After the Awards

Well, the academy awards are over and I correctly predicted 20 out of 24 awards. Not as good as last year but pretty good. I hosted an Oscar party on Sunday night at the home of a wonderful couple from church and I think everyone had a good time. We laughed, ate, and just hung out. I'm slowly coming out of my depression at Julie Christie going home empty-handed; I had really wanted her to win and out of all five nominees, she was certainly the most deserving.

It will be a while before the next race begins and I'll take a bit of a break from going to the movies but only a little one. Soon, there will be rumblings about next year's Oscar race and I'll be right there ready to listen.

peace,

paul

My predictions for the big night

In a little more than 24 hours, the Super Bowl of the movies will begin and we'll see how well I know my stuff (or how good I am at making predictions). I have seen the movies up for major nominations and I've seen all of the performances in the acting categories. Below, I will write who SHOULD win and who WILL win. Last year I correctly predicted every category except for one. Will lightning strike twice or will I be an abysmal failure? Either way, I'm going to have fun.

peace,

paul


Best Sound Editing:
SHOULD win-Transformers
WILL win-The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Sound Mixing:
SHOULD win-Transformers
WILL win-The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Visual Effects:
SHOULD win-The Golden Compass
WILL win-Transformers

Best Makeup:
SHOULD win-La Vie En Rose
WILL win-La Vie En Rose

Best Costume Design:
SHOULD win-Elizabeth:The Golden Age
WILL win-Elizabeth:The Golden Age

Best Live Action Short:
SHOULD win-At Night
WILL win-Tanghi Argentini

Best Animated Short:
SHOULD win-Peter & The Wolf
WILL win-I Met The Walrus

Best Animated Feature:
SHOULD win-Persepolis
WILL win-Ratatouille

Best Foreign Language Film:
SHOULD win-The Counterfeiters
WILL win-The Counterfeiters

Best Documentary Short:
SHOULD win-Freeheld
WILL win-Freeheld

Best Documentary Feature:
SHOULD win-No End In Sight
WILL win-Taxi To The Dark Side

Best Original Song:
SHOULD win-"Falling Slowly"-Once
WILL win-"Falling Slowly"-Once

Best Original Score:
SHOULD win-Atonement
WILL win-Atonement

Best Film Editing:
SHOULD win-No Country For Old Men
WILL win-The Bourne Ultimatum

Best Cinematography:
SHOULD win-There Will Be Blood
WILL win-There Will Be Blood

Best Art Direction:
SHOULD win-Atonement
WILL win-Sweeney Todd

Best Original Screenplay:
SHOULD win-Juno
WILL win-Juno

Best Adapted Screenplay:
SHOULD win-No Country For Old Men
WILL win-No Country For Old Men

Best Supporting Actor:
SHOULD win-Tom Wilkinson-Michael Clayton
WILL win-Javier Bardem-No Country For Old Men

Best Supporting Actress:
SHOULD win-Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton
WILL win-Tilda Swinton-Michael Clayton

Best Actor:
SHOULD win-Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood
WILL win-Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood

Best Actress:
SHOULD win-Julie Christie-Away From Her
WILL win-Julie Christie-Away From Her

Best Director:
SHOULD win-Tony Gilroy-Michael Clayton
WILL win-Joel & Ethan Coen-No Country For Old Men

Best Picture:
SHOULD win-Juno
WILL win-No Country For Old Men

weekly post from February 22, 2008

Hello friends & loved ones,

Juno, No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Michael Clayton...No, those aren't just random words or titles but the five movies up for the primo movie award in the country (Other countries have their own equivalent of the Oscars) but this is the weekend that the little gold men come out to play.

Ten years ago the big winner was about an ocean liner that sank whilst two young lovers tried to stay alive and with each other. Who will win this year? I've got my pick but if my life were one of those movies, right now it would be Atonement. Ten years ago this would have been the kind of movie I would have wanted to see win, however, now I'm not even enjoying that my life has that title at this moment in time.

We all make mistakes and end up paying for them in one way or another and that is precisely what I'm currently doing. Thankfully we sometimes realize what we have (and should cherish) before it is too late. I was lucky and do not plan on using another one of my "nine lives" because I might not have another one.

I guess the long and the short of it is be thankful for what you have; treasure it, rejoice in it because whatever you think is better or more enjoyable might turn out to be just "eh, it's alright." Believe me, I found out the hard way.

Pray for each other as I pray for you and here's to hoping I do great on my Oscar picks.

Until next week-stay safe, stay happy and stay healthy.

love,

paul

weekly post from February 16, 2008

Hello my friends & loved ones,

What a difference a year makes, indeed! Last year at this exact time I was trying to think of any excuse I could NOT to go to work, I was mean and ugly to my spouse, I was unhappy, I was grouchy, I was falling into an abyss that would last most of the year and I didn't even realize it...YET. It would be another week before I knew there was something seriously wrong and last a full ten months. It was depression coupled with what I call a pre pre mid-life crises. I am not one to dwell on things or talk things to death (unless you talk to my spouse..haha) but I want people to know that it does get better and to reach out and talk, scream, yell, vent, cry or whatever it takes to get to a better and healthier place. Just stop hurting yourself and those around you.

2008 started as a much better year than 2007 and I didn't realize until this week how changed and healthier I am compared to last year. I'm actually excited about the Academy Awards which I have watched religiously (sorry, honey) for 19 years now (or it will be 19 after next Sunday).

My nugget for this week's email is that just because it's February in Western, NY and gray, dreary and desolate doesn't mean there's no sunshine, excitement, hope and possibility; it just means you have to open your eyes to find it. I am here! Yes, I'm putting myself out there to those of you who may be in a dark place. Let me bring you into sunshine and laughter. Don't think I can do it-try me!! I'm always up for a good challenge. I tell people that if I can jump out of an airplane at over 15,000 feet then I can do ALMOST anything. Call on me to bring you out of the darkness and into the sunshine that you can almost only see in the middle of July. I dare you.

No, I'm not high but I am high on life. I've had a resurrection, a rebirth. I feel I'm exactly where I want to be right now. See the possibilities that life has to offer you when you wake up tomorrow morning. If you can't or are having problems, let me know and I'll help. Wow! I sound like a guru or a ZEN master; that's exactly what I was aiming for (haha).

Ok, I'm done rambling. Until next week...stay safe, stay happy and stay HEALTHY.

love,

paul

cool video

The ranch meets the rink in this neat youtube video. I shudder to think how many hours they spent perfecting this routine, which is amazing by the way.

Enjoy,

paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkp9OXAVD88

Tuesday Humor

Here's some laughs for you.

Enjoy,
paul

GEORGE CARLIN'S NEW RULES FOR 2008

New Rule: No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting.

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days --- mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged . I have a better description for these kids: 'Lucky bastards.'

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Good, we're done.

New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a 'decaf grandee, half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low, and One NutraSweet,' ooooh, you're a huge asshole.

New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering My PIN number, pressing 'Enter,' verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't want Cash back, and pressing 'Enter' again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Mars Bar.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you Spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to 'beef with broccoli.' The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.

New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.

New Rule: And this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can't even tell If he's supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your webcam, Dude. I just want to wash my hands.

New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to hear '27 months.' 'He's two' will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.

New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than Minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, 'Do you want fries with that?'

There will be an Academy Awards show and it's sure to be a celebratory affair especially after the long and tiresome writer's strike. David Spade is all too keen to let us know that the affair is a-happenin' and he does an almost spot-on impersonation of Daniel Day-Lewis to let people know that the Oscars are on.

Enjoy.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/d8f1db3c4e

I'm sure that when Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis crowed about drinking up preacher Paul Dano's milkshake at the end of There Will Be Blood, he wasn't doing it to become a catchphrase phenomenon. However, everything has the possibility of becoming parodied and this is one of the best to come out of 2007. Check out these youtube clips and see what a riot Day-Lewis's line has become. There are several.

F.Y.I. The line was uttered by Sen. Albert Fall during a 1924 Congressional Hearing on oil drilling rights. He uses the metaphor to explain the concept of drainage.

Enjoy (slurp)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCCdZmHk5Fk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQAoFlgZy1Q&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDVzmbtVZ6s&feature=related

Thursday This & That

Take A Picture...A recent study from Florida State University has shown that while men and women take long looks at attractive people of the opposite sex, they also let their looks linger on attractive people of the SAME sex.

442 people (all straight, by the way) filled out questionnaires to figure out how they seek out the opposite sex and then were show photos of men and women that were attractive and then average-looking men and women.

After a picture was shown on one side of the computer, they were told to look away but with the pictures of attractive men and women the looks lasted for a few seconds too long and more than likely, in real life those looks would probably be bordering on ogling. And lest you think those men and women were just looking at the opposite sex, they weren't.

So my straight friends, next time you are out with your woman (or man) and someone of the same sex is checking you out, it's all good and doesn't mean a thing-except that you're HOT!!!!

Sheriff says sorry: A Hillsborough County Sheriff has apologized to the quadriplegic who was dumped from his wheelchair (I previously posted a link to the video) after he was picked up on a charge of fleeing and attempting to elude police. Apparently the guy can drive and, according to the video, move his leg. The Sheriff who dumped him did not believe that the man was a quadriplegic.

peace,

paul

funny video from youtube

Another cool link from the Ellen show. It is possible to file papers and do the hula hoop motion at the same time.....Riiiiiiiight!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHiqVygN-w0&feature=bz303

Check out this video of a police deputy dumping a quadriplegic out of his wheelchair. It happened at a jail in Hillsborough County in Florida. I am sick of the police abusing their power; it really disgusts me and something should really be done about it. Having said that, why does it look like the guy (in the wheelchair) is moving his left leg at the end? I didn't think quadriplegics could move their limbs, if in fact it is moving.

peace,

paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYMKyJRAabE&feature=bz301

Cool youtube link

This guy makes skulls from just about everything. I would like to try the hotel room one. I can just imagine the look on the face of the cleaning lady.

Enjoy,

paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3VDNaikh1w

weekly email from February 3, 2008

Hello friends & loved ones:
It's "the same shade" edition

It's a glorious winter morning here in Western, NY. Jim bought me one of the lights that people use when they are experiencing SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) and I used it for the first time this morning. It gave me a bit of a headache and it's way too early for me to notice any difference but I'll use it each day for about 45mins.

So, why am I in such a great mood? Because last year was a terrible year (in more ways than one) and after my cautionary tale of 2007, I've turned a corner. A corner in my personal life, my work life, my social life and my talents. I also celebrated turning another year older. The big 35 has come and I feel different; a good different. I don't, however, feel older. Maybe a bit wiser but not older. And FYI: The grass is the same shade on the other side of the fence!!!

Now as I prepare to have church service, I'm wishing and hoping that each of you are turning a corner in your lives. I pray for each of you to experience wisdom and have much good fortune.

peace
paul

weekly email from January 25, 2008

The "Oh, Oh, listen to the music" edition
Hello friends & loved ones,

Well, there have been plenty of weeks when I've neglected to write a weekly email but I can't remember the last time I wrote it on a Wednesday night; if there has ever been a time. There was a time when I had no excuse for not writing a weekly email (laziness is not an excuse but it is used as such) but now I actually have one. Now I write all day and can use the excuse that I don't want to write at the end of the day but here I am doing it; not for my health but for the exercise of it and for your pleasure...

Remember in the 70's and 80's and sometimes 90's when a soundtrack from a movie would come out and it would be filled with pop hits? I remember those from the 80's and 90's and have bought more than a few from all three decades. Many of today's soundtracks have nothing but recycled songs or songs that will never be released and many of the songs are by less than stellar artists. Having said that, I've recently seen three movies whose soundtracks I'm completely enjoying. When I see a movie I listen to the music. The music in a movie plays a very important role and it is often disregarded in favor of other things such as dialogue, action and plot. The music is also a part of those things and if the wrong music is chosen it can be very detrimental and/or distracting. The three movies I recently saw (almost in a row) whose soundtracks I'm currently listening to are Juno, Atonement, and There Will Be Blood (that's the order in which I saw the movies). Two of those soundtracks are made up of instrumental music and the other one features songs with titles like "Up The Spout", "Tire Swing", and "Vampire." I can't tell you which soundtrack I purchased before the above mentioned soundtracks but I can tell you this, those three are getting a workout. I hope whatever you are doing and wherever you are this week that you are listening to the music and enjoying it.

I've actually written some recent stuff on my blog (again, I do it for the exercise and for YOUR pleasure) so feel free to check it out and I always appreciate comments; negative and positve. You can even read which movie I actually gave a perfect score too. I don't believe there has ever been a movie I've written about that has gotten a perfect score. And this weekend I'll break down the results of the Academy Award nominations. I'm all a-twitter about them. If only I had a place in which to host an informal Academy Awards party or even attend an informal Academy Awards party; it's one of my dreams.

peace,
paul