open Thread:
Interesting note about that comic. It was written by Batton Lash, who is doing the Obama Nation series of cartoons over at Big Hollywood.
Labels:
Blogs,
Distraction
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Peep Sushi?
Meh. Not really epic enough*.
And by epic, I mean Epic Meal Time sushi.
This isn't to pick a fight with Little Miss Attila over food. Just a posting in jest.
And by epic, I mean Epic Meal Time sushi.
This isn't to pick a fight with Little Miss Attila over food. Just a posting in jest.
Labels:
Bloggers Who Link,
Distraction,
Random Video
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Warning! Do Not Hit This Link!
Do not click this link. You have been warned.
Whatever you do, don't click over. All I know that the person in the picture is most definitely not Carrot Top.
If you click anyway, you will hate yourself and me. But save the hate for someone else who deserves it. Like Bob Belvedere.
Do not click over at work, that's for sure. IYKWIMAITYD.
Whatever you do, don't click over. All I know that the person in the picture is most definitely not Carrot Top.
If you click anyway, you will hate yourself and me. But save the hate for someone else who deserves it. Like Bob Belvedere.
Do not click over at work, that's for sure. IYKWIMAITYD.
Labels:
Celebs,
Distraction
Friday, March 18, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Zombie Apocalypse Is Coming Sooner Than We Think
Not due to a virus but a fungus.
This is how it starts. It's how it always starts.
Scientists bring this fungi back to the lab to study it and-- for whatever reason-- try to make the fungi reach it's full potential. Until it's too late and it grows out of control. You have been warned.
This is how it starts. It's how it always starts.
Scientists bring this fungi back to the lab to study it and-- for whatever reason-- try to make the fungi reach it's full potential. Until it's too late and it grows out of control. You have been warned.
Labels:
Distraction,
Zombies
Friday, February 25, 2011
PSA Video: How To Remove Those Pesky Obama Bumper Stickers
With the new BS (Bumper Sticker) Remover.
Even in trying times, there are entrepreneurs who can make a product that the public needs and wants.
The best selling point? It works on a Prius!
Even in trying times, there are entrepreneurs who can make a product that the public needs and wants.
The best selling point? It works on a Prius!
Labels:
Distraction,
Humor
Monday, February 14, 2011
Lady Gaga At The Grammys
She arrived in a giant egg or cocoon or some type of pod for the award show.
Meh, it's been done before.
Picture credit to the Daily Mail.
Meh, it's been done before.
Labels:
Distraction,
Hollywood,
Weird News
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Arianna Huffington's Business Plan For Blogging Success
Step 1: Start a blog
Step 2: Have over 6ooo bloggers work for free to provide content.
Step 3: Profit!!!
So let me pass on a message to those 6000 unpaid bloggers. And I'll do what I can to put it into terms so that they can understand:
Bloggers of the Huffington Post, unite!
For far too long, you have toiled gratis under Arianna's watch at her vanity project, The Huffington Post. Where her blog entries can be summed up as 'Current Events' and 'Thoughts From Wherever I'm Vacationing At This Week' while you labored writing the stories that really mattered.
For what, you may ask yourself? For her financial benefit? So she will receive the accolades from her peers? All of it undeserved and all of it while she sat in her pixelated plantation with you out in the data fields, gathering content.
For what did Arianna do to deserve a pay out in the range of 300 million? Write roughly a diary entry a week? And who is to say that she actually wrote them herself?
It was the work of you, bloggers, pounding away at your proverbial typewriters in the hopes the script for Hamlet would materialize. The Huffington Post is yours. You created the content and drew in the commenters. Yet you get no peace of the pie. For 300 million, Arianna can at least supply gift packs of Visine and Tylenol for the computer glare.
Now is the time to come together and stand in a united voice-- in a blogger's paradise-- to let her know that she will no long be able to enjoy the spoils of your labor anymore.
Speaking Truth to Power is no longer acceptable as its own reward, now that Arianna is the Power. In her quest for profit, she sold you out for her own greed. Using you to enrich her to where she is no longer the Bolshevik but an out and out dirty Bourgeoisie. And by working for free for her, you sold her the rope she hung you with.
No more! No more carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist supports! No more eye strain from trying to Google Republican's home addresses. No more organizing bus trips to see Jon Steward in Washington DC. No more stories about Trig Palin being the son of Bristol Palin and not Sarah.
An online strike might not be as effective as a traditional strike with boots standing outside a fence. But when the submission box to Arianna's vanity site slows to a trickle, the editors will have no choice but to listen and pay you what you are deserved.
This is where you bloggers-in-arms need to hold fast. Should any other progressive blogger show any independent thought to move across that line in cyberspace and submit something, anything, make an example out of him or her. Expose their skeletons from they have tried to hide deep in the closet. Publish their parents address where they are living in the basement. And, in the rare case it should actually happen, publish their boyfriend or girlfriends address also. This is how you keep unity in line. This is how peace is kept within the ranks.
Unite for a better blogging tomorrow. Unite for a more fair blogosphere. Unite for a social justice with equal outcomes with regards to blog acquisitions. Go on a strike of the mind and the heart and do not give Arianna the time of day.
It's the social justice way to go.
Edit: Tightened up some of the verbiage from last night.
Step 2: Have over 6ooo bloggers work for free to provide content.
Step 3: Profit!!!
So let me pass on a message to those 6000 unpaid bloggers. And I'll do what I can to put it into terms so that they can understand:
Bloggers of the Huffington Post, unite!
For far too long, you have toiled gratis under Arianna's watch at her vanity project, The Huffington Post. Where her blog entries can be summed up as 'Current Events' and 'Thoughts From Wherever I'm Vacationing At This Week' while you labored writing the stories that really mattered.
For what, you may ask yourself? For her financial benefit? So she will receive the accolades from her peers? All of it undeserved and all of it while she sat in her pixelated plantation with you out in the data fields, gathering content.
For what did Arianna do to deserve a pay out in the range of 300 million? Write roughly a diary entry a week? And who is to say that she actually wrote them herself?
It was the work of you, bloggers, pounding away at your proverbial typewriters in the hopes the script for Hamlet would materialize. The Huffington Post is yours. You created the content and drew in the commenters. Yet you get no peace of the pie. For 300 million, Arianna can at least supply gift packs of Visine and Tylenol for the computer glare.
Now is the time to come together and stand in a united voice-- in a blogger's paradise-- to let her know that she will no long be able to enjoy the spoils of your labor anymore.
Speaking Truth to Power is no longer acceptable as its own reward, now that Arianna is the Power. In her quest for profit, she sold you out for her own greed. Using you to enrich her to where she is no longer the Bolshevik but an out and out dirty Bourgeoisie. And by working for free for her, you sold her the rope she hung you with.
No more! No more carpal tunnel syndrome and wrist supports! No more eye strain from trying to Google Republican's home addresses. No more organizing bus trips to see Jon Steward in Washington DC. No more stories about Trig Palin being the son of Bristol Palin and not Sarah.
An online strike might not be as effective as a traditional strike with boots standing outside a fence. But when the submission box to Arianna's vanity site slows to a trickle, the editors will have no choice but to listen and pay you what you are deserved.
This is where you bloggers-in-arms need to hold fast. Should any other progressive blogger show any independent thought to move across that line in cyberspace and submit something, anything, make an example out of him or her. Expose their skeletons from they have tried to hide deep in the closet. Publish their parents address where they are living in the basement. And, in the rare case it should actually happen, publish their boyfriend or girlfriends address also. This is how you keep unity in line. This is how peace is kept within the ranks.
Unite for a better blogging tomorrow. Unite for a more fair blogosphere. Unite for a social justice with equal outcomes with regards to blog acquisitions. Go on a strike of the mind and the heart and do not give Arianna the time of day.
It's the social justice way to go.
Edit: Tightened up some of the verbiage from last night.
Labels:
Blogs,
Distraction,
Humor
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Is The Politico Targeting Iowahawk?
What does Politico have against Iowahawk or is it just Iowa in general?
The bulleyes on the map should be apparent they are gunning for someone. The question is whom?
And the most pressing of questions, in light of recent events, should Politico be engaging in this violent sort of imagery? Politico needs to stop now and self-censor themselves should they say anything that may incite a feeble minded reader into doing something like, say, voting for a democrat.
It's for the children.
Update: I've heard of an instalanche before but does this qualify as a Hawkalanche?
Update II: It's worse than we previously feared.
Update III: What does this have to do with Jon Huntsman?
Update IV: Linked by Transterrestrial Musings.
The bulleyes on the map should be apparent they are gunning for someone. The question is whom?
And the most pressing of questions, in light of recent events, should Politico be engaging in this violent sort of imagery? Politico needs to stop now and self-censor themselves should they say anything that may incite a feeble minded reader into doing something like, say, voting for a democrat.
It's for the children.
Update: I've heard of an instalanche before but does this qualify as a Hawkalanche?
Update II: It's worse than we previously feared.
Update III: What does this have to do with Jon Huntsman?
Update IV: Linked by Transterrestrial Musings.
Labels:
Distraction,
Humor
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Academy Award Nominees Are Out
It's the usual list. Most of the movies have been released late in the year, hobnobbing for Oscar bait.
And most of them haven't been seen by the general public, save for a couple of notable exceptions.
All to be passed out in a three and a half hour show which will run over it's allotted time slot by an hour. All for some statues that can be given away in 45 minutes time.
Most of these, I'll be commenting from just things I've heard about the movie. Opining on things I don't even know about. You know, the usual blogging stuff I do from day to day.
I'm guessing either True Grit, The Social Network or Black Swan.
Why would True Grit will win? Because it's the Coen Brothers. Why it might lose? It's the Coen Brothers and didn't they win just last year? Or was that the year before last?
Why would The Social Network win? It's a biopic. Why it could lose? It was relatively popular.
What does Black Swan have going for it? It's dark and it's about lesbians. Against? It's dark and it's about lesbians. I don't know much about this movie other than a couple of reviews I've read. The lesbian theme isn't what the movie is supposed to be about. Only a way to make guys buy tickets for the movie. Black Swan will win an award or two tonight but I don't think it will be Best Picture.
Jeff Bridges or Colin Firth. Other than The Social Network, I haven't seen any of the movies listed but from the other movies I've seen Bridges and Firth in, they are good actors.
Natalie Portman or Annette Bening. If there is a dark horse in this race, it's Nicole Kidman. She's due.
Christian Bale is a very good actor. Don't dismiss him just because he's Batman. But that doesn't mean winning. So I'm going with Geoffery Rush. Haven't seen any of these movies either, I'm going with what I've seen in the past.
Helena Bonham Carter. Biopic, period piece. She's shoo-in. Unless Hailee Steinfeld pulls a hail mary (that pun was full of suck).
The Best Animated Picture category is only a few years old but it's long overdue.
And, not surprisingly, this is the category where I have seen most of the movies. Toy Story 3 should win. But I have a gun feeling that the voters aren't too keen on voting for a sequel so How To Train Your Dragon might win.
This is where having the lesbian subtext of Black Swan will win it for Darren Aronofsky. David Fincher directed a beautiful film with The Social Network, the look, the acting, the setting, the feel but there wasn't any soul to the story. It had all the right paints applied at all the right parts but the picture didn't have any depth.
I did see Inception. I liked it for what it was. An action thriller that made you want to see it again to see what you missed the first time around. A popular film so I'm thinking it will go to The Kids Are All Right.
Toy Story 3 should win but, again, it's a sequel and on top of that, a cartoon. True Grit or The Social Network. I hate the rapid fire dialog that Sorkin does but Hollywood seems to like it.
Don't know, haven't seen any of these. Last foreign film I saw was House Of The Flying Daggers and The Kite Runner.
Only seen two of these, Inception and The Social Network. Of the two, The Social Network should win.
Haven't seen any of these or know what they are even about. Whichever one panders furthest to the left will win.
Same deal with the Documentary Long Subject above.
I'm saying The Social Network because David Fincher is notorious for taking numerous takes of the same scene with slight differences.
The movie that shouldn't win? Alice in Wonderland.
It looked horrid and very cartoonish. If it's a cartoon or animation, that would be one thing. But they were shooting for making it look real and it only looked fake. Fake enough to pull me out of the movie to realize that the Jack of Spades body wasn't normal. But when you finally accepted that, someone else would appear looking cartoonish and pull you right back out.
True Grit and The King's Speech are both period pieces. It's a toss up.
Most everyone in Alice in Wonderland was wearing green suits that were digitally costumed later. The King's Speech because of the royalty wearing the royal outfits. Should be a no brainer.
The Wolfman. I'm going only by the title here.
Inception's score was good but The Social Network's was great. Very nontraditional with their approach to it. I've never been a fan of Nine Inch Nails (one or two songs of theirs I liked. But never as a group.) but Reznor and Ross did a good job with the score.
Tangled or Toy Story 3. This is one of the few categories where animation is actually respected.
Day & Night. There was a preachy little segment in the middle of it where someone on the radio was talking about keeping an open mind. Maybe I'm jaded (and my mind is as open as anyone else. I've tried sushi before) about it.
No idea. I didn't receive my DVD for my consideration for some reason.
Toy Story 3. Because every sound you hear was made in the studio. At least, that's the working theory why.
No idea. I wouldn't have the first clue on how to decide which movie had the best sound mix. So I'm going to say The Social Network for no other reason than it was the only one I've seen.
Sorry for the distraction, I'll be back on politics tomorrow.
And most of them haven't been seen by the general public, save for a couple of notable exceptions.
All to be passed out in a three and a half hour show which will run over it's allotted time slot by an hour. All for some statues that can be given away in 45 minutes time.
Most of these, I'll be commenting from just things I've heard about the movie. Opining on things I don't even know about. You know, the usual blogging stuff I do from day to day.
BEST PICTURE
127 HOURS (Fox Searchlight)
An Hours Production Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures Production Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
INCEPTION (Warner Bros)
A Warner Bros. UK Services Production Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
A Relativity Media Production David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
THE KING'S SPEECH (The Weinstein Co)
A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
A Columbia Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
TOY STORY 3 (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Production Darla K. Anderson, Producer
TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
A Paramount Pictures Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
WINTER'S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
A Winter's Bone Production Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
I'm guessing either True Grit, The Social Network or Black Swan.
Why would True Grit will win? Because it's the Coen Brothers. Why it might lose? It's the Coen Brothers and didn't they win just last year? Or was that the year before last?
Why would The Social Network win? It's a biopic. Why it could lose? It was relatively popular.
What does Black Swan have going for it? It's dark and it's about lesbians. Against? It's dark and it's about lesbians. I don't know much about this movie other than a couple of reviews I've read. The lesbian theme isn't what the movie is supposed to be about. Only a way to make guys buy tickets for the movie. Black Swan will win an award or two tonight but I don't think it will be Best Picture.
BEST ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
JAVIER BARDEM - BIUTIFUL (Roadside Attractions)
JESSE EISENBERG - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
COLIN FIRTH - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
JAMES FRANCO - 127 HOURS (Fox Searchlight)
Jeff Bridges or Colin Firth. Other than The Social Network, I haven't seen any of the movies listed but from the other movies I've seen Bridges and Firth in, they are good actors.
BEST ACTRESS
ANNETTE BENING - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
NICOLE KIDMAN - RABBIT HOLE (Lionsgate)
JENNIFER LAWRENCE - WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
NATALIE PORTMAN - BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - BLUE VALENTINE (The Weinstein Co)
Natalie Portman or Annette Bening. If there is a dark horse in this race, it's Nicole Kidman. She's due.
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
CHRISTIAN BALE - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
JOHN HAWKES - WINTER’S BONE (Roadside Attractions)
JEREMY RENNER - THE TOWN (Warner Bros)
MARK RUFFALO - THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (Focus Features)
GEOFFREY RUSH - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
Christian Bale is a very good actor. Don't dismiss him just because he's Batman. But that doesn't mean winning. So I'm going with Geoffery Rush. Haven't seen any of these movies either, I'm going with what I've seen in the past.
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
AMY ADAMS - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER - THE KING’S SPEECH (The Weinstein Company)
MELISSA LEO - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
HAILEE STEINFELD - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
JACKI WEAVER - ANIMAL KINGDOM (Sony Pictures Classics)
Helena Bonham Carter. Biopic, period piece. She's shoo-in. Unless Hailee Steinfeld pulls a hail mary (that pun was full of suck).
BEST ANIMATED PICTURE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (DreamWorks Animation)
TOY STORY 3 (Walt Disney)
THE ILLUSIONIST (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Best Animated Picture category is only a few years old but it's long overdue.
And, not surprisingly, this is the category where I have seen most of the movies. Toy Story 3 should win. But I have a gun feeling that the voters aren't too keen on voting for a sequel so How To Train Your Dragon might win.
BEST DIRECTOR
DARREN ARONOFSKY - BLACK SWAN (Fox Searchlight)
DAVID FINCHER - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Sony Pictures)
TOM HOOPER - THE KING'S SPEECH (The Weinstein Co.)
JOEL AND ETHAN COEN - TRUE GRIT (Paramount)
DAVID O. RUSSELL - THE FIGHTER (Paramount)
This is where having the lesbian subtext of Black Swan will win it for Darren Aronofsky. David Fincher directed a beautiful film with The Social Network, the look, the acting, the setting, the feel but there wasn't any soul to the story. It had all the right paints applied at all the right parts but the picture didn't have any depth.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANOTHER YEAR, Mike Leigh (Sony Pictures Classics)
THE FIGHTER, Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson (Paramount)
INCEPTION, Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros)
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT, Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg (Focus Features)
THE KING'S SPEECH, David Seidler (The Weinstein Co)
I did see Inception. I liked it for what it was. An action thriller that made you want to see it again to see what you missed the first time around. A popular film so I'm thinking it will go to The Kids Are All Right.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 HOURS, Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy (Fox Searchlight)
TOY STORY 3, Michael Arndt, Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich (Walt Disney)
THE SOCIAL NETWORK, Aaron Sorkin (Sony Pictures)
WINTER'S BONE, Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini (Roadside Attractions)
TRUE GRIT, Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (Paramount)
Toy Story 3 should win but, again, it's a sequel and on top of that, a cartoon. True Grit or The Social Network. I hate the rapid fire dialog that Sorkin does but Hollywood seems to like it.
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Algeria, Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Cohen Media Group) - A Tassili Films Production
Canada, Incendies (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Micro-Scope Production
Denmark, In a Better World (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Zentropa Production
Greece, Dogtooth (Kino International) - A Boo Production
Mexico, Biutiful (Roadside Attractions) - A Menage Atroz, Mod Producciones and Ikiru Films Production
Don't know, haven't seen any of these. Last foreign film I saw was House Of The Flying Daggers and The Kite Runner.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) - Matthew Libatique
Inception (Warner Bros.) - Wally Pfister
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Danny Cohen
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit (Paramount) - Roger Deakins
Only seen two of these, Inception and The Social Network. Of the two, The Social Network should win.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Exit Through The Gift Shop (Producers Distribution Agency) A Paranoid Pictures Production Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
Gasland - A Gasland Production Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job (Sony Pictures Classics) - A Representational Pictures Production Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment) - An Outpost Films Production Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Waste Land (Arthouse Films) - An Almega Projects Production Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley
Haven't seen any of these or know what they are even about. Whichever one panders furthest to the left will win.
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Killing In The Name - A Moxie Firecracker Films Production Nominees to be determined
Poster Girl - A Portrayal Films Production Nominees to be determined
Strangers No More - A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up - A Sun Come Up Production Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
The Warriors Of Qiugang - A Thomas Lennon Films Production Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon
Same deal with the Documentary Long Subject above.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter (Paramount) Pamela Martin
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) Tariq Anwar
127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Jon Harris
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
I'm saying The Social Network because David Fincher is notorious for taking numerous takes of the same scene with slight differences.
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.) - Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter (Warner Bros) - Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
Inception (Warner Bros) - Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2 (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment, Distributed by Paramount) - Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick
The movie that shouldn't win? Alice in Wonderland.
It looked horrid and very cartoonish. If it's a cartoon or animation, that would be one thing. But they were shooting for making it look real and it only looked fake. Fake enough to pull me out of the movie to realize that the Jack of Spades body wasn't normal. But when you finally accepted that, someone else would appear looking cartoonish and pull you right back out.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Production Design: Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.) - Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Inception (Warner Bros) - Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Production Design: Eve Stewart, Set Decoration: Judy Farr
True Grit (Paramount) - Production Design: Jess Gonchor, Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
True Grit and The King's Speech are both period pieces. It's a toss up.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) - Colleen Atwood
I Am Love (Magnolia Pictures) - Antonella Cannarozzi
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Jenny Beavan
The Tempest (Miramax) - Sandy Powell
True Grit (Paramount) - Mary Zophres
Most everyone in Alice in Wonderland was wearing green suits that were digitally costumed later. The King's Speech because of the royalty wearing the royal outfits. Should be a no brainer.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Barney's Version (Sony Pictures Classics) Adrien Morot
The Way Back (Newmarket Films/Wrekin Hill Entertainment/Image Entertainment) Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey
The Wolfman. I'm going only by the title here.
BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) - John Powell
Inception (Warner Bros.) - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) - A.R. Rahman
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Inception's score was good but The Social Network's was great. Very nontraditional with their approach to it. I've never been a fan of Nine Inch Nails (one or two songs of theirs I liked. But never as a group.) but Reznor and Ross did a good job with the score.
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Coming Home” from Country Strong (Sony Pictures/Screen Gems) - Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light” from Tangled (Walt Disney) - Music by Alan Menken, Lyric by Glenn Slater
“If I Rise” from 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) - Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
Tangled or Toy Story 3. This is one of the few categories where animation is actually respected.
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Day & Night (Walt Disney) - A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo - A Magic Light Pictures Production Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let's Pollute - A Geefwee Boedoe Production Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing (Nick Batzias for Madman Entertainment) - A Passion Pictures Australia Production Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) - A Sacrebleu Production Bastien Dubois
Day & Night. There was a preachy little segment in the middle of it where someone on the radio was talking about keeping an open mind. Maybe I'm jaded (and my mind is as open as anyone else. I've tried sushi before) about it.
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
The Confession (National Film and Television School) - A National Film and Television School Production - Tanel Toom
The Crush (Network Ireland Television) - A Purdy Pictures Production - Michael Creagh
God Of Love - A Luke Matheny Production - Luke Matheny
Na Wewe (Premium Films) - A CUT! Production Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143 - A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite
No idea. I didn't receive my DVD for my consideration for some reason.
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
Inception (Warner Bros) - Richard King
Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) - Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
Tron: Legacy (Walt Disney) - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit (Paramount) - Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable (20th Century Fox) - Mark P. Stoeckinger
Toy Story 3. Because every sound you hear was made in the studio. At least, that's the working theory why.
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Inception (Warner Bros) - Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
The King's Speech (The Weinstein Company) - Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
Salt (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
True Grit (Paramount) - Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
No idea. I wouldn't have the first clue on how to decide which movie had the best sound mix. So I'm going to say The Social Network for no other reason than it was the only one I've seen.
Sorry for the distraction, I'll be back on politics tomorrow.
Labels:
Distraction,
Hollywood
Monday, January 24, 2011
DVD Review: The Social Network
I finally had the chance to finally catch the movie version of the story of Facebook last night. If you’re a fan of Facebook, it might be of interest of you.
If you never used Facebook before, move along.
It starts out with Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, and his girlfriend and the time, talking in a bar. But it wasn’t any normal conversation. It was the fast paced, rapid reply type of conversation that no one ever has except addicts in their cocaine addled brain. It almost made me want to stop the disc then and there and take an axe to it if I didn’t have to return it to the library.
Did I mention that the movie was written by Aaron Sorkin? Let’s see:
So it was implied.
It’s a Hollywood version about the origin of Facebook so take that with a grain of salt. If there is a scene that needed to be embellished to show conflict and drama instead of what really happened, 99 times out of a 100, Hollywood will go with the embellishment. Having the movie sacrifice the truth in order to create drama.
Which is what happened here, I think. Most movies need a villain of some kind, no matter how abstract. Zuckerberg happened to be it this time. Instead of a big bad like Darth Vader, he's more of a introverted nerd obsessed with making the best damn social network online today, relationships be damned. And it came back to bite him in the form of a few lawsuits.
The movie itself was beautifully shot, using Johns Hopkins backdrop as a double for Harvard for the first part of the film. Movie lots and a few other select locations where used for the rest.
One thing this movie did affirm for me. Is that Justin Timberlake is the epitome of metrosexuality.
What most people didn’t realize until after the fact is that this movie was a special effects movie without realizing it was a special effects movie. Two actors played the Winklevoss Twins. But you only see one of them. The main actor’s face was digitally superimposed over the other actor’s face. I don’t think most people realized it unless they tried to catch the guy's name in the credits. Depending on which DVD or BluRay disc you have, it's shown how they digitally mapped one face over the other.
The soundtrack is very non-traditional. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails helped to create much of it. The high point was the track being played during the sculling regatta of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.
The fast pitched dialog did get on my nerves at times. But that is Sorkin's gimmick. Because he hears it in his head, everyone speaks in a fast, faster retort fashion.
If you want to watch the movie expecting to be told the real story about how Facebook came about, give it a pass. If you’re looking for something about how people come to power, money and influence and how they can stab others in the back, then this might be the movie for you.
If you never used Facebook before, move along.
It starts out with Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, and his girlfriend and the time, talking in a bar. But it wasn’t any normal conversation. It was the fast paced, rapid reply type of conversation that no one ever has except addicts in their cocaine addled brain. It almost made me want to stop the disc then and there and take an axe to it if I didn’t have to return it to the library.
Did I mention that the movie was written by Aaron Sorkin? Let’s see:
“It was the fast paced, rapid reply type of conversation that no one ever has except addicts in their cocaine addled brain”.
So it was implied.
It’s a Hollywood version about the origin of Facebook so take that with a grain of salt. If there is a scene that needed to be embellished to show conflict and drama instead of what really happened, 99 times out of a 100, Hollywood will go with the embellishment. Having the movie sacrifice the truth in order to create drama.
Which is what happened here, I think. Most movies need a villain of some kind, no matter how abstract. Zuckerberg happened to be it this time. Instead of a big bad like Darth Vader, he's more of a introverted nerd obsessed with making the best damn social network online today, relationships be damned. And it came back to bite him in the form of a few lawsuits.
The movie itself was beautifully shot, using Johns Hopkins backdrop as a double for Harvard for the first part of the film. Movie lots and a few other select locations where used for the rest.
One thing this movie did affirm for me. Is that Justin Timberlake is the epitome of metrosexuality.
What most people didn’t realize until after the fact is that this movie was a special effects movie without realizing it was a special effects movie. Two actors played the Winklevoss Twins. But you only see one of them. The main actor’s face was digitally superimposed over the other actor’s face. I don’t think most people realized it unless they tried to catch the guy's name in the credits. Depending on which DVD or BluRay disc you have, it's shown how they digitally mapped one face over the other.
The soundtrack is very non-traditional. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails helped to create much of it. The high point was the track being played during the sculling regatta of “In the Hall of the Mountain King”.
The fast pitched dialog did get on my nerves at times. But that is Sorkin's gimmick. Because he hears it in his head, everyone speaks in a fast, faster retort fashion.
If you want to watch the movie expecting to be told the real story about how Facebook came about, give it a pass. If you’re looking for something about how people come to power, money and influence and how they can stab others in the back, then this might be the movie for you.
Labels:
Distraction,
Hollywood,
Review
Monday, January 17, 2011
Can Andrew Sullivan Be Far Behind Jared Loughner?
Who's to say? But one can do is to look at similar milestones that Jared Loughner had left and see how they stack up against Andrew Sullivan. Maybe-- before it's too late-- an intervention could be set up so that no one can be hurt. This time.
Exhibit A: The Shaved Head. Sure it's a minor detail. But like most puzzles needs all of the pieces to finish, this shouldn't be glossed over.
Both are documented to have railed about genocides and illegal wars. The Other McCain has the video for Loughner's case on both. Sullivan rattles on about about genocide here and "Illegal war crimes" here.
Sullivan and Loughner hated George W. Bush.
"So what?", you may be thinking "How is this any different from any other mind numbed liberal?" But these are just scratching the surface, to give you an idea of the size and scope of just how big the iceberg really is underneath the water.
Pot has played a big role with both Excitable Andi and Loughner. Loughner is reported to have been a long time stoner. And Sullivan? I'm guessing he's a rather habitual smoker of pot. He was arrested for using marijuana at a federal park. If he can't wait to get to the privacy of his own home to light up, he have issues.
Nothing against someone who dabbles a little but like anything else, it can be abused.
The case can be made that both have their share of mental illnesses. Loughner may be a "textbook case" for being a paranoid schizophrenic. Sullivan's is more self-induced.
But the keystone of the case is this. Both have showcased an unhealthy obsession for female politicians. More specifically, Loughner may have been stalking Rep. Giffords since 2007.
And Andrew Sullivan's obsession with Gov. Sarah Palin is ledgendary.
So please. If it saves the life of one person, wouldn't it be worth it to institutionalize Andrew Sullivan? Writing is cathartic, as evident of the sheer amount of postings that Sullivan does per day. But at what point does mere writing stops satisfying to be a catharsis and actions are needed to fill that void?
As Sullivan is fond of saying, I'm only asking questions. Questions that need to be asked about his well being.
It's for the children.
Exhibit A: The Shaved Head. Sure it's a minor detail. But like most puzzles needs all of the pieces to finish, this shouldn't be glossed over.
Both are documented to have railed about genocides and illegal wars. The Other McCain has the video for Loughner's case on both. Sullivan rattles on about about genocide here and "Illegal war crimes" here.
Sullivan and Loughner hated George W. Bush.
"So what?", you may be thinking "How is this any different from any other mind numbed liberal?" But these are just scratching the surface, to give you an idea of the size and scope of just how big the iceberg really is underneath the water.
Pot has played a big role with both Excitable Andi and Loughner. Loughner is reported to have been a long time stoner. And Sullivan? I'm guessing he's a rather habitual smoker of pot. He was arrested for using marijuana at a federal park. If he can't wait to get to the privacy of his own home to light up, he have issues.
Nothing against someone who dabbles a little but like anything else, it can be abused.
The case can be made that both have their share of mental illnesses. Loughner may be a "textbook case" for being a paranoid schizophrenic. Sullivan's is more self-induced.
But the keystone of the case is this. Both have showcased an unhealthy obsession for female politicians. More specifically, Loughner may have been stalking Rep. Giffords since 2007.
And Andrew Sullivan's obsession with Gov. Sarah Palin is ledgendary.
So please. If it saves the life of one person, wouldn't it be worth it to institutionalize Andrew Sullivan? Writing is cathartic, as evident of the sheer amount of postings that Sullivan does per day. But at what point does mere writing stops satisfying to be a catharsis and actions are needed to fill that void?
As Sullivan is fond of saying, I'm only asking questions. Questions that need to be asked about his well being.
It's for the children.
Labels:
Distraction,
Excitable Andi,
Humor
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