Review of Best Picture Nominees Part 2

The Fighter

I'm pretty sure The Fighter was the first movie I saw in the new year.  My father wanted to see Little Fockers.  Thankfully, I persuaded him to see this instead.  I have to say right up front, I do not like sports movies.  I don't know why, the genre just doesn't appeal to me that much.  But The Fighter isn't so much a sports movie as it is a movie about family.  The whole film is about struggling to accept one's family--the good and the bad.  And there's a lot of bad in Mickey Ward's family: dependency, ignorance, addiction, etc.  Yet, love is able to win out over all of these obstacles.  While Mark Wahlberg plays the lead character, this is really Christian Bale's movie.  He steals every scene with his emaciated presence and exaggerated facial expressions. It's hard to take your eyes off of him.  But perhaps this isn't a good thing considering that he is the supporting actor in this film.

The King's Speech

In stark contrast to the wild, over-the-top performances in The Figher, The King's Speech was amazingly subtle.  The craziest thing about it was the wallpaper (you'll know what I mean if you've seen it).  Once again, this was a film marked by outstanding performances.  Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth were especially impressive.  At one point, Firth's character confesses his childhood abuse to the tune of "Camptown Races" and it is heartbreaking, let me tell you. Bertie's brother is delightfully horrible, in such a way that you do not pity him one little bit throughout the course of the movie.  But what I really loved was the relationship between Bertie and Lionel.  Their evolving friendship and trust is lovely, and definitely the highlight of the film. That is not to belittle the directing either which was very appropriate--jarring and unsettling at times to highlight Bertie's discomfort.  Don't be surprised if this one wins Best Picture, it's got a lot going for it.

Winter's Bone

The next film I saw was...the opposite of feel-good.  Winter's Bone is quietm frightening, and just plain haunting.  Ree, played by Jennifer Lawrence is a remarkably stoic heroine.  Like The Fighter, the importance of family and the destruction of Meth are at the core of this film. However, Ree never considers abandoning her family, even when it seems like the only option, and realistically, no one in this film is able to overcome addiction.  Part suspense film, part coming of age story, and part brutal examination of poverty and violence, it's hard to put your finger on the nature of this movie.  Perhaps the most upsetting thing about this gritty film is that its setting, while so unfamiliar to most Americans, is right in the middle of present-day Missouri. Ree's strength in this harsh world puts other movie protagonists to shame.

True Grit

I watched True Grit immediately following Winter's Bone, and the similarities were stunning. They both feature a young girl trying to protect her family and find her father's murderer with nothing more than enormous strength, a brave desire to breach social boundaries, and the help of a flawed-yet-protective father-figure.  However, True Grit is a Western, and surprisingly heartfelt and occasionally humorous.  If all Westerns are like this one, I think I might develop a taste for the genre.  Given the cast (Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin) it's pretty impressive that newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is not only able to hold her own, but also command an excellent performance.  In fact, the best part of the film is watching her snipe at Bridges and Damon--the dialog and and their group dynamic is impeccable.  It's not quite as quirky as the typical Coen Brother's film, but it's got heart and spirit, and that's something.

127 Hours

The final nominee I saw was 127 Hours, and I definitely saved one of the best for last.  Director Danny Boyle described this film as "very British" considering that it's "an action movie about a guy who can't move."  That is the wonder of this film.  How do we take a plot consisting of a man stuck under a rock and make it griping, make it attention-getting, make it move.  Yet, it does move--very well in fact.  The pacing of this film is fantastic.  Flashbacks and hallucinations give us movement (although they always bring us back to the rock), but also background and motivation on this fascinating character.  Aron is a man who never lets anyone else in.  That's why he's trapped and left to die; he told no one where he was going, and let no one go with him. In his 5 days under the rock, he has achieved what he has been aiming for his whole life--he is alone.  And that's when he realizes that he can't go on living like that.  Franco and Boyle both show enormous talent by creating a movie that has no right to be as gripping and entertaining as it is.  Oh, and if you're squeamish, the part where he actually cuts off his arm is only 5 minutes long.  You can handle it.

Review of Best Picture Nominees Part 1

Last year was the first time that the Oscars allowed more than 5 nominees for Best Picture since 1944.  This was also the first year that I pledged to watch all of the nominees before the ceremony so I could judge for myself which movie deserved the award.  I guess I just like a challenge.  This year, I made the same decision, and I am proud to say I have officially seen all 10 Academy nominees for Best Picture (a whole week before the show, might I add).  I plan to make some predictions in the next few days, but for now, I thought it would be appropriate to give my initial reactions to these films.  I'll try to list these in the order in which I saw them.

Toy Story 3

The first nominee I watched was Toy Story 3.  This was in the summer, long before anyone was even talking about the Oscars, but I had a good hunch that it would make the short-list anyway--this is Pixar we're talking about, after all.  Obviously, I loved this film.  I grew up with the series, and much like Andy I felt like I had reconnected with my childhood over the course of the movie and let go of it by the end.  Toy Story 3, like most Pixar films is successful because it understands the value of innocence.  Many children's movies today are laden with sarcasm, pop culture references and fart jokes (Shrek immediately comes to mind).  This keeps adult viewers trapped in their positions as "adult viewers," while movies like Toy Story 3 allow us to become children again by engaging us with innocent wonder, even if it's just for two hours.  If Toy Story 3 has anything going against it, it's that as a sequel, it just doesn't inspire the same sense of imagination and originality as other recent Pixar films such as Up and Wall-E.

Inception

Next up for me was Inception.  Immediately after leaving the theater, I knew this film deserved every award and honor it would inevitably received due to one thing--its originality.  Compared to last years most popular nominee, Avatar, Inception just puts it and every other blockbuster action movie to shame.  Not only was it visually stunning, it also had a brilliant and compelling plot.  Months later, I still can't figure out whether or not that top fell.  And don't even get me started on the beautiful costumes, set design, and score.  This film worked on so many levels. However, I must admit that the characterization was quite weak, and only Leonardo DiCaprio's character was developed enough for my taste.  Everyone else was just kind of...there.  That's why Inception is a near-perfect heist-film, but only an average Oscar-nominee.

The Social Network

I saw The Social Network not too long after it was released because of all the buzz it was getting.  What's truly interesting about The Social Network is that it's not just "a movie about Facebook," as all my friends kept telling me.  It's about the digital era and the engineer-culture that allows tech-geeks like Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg to achieve what once only well-connected business leaders could.  It's about the meaning of friendship, and serves as a cautionary tale of how success does not change us, but rather, highlights our preexisting strengths and weaknesses.  It's also about a man who realizes that he has both achieved and lost so much because of one fatal flaw--his inability to connect (ironic considering the social nature of Facebook, right?)  That flaw is actually is a big theme this year and can also be seen in Nina from Black Swan and Aron in 127 Hours.  But more on that later.

The Kids are Alright

I watched The Kids are Alright on a whim right before winter break because I needed to laugh, and it was billed as a comedy.  But while the humor is more than adequate, what this movie really has going for it is a great cast and superior acting.  The problems stem from the treatment of the main characters.  For example, look at poor Paul.  By the end of the film, every member of the family has forgiven one another, but he is still left without forgiveness or resolution.  And since he is one of the most likable characters in the movie, this is a real problem.  Furthermore, the film attempts to portray a modern and seemingly exceptional family in a realistic light, but I can't help but feel that the message is that gay families are just as dysfunctional as straight ones.  A progressive message I suppose, but not necessarily a good one.  What I'm saying is that this was an excellent film, but its political implications are slightly troubling.

Black Swan

As for Black Swan, I saw this movie over winter break with my mother.  I guess all of those sex scenes should have been uncomfortable for me because of this, but my mom and I watch True Blood together--no sex scene is nearly as uncomfortable compared to the ones in that show. Anyway, this was possibly one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever seen.  Like Inception, I kept wondering what was real and what was imagined.  I also wanted to analyze the heck out of it.  And I am apparently not the only one, here's an examination of the role of bathrooms in Black Swan.  There's a lot to digest about this movie, like Nina's relationship with her mother, the role of Lily (is she real at all?), and the nature of her transformation.  Personally, I think two things are of huge importance in this film: Nina's perfectionism and her inability to relate to anyone else in the movie--these are her downfall.  This movie is rich and wonderfully thought-provoking, although it might be a bit too much for the average movie-goer, or viewers like my mother who thought it was "just a ballet movie."  Whoops.

Oh my, this is getting much longer than I had intended.  Let's take a break for now.  Part 2 is on its way!

Entertainment Update

Once again, I bring you my super-quick, weekly recap of the wild world of entertainment news!

Let’s get this started with the biggest story of the week, the Grammy Awards.  As usual, it was less of an awards show and more of a circus act. Lady Gaga arrived to the ceremony in an Egg.  Get it?  Because she was “Born This Way?”  

Or should I say, "Hatched This Way."

And now it’s time for some egg puns!  Gaga’s performance was egg-celent, although it did sound egg-actly like Madonna’s “Egg-spress Yourself.”   Surprisingly, Gaga’s was not craziest performance of the night.  That honor goes to Cee Lo Green, Gwyneth Paltrow and half-a-dozen muppets who sang a “slightly” edited version of his song, “Forget You.”

So, who were the big winners?  While Eminem led going into the show with 10 nominations, he only won two.  Lady Antebellum won five Grammys, including record and song of the year.  Arcade Fire won the highest award—album of the year.  But the biggest surprise was Esperanza Spalding, who beat out Justin Bieber to win best new artist.  And even though a lot of people are complaining because they don’t know who she is, in my opinion, it’s refreshing that the best new artist isn’t already a world-wide phenomenon.  I'd suggest listening to some of her songs, she's pretty good.

In casting news, I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Christopher Nolan’s newest Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.  Well, rumor has it that Marion Cotillard is in talks to join and will probably have a substantial part in the upcoming movie.  When this is confirmed, she will be the fourth Inception actor to be cast.  For those of you playing along at home, that’s Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard.  I’m starting to think the Inception cast witnessed Nolan murder someone, and now they’re all blackmailing him to be in the new Batman movie.  That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.

What? It could happen.

Take a look our latest episode of Hoosier News Source.  I'm at the 2:30 mark. http://www.iustv.com/k4A/hoosier-news-source-season-3-episode-4/

Football and Glee, a match made in heaven?

I'm not a big football fan, but I always enjoy watching the Super Bowl.  The crazy fans, the half-time show, the ridiculous beer commercials...what's not to love?  And if you get bored, you can always switch over to Animal Planet for the annual Puppy Bowl.  But one of the most interesting things about the Super Bowl, in my opinion, is the show that follows the highest-rated televised event of the year.

There's also a kitten half-time show, in case the puppies cute aren't enough.

Airing the Super Bowl is an opportunity for a network to do some serious branding (i.e.: it's a great way to get viewers to watch a network and develop strong associations with it, thus encouraging them to tune into that network again).  You see the same thing with the Olympics, the Oscars, and any other "big event."  Imagine if you were a network executive.  Pretty much everybody watches the Super Bowl, which means that for one night, everybody will be watching your network--they'll be seeing your logo in the corner of their screens and view promos for your television shows.  But most importantly, the network that covers the Super Bowl has a chance to schedule one of its regular shows after the Bowl, resulting in a huge audience turn-over and usually outstanding ratings for that show.

It's called lead-out programming.  The idea is that most people are too lazy to change the channel or turn off the TV after the program they want to watch is finished (this is less true today with remote controls and DVRs, but it's still a surprisingly effective programming strategy).  So, when a network wants a show to get high ratings, they tend to schedule it after a very popular show.  

Sometimes I ask myself, how does Chuck Lorre do it?

A good example of this would be CBS's The Big Bang Theory.  In its first season, it was scheduled after How I Met Your Mother, a popular Monday night comedy.  This helped Theory, a new show, earn an average of 8 million viewers.  But in the middle of it's second season, it was placed after Two and a Half Men, which is CBS's highest-rated comedy.  There, it got much better ratings, and after it's third season, it averaged about 14 million viewers.  I do not mean to attribute all of Theory's success to where it was placed in the schedule, but the correlation with higher ratings is clearly more than a coincidence.  Now in it's fourth season the show is so successful that CBS has moved it to Thursday nights at 8 and is using it as a lead-in to their new show $#*! My Dad Says.  It's the circle of life.

And it moves us all...

Obviously, placing a show after the Super Bowl is not exactly the same.  For one thing, it is an example of stunting, because the Super Bowl is not a regular event.  That is usually why the lead-off Super Bowl show is a slightly unusual episode.  For example, in 2009, a one-hour long episode of The Office (a normally half-hour sitcom) followed the Super Bowl.  Most of the shows that air after the Super Bowl have benefited a great deal from the exposure such as Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and Undercover Boss, the latter of which premiered after the Super Bowl and became the most popular new show of season.

This year, FOX has chosen sophomore hit, Glee as the lead-off.  This will no doubt be Glee's highest rated episode yet.  Of course, this a show that has employed some very clever strategies to attain its popularity.  Glee originally employed "premier stunting" or, starting a show in a favorable time slot and moving it at a later date, in order to get the buzz going with fans.  The pilot episode premiered on May 19, 2009 and the network did not air the next episode until the beginning of the fall season.  In between that time the cast did mall-tours and promotions, encouraging fans to watch the show and creating buzz all summer.  This helped the show create a fan base that has grown with each season.  Glee also uses "stunt casting" and special episodes to increase viewer-ship, such as the "Britney/Brittany" episode which included cameos by Britney Spears and was the second highest-rated episode to date.

Now the question is, how much will Glee benefit by following the Super Bowl?  It's hard to say.  Obviously, ratings will sky-rocket, but Glee might not succeed as much as previous lead-off shows simply because it is not tailor-made for the average Super Bowl viewer.  Compared to the extremely family and viewer-friendly, average-Joe-inspired reality show Undercover Boss, which lead-off last year, Glee just does not have the same mass-appeal.  But the Glee cast and crew are obviously doing everything in their power to make this the best episode yet.  This will be the most expensive episode of the show, costing $3-5 million to make, and will feature the cast singing Michael Jackson's "Thriller," as well as Katy Perry's "California Gurls," which will include fire-breathers and bikini-clad cheerleaders in an attempt to attract the male demographic.  Having seen the clip, all I have to say is...yeah, good luck with that.  But you can judge for yourself when Glee premiers its newest episode tonight after the Super Bowl.

Just for Fun

For the record, I am not endorsing the film The Roommate, primarily because it looks horrendous.  But I did want to point out some of the creative promotional material for this movie. Today, there was and ad for it in the student news paper, disguised as as a roommate wanted ad you might find in the classified section.  Very clever.  They're probably running this ad in about every college news paper in the country (as they should be).

Apparently if you dial the phone number, you'll hear Leighton Meester telling you that she just wants to be your friend.  I don't think I'll be calling up "Rebecca" anytime soon, but if you're curious, go for it.

Then just an hour ago, I found this video on College Humor (again, very smart way to target university students).

"We live in a world where millions of people go every day without touching my shit.  Why can't you be one of them?"  Love it.

So while this movie looks like a cheap rip-off of Single White Female, I'm going to give the film props for two things: A) casting Leighton Meester, one of the cutest and most endearing young actresses in Hollywood, as a deranged killer, and B) creating a unique marketing campaign that almost makes me want to see the movie.  Almost. 

This Week's Entertainment Segment for Hoosier News Source

I thought that since my HNS Entertainment Updates inspired me to keep this blog going, it'd be a good idea to post them here.  Here is a link to the video (sorry I can't embed it).  Skip to about 6:15 to see me: http://www.iustv.com/EaJ/hoosier-news-source-season-3-episode-1/

And in keeping with the blog format, I've also included the script I wrote for the show, in case there are problems with the video or just on the off chance that some people enjoy reading!  Think of this as the week's highlights in entertainment news (or at least the stories that I found to be the most amusing).

Both so utterly relevant

Hey IU, hope you’re enjoying your classes this semester.  I’m not, but you know what I am enjoying?  Pointless celebrity feuds.  Prime example, Kim Kardashian recently stated that the MTV show "Teen Mom" sets a bad example for kids today and the stars of the show should not be idealized.  Perhaps the most notorious "Teen Mom" star, Amber Portwood, fired back stating, “she made a sex tape when she was younger, and she wants to bash the girls on 'Teen Mom?'”  It’s a Z-list Celebrity Deathmatch for the ages.  And the winner is...neither.  Because that would require actually labeling one of them a winner, and I’m not comfortable doing that.

Donny Osmond did it better.  The bowl-cut, I mean.

Justin Bieber’s personal hairstylist recently told Life & Style magazine that she charges about $750 for the famed bowl-cut.  And if you want that awesome style but you’re like, “baby, baby, baby, oh...my wallet!”  You can get the same tacky look for $14 at Supercuts.

Still better than Twilight

Jersey Shore star Snookie is no doubt partying hard this week because her book A Shore Thing just earned a spot on the New York Times Best Sellers List.  Here’s an excerpt from that outstanding piece of literature: “I love food.  I love drinking, boys, dancing until my feet swell.  And I love my body, especially the badonk.”  Poetry.

You know her 'Annie' wig is going to be fierce

And lastly, rumor has it that Will Smith is looking to remake the musical Annie staring his daughter, Willow Smith who is widely known and loved for whipping her hair back and forth. And while she is possibly the cutest and fiercest 10-year-old girl in the world, this movie is still not even remotely necessary.  And do you really think the child of Will Smith can convince you that it’s a hard-knock life?  Didn’t think so.

The Dark Night Rises Casting

On Wednesday, Warner Bros. Pictures announced the partial (but by no means complete) cast of Christopher Nolan's next installment in the Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises.  Anne Hathaway has been cast as Selina Kyle, more popularly known as Catwoman, and Tom Hardy will play the muscular villain Bane.

It should come as no shock to you that this casting announcement has created some serious, and not necessarily positive, buzz amongst Batman fans--most of it being that these are poor character choices ("I wanted Poison Ivy, the Riddler, etc."), or that Anne Hathaway is the wrong actress to play such a pivotal character as Catwoman.  Having had a few days to consider it, I'd like to address these concerns.

First of all, the characters:

We're all familiar with Catwoman.  Her most famous TV/film incarnations include Eartha Kitt opposite Adam West in the 1960s Batman TV show, Michelle Pfeiffer  in Tim Burton's 1992 film, Batman Begins, and Halle Berry in the failed 2004 spinoff movie Catwoman.  All of these actresses portrayed Selina Kyle/Catwoman in very different ways: Kitt--campy, Pfeiffer--sensual and empowering, Berry--a hot mess. 

So, it's fair to say that there is no one right way to interpret this character, and we shouldn't just assume that this new incarnation of Kyle will be a ripoff of any of the formerly mentioned portrayals.  Furthermore, the announcement did not mention Catwoman at all, implying that Hathaway will likely be playing Selina Kyle before she becomes the infamous anti-hero.  This makes sense considering Nolan's comparatively realistic approach to the Batman canon.

As for Bane, he's a bit less familiar to casual fans of the Batman series.  The average movie-goer probably knows him best as Poison Ivy's muscle-man sidekick in the unintentionally hilarious 1997 film, Batman and Robin.

Seriously?

But to serious comic book fans, he is much more than just the brawns--he also has brains.  In the comics, he is considered one of Batman's most formidable opponents and is most famous for discovering Batman's secret identity and breaking his back, thus rendering the caped-crusader a paraplegic.  Bane should be an interesting departure from Nolan's previous Batman villains in that he is simply a much stronger aggressor.  In Batman Begins, Bruce was tested psychologically.  In The Dark Knight, he was tested emotionally, and it is fair to assume that in The Dark Knight Rises, he will be tested physically.

As for the actors themselves, I think it's too early to judge (although that's not stopping most fans).  It seems clichéd at this point, but pretty much everyone doubted Heath Ledger would be able to pull off the Joker, and he ended up winning an Oscar for that portrayal.  So, we shouldn't be so quick to doubt Anne Hathaway.  She is certainly not the obvious choice, i.e.: not a "sex-kitten" (get it?), but who wants another Halle Berry-type Catwoman?  Or to put it more bluntly, who wants The Dark Night Rises starring Megan Fox?  Most importantly, we cannot yet judge if Hathaway is a good fit for the character because we don't know what the character is going to be like.  Nolan's Batman series makes a habit out of reinterpreting characters, meaning that we should throw any preconceived notions we have of Catwoman out the door.

Tom Hardy, on the other hand, has not faced quite the same level of disapproval from fans. This is probably due to a number of things.  First, Nolan announced back in November that he would have a role (although he did not specify which role) in the upcoming Batman film, so fans have had time to process his involvement.  Second, he's still riding high off of the popularity of his most recent film Inception, also directed by Nolan.  So, many fans have come to like him and know that he and Nolan work well together.  Third, physically speaking, he is perfect for the role.  

Hardy (right) has two tickets to the gun show.

Fourth and finally, Nolan generally does a lot better with male characters than female, so there's less to worry about with Bane.  I'm not saying Nolan is sexist, just that he has a habit of writing very stereotypical women and/or killing them off as a plot device.  If there's anything about this film that I'm concerned with thus far, it's that Catwoman may be a weak character--not because of Hathaway's acting, but because of Nolan's near ineptitude at creating three-dimensional female characters.

That being said, I'm excited about the cast and characters.  There's great potential within everyone involved to create a movie that can actually live up to The Dark Night.  And this is just the beginning.  We still know nothing about the plot, the other characters involved (will Aaron Eckhart be reprising his role as Two-Face?) or even if this is the final film in the series.  When you put it in that perspective, we know so little about this film.  Critiquing and scrutinizing these early casting decisions is like judging a painting based on the canvas alone.  Anyway, we're all going to go crazy for this movie once the viral marketing campaign starts, so who cares?  Let's save the judgment at least until we get a trailer.  Life is too short to complain about Catwoman.

Globes Part 10

Sandra Bullock apparently told Ricky Gervais that "poor people are gross and they smell bad" backstage.  She introduces the nominees for Best Actor Drama without any fanfare.  They must be cutting it close tonight.  And the winner is Colin Firth.  FINALLY!  He alludes to having a mid-life crisis about his acting career and says this award is all that stands between him and a Harley Davidson.  Also, he mentions something about a "triangle of man-love" with co-star, Geoffery Rush and writer, David Seidler.  I think I missed something, because I don't understand that comment, but it doesn't matter.  Firth is truly one of the most talented actors in Hollywood.  So good to see him being recognized.

Presenting the final award of the evening, Best Picture Drama, is Michael Douglas.  He gets a standing ovation.  I think the audience is more excited about his good health than he is tonight.  "There must be a better way to get a standing ovation."  And the winner is The Social Network.  Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield are still sitting in the audience, so the producer summons them up while thanking them.  Andrew looks downright giddy.  "Thank you for an amazing year in movies!" he concludes.  I think that sums it up pretty well.

Ricky takes the remaining few seconds to thank the HFPA, the audience, viewers at home, and "thanks to God for making me an atheist."  Oh my.  Well I think that's a good note to end on, don't you?  Thanks for reading folks, I had a lot of fun.  Let's do this again soon (maybe a live-blog of the Oscars?).  Goodnight, hope you enjoyed the ride!

Globes Part 9

Alicia Keys introduces Black Swan.  If you haven't seen it yet, you really should.  It's completely insane in the best possible way.

Halle Berry announces Best Actor in a Drama and the Globe goes to Paul Giamatti.  Okay, so I got one wrong (so far).  The audio cuts off for about 5-10 seconds.  Technical glitch, or very lengthy string of curse words from Mr. Giamatti?  Hard to tell.  He says that he ate 5 boxes of the free Godiva chocolates.  "And Halle Berry" he says, obviously smitten.  Yeah, he might be a little tipsy tonight.  He calls his costars a "tri-fecta of hotties."  He also "salutes the great nation of Canada."  I have no idea what his film is about so the relevance of his speech is lost on me, but regardless, I am throughly amused.

Alright, only half-an-hour left, let's do this thing!

It's my future husband Joseph Gordon Levitt to introduce Best Drama nominee, Inception.  He praises the film for challenging the audience while still making "a little bit of money."

Now Jeff Bridges joins the stage to present the category of Best Actress in a Drama.  The Globe goes to Natalie Portman, who looks pleased, but not particularly surprised.  I guess I wouldn't be surprised if I was her either.  She hopes her grandmother watching at home is enjoying this and "having a drink."  She jokes that her now-fiancée had a line in the movie about not wanting to sleep with her character.  "He's a good actor, because he was lying!"  She thanks the rest of her cast including "Mila-sweet-lips-Kunis."  I'd like to know the story behind that nickname!

Tim Allen and Tom Hanks introduce the award for Best Comedy or Musical.  They lament the days when Ricky Gervais was "slightly chubby and nice."  Hanks give a quick shout-out to table 114 (and there's a small cheer from that area in the audience)!  The award goes to The Kids are Alright.  Looks like I'm back on track.  The only members of the cast that go up to the stage are the adult characters from the film.  Where are "the kids?"  They are the title characters after all.

Anyway, it's almost over.  Stick around, just two more awards left!

Globes Part 8

Matt Damon is on stage to present the Cecil B. DeMille Award to Robert De Niro.  He kids that he hasn't gotten to see many movies in his life because he spends so much time starring in them, and that he hadn't even heard of De Niro until recently.  He says he was surprised to find out that many people consider De Niro to be the greatest actor in the history of film.  Oh Damon.  He then proceeds to impersonate a few of his more famous roles.  Cue the emotional montage of Di Niro through the years!  Don't you think it's a little funny that a man being honored with such a prestigious award for his years of achievement in film is currently promoting Little Fockers?

Standing ovation, of course.  De Niro jokes that he'll be giving Damon the DeMille award someday (if he's still alive).  He also makes a joke about Little Fockers.  At least he's self aware.  And a joke about Megan Fox and the full-body scans at the airport.  I think you can connect the dots.  Oh, he just cursed!  That's the third censor of the night.  He gets to speak significantly longer than most of the winners, but compared to DeMille winners in past years, he keeps it surprisingly brief.

By my count, we should only have 7 more categories left.  I think they're making good time, but I'm sure they'll go at least a few minutes past 11pm at this rate.  Remember, the acceptance speeches get longer as the show goes on.

Megan Fox (wearing a dress with a very high slit) is introducing The Tourist.  Other than the bottom of the dress, she looks really good tonight.

Annette Bening presents Best Director, and the winner is David Fincher.  I'm on a roll tonight (at least for the categories that I've made predictions about).  He's not reading off of a note card, but rather several sheets of paper.  Oh boy, this could be long.  He thanks the entire cast, even the "invisible twin."  Oh, well it wasn't as long as I thought it would be.

January Jones is showing a lot of cleavage.  I mean, DANG.  She and Jimmy Fallon are presenting the award for Best Comedy.  It goes to Glee.  I was hoping for Modern Family, but come on, we all saw this coming.  Ryan Murphy and the ENTIRE CAST is accepting.  Did you know Ryan Murphy went to IU?  He was in the Singing Hoosiers too.  The cast thanks public school teachers for all the work they do and children they inspire.  I'll have to tell my parents that they got a shout-out from the cast and crew of Glee.  They'll be pleased.

Globes Part 7

Hey, it's Jane Fonda!  The crowd gives her a standing ovation.  She's here to support her friend Cher, who's currently in Vegas doing a live show.  My dad saw that a few months ago when he was in Vegas.  It was amazing apparently.  Fonda introduces Best Comedy/Musical nominee Burlesque.

Here's Matt Bomer from White Collar (looking quite dapper in that suit, may I say) and Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory on stage to announce Best Actor in a Comedy.  Kaley is thrilled to announce that her costar, Jim Parsons, has won.  When he gets up to the stage, she gives him a big hug.  So. Darn. Cute.  Parsons wishes his cousin a happy birthday and apologizes for not being at his party. I think you have a good excuse, Jim.

Jeremy Irons is announcing Best Supporting Actress in a Drama.  I could listen to him speak all day.  The winner is Melissa Leo for The Fighter.  I saw this movie, and I thought she was good, but her character was a really stereotypical caricature.  I would have given it to Amy Adams instead, who did a lot with what would otherwise have been a very typical "girlfriend" character.  As she goes to the stage, Irons gives her a peck on the cheek.  "All that, and I got kissed by Jeremy Irons!"  She is loving being on that stage.  She also says that she thinks Amy should have won the award too, so I guess I'm not alone.

Globes Part 6

Ricky Gervais quips that no one really cares about Foreign Language Films, so it's a good thing that the presenters for this category are Robert Pattinson and Olivia Wilde.  Just as I thought, her dress looks amazing under the stage lights.  The winner is In a Better World, a film from Denmark.  The woman accepting the award pauses a lot, and I think she might have trouble speaking English...or maybe it's just nerves.

Helen Miren is on stage introducing Best Drama nominee, The Kings Speech.  She can do no wrong.

Now, it's Best Actress in a TV comedy.  I think when they said Lea Michele's name while announcing nominees, someone booed.  Not classy, dude.  But she didn't win!  She'll be pissed if she's the only Glee star not to win.  I've heard from many people that she's a well-known diva.  I believe it.  Anyway, the winner is Laura Linney for The Big C.  She couldn't be there to accept the award, so the announcers accept it for her.  I always think that's strange.  If you knew you were nominated, but couldn't be there, wouldn't you send someone you liked or worked with to accept it for you instead of letting some random presenters that you don't even know do it?  I guess that's just not how it works.

Globes Part 5

We have Zac Efron introducing the Best Drama nominated movie The Kids are Alright.  That's a strange presenter choice.  Moving on!

Ricky Gervais announces Tina Fay and Steve Carell.  He then runs up to hug Steve, who pushes him away and laughs in an evil way.  Apparently Leonardo DiCaprio is in both of their dreams.  Mine too Tina and Steve, mine too.  It's the award for Best Screenplay (they're presenting it because they're both writers, get it?) and the winner is Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network.  He calls David Fincher an "honest-to-God national treasure," gives a shout-out to Mark Zuckerberg and tells his daughter at home that seeing the nominees for Best Actress, it's clear that smart girls have more fun, and she's one of them.  Adorable.

Two very attractive men are presenting the next award and I'm okay with that.  Jane Lynch wins Best Supporting Actress in a TV Comedy.  Yep, Glee is going to sweep it tonight.  She says that she is "nothing if not falsely-humble."  Indeed.  Jane Lynch could probably make a joke about cancer and the audience would laugh.  Just saying.

Globes Part 4

It's Justin Bieber and the girl from True Grit presenting the award for Best Animated Film.  Get it?  Because they're probably the youngest people in the room.  The little scene they play for Toy Story 3 made me tear up a little.  I think we all know who the winner is.  Just as predicted, it goes to TS3.  The director asks if Bieber was even born when the first Toy Story movie was made.  Yes, he was.  Barely.

Ricky Gervais jokes that Robert Downey Jr's past film titles make them sound like porn movies.  Downey takes it in stride.  He quips that an actress can't do her best work until she's slept with him and asks why the following nominees (Annette, Angelina, Julianne, Anne, and Emma) haven't slept with him?  It sounds creepy when I write it like that, but trust me, he's totally charming.  The award goes to Annette Bening.  I guess that she and Julianne didn't split the vote after all.  She thanks her "partner," Julianne first and calls her a class act.  Aw.  Looks like the crowd adores her.  And her speech was pretty long, but didn't get cut off, so I think they're easing up on the "wrap-it-up" music.

Once again, not not enough material, so I'll wait for the next break.

And here's Stallone to introduce The Fighter, which is up for Best Drama tonight.  Nothing too exciting here.

Oh look, it's Tilda Swinton (love her!) presenting the award for Best Actor in a Made-for-TV Movie/Mini-Series.  And the winner is Al Pacino for You Don't Know Jack.  Unlike other speeches, the tone of his seems quite serious.  No jokes, and every cutaway shows that the audience is paying complete attention to him.  I guess when you're Al Pacino, you don't have to do anything special or play any gimmicks to gain respect and attention.

Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series is Claire Danes for Temple Grandin.  Apparently the last time she won a Globe was for My So Called Life.  Woah.  She's wearing a beautiful bright pink, backless dress.  Not many people can pull off that color, but she does.  And she's so eager to accept the award, very cute. She's reading off of a note card so she doesn't forget anyone.  I think more winners should do that.  She thanks the real Temple for inspiring the movie and her work to promote Autism-acceptance.  An uplifting speech.  I'd say it's a good time for a break now!

Globes Part 3

Intro for Alice in Wonderland.  Yawn.  Speech about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  Double Yawn.  The President of the HFPA is here.  Triple Yawn?  I think that's going too far.

Now the award for Best Actor in a TV Drama.  Please be Michael C. Hall, I love him!  And it's Steve Buscemi.  Well, who doesn't love Steve Buscemi?  So I can understand that decision.  I just want Michael C. Hall to win something.  Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.  Steve says he's going to try to keep it short so he can evade the music.  Good luck, dude.

And now we have the award for Best TV Drama, and the winner is Boardwalk Empire.  Not surprising, HBO shows tend to do very well at the Globes.

Well, I have been posting at every break so far, but since this one is short, I think I'll wait to post until the next break.

Here's Andrew Garfield to introduce The Social Network.  He stumbles a few times trying to read the teleprompter, and he looks adorable doing it.

"He's Alec from the Rock, and she's Jenny from the Block," Ricky says as he announces Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Lopez.  Very cute.  They're presenting Best Original Song from a Motion Picture.  I think all of the nominees are musicals or music-oriented movies (except for Narnia).  The winner is "You Haven't Seen the Last from Me," the Cher song from Burlesque.  I was hoping for the song from Tangled to win, but I really can't argue about a Cher song getting this award.

Now it's the award for Best Original Score, and the winner is The Social Network and Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.  That was a pretty intriguing score I must admit, but I was hoping Hans Zimmer would win for Inception because that score was perfection in my humble opinion.  Oh well.

Globes Part 2

Julianne Moore and Kevin Spacey introduce the girl who's handing out the awards.  Her name is Gia Mantegna and her parents are Arlene and Joe Mantegna.  Okay?  I'm not sure why this is important, but she looks nice.  The category is Best Mini-Series or TV Movie, and it goes to a movie called Carlos.  I would have guessed The Pacific.  Once again, the music has begun playing way before the winner has finished speaking.  This is not very classy, Golden Globes.

Here's Bruce Willis.  Ricky Gervais introduces him as Ashton Kutcher's dad.  He looks amused by that.  He's introducing the movie Red because it's nominated for Best Comedy tonight.  They should cut these intros, and give the winners more time to speak!

Next is Best Supporting Actor for a TV series.  And the winner is...Chris Colfer for Glee.  He looks so young compared to the other nominees.  The rest of the Glee cast is very excited for him.  I think they're going to sweep tonight for the TV comedy categories, so they should get used to it now.  He is visibly and audibly shocked in his speech and ends by saying "screw that!" to the notion that gay kids in schools across America are told not to be themselves.  The crowd cheers.  He is the first winner not to get played off by music.  Good job Chris!

Globes Part 1

And it begins! Ricky Gervais is holding a drink.  Makes a Charlie Sheen joke.  The night is off to a good start folks!  Now he's trashing The Tourist.  Says the only reason it's nominated is because the HFPA wanted to hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.  So true.  Something got bleeped, he must have cursed.  It's a little early, don't you think Gervais?  I can't tell if the crowd loves him or hates him, but they sure are vocal.  The reaction cutaways are pretty hilarious.

Scarlet Johanson is here (in a sparkling dress) to announce Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture.  And it's...Christian Bale.  Just as I predicted, but let's see if I can keep getting them tonight.  His hair is very long.  Not sure why.  He gives a shout-out to his costars, mostly Mark Wahlberg.  And the music is playing him off while he's still speaking.  Wow, we're going to start that this early?  Sounds like he said something that got bleeped out too.  It was about Robert De Niro, I think.  

Now it's Best Actress in a Television Drama.  The winner is...Katey Sagal for Sons of Anarchy.  It's her 5th nomination and 1st win.  I don't watch the show, but she looks so happy it's hard not to root for her.  And she's getting played off with music too!  Man, I think they're only giving the winners about a minute.  I hope the remaining winners have short speeches, or this is going to get old fast.  

Red carpet

The Glee kids all look very nice, especially Dianna Agron.

So far, all the men look pretty standard.  It's hard to make a tuxedo look bad.

Wow, Natalie Portman's dress is beautiful.  Simple, flowing, and colored cream and red.  I'm not digging the red rose in the center now that I'm looking at it closer, but overall she has that pregnancy glow and is really pulling of the "soft" look.

Helena Bonham Carter's dress is CRAZY.  The hair is pretty insane too, very long and curly--half up, half down, I think.  What on earth, girl?!  But I do like the shades.

The crowd is going insane for Sandra Bullock.  No surprise there.  Not a fan of her simple hair or dress though.

Jake Gyllenhall and Anne Hathaway both look lovely.  Anne's dress has shoulder pads, which is hilarious.  But it just makes her look very, very tall and thin.  Nothing wrong with that.  Jake just broke up with Taylor Swift, but the reporter isn't asking him any questions about it.  He is growing a beard. *insert joke here*

Christina Agullera is, of course, wearing dark lipstick and a black dress.  Nothing special.  But I love the hair, surprisingly subtle for her.

Justin Beiber is here, wearing purple, large-framed glasses for some reason.  He says they're 3-D glasses.  Sure, why not.  Fans are screaming.  Shocker.

Angelina Jolie is dressed in a green gown with a lot of sequins.  It almost looks like some tacky 80s inspired dress, but she pulls it off.

January Jones is in something very red, that seems to be made of nothing but many strings of fabric.  It looks like a a flapper dress.  Some strange mix of a stripper's outfit and a costume from The Great Gatsby.  I don't think I like it.

Michael Douglas announces that he is cancer-free and ready to celebrate the awards. Catherine Zeta-Jones looks stunning in a dark green dress with a lot going on from the waist down.

I just got a glimpse of Olivia Wilde, she looks like the night sky.  Black, princess-style gown with thousands of sequins/jewels/something shinny, covering the dress.  I hope she presents an award because that dress will look fantastic under the stage lights.  Like a disco ball.

Robert Downey Jr. is wearing a suit, not a tux.  Interesting.  Love the red tie though.

Looks like the NBC red carpet crew is taking one last break, and when they come back, it will be time for the awards.  I think I need a break too.  I'll return soon with coverage of the opener, host Ricky Gervais, and the eagerly anticipated awards.

Predictions

Consider this post the prologue to the main event.  I figure that most people haven't seen all (or any) of the nominated movies, so it might be helpful for me to tell you who I'm rooting for and what I think will win.  There are 25 categories in the Golden Globes, and I can't cover them all, but I'll try to tell you what's the most important.  I'm just going to make predictions on the movies, because my predicted winners at the Emmy's and the TV portion of the Globes are always waaaaay off.

Best Director:  I'm guessing David Fincher for The Social Network.  A lot of people have been saying that it's "his time" to win.  That means that he's deserved to win for several years/movies before, but has always been edged out by another deserving director.  This year, even though Network may not be his best film, people really want to see him win.  These awards shows are full of political instances like this.

Best Animated Feature:  Toy Story 3 all the way.  Pixar is a powerhouse at the Globes/Oscars, this is no contest.  Too bad, because How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled were great as well, and deserve more of a chance.

Supporting Actor:  Tough choice.  I'm torn between Christian Bale and Andrew Garfield, because both absolutely stole the show in their respective films The Fighter and Social Network.  I think they'll give this one to Christian Bale though, simply because he is older and more established.

Supporting Actress:  Honestly I have no clue.  Probably Amy Adams for The Fighter or Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech.

Best Actor (Comedy):  I'm going to say Kevin Spacey.  I haven't seen Casino Jack, but come on.  It's Kevin Spacey.  Plus Johnny Depp is nominated for both Alice in Wonderland and The Tourist, so he'll split the vote.

Best Actress (Comedy):  Annette Bening and Julianne Moore for The Kids are Alright are the obvious choices, but it will hurt them to both be in the same category.  Again, they might split the vote.  Still, I think that one of them will win.  Also, very pleased to see Emma Stone nominated.  No way she'll win, but she's just such a pleasure to watch.  I'm sure this won't be the last nomination of her career.

Best Picture (Comedy):  The Kids are Alright.  Frankly, all of the other nominations are just bizarre.  I didn't even know that The Tourist was a comedy!?  And Kids was great, no question.  I'd be shocked if anything else won.

Best Actor (Drama):  Colin Firth!  Once again, it's his time.  He should have won last year for A Single Man in my opinion, but he's just as deserving this year.  That being said, I'm a fan of all nominees in this category, so even if Firth didn't win, it would go to a deserving candidate.

Best Actress (Drama):  Natalie Portman.  Nicole Kidman might edge her out, but Portman has earned a lot of praise for her role in Black Swan.  Also, she's gained good press for her recent engagement and pregnancy announcement.  And good press is just as important as good acting at these awards.  It seems that the stars have aligned for her tonight.

Best Picture (Drama):  This one is not so obvious as some other categories.  I've seen all of the nominees for this category, and to be honest, all of them were exceptionally good.  I think it might go to The Social Network this year, if only because the film has captured an important moment in today's culture.  It's not just a movie about Facebook.  It's about the way we communicate, the connections we make, and the way we make them.  But it's a good category this year, and the only problem I have with it at all is the omission of True Grit.  Very strange.

So that's it!  Now, onto the arrivals...

Golden Globes--it's like the Oscars, but with alcohol.

Tonight is the Golden Globes!  I'm pretty excited because this is my absolute favorite awards show of the season for several reasons:

1) They present awards for TV and movies, meaning that there are twice the number of celebrities that attend this event.  This also covers two of my favorite media platforms, which is pretty cool. Plus, it's just awesome to see some of your favorite film and television stars under the same roof, laughing at the same poorly-timed jokes, etc.

2) The Globes are more "prestigious" than shows like the People's Choice Awards (so celebrities actually SHOW UP to accept their awards), but they're not as "serious" as the Oscars.  The overall tone is just a bit more casual, and celebrities tend to get away with more than they could at a typical awards show.  Remember when Lara Flynn Boyle wore that ridiculous tutu to the Globes in 2003?  Or when Isaac Mizrahi felt up Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet in 2006? Classic moments brought to you by the Golden Globes...

3) Alcohol.  Unlike other awards shows, the Golden Globes provides its guests with a full meal and an open bar.  And what do you think nervous stars do as they wait for their category to be announced?  They drink.  A lot.  This can result in some pretty slurred but also candid acceptance speeches and red carpet interviews.  For example...

All in all, it's probably the best part of the awards season.  Please join me tonight as I will be live-blogging the event starting around 8pm Eastern Standard Time.  I'll cover the red carpet and the awards as well as give some predictions before each big category is announced.  If you want to watch along, live coverage of red carpet arrivals starts at 7pm, and the awards begin at 8pm on NBC.  See you then!

Welcome to the Hollywood Hoopla!

Some of you may know me from my entertainment segments on IUSTV's Hoosier News Source. For those of you who are not familiar with the show, please educate yourself: http://www.iustv.com/rb9/hoosier-news-source-season-2-episode-9/ (jump to 10:45 to see my segment).  I've been the Entertainment Correspondent for about a year now, and I love it. But lately I've wanted to branch out a little and do something in addition to my weekly segments, so I created this blog.

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So why should you read this blog?  Because it's current, smart, and witty (I hope).  Also, unlike those trashy tabloids I know you love (or love to hate) I solemnly swear that I will NEVER discuss Kim Kardashian or any other completely useless celebrities as if they were actually relevant. That's got to count for something.  Right?

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