Oscar Fever, Post-show Letdown

Well, it was Hollywood's time to shine last weekend, as if the stars don't shine enough, but on Hollywood Boulevard the red carpet was out, the cameras were in place, the flowers, decorations and gold Oscar statues were set to welcome the stars for the 77th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony at the Kodak Theater.

It was fun working there at the heart of the action all week. The street was abuzz with crews running cables, installing spot lights, and setting up bleachers for the fans and platforms for the TV crews.

I was really surprised that the public were allowed to walk on the red carpet at the entrance of the Kodak Theater up until show day. I thought for sure the whole place would be blocked off, but in fact we were allowed to roam pretty much everywhere (except on the carpeted Boulevard itself) despite camera crews setting up lights, cables, and generators everywhere. I would have thought it too risky for insurance purposes, but hell I'm not complaining.

It was great fun also for my tour groups to see all the "magic" in process and to get a behind-the-scenes perspective on the preparations for the awards ceremony broadcast. My favorite part was all the beautiful roses and other greenery they used to decorate the grand entrance way to the theater, known as Awards Walk. The colors were fantastic and the smell was delicious!

Another perk for the tourists was the relatively high visibility of celebrities in and around the theater in preparation for the Oscars broadcast. We saw Sharon Osbourne, Roger Ebert, Chris Connelly (who hosted ABC's red carpet preview show), and Michelle Tuzee and Mark Brown, our local ABC news anchors here in Los Angeles.

This year instead of partying with my friends, I stayed home to watch the show, but I wasn't alone since I was in almost continuous phone contact with my Mom and sister watching together in Denver. Since my cell phone company gives me free weekend and evening minutes, I called long distance and talked for more than three hours for free!

Overall, it was a pretty good year for movies. I was a little disappointed with some of the choices for winners, but not surprised. I had really hoped Martin Scorsese would get his just desserts, but I kinda knew Clint Eastwood would win. And Million Dollar Baby won for Best Picture, even though few people saw it and some of those who did walked out early because of the disturbing ending. I thought The Aviator was a more typical Oscar choice, even though my favorite movie was Sideways. I was at least glad that Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for Sideways 'cause it was a very fresh piece. I'm a real fan of Mr. Payne's style.

Now that the show is over, the winners have been announced, and the festivities have concluded, I feel a little post-partem depression. It's funny -- I often feel this way after a big event. One has waited with much anticipation for an exciting experience and then suddenly it's over so quickly. Not much to look forward to anymore. Oh well, there's always next year.

And Paul Giamatti better get nominated, dammit!

Yes, More Rain

Will it ever end?!



Did you notice where the heaviest stuff is? That's right, directly over Los Angeles!

Blonde Joke

There's tons of blonde jokes out there, but this one I hadn't heard before. (Apologies to any blonde readers!)

A blonde and a brunette both board an elevator and push the buttons for their respective floors. On the next floor, the door opens and a businessman wearing a black suit boards the elevator. It's evident that the man has dandruff problems, because it can be seen on the shoulder of his suit.

Two floors later the man gets off, and the two women remain. When the door closes the brunette says, "Someone should give that guy some Head & Shoulders."

The blonde then responds, "How do you give shoulders?"

Paul Giamatti Was Robbed!

If you've ever seen Paul Giamatti on screen you know what an unusual and compelling actor he is. If you've seen the new film Sideways, you'll know that Paul Giamatti was robbed of an Oscar nomination since he delivered the best film performance by an actor this year, hands down!

Sideways is a great film. A funny, quaint, touching, thought-provoking, informative, dreamy, hopeful, scary, wonderful film. It is so fresh and pure, full of suprises, without gimmicks, tender, sexy, hilarious, and inspiring. The movie is filled with one great moment after another.

It's another terrific success for director Alexander Payne, who previously directed Jack Nicholson in Finding Schmidt, and Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon in Election. This guy is a real talent and he is just beginning what I hope will be a long and successful career in the film business.

Oscar's golden light will probably shine down on one of this year's blockbusters, such as Million Dollar Baby or The Aviator (which I also loved), but for pure cinematic originality, Sideways is the Best Picture of the Year!

Mmm...Coffee.

For those of you who may be coffee lovers (decaf for me, please), here's a pretty cool website I stumbled across today.

Coffee Review

Brosnan Quits Bond

It's official: Pierce Brosnan's 10-year reign as James Bond is over. Brosnan recently confirmed via his website and a BBC TV interview that Eon Productions, the company that produces the Bond films, had decided not to renew his contract for the Bond franchise. This quells months of rumors that Brosnan would come back to the role if negotiations with Eon were successful.



Brosnan's statement:

"I would like to thank all of you who have supported me over the last year or so in regard to my playing Bond. It was a decade of my life that I will always hold dear to my heart and a time that will never be forgotten. And you dear friends stood by me throughout. Many, many thanks! But everything comes to an end, and one must accept this decision which cannot be dealt with in any other way but with some kind of grace and knowledge that I did the job to the best of my ability."

I for one am CRUSHED that Brosnan won't be returning. He was a great Bond and he brought a much needed breath of fresh air to the series. I was ecstatic back in 1986 when Brosnan was first offered the role, but NBC wouldn't let him out of his Remington Steele contract. I was thrilled for him a decade later when he finally assumed the role.

In related news, Eon Productions has confirmed that the 21st Bond film will be titled Casino Royale (the same as Ian Fleming's first Bond novel) and will be directed by Martin Campbell, whose last contribution to the Bond series was the smash success Goldeneye, Brosnan's 1995 debut as Bond.

The production has been pushed back a year to 2006 due to delays in securing a director and because of Sony Pictures impending takeover of MGM, the studio that finances and distributes the Bond films.

Naturally rumors are circulating about who will take over the role of James Bond, with names such as Clive Owen, Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor being mentioned, but no official announcements have been made.

News From Outside The Bubble

Here's a story you probably didn't hear in the US media:

Pakistan, our "ally" in the War On Terror, recently paid over half a million dollars to several tribal leaders so they could settle their debts to....al-Qaeda!!

With friends like that, who needs enemies?!

full story here, from BBC News:

Rain Again

Yep, we've got more rain here in SoCal.



I love it, but it creates lots of headaches for commuters.



And sometimes it can destroy your entire world.


This was La Conchita, California

Ten people lost their lives in a few short seconds when the hillside above their homes came crashing down upon them.

New Medication

Finally a medicine everyone can use!!

Zach Braff's New Year's Resolutions

I just had to share these with you. If you don't know Zach Braff, he's the star of the NBC sitcom Scrubs and he directed and starred in his first feature last year (now on DVD) called Garden State , which has a very cool website.

Zach's new year's resolutions:

Forgo all exercise (including walking),
Learn to smoke (something thin like Capri's),
Take my loved one's for granted,
Stop washing my hands after twosies,
Laugh at babies who are late walkers,
Pull leaves off trees that appear to be flourishing,
Name the yet to be named voices in my head (something tough like Carl or Kyle)
Be less kind to bunnies,
Floss everything but my teeth,
Travel (but only around my yard and with a light carry-on)
Stop and smell the Rosens. (They're a wonderful family and absolutely compulsive about showering.)

NewsGaming

This is a really cool website I came across and an even cooler concept. It's a powerful simulation, especially the game named September 12th.

State of Dis-Union

I've decided to ignore Presidential politics for the next four years. Shortly after the election when I realized we were stuck with Dumb and Dumber for another term, I decided to take defensive action and bury my head in the proverbial sand.

I completely avoided the Inauguration last month and I will not watch the State of the Union speech tonight. I don't listen to Dubya's news conferences, nor do I read about him in the newspaper. When I see his face on TV, I change the channel.

And you know what? I feel a lot happier these days! I'm much more relaxed being blissfully ignorant than participating in the political process and being upset and angry all the time.

I think politics is bad for one's health. Politicians certainly are.

Cleaning Kitty

Is your computer screen a little dirty? Click here to let the kitty clean it for you!