Oscar Predictions

It’s that time of year again and you know how I love to give my predictions, so let’s get started!

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
Who Will Win: Obviously, Slumdog.
My Pick: I’ve already said I thought the best movie was Doubt, but that didn’t make the cut. I liked Slumdog and won’t be disappointed to see it win. But, given these choices, if I were a member of the academy, I would’ve voted for Frost/Nixon.

Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Who Will Win: It’s a toss-up between Penn & Rourke, with the oh-so-slight edge going to Rourke.
My Pick: I didn’t see Milk, so I can’t make a fair assessment of Penn. My pick is Rourke. He was great in The Wrestler and deserves the win.

Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Who Will Win: I hate to say it, but I think Kate’s got the momentum, though Meryl and Anne are more deserving.
My Pick: This one is hard for me. I have a tough time deciding between Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. On the one hand you have Streep who put on an acting clinic in Doubt. You know she’s great, but she can still blow you away. On the other hand, you have Hathaway who blew me away because I didn’t know she had it in her. If I put the two performances up side-by-side, I’d probably give the upper hand to Streep. But factoring in the intangibles, I would’ve put in my vote for Hathaway.

Supporting Actor
James Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Who Will Win: Ledger. Slam dunk.
My Pick: Ledger

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marissa Tomei, The Wrestler
Who Will Win: I think this is the category that’s most up in the air. I’m afraid Amy Adams and Viola Davis are going to split the Doubt vote opening the door for Penelope Cruz to walk away the victor. But I think I’ll go out on a limb and say Viola sneaks in for the much deserved win.
My Pick: Viola Davis. She stole the show in Doubt. Seriously, she had one scene - opposite Meryl Streep no less - and she knocked it so far out of the park people are still looking for it. How she doesn’t win this is beyond me.

Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Who Will Win: Danny Boyle
My Pick: Danny Boyle. Even though I don’t think it was the best movie, I definitely think it was the best directed. It was well shot and he got some good performances out of virtual unknowns. He did more with less and deserves the win.

So there you have it, folks. My 2009 Oscar predictions. And, for the record, these are all done without the help of others. I like to make my picks and then read what everyone else is thinking. It’s more fun that way.

My First Wreck...

And it only took 28 years.

I was headed back home after seeing He's Just Not That Into You, and I completely ran a red light. Yep, I'm a genius. I was having one of those completely zoned out moments. Absolutely had my eyes on the road, but my brain stopped working. And rather than me slam into the guy turning left, the guy turning left slammed into me. It's a weird intersection. Let's just say there's a little bit of a parking lot/median to cross, so he had time to speed up a bit. Granted, I don't know how he didn't see me because he had to have had time to stop or at least notice that I wasn't stopping. I'm thinking that he was zoned out a little bit, too, but that's neither here nor there. It was my fault. I'm the one who ran the red light.

I'm ok, but my poor little car is not. I have a feeling they're going to total it. Honestly, I don't know how I didn't get hurt. If you could see my car, the entire driver's side is just squished. He was driving a big truck and t-boned me. I spun around and came to a stop facing the opposite direction. But Honda's are awesome, and I was still able to drive it off the road and out of the way of traffic.

I'm sure I'll be sore in the morning. The adrenaline is fading away and the left side of my body is slowly starting to feel the impact. But my mind is going to take longer to recover because every time I close my eyes I see the truck slamming into me. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Ah well, such is life. I'm alive and well and, more importantly, insured.

On a side note, the movie was really good!!

A Valentine's Funeral

Today was a first for me. A funeral on Valentine's Day. Usually I'm annoyed by this holiday and like to wallow in my loneliness. But instead, I sit here both somber and filled with joy. My friend Jessica's twin sister passed away last week. I had only met Jennifer once, but have gotten to know Jessica and their mother, Helen, over the last year as I've become more involved in my church. I can remember Jessica sitting on the floor of my bedroom back a few months ago and sharing her frustrations and concerns over both her and her sister's sickness. Jennifer was fighting through her third bout with cancer and Jessica, her first. I remember telling her what a wonderful witness her entire family was to me. They kept getting knocked down, but their faith never waivered. I can only hope that my faith is as strong as theirs when tough times approach. In the interim, Helen was also diagnosed with cancer, but both she and Jessica have successfully attacked it and have clean bills of health.

Jennifer's funeral was the most moving one I have ever attended. She was a woman of strong faith, even through her sickness. During the service, they shared some of her writings which painted the picture of a young woman who was secure in her salvation, but struggling through life's battles as we all are. Most funerals focus on the fact that our loved one is in a better place or as Jessica said in her eulogy how everyone is a saint on the day of their funeral, but rarely do they focus much on the brokenness and struggles of the individual. But through her writings, Jennifer was able to share her struggles and hope with everyone one last time. Yes she was battling cancer, yes she was sad to see her loved ones sad and yes she longed for more time to spend here on earth, but she was comforted by the fact that she knew she was headed to her eternal home.

I feel we too often gloss over death and reflect on life with too bright of a view. Life is hard. We're going to struggle. Just because we know Jesus doesn't mean we aren't going to experience loss and hurt and anger. We still live in a fallen world. But we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus has already rescued us from this world. He's just chosen to take some of us home earlier than others.

Jennifer, thank you for your wonderful witness and for reminding us all that it's ok to struggle and question. I rejoice that you're no longer suffering and are in the presence of Jesus! And I continue to hold Jessica, your parents, and your husband close to my heart as they are left to carry on without you until the day that you are all together again.


Suppose you are a gardener employed by another. It is not your garden, but you are called upon to tend it. You have taken great care with a certain number of roses; you have trained them up, and there they are, blooming in their beauty. You come one morning into the garden, and you find that the best rose has been taken away. You are angry. You go to your fellow servants and charge them with having taken the rose. They declare that they had nothing to do with it, and one says, "I saw the master walking here this morning; I think he took it." Is the gardner angry then? No, at once he says, "I am happy that my rose should have been so fair as to attract the attention of the master. It is his own. He has taken it, let him do what seems good."

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

#26: Yes, I do watch the Disney Channel...a lot!

I was just thinking that I left off my Disney Channel love on my 25 Random Things list. For a 28 year old, that's pretty random. But at the same time, it's no secret. Everyone that knows me, knows I love all things Disney Channel related.

I don't remember the Disney Channel having many teen centered shows when I was an actual teen. Just the Mickey Mouse Club, which I guess is what started it all. I was obsessed with that show. Then, in college, my Disney Channel love exploded. I loved Lizzie McGuire, Even Stevens, Flash Forward, The Famous Jett Jackson, so on and so forth. The only one I didn't watch was So Weird, which is "so weird" because one of the stars of that show is the worship leader at my church. And the Disney Channel love is why I sat there for several weeks trying to figure out why the heck he was so familiar.

The love continued with That's So Raven, High School Musical, and occasionally The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. Then, the Hannah Montana phenomenon hit. I don't get Hannah Montana. I stopped watching for a little while. But then I was sucked back in by repeats of the old shows I liked. And I discovered Wizards of Waverly Place, which is a new one I quite enjoy. And yes, I tuned in last night for the premiere of the new show Sonny With A Chance. It was cute. I'll watch it. And Jo from Facts of Life plays the mom, so that just sold me on it even more.

Now, don't misunderstand me here. I don't know when any of these shows actually come on. I'm just saying that on the weekends I often find myself flipping to the Disney Channel and watching it for a couple of hours. And I like to think it helps me bond with my oldest niece and nephew. Caroline and I had an hourlong Disney conversation while floating in the Atlantic Ocean this summer. And Landen and I watched Camp Rock together when I was visiting them in Germany.

It's cute. It's harmless. I'm not ashamed. Hmm, I wonder if the Disney Channel is hiring?