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who dat? contest.
(yo stee. i know
nope.
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Though I still consider myself new at this online journal thing, I guess I'm really not. So I shouldn't be surprised how many amateur sleuths there are out there. And I don't blame them one bit. (Shit, it's half the fun, right?) The ugly reality is that behind these pages, there are real people. Real people sometimes in complicated situations. Maybe as complicated as yours. Maybe more so. Maybe less. But real nonetheless. It's probably good to keep that in mind occasionally. We can all do well to remember that. Rumor is fun, but the truth is usually more sad, scary, human, and complex than one would like to think. The other reason I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by this fantastically interesting & frustrating realm of the Internet is the fact that I've just found out an ex-girlfriend of mine has been writing an article, basically about our relationship, on a fairly major online site. Revealing intimate details. I guess I have to find that OK, since one could argue that I kind of do the same thing. However, just seeing those words in print, words about me and her and us and what we did together, with ad banners swirling around them, made me feel kind of, well, exposed. Elsewhere... ...the Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning. It was a very sad occasion for me, as I lost my annual bet with a friend for the 3rd year in a row. (I won the first 6 years in a row. I'm totally slipping, man.) What got me was my placing a couple hopes on what I really wanted to be nominated (like David O. Russell for directing Three Kings), as opposed to what I actually thought would be nominated. (I have to say here that Three Kings was dissed hard. Three Kings was fucked up the ass... and not in a nice way. Does anyone else agree with me? Hellooo?)
BEST PICTURE:
I'm happy about the first three. I did not see Cider House yet, and don't think Green Mile deserves to be up there. What's missing? Three Kings. Election, maybe. And even perhaps Toy Story 2 He says, begrudgingly. Very begrudgingly.)
BEST DIRECTOR:
I'm surprised Minghella didn't make it - though reaction to Ripley has been wildly mixed (I happened to enjoy the film, alot.) I'm not sure Spike Jonze deserves it. The others I either like, or can't comment on. Other names I might have chosen include Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
BEST ACTOR:
I think Russell Crowe probably deserves it, though I have not seen anything here but Insider and American Beauty. Kevin Spacey didn't travel to the edge like Crowe did. The territory Spacey mined seemed a bit easy for him. A bit familiar. Now granted, he's absolutely mezmerizing, but Crowe went out there. He seemed on the verge of either a heart attack, or a nervous breakdown in almost every scene. Just brilliant. And while I hated this movie with a passion, I thought Jim Carrey was phenominal in Man on the Moon. I do love Sean Penn and Denzel, however, as actors. Love them to death. I would not be disappointed, no matter what happens here.
BEST ACTRESS:
I gotta be honest - I've meant to see Boys Don't Cry for the last 4 months. I just can't bring myself, for some reason. It's my mood, man, I'm not into it right now. I'm usually all about the art, but I can't do it. I don't know why. I loved Annette Bening's performance much more the second time I saw Beauty. McTeer was great - but it's not a great role. Julianne Moore was fantastic, but for me her level of fantastic is so consistantly high (this year: Cookie's Fortune and Magnolia, equally), I'm not blown away. Meryl Streep: even M., who would lick her pussy if she could, said it wasn't a great performance. I actually would have loved to see Reese Witherspoon here for Election, but of course the Academy fucking hates comedies.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
What a terrific category this year. I mean, the list of those left off alone: Chris Cooper, Christopher Plummer, Phillip Seymour Hoffman (in Ripley), Wes Bentley, Eddie Murphy, John Malkovich, Most of the cast of The Green Mile, Jason Robards... So: I didn't see Caine. He gave such a great acceptance speech at the Globes last year, though, that I think he has a shot. If only for that reason. Duncan was fantastic, and I was totally watching for cracks in his performance. Osment, wow. Jude Law was terrific, but it seemed like more of a "The Arrival of a Star" role than an Oscar role. I think Tom Cruise deserves it. It fucking pains me to say. Believe me.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Conversely, a sad, piss-poor fucking category. How pathetic is this? Catherine Keener has been better on the toilet, than her fine-but-eh? performance in Malkovich. Didn't witness Sevigny or Morton. I got off the Angelina Jolie bus at the first stop, at least a year ago. Toni Collette all the way, here. She really blew my mind. The only other performances of last year I could think of were the girl in Tumbleweeds, and Thora Birch, in Beauty. Sad.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
Ooh. This is one of the first years where this category is stronger than adapted. Fantastic. I miss South Park, Three Kings, and Toy Story 2. However, I'm thrilled to death with American Beauty (I've read the script. It's very powerful.), Malkovich, Magnolia, and Sixth Sense. Haven't seen Topsy-Turvy. But how truly original those first 4 are! How great would Three Kings have fit onto that list! Motherfuckers.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
I feel a bit ho-hum about this category. I'm excited, truly excited, only by Election. And perhaps the Insider. Election might have a shot. The writers tend to like the fun ones in these categories (remember Good Will Hunting)? That's the only ones I do. However, I'm so fucking excited that Blame Canada from the South Park movie was nominated for best song. Shit: who's going to perform it??? Kick-ass. All in all: pretty damn fine year. Meanwhile... ...Frank's film, which has been on the boards for months and months, is finally beginning. (We're shooting the first half now, then half when the rest of the money comes.) We start shooting on Friday. Very sudden, this. I've had to rush to create this character in a very short time. To create another human being. Should be a blast. Finally... This weekend I bought a very serious calendar celebrating lesbian love at the book store, and hung it in my cubicle. It's very very amusing. Anyway, I went to their website, featuring gay and lesbian products, and found this:
Only 11 months to Christmas...
I make my living off the Evening News. Just give me something-something I can use. People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry. Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here. I just have to look good, I don't have to be clear. Come and whisper in my ear, give us dirty laundry. Kick 'em when they're up. Kick 'em when they're down. Kick 'em when they're up. Kick 'em when they're down. Kick 'em when they're up. Kick 'em when they're down. Kick 'em when they're up. Kick 'em all around... speaking of which. Well, I wasn't nominated this year, but Tom was, so that's very exciting for us down at the Centre. I was there with Anne Archer and Giovanni Ribisi the other night, just sort of shooting the shit after a particularly kick-ass e-meter session, and Anne was telling us all about the Oscar process. Sounds fucked, so I don't feel too bad. You know, she was supposed to get one for Narrow Margin, but somehow they overlooked her. And the Ritter film she did, Some Kind Of Hero - five prominent Academy members guaranteed that she'd be on the short list come February. Nope. We naturally figured: conspiracy, and got ready to sue. But then news of Tom came through, and we all felt a little better that day... yes we did. home back index next howl |
