Oscar nominations...

The list of Oscar nominees was announced this morning. Brokeback Mountain leads the pack with 8 nominations. The nominees are about what was expected. I didn't expect to see Keira Knightley nominated for Pride and Prejudice, but that was one of very few surprises. Though Brokeback Mountain has lost a little steam through the awards season, I still think it will take home at least a few Oscars. We'll see March 5!

Million Dollar Baby...

I approached watching the film Million Dollar Baby with a bit of apprehension. I am a huge Oscars fan, so I had seen almost everyone involved in the film be rewarded last year for their work. Hilary Swank (Best Actress), Morgan Freeman (Best Supporting Actor), Clint Eastwood (Best Director), and the film itself (Best Picture) were all honored. I was curious to see what all the fuss had been about, but had already been spoiled on the ending. I knew I would be using this film for this submission, so I went into it almost as a surgeon goes into an important operation: expectant of success, but concerned for failure.

Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is a hardened boxing trainer who has just parted ways with his prize fighter. Maggie Fitzgerald (Swank) is a poor, inexperienced fighter from Missouri, determined to have Dunn as her own trainer. After some prodding from long-time best friend, Scrap (Freeman), Dunn finally agrees to work with Maggie. Maggie is an amateur, needing much instruction from pro Dunn. She finds her mojo, though, and becomes something of a one-trick pony, able to knock out anyone in the first round. Like any good boxing movie, this one leads up to a climactic fight at the end. Maggie’s journey doesn’t end with that fight, though, and the choices she and Dunn have to make force even the viewer into self-examination and reflection.

Perhaps no one ever deserved an award called Best Supporting actor more than Morgan Freeman for this film. His is like the voice of God, serving as narrator for the events that occur. His Scrap and Eastwood’s Dunn are like an old married couple, able to see through each other’s facades, but always there in a pinch.

Hilary Swank has that wonderful ability of being able to disappear into any role. Gone is any trace of the superstar, former Oscar winner. In her place is a woman who won’t let anyone stand in the way of her dream. The references to the growing father/daughter-type relationship between Maggie and Dunn are a bit overt, but heartwarming nonetheless.

Though Clint Eastwood did not receive an acting award for his role, make no mistake: he is the star of the film. His weathered skin and tired voice reveal his age, but the hardened expressions, steely eyes, and confident strut show that the former Dirty Harry star hasn’t finished quite yet. His directing award was well earned. This film is slowly paced, yet never boring. It is a quiet film, with spare music and measured dialogue, yet riveting and intense.

In the end, I couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome of the 2005 awards. Movies that make you think are few and far between. Million Dollar Baby, with its raw emotion, haunting characters, and difficult ending, is just such a film.

Bon Jovi Pictures

Come on Jon, we're ready!!!

(Michelle and Ashleigh)

(Bird and Michelle)

(Bird with the Makeout Masters)

(Ashleigh and Tiffany)

(Hello, love!)

(It's the double-neck guitar!!!)

(Sad to go!)

The Set List...

1. The Real Thing (from out in the crowd!)
2. Shot Through The Heart (!!!)
3. Complicated
4. Born To Be My Baby (I know it's old, but it's one of my new favorites!)
5. Story of My Life (it was during this song that the couple in front of us started, um, making out...a lot!!)
6. Sleep When I'm Dead
7. Runaway (!!!)
8. The Radio Saved My Life Tonight
9. Feel No Pain
10. Won't Back Down (Tom Petty cover)
11. Have a Nice Day
12. Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen From Mars
13. It's My Life (one of the best of the night!!!)
14. I'll Be There For You (just Jon and Richie sharing a mic and playing acoustics!)
15. Blaze of Glory
16. Bed of Roses (it was arranged differently and Bird and I were the only ones who recognized it in our section...we started screaming at "Sittin' here wastin' the moonlight at this old piano" and every one looked at us like there was something wrong with us!)
17. Bad Medicine
18. Raise Your Hands (another great one that night!)
19. Livin' on a Prayer (!!!)
(FAKE END...They went off stage then came back out to sing!)
20. Welcome to Wherever You Are
21. Who Says You Can't Go Home
22. Some song that sounded like it was from the 50's...my least favorite of the night!
23. Wanted Dead or Alive (!!!)

Oh, what a night!!!

So, as you all know by now, Wednesday night was the Bon Jovi concert in Charlotte. Words cannot describe how giddy I was going into this night! And the best part is I wasn't let down!!!

Bird, Ashleigh, Tiffany and I split up so that Ashleigh and Tiff could go ahead to Dixie's Tavern in uptown Charlotte while Bird and I finished getting ready. We had heard (well, I had called and found out) that the local radio station would be giving away tickets to watch the concert from on stage at Dixie's before the show, so we went to see if we could score some. We were willing to prove we were the biggest Bon Jovi fans in the house by answering trivia questions, playing name-that-tune, or otherwise embarrassing ourselves in whatever way was required to get those tickets. But, alas, you just put your name in a jar and it was luck of the draw. The good thing is Jon didn't really pay that much attention to those people on stage anyway! :)

So, we headed out to the new Bobcats Arena, which is beautiful! Our seats were on the lower level, not on the floor, but not up really high. If you were looking at the stage, we were slightly right of center. Though we would have loved to have been right up front, our seats were pretty good.

The show started with an opening band that wasn't very good...but maybe we were just too ready for the main attraction! The music started and we could see the band setting up in the darkness. All of a sudden, we hear the voice, but we can't see anything! Finally, we realize Jon is out on a mini-stage in the middle of the crowd!! It was an amazing way to get the crowd pumped!

I don't want to go on and on and bore you here, but the show was unbelievable! The energy was great, Jon looked great, the song selection was great (for the most part), Jon looked great, the sound mix and huuuuuuuge screen was great, Jon looked great! I've seen footage of Bon Jovi (and other) concerts where these girls are just screaming and going nuts and I've thought...what is their deal? I mean, I know you love them and everything, but geez. Well, all that went out the window! I screamed my head off!! The four of us girls just fed off of each other (and the other 15,000 adoring fans!) and went nuts!!!

The best (and worst) part of the show was near the end when Jon moved back out into the audience for a few songs. He sang Bed of Roses out there and PULLED A GIRL ONSTAGE and DANCED WITH HER during the GUITAR SOLO!!! O...M...G!!! And then...then...he KISSED a woman right on the lips! And the crowd went WILD!! All at once I felt ecstatic on behalf of that woman and like I wanted to punch her for being chosen instead of me!

Yes, I know I was acting like a complete idiot and a total fanatic, but I couldn't help it! It was a little bit true emotion and a little bit mob-mentality as the whole place was acting just like I was!!

It was a wonderful night. There were a few songs that were on my wishlist that didn't get played (Always, In These Arms, and Lay Your Hands On Me), but overall it was such an awesome experience. Highly recommended!

The lengthy Golden Globes post, part 3...

JOAN AND MELISSA RIVERS
After being let go in favor of Star Jones Reynolds last year, they were back doing their red carpet thing for the TV Guide channel this year. Joan (who I don't generally find very funny) opened the show with a few notable jokes...

* She said Kate Moss was out sniffing the white line on Sunset Blvd (shocking and tasteless!)
* She said it was now clear that Herbie wasn't the only thing Fully Loaded (after Lindsay Lohan admitted to taking drugs in the past...chuckle, chuckle)
* And she called Brokeback Mountain "Broken-butt Mountain" (which was completely inappropriate, but made me laugh out loud from the shock!)

A few years ago when Kevin Costner brought new fiancee Christine Baumgartner to the ceremony, Joan created an extremely awkward situation by going on and on about how small Christine's engagement ring was and how surely Kevin's career couldn't be in that bad of shape. I didn't think things could get much more uncomfortable than that, but last night...they did.

While interviewing newly on-again couple Nicolette Sheridan and Michael Bolton, Joan asked how long they had been together. The couple, who dated seriously back in the early 90's, sort of laughed uncomfortably. You see, Nicolette was recently engaged to another man. A few weeks ago, she abruptly ended the engagement and started stepping out again with Bolton. While they haven't officially said they're back together, they have done all those Hollywood "we're-an-item-but-we're-not-talking-about-it" things like eating at the Ivy, going on vacation together, and now, walking the red carpet. Bolton answered Joan that they had basically been together 16 years. Joan said, astonished, really! That long?!? She had NO CLUE. Hello, an Us Weekly costs about $2.50, Joan. Pick one up before you embarrass yourself like that again!!

THE SPEECHES...
1. Steve Carell - he said his wife had written down a speech for him in case he won. She was thanked after every person for things like her beauty, devotion, etc. Very cute and the delivery (as always) was spot on.

2. Hugh Laurie - he said he had come up with 172 people to be thanked and had written all of their names down on little slips of paper in his pocket. He would draw out three at random to be thanked on stage. It was really funny and great to hear him speaking in his native English accent!

3. Sandra Oh - she was so surprised and excited to have won, she couldn't hardly find her way to the stage! Once there, she gave a precious and heartfelt speech.

4. Reese Witherspoon - she said, at the end of her speech, she wanted to thank her wonderful husband and children: "nothing in my life would be worth having if I couldn't share it with you"...awwww.

5. Geena Davis - she told a heart-warming story about a little girl who stopped her outside the event earlier that night and said "because of you, I want to be President some day." The crowd oohed and aahed. With perfect comedic timing, Davis waited a beat, then said..."Well, okay, that didn't really happen, but if it had..." The crowd loved it!

Okay, okay, I think that's it. If I'm like this now, just imagine what it will be like for the Oscars!

The lengthy Golden Globes post, part 2...

THE MOVIE WINNERS...

Best Picture (Drama) - Brokeback Mountain (no surprise there, although, for just a minute, I thought Good Night and Good Luck might edge it out)

Best Actress (Drama) - Felicity Huffman for Transamerica (again, no surprise; Felicity will give Reese Witherspoon a nice run for her money come Oscar time!)

Best Actor (Drama) - Philip Seymour Hoffman for Capote (the upset of the night, IMHO; everyone was expecting Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain...this could change the Oscars)

Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) - Walk the Line (once again, no surprise; though I still think Brokeback Mountain will ultimately win the Oscar, it's nice to see such a fantastic movie honored at this stage)

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) - Reese Witherspoon for Walk the Line (yes!)

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) - Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line (I really think he has no shot at the Oscar, but he did a heck of a job as Johnny Cash!)

Best Supporting Actress - Rachel Weisz for The Constant Gardener (probably seals her Oscar win)

Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney for Syriana (probably seals his Oscar Win)

Best Director - Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain (I would love to see George Clooney take this at the Oscars for Good Night and Good Luck, but that will probably not happen...especially after this)

THE TV WINNERS (who I don't care as much about, but will include for your reading pleasure anyway)...

Best Series (Drama) - Lost

Best Actress (Drama) - Geena Davis for Commander in Chief

Best Actor (Drama) - Hugh Laurie for House (yay!!!)

Best Series (Musical or Comedy) - Desperate Housewives (is anyone else just about done with this show??)

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) - Mary-Louise Parker for Weeds (who beat the other four nominees, all from Desperate Housewives!)

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) - Steve Carell for The Office (yay!!!)

Best Supporting Actress - Sandra Oh for Grey's Anatomy (another big surprise, but well deserved!)

Best Supporting Actor - Paul Newman for Empire Falls

The lengthy Golden Globes post, part 1...

Let's do fashion first and then I'll talk about the awards in the next post.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST...
1. Felicity Huffman, in a white gown with silver trim. Perfect hair and makeup. So elegant and classy!
2. Kate Beckinsale, in a silvery white, hourglass-shaped dress. Hair was gorgeous and jewelry was the perfect complement.
3. Sarah Jessica Parker, in a great basic black dress. She had one of the best up-dos of the night as well, with little accent headbands.
4. Kiera Knightley, in a wonderful white gown with silver accents around the waist. Elegant, but youthful hair and makeup. Really perfect for her age.
5. Gwyneth Paltrow, in a flowy, white, Victorian-inspired maternity gown. This one will probably not be well-liked across the board, but it was truly one of my favorites.

OTHER GREATS...
* Isaiah Washington's wife in a black Prada gown.
* The doctor from Prison Break in an updated 20's look, a cream gown with black lace trim. Perfectly complemented hair.
* Jaime Presley in gold Escada. It was a great color to go with her skin and hair. Who knew Joy could clean up so nice???
* Eva Longoria in red Bob Mackie. Gorgeous, elegant, but not overly done. One of the best colors of the night.
* Rachel Weisz in gold Donna Karan. She's also pregnant and chose a beautiful gown to show off her growing bump.
* Evangeline Lilly in green. One of the other best colors of the night.
* Renee Zellweger in a nice black gown, very reminiscent of the one Nicole Kidman wore to win the Oscar a few years ago. She looked like she was at a great weight as well.
* Sandra Oh in a light colored gown. So pretty and classy, but very sexy.

THE ABSOLUTE WORST...
1. Charlize Theron, as much as it pains me to say it, looked like Britney Spears loaned her a gown from the back of her closet. She was literally wearing a piece of black chiffon. It was horrible!
2. Ellen Pompeo in a white doily and frizzed-out hair looked like she rolled out of bed, put on her grandma's nightgown, and stepped out for the Golden Globes!
3. Cynthia Nixon in burgundy Bill Blass looked like a vampire with her light hair and pale makeup.
4. Anne Hathaway was very patriotic with her white skin, blue Marc Jacobs dress, and very red lipstick. Not only did the overall look not work, but the dress had such a high waist it made her look pregnant!
5. Marcia Cross in a coral-colored gown chose a flattering cut, but the color clashed horribly with her hair. As a prominent redhead, she really should know better!

OTHER DISAPPOINTMENTS...
* Reese Witherspoon in white vintage Chanel with a sequined bodice. This tea-length gown was just plain ugly. Let's hope she does much better for the Oscars!!
* Teri Hatcher in gold Versace. I wasn't crazy about this look. I feel like she looks better in bright or vibrant colors. Her makeup was really bad, with neutral lipstick that made her look dead.
* Scarlett Johansson in a beautifully colored red gown. Look, we know you have breasts. How 'bout put them away every once in a while, just for something different?
* Drew Barrymore, as a redhead herself, chose a wonderful color for her gown, but it was so ill-fitting that it was very unflattering, and she desperately needed some, um, support!
* Emmy Rossum in a flesh-colored ruffled gown. The dress was okay, but, again, not a great color choice.
* Rosario Dawson, like Drew Barrymore, chose a very flattering color, but not a great dress.

NEITHER HERE NOR THERE...
* Jessica Alba looked pretty, but a little drab in a black floor-length gown with her hair down and casual.
* Mandy Moore had a nice black gown, but her hair wasn't great and the beads she had on for the red carpet (she took them off to present) made the look a little too casual.
* Natalie Portman looked nice in black, very Audrey Hepburn. Her hair has grown out a bit now, but she looked extremely thin.
* Hilary Swank in a black gown and casual hair wasn't spectacular, but she gave a very classy answer to the inevitable question about her personal life. She said she and her husband, who recently separated, are just two human beings trying to work things out. Nice.

THE MEN...
There's not much men can do with a basic suit or tuxedo, but these were stand-outs:
* Nobody does a tuxedo better than George Clooney who just gets better and better as the years go by.
* Johnny Depp spiced things up (as he does) with a bright red shirt under his black suit and no tie.
* Harrison Ford. The earring was a sign of a cute mid-life crisis a few years ago. Now it's just a bit sad. Let's move on, shall we Harry?

So that's it. Lots of pictures can be found at www.eonline.com and www.people.com. Check them out and let me know what you think!

7 Days...

MySpace...

I found a cool article on the beast that is MySpace. I have to admit, MySpace is pretty addictive. I've connected with a few people I probably never would have spoken to again. Pretty neat.

Peace. Out.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

No, I'm not talking about Christmas. I mean it's movie awards season! I love watching who is nominated and trying to predict the winners. First up on the list are the Golden Globes, which are my personal favorite aside from the Oscars. These winners are usually a good predictor of who will be nominated for Oscars and, often, who will win. The Golden Globes will air January 16 on NBC. Next, will be the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. They air January 29 on TNT. And the big kahuna, the Academy Awards (aka Oscars) will air on March 5 on ABC. Oscar nominations generally come out a week or two after the Golden Globes. As everyone knows, an Oscar is the penultimate accomplishment for anyone involved in film-making.

We'll be hosting an Oscar Party at our apartment in Jackson Hall for anyone who wants to join us!

4 and 20 Blackbirds...

If you haven't yet experienced the beauty that is Mackenzie Chester's music, please visit the new site. She and Randy have created five new songs that are absolutely amazing! Their band is called 4 and 20 Blackbirds. You can hear clips of the new songs and get some general info. If her voice doesn't blow your mind, you may need to have your hearing checked!

14 Days...

Movie Update...

Here's what I think about the movies I've seen recently...

* The Chronicles of Narnia - Narnia, as expected, is getting rave reviews from Christians and (at best) tepid reviews from critics. I fall somewhere in between. The movie is beautiful and I whole-heartedly agree with the slight changes made from the book. Tilda Swinton, who plays the White Witch, and Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan are spectacular. With the exception of the boy who plays Edmund, the children are not. There's quite a lot of character development with Edmund and the actor does a really good job. Peter and Susan are the worst, and Lucy does ok (she has that annoying English habit of saying "fanks" instead of "thanks"). There's an odd and unsettling sexual tension in the way Tumnus and Lucy interact. Overall, I would say it's a good movie, but I still prefer the book.

* King Kong - Billy Bush said it best when he said it's King Long! At three hours, you have to wonder if Peter Jackson actually made any choices, or if he just put everything in. The first and third acts are good for the most part, but almost an hour could have been taken from the middle. What's there is completely irrelevant to the story and could have been done in about half an hour at most. Unlike Narnia, the acting is really good and right on par with that sort of thirties melodrama. Kong is breathtaking. Not so much in the running and fighting, but the emotion in his face and his interaction with the girl will bring a tear to your eye.

* Fun With Dick and Jane - Some cute scenes, but mostly forgettable. I love Tea Leoni because she's married to David Duchovny and named her daughter "West Duchovny", but she is just not a good actress. Jim Carrey is very much himself and, after seeing what he could do in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, that just wasn't enough for me.

* Rumor Has It - Surprisingly cute. I think Kevin Costner is about done as an actor, but he worked in this role. Jennifer Aniston is as cute as ever, but a little too neurotic at times. When I think of Rob Reiner, I always think what a great director he is, but his movies of late do not seem to support that thought. The movie was a cute chick flick, but not much more.

* Cheaper by the Dozen 2 - While the main plot is tired and not very entertaining, the subplots are engaging and emotional. I teared up (but I tend to do that) on several occasions, particularly when the tween-age daughter goes through a sort of identity crisis and the oldest gives birth. This movie isn't going to win any awards, but it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon.

* Cinderella Man - WOW! I waited to see this movie because I'm not a very big Russell Crowe or Renee Zellweger fan, but I wish I had seen it in the theatre! Both actors do an absolutely fabulous job and this movie convinced me (once again!) that Ron Howard is possibly the greatest director of our time. There is almost nothing I would change about this film. The pacing, the dialogue, the camera angles, the fight sequences, the acting, the interacting, the lighting, the editing...everything is spot-on. I hate this movie didn't do better in the box office and that it came out so long ago. It is likely to be overlooked come Oscar time, but if it is, this will be one that "got away" from Academy members.

* The Island - Fast paced and adventurous with some nice comic relief and social commentary mixed in...what more could you ask? I enjoyed The Island as a great chase movie and mystery with a sci-fi twist.

* Man On Fire - This is one I also hesitated to see, but only because I had heard the second half wasn't really any good. I totally disagree, though. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a while, particularly for the editing. With Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, and Christopher Walken, I had not doubt the acting was going to be stellar, and I wasn't disappointed. The pacing of the movie was great. The editor (Christian Wagner - I looked it up on IMDB.com - coincidentally, he also edited The Island - hmmm) is really the star of this movie. The mixture of camera angles, the whole set up of flashbacks mixed in with the present. It's just perfect. If you haven't seen this one, please do.

Peace. Out.

Surprise, surprise!

Well, hello, there everybody! It seems like it's been forever since I was here last! Paul and I had a wonderful Christmas...lots of visiting friends and family and some great quality time together (we were a little short on that after this semester!).

Since I was little, my sister and I have always done Christmas wish lists. I like doing lists because it ensures you get things you actually want, but the downside is there aren't many surprises. Well, this year...I was surprised!

My mom called me a few days before Christmas and asked if I would like to spend a day shopping in New York City! Of course, I said YES I would love to go! My cousin, Lauren, works for USAir and was able to score some buddy passes. So, Lauren and her mom, my Aunt Kim, and my mom and I all flew up to NYC for the day last Tuesday and shopped and shopped and shopped!!

We went to Macy's, Forever 21 (which is 3 stories!!), H&M, the Bag Man (the most random store ever where I found the cutest pair of shoes), the Cinderella Club (no, it's not a strip club, it's a cute little jewelry store sort of like Claire's or the Icing, but WAY better), and Canal Street (where I found an awesome knock-off Balenciaga bag!). We ate lunch at Macy's, dinner in Little Italy, and dessert in Times Square. We were out until 1 AM and had the best time! Thanks, Mom!!!

View of the Empire State Building from Macy's

You gotta love a street called "Fashion Avenue"!

At the restaurant in Little Italy (from left: Lauren, Mom, me, Aunt Kim)