The Perfect Day

Today was what I would classify as a rare perfect day. It started out with a trip out-of-town to a new church I'd heard about where I encountered a body of believers that actually studied the word of God. I actually had to open my Bible...it was amazing! I left refreshed and invigorated and with the hope that my exhaustive church search may finally be coming to an end. Church was followed by lunch at my favorite place, Chipotle, and then a stop at Wal-Mart, which is a rare occurrence for me because they're all so far away out in the 'burbs. But since I made the trek to the 'burbs for church, I figured I should take advantage of the opportunity to go to my favorite store. The only problem is I bought some pillows that I don't think I like now, so I'm going to have to make the trip back to return them at some point. After Wal-Mart, we made the drive back into LA and got stuck in Oscar traffic. Luckily, I wasn't in a hurry and it was the Oscars, so it didn't annoy me. Once home, I took a short little power nap and then watched all the Oscars extravaganza (woohoo for Marion Cotillard and the song from Once!). Afterwards, I did some research and found out some info on two local church plants the church we visited today is a part of. So next week's stop, the church plant in Hollywood. I listened to a sermon online and it seems promising. Keep your fingers crossed!

Happy Birthday (+ One Month), Matt!

As I've noted previously, moving threw my blogging schedule out of whack and I missed all the January birthdays. So those of you who I missed, be sure to check back in over the course of the week.

First up...Matt! Happy 34th Birthday, Matt! I've decided to steal Jolee's idea and make a list of the things I love about you.

You let me bug the crap out of your family when I'm in town.
You like Battlestar Galactica and a lot of the awesome shows I do. You have good taste!
You have a busted up knee, which makes me feel all the more closer to you.
You've made your kids Nascar fans. Oh wait, I actually don't like that about you. My bad.
Best of all, you love my sister and my niece and nephews and are a great husband and father - thanks for taking such good care of them!!



Glücklicher verspäteter Geburtstag!

Pics of the Red Carpet...

Thought y'all might be interested.

Oscar Predictions

Well boys and girls, it’s that time of the year again. And since I’ve joined the world of blogging, I thought I’d share my picks. I usually try to see as many Oscar nominated pics as possible in order to make a well-informed decision, but this year it just didn’t happen. The whole moving at the last minute thing put a kink in my plans, plus I’m honestly just not too excited about some of the nominated films. But I did get a chance to see a few, and, of course, I have an opinion! Most magazines give their predictions in a “Who Will win” and a “Who Should Win” format. I’m going to borrow that and tweak it a bit with a “Who Will Win” and a “Who I’d Pick,” which reflects who I’d caste my vote for if I was lucky enough to be a member of the Academy. So, without further ado, my picks for the big awards!

Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson’s War)
Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
Who Will Win: Javier Bardem. He’s been sweeping the awards, and I don’t see this being any exception. If anyone can pull the upset, it’ll be Casey Affleck. But look for Javier to start the ball rolling on a No Country for Old Men kinda night.
Who I’d Pick: Casey Affleck. I didn’t see No Country, so I can’t give a valid assessment of Javier’s performance. All I know is I’m still amazed at Casey’s performance in The Assassination of Jesse James. Never before have I so sympathized with a character that I’ve so hated at the same time.

Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There)
Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)
Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)
Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Who Will Win: This is one category that is wide open. I could see any of these women walking away with an Oscar. I see it ultimately as a battle between Ruby Dee (the sentimental favorite) and Amy Ryan (the best performance of the phenomenal five). I’m hearing that Cate is amazing in I’m Not There, but I think Amy has the edge over her because Cate’s already been rewarded once and the Academy likes to spread the love.
Who I’d Pick: Amy Ryan. I’m not certain why no one saw Gone Baby Gone. It’s a great film and Amy knocked it out of the park.

Actor
George Clooney (Michael Clayton)
Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
Viggo Mortenson (Eastern Promises)
Who Will Win: This is the easiest pick of the night - Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s a great actor and Hollywood loves him. I didn’t see There Will Be Blood, but I could sense the power of his performance from the trailer. Look for him to mention Heath Ledger in his acceptance speech. He’s been doing a lot of that lately.
Who I’d Pick: This is the rare category where I haven’t seen a single performance, so I’m picking based on the trailers. Despite my obsession with George and my brief elevator encounter with Viggo, I’m going to go with Daniel Day-Lewis for the reasons discussed above.

Actress
Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth: The Golden Age)
Julie Christie (Away from Her)
Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Laura Linney (The Savages)
Ellen Page (Juno)
Who Will Win: Julie Christie. Every actress in this category has a strong case for winning, but Julie has momentum and I see her finishing awards season up with the Oscar. But look out for Marion Cotillard to pull off what could be the only upset of the night.
Who I’d Pick: Until recently, I would’ve picked Ellen Page. But I just saw La Vie en Rose and was blown away by Marion Cotillard. Away from Her just arrived in the mail and is scheduled for a Saturday viewing, and I’ll let you know if I change my mind.
Honorable Mention: Cate Blanchett got nominated for this performance because of one scene. “I, too, can command the wind, sir! I have a hurricane inside me that will strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!” It was the single greatest delivery of a line that I have ever seen on film. If you haven’t seen it, at the very least you should google the trailer and watch it. It gives me chills every time.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Christopher Hampton (Atonement)
Sarah Polley (Away from Her)
Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Who Will Win: The Coen Bros. will add another Screenplay award to their stash.
Who I’d Pick: This is hard because I have only seen Atonement. I would likely pick the Coen Bros. myself though I hear Sarah Polley’s script is amazing and might be inclined to vote for her after viewing the film. I could actually see this as being the upset of upsets. Hollywood loves actors who try their hand at writing. I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if Academy members voted No Country for the big two (pic and directing) and rewarded Sarah for her writing/directing turn in this category.
Fun Fact: Do any of you remember the Ramona books? If you recall, there was a short series of Ramona videos made back in the late ‘80s starring none other than Sarah Polley as Ramona Quimby.

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Diablo Cody (Juno)
Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl)
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Brad Bird (Ratatouille)
Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)
Who Will Win: Diablo Cody. This will likely be the only award Juno picks up, and it is well deserved.
Who I’d Pick: Diablo Cody because it was the best screenplay of the year, original or adapted.

Director
Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
Jason Reitman (Juno)
Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
Joel & Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men)
Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)
Who Will Win: The Coen Bros. will take home their first Directing Oscar.
Who I’d Pick: The Coen Bros or Paul Thomas Anderson. I’m definitely not a fan of their movies, but they’ve got talent. Just because it’s not my cup of tea doesn’t mean I can’t recognize skill.

Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Who Will Win: No Country for Old Men. It’s not much of a contest. No Country will take home the night’s big prize. If anyone pulls an upset, it’ll be Juno. And that may not be as far-fetched as you might think. I could definitely see a scenario where No Country and There Will Be Blood cancel each other out making way for Juno to emerge victorious.
Who I’d Pick: Juno. This was my favorite movie of the year. The only other film I saw was Atonement. No Country and There Will Be Blood just are not movies that I like, so there’s no point in me paying $12 to go see each of them. I can appreciate the skill and art of those films, but I’m not going to sit and watch them. Atonement was a beautiful, epic film a la Titanic, but it just didn’t pack the punch that Juno did for me. Juno was the compelling, original, out-of-the-blue film that had something to say and said it perfectly.

Update: I've now also seen Michael Clayton. It was a really great film and George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson gave awesome performances, but it didn't change any of my picks.

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Happy --th Birthday!! I see that Jolee let the actual year slip. But I'm a good daughter, so I won't mention it! I hope you enjoyed your Red Lobster and Braums! That sounds like a delicious birthday to me!

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Battlestar Galactica

Where have you been all of my life?

One good thing to come out of the writer's strike is my discovery of this gem of a show. I know a few people who watch it and swear by it's awesomeness, but I had never seen it. Tired of not having anything to watch, I signed up for Netflix last week and this was the first thing I got. I've already watched 6 episodes, and I'm hooked!

If you haven't seen it, rent it!

What's on my mind.

I know everyone is wondering what's on my mind, so I'll indulge you all and put my thoughts on paper (well, really on the blog because who puts their thoughts on paper anymore?).

1) America is driving me insane with their love of Barack! Is there something I'm not getting?! Alright, so he's a rock star with charisma oozing from every pore of his body. And he's tapped into a theme that a lot of people are hungry for. Change. Yes we can! But what does that mean? It's a lofty idea, but an empty promise. Give me more substance. I don't bite on the promise of change from an inexperienced politician. An extremely liberal politician at that. One who has proven that he is essentially a passivist. I've got news for you Barack - everyone thought we should go to war when we did. Yes, a lot of us have changed our minds and realized maybe it wasn't the best thing to do in hindsight, but at the time all signs pointed to invasion. And you know what? Like it or not, Iran is a threat and someone needs to stand up to them. I can only take solace in the fact that McCain made the surge that he did because at least I know there is going to be one candidate I can get behind. One who's not extremely left or extremely right. Now don't get me started on the conservative backlash against McCain. That may just be more insane than the Barack love. But don't get me wrong, I still hold out hope that the pretty moderate (that's right, I said moderate - look it up if you don't believe me) Hillary can pull it out in the end.

2) The strike is over!! Woohoo!! I see they've heeded my advice and ended this thing before the Oscars. Now I get the Oscars and 4 or 5 new episodes of my favorite shows before the season ends? I'm one happy girl. I hate strikes! They're bad for everyone involved. I heard on the news this morning that it cost $2 billion just in LA, $1.2 of which occurred at the expense of the non-entertainment businesses like restaurant, hotels, dry cleaners, etc. that got caught in the crossfire. Strikes are selfish, and I'm thankful it's over.

3) Valentine's Day - blah! I hate it. I always have, and I think I always will. No matter how much you married/attached people like to tell us single people that it's not that big of a deal and you can celebrate the friends and family that you love, that's just a load of crap. As if it's not miserable enough to go through life single the older you get, you always get to look forward to that one day where it's shoved in your face. I'm not bitter much, am I?! Luckily, one of my best friends is going to have a baby Thursday. So at least this year I have something to look forward to!

Super Tuesday

I voted! Did you?

I don't know if I've expressed who I support, but in case you haven't gotten the "hint"...

I'm glad we have arrived at this particular day and time.

The move is officially complete! I'm no longer a resident of the Valley, but have finally made the trek over the hill to West Hollywood. WeHo is a pretty neat little neighborhood. It's very self-contained, so I plan on doing a lot of walking to restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Tonight, we walked down to the Beverly Center and took a little tour and grabbed a bite to eat. I'm afraid I'll get spoiled living here and hate to move away! The best part is that it only takes me 10 minutes to get to/from work, which is absolutely unheard of! It took me about half an hour from my last apartment, which was a pretty short commute for LA. I've done the whole hour plus thing before, and it's just not fun. Anyway, things are getting back to normal for me. I just need to get things unpacked, and everything will be swell.