Oscars, three!

Day three - Art Direction, Costumes, Makeup, Cinematography


Art Direction

* “Alice in Wonderland”
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara


* “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan


* “Inception”
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat


* “The King's Speech”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit”
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
(see trailer under best actor)


Cinematography

* “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
(see trailer under best actress)

* “Inception” Wally Pfister
(see trailer under art direction)

* “The King's Speech” Danny Cohen
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit” Roger Deakins
(see trailer under best actor)


Costume Design

* “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
(see trailer under art direction)

* “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi


* “The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Tempest” Sandy Powell


* “True Grit” Mary Zophres
(see trailer under best actor)


Makeup

* “Barney's Version” Adrien Morot


* “The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng


* “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Oscars, part deux

Second round - Best Supporting Actress and Actor.


Actor in a Supporting Role

* Christian Bale in “The Fighter”


* John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
(see trailer under best actress)

* Jeremy Renner in “The Town”


* Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
(see trailer under best actress)

* Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”
(see trailer under best actor)


Actress in a Supporting Role

* Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
(see trailer under best actor)

* Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
(see trailer under best actor)

* Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

How Do People Save Money?

It's a mystery to me. Like my coworker Jon just said, you save and save and then something happens that costs just a little more than the total you've saved, like you have to replace your garage roof, or your water heater, or etc. (Hey, wait, those two have happened to me!)

So I was feeling pretty good because Kevin and I have figured out our internet/cable/phone situation since Frontier's announcement that they are raising rates by $30 per month. And we'll be saving $60 per month from what we have been paying. Terrific, right? Great, right?

This morning on my way to work, driving at 40 mph down Coliseum Boulevard, my front passenger tire blew. There had been a noise going on over there which I had attributed to ice collecting behind the wheel and rubbing against the tire and would then go kick off. Apparently the noise was something else because this morning it got very loud and then my car started to shimmy and then my steering wheel started to shake and it became very hard to steer and I knew the tire was flat. I pulled over and got out to check and sure enough, it was toast. There was also a smoky smell. This made me think, self - this is not good.

The car is 11 years old, for one thing. I drove on a flat tire at 40 mph for another, which means I probably killed the rim. And then whatever was making the noise in the first place. It does not bode well, my friends. If the cost of the repair ends up being more than the value of the car, and the car being 11 years old, do I then need to purchase a newer car? With Kevin's student loans about to kick in? Sure, why not! We'll just get the money off the fairy tree growing in our back yard.

So how do people save money? It perplexes me. It really does.

The Nominations Are In!

It's Oscar time!!!!! Send me your votes on who you think will win in all categories. A prize goes to the person who gets the most right! :) The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 27th. Send me an email with your votes.

I have included videos of all the nominees where I could find them, so I'm going to chop it into smaller posts for you. First group: Best Actor and Best Actress.


Actor in a Leading Role

* Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”


* Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”


* Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
(I have not seen the movie, but I love this trailer)


* Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”


* James Franco in “127 Hours”



Actress in a Leading Role

* Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”


* Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”


* Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”


* Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”


* Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Commercials

One of my favorite commercials is the one below, because of the miniature giraffe. I want one. I know it is not real, but I want one anyway.

What are some of your favorite commercials? (Even better if you can include a link!)

What the Yuck?

So I just checked out this book, What the Yuck. Some of you may know this because I was texting blurbs of information to you. Until Mandy told me I used up all her texts for the month and Edith informed me I had no filter. Well, actually until I had to go to bed. The filter comment did not stop me.



Well, here are some other interesting tidbits from the book - not the gross kind.

6 Foods That Fight Off Bad Moods
1. steamed edamame
2. yogurt & granola
3. popcorn
4. sunflower seeds
5. bananas
6. oatmeal

Top 5 Metabolism-Boosting Treats
1. White Tea
2. Grass-fed beef
3. Peanut butter for breakfast
4. yogurt
5. a just-ripe banana

It takes a healthy liver one hour to process one drink (12 ounces of beer, one shot, one glass of wine, etc).

Champagne will get you drunk faster than other alcoholic drinks. The bubbles cause the alcohol to be absorbed into your system faster.

Coffee can raise the risk of heart attack for people with heart disease or known risk factors for it (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc).

This one is kind of gross.

Q: I love vintage clothes, but could I catch something from wearing secondhand stuff?
A: The most common stowaways in secondhand threads are scabies - eight-legged mites that burrow into your skin and cause intense itching and blisters. Be picky about your stores - good vintage and consignment shops are careful about what goods they take, so you're less likely to have a problem. Before you wear someone else's castoffs, starve the mites by keeping them in a plastic bag stashed in the garage or basement for a couple of weeks. And wash your clothes well.

Here's a TMI one.

True or False? His penis can break during rough-ish sex. TRUE! They are very rare, but penis fractures do happen. This causes extreme pain and can result in a bent penis. Surgery may be required.

Q: I carry everything in my purse and it weighs a ton. Can I get stooped over to one side from it?
A: Yes. Carrying a heavy purse or bag on one shoulder can trigger shoulder and back pain. It can cause posture issues as well - usually because you compensate for the weight by hunching one shoulder. After years and years it might be very visible!

Neville Longbottom!!!!!

An unofficial still from the upcoming movie. Go, Neville! Kick butt!

Golden Globe winners - Natalie and Colin!

Friday night Kevin and I went to see Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, and Sunday after lunch Mom and I went to see The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth. Was I surprised that these two won the Golden Globe for best actress/actor? Nah.

I've always been a fan of Colin Firth, ever since Pride and Prejudice - which if you haven't seen, you silly thing, go rent it! The romance! The costumes! Colin Firth being snooty! It's wonderful. As a long-time fan, I am glad he's finally gotten some appreciation. The King's Speech was an English sort of film, and Colin Firth was dandy as the prince who stutters and suddenly finds himself king when his older brother abdicates in favor of marrying the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. This takes place during the birth of radio and the coming of World War II, when he is expected to speak to his people and give them the strength to face what is coming. Good story, good acting, though I was not as impressed with the movie as my mom was. My one big problem - The speech therapist kept describing the prince/king as the bravest man he'd ever known, but I didn't feel like the audience got to see that bravery - he was always on the edge of falling apart about giving a speech or becoming king. Going on, certainly, and getting the job done despite his embarrassing manner of speaking.

But Black Swan really blew me away. Natalie Portman is devastating as a ballet dancer who seeks perfection and is driven to madness. Did that just happen or was it in her mind? Wonderful psychological thriller - not a sweet ballet movie, folks. (I don't understand people who go see a movie without at least watching the trailers for it or reading one review, but I know of a couple people who did not like the film because they were expecting it to be a movie about dancing.) This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing throughout, and Natalie Portman is simply amazing as an innocent, repressed young woman in a cut-throat world. If she doesn't get the Oscar, it will be a crime.

For those of you who do not want to pay the money to see these in the theatre, they're the kind of movies that will be just fine to watch on the little screen at home. But you should see them. The King's Speech is a slower-paced film about real people and events, and is touching and has some light humor in it. Black Swan is edgy and not to be seen with children or grandparents. :)

Black Swan - A
King's Speech - B