'Anna Karenina' ***1/2stars

director joe wright took a risk and it worked. realizing that it would be cost prohibitive to film on location in russia he utilized a stage setting as the film's premise and then flung the doors open. only to return again and yet again. it is a masterpiece of innovation. it is a cinegraphic wonder. dario marianelli's score soars. 

keirna knightley shines as the adulteress anna. she is actually filmed quite beautifully which isn't really hard to do. jude law is at his best as her husband. aaron taylor-johnson is merely interesting as anna's lover vronsky. in fact he is the weak link in this production. alicia vikander shines as kitty. and in a small role michelle docker is lovely as princess myagkaya.

it seems to have disappeared from most theatrical screens but will be available next month on disc.

the ever lovely michelle docker

A Brilliant Progressive Inauguration Address

Today Belongs to Him

Remembering Audrey Who Passed 20 Years Ago Today

i miss her terribly. today i'll watch my favorite audrey film today 'two for the road'.

Today He Is Officially Inaugurated: Tomorrow It Goes Public

Genie Francis Heads Back to Port Charles

ms francis returns to her role as laura and not as a guest. they say she is coming home for good....

she is expected onscreen mid february.

Kate Middleton's Official Poster

what were they thinking? how do you turn a real pretty woman into an avatar?

Breaking News: 'Drop Dead Diva' Cancelled'

it's a shame. lifetime tv claims it's for budgetary reasons. so cut the damn budget some. 'diva' and 'army wives' put the network on the map for prime time viewing. so i guess they bite the hand that feeds them. ridiculous!

What the Frack Was She Rambling On and On and On About

jodie foster at the golden globes was all over the place. he was like a mad woman.

Golden Globe Memories

 bill clinton was the big surprise. tina fey and amy poehler were damn funny. 'argo' and ben affleck surprised many but not me. the academy now has egg on it's face re affleck. jodi foster came out? duh we knew this forever. jennifer laewrence, jessica chastain enjoy your wins. hugh and ann are not 'miserables' today. sorry sally i was with you. 'homeland' was a lock even though it's sophomore season was over bloated and often incomprehensible. i'm a 'downton' fanatic. and finally kristen wiig and will ferrell gave us some of the best laugh(s) of the night.

congrats to all. here comes OSCAR!

Golden Globe Winners 2012

COMEDY OR MUSICAL SERIES
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
WINNER – Girls
Modern Family
Smash
• COMEDY OR MUSICAL SERIES – ACTRESS
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
WINNER — Lena Dunham, Girls
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
• DRAMA – ACTRESS
Connie Britton, Nashville
Glenn Close, Damages
WINNER — Claire Danes, Homeland
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
• COMEDY OR MUSICAL SERIES – ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
WINNER — Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Louis C.K., Louie
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
• SERIES, TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES – SUPPORTING ACTOR
Max Greenfield, New Girl
WINNER — Ed Harris, Game Change
Danny Huston, Magic City
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
• TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES – ACTOR
WINNER — Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Toby Jones, The Girl
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn
• DRAMA SERIES
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Downton Abbey
WINNER – Homeland
The Newsroom
• DRAMA – ACTOR
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
WINNER — Damian Lewis, Homeland
• TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES – ACTRESS
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Sienna Miller, The Girl
WINNER — Julianne Moore, Game Change
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals
• TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES
WINNER — Game Change
The Girl
Hatfields & McCoys
The Hour
Political Animals
• SERIES, TV-MOVIE OR MINISERIES — SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Sarah Paulson, Game Change
WINNER — Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Golden Globes Tonight on CBS

what's dumb is that the competing networks are showing original programing of  'the good wife', 'revenge', 'once upon a time' and 'downton abbey'. there was a time when the networks would not compete with award shows. however, we now have dvr's and 'on demand' to play catch up.

i'm not making any guesses here although i do harbor hopes. don't we all? julianna margulies, mandy patinkin, ben affleck, 'argo', 'downton abbey', sally field and 'les miserables' are on my wish list.

John Saint Denis Village

this is how you sell candles

Model Juian Gabriel Can Sell Me Swimwear Anytime

2012 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture

"Amour"

"Argo"

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

"Django Unchained"

"Les Misérables"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Best Director

Michael Haneke, "Amour"

Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"

Ben Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"

David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"

Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"

Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"

Denzel Washington, "Flight"

Best Actress

Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"

Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin, "Argo"

Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"

Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"

Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"

Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, "The Master"

Sally Field, "Lincoln"

Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"

Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"

Maggie Smith, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel"

Nicole Kidman, "The Paperboy"

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

"Argo"

"Life of Pi"

"Lincoln"

"Silver Linings Playbook"

"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

"Amour"

"Django Unchained"

"The Master"

"Moonrise Kingdom"

"Zero Dark Thirty"

Watch the Oscar Noms Live Here

'The Good Wife' Roared Back on Sunday

the best network show came back from it's brief vacation full force. and michael j fox was once again along for the ride. the lovely susan misner played his wife and hopefully will make a return visit. julianna and josh and company were all in great form. the writing is always consistent and more.

BAFTA Noms Put 'Lincoln' on Top*

BEST FILM
ARGO Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
LES MISÉRABLES Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
LIFE OF PI Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
LINCOLN Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
ZERO DARK THIRTY Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
ANNA KARENINA Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Tom Stoppard
THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Ol Parker
LES MISÉRABLES Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer
SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
SKYFALL Sam Mendes, Michael G.Wilson

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer) The Imposter
DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) McCullin
DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) Wild Bill
JAMES BOBIN (Director) The Muppets
TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) I Am Nasrine

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
AMOUR Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz
HEADHUNTERS Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn
THE HUNT Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann
RUST AND BONE Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
UNTOUCHABLE Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun

DOCUMENTARY
THE IMPOSTER Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
MARLEY Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
McCULLIN David Morris, Jacqui Morris
SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
WEST OF MEMPHIS Amy Berg

ANIMATED FILM
BRAVE Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
FRANKENWEENIE Tim Burton
PARANORMAN Sam Fell, Chris Butler

DIRECTOR
AMOUR Michael Haneke
ARGO Ben Affleck
DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
LIFE OF PI Ang Lee
ZERO DARK THIRTY Kathryn Bigelow
* notice the absence of 'lincoln' director steven spielberg. tom hooper was also ignored for les miz.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMOUR Michael Haneke
DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
THE MASTER Paul Thomas Anderson
MOONRISE KINGDOM Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
ZERO DARK THIRTY Mark Boal

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARGO Chris Terrio
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
LIFE OF PI David Magee
LINCOLN Tony Kushner
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK David O. Russell

LEADING ACTOR
BEN AFFLECK Argo
BRADLEY COOPER Silver Linings Playbook
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS Lincoln
HUGH JACKMAN Les Misérables
JOAQUIN PHOENIX The Master

LEADING ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA Amour
HELEN MIRREN Hitchcock
JENNIFER LAWRENCE Silver Linings Playbook
JESSICA CHASTAIN Zero Dark Thirty
MARION COTILLARD Rust and Bone

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ALAN ARKIN Argo
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Django Unchained
JAVIER BARDEM Skyfall
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Master
TOMMY LEE JONES Lincoln

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS The Master
ANNE HATHAWAY Les Misérables
HELEN HUNT The Sessions
JUDI DENCH Skyfall
SALLY FIELD Lincoln

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ANNA KARENINA Dario Marianelli
ARGO Alexandre Desplat
LIFE OF PI Mychael Danna
LINCOLN John Williams
SKYFALL Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ANNA KARENINA Seamus McGarvey
LES MISÉRABLES Danny Cohen
LIFE OF PI Claudio Miranda
LINCOLN Janusz Kaminski
SKYFALL Roger Deakins

EDITING
ARGO William Goldenberg
DJANGO UNCHAINED Fred Raskin
LIFE OF PI Tim Squyres
SKYFALL Stuart Baird
ZERO DARK THIRTY Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg

PRODUCTION DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
LES MISÉRABLES Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
LIFE OF PI David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
LINCOLN Rick Carter, Jim Erickson
SKYFALL Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock

COSTUME DESIGN
ANNA KARENINA Jacqueline Durran
GREAT EXPECTATIONS Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
LES MISÉRABLES Paco Delgado
LINCOLN Joanna Johnston
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN Colleen Atwood

MAKE UP & HAIR
ANNA KARENINA Ivana Primorac
HITCHCOCK Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
LES MISÉRABLES Lisa Westcott
LINCOLN Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou

SOUND
DJANGO UNCHAINED Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward
LES MISÉRABLES Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
LIFE OF PI Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
LIFE OF PI Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE Nominees TBC
PROMETHEUS Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth

I've Got a Crush on You

'Pretty Little Liars' Returns Tonight, Finally!

my favorite guilty pleasure is back...let the games begin...

'Lying Game' Season 2 Tonight

 a guilty pleasure following 'pretty little liars'. a fun night on abc family.

Josh's Juke Box: Extraordinary'

the soundtrack of my life

lucy hale

i think lucy hale is an extraordinary talent. she is wonderful as aria on 'pretty little liars. she has a voice to match her acting abilities. it is time for someone in hollywod to finally film the musical 'she loves me' and cast her as amalia barish. then redo 'carousel'. she is the perfect julie jordon.

Josh's Juke Box: 'You're the One that I Want'

from the soundtrack of my mind

 'glee' got it right and having the different (ex)couples share it was genius. when 'glee' does it right they do it very right and vice versa.

'Downton Abbey' Season 3 Tonight at Last

finally season 3 crosses the pond. check your local pbs listings for times tonight. welcome back to the best cast on tv and a masterpiece classic that deserves that title.

michelle and jessica interview

sneak peak at the divine dame maggie

'Downton Abbey' Season 3 Tonight at Last

finally season 3 crosses the pond. check your local pbs listings for times tonight. welcome back to the best cast on tv and a masterpiece classic that deserves that title.

michelle and jessica interview

sneak peak at the divine dame maggie

'Downton Abbey' Season 3 Tonight at Last

finally season 3 crosses the pond. check your local pbs listings for times tonight. welcome back to the best cast on tv and a masterpiece classic that deserves that title.

michelle and jessica interview

sneak peak at the divine dame maggie

Movie Montage 2012

'Les Miserables' ***1/2

'les miz' is brilliant. the show that is. the tom hooper directed film is somewhat short of brilliant. but that is good. all of us 'les miz' fans have seen the film in our minds over the past 25 years. some of our thoughts and hopes may have been realized with this version. quite a few of mine were. well almost were. but i did not conceive it...mr hooper did and he is to be congratulated. he remained faithful to the original adding snippets here and there to tie together formally loose ends to make a more complete scenario. also a good move.

i cannot quibble with the production values. it is generally amazing to look at and listen to. generally.  for instance: there was just a bit, no maybe too much, excrement in the sewer scene. sometimes less is more. but this is a minor quibble. and vocally the idea to record live on set is quite remarkable with the exception of russell crowe.

the story of jean valjean (hugh jackman) begins with his release from prison, owning a factory encountering his former prison guard javert (russel crowe), encountering the down and out fantine (anne hathaway) and taking responsibility for her daughter cosette. but it all really picks up after the death of fantine when the story moves to paris and we meet the young revolutionaries led by enjoiras, (arron tveit) and his band of student rebels and his best friend marius (eddie redmayne), his friend eponine (samantha barks)  and the now grown cosette (amanda seyfried).

what we now have is an action filled revolt and true romance and the remnants of unrequited love and friends forever gone. and death. not your typical musical but still a bit above most all the others filmed.

the musical highlights are 'the red and black', 'in my life/a heart full of love, 'one day more', 'on my own', 'bring him home' and 'empty chairs at empty tables'. anne hathaways 'i dreamed a dream' is certainly her jennifer hudson moment. it and ms hathaway are wonderful but it is sung for the academy. it is her supporting actress oscar nomination and probable win. if there were justice that nom would go to samantha barks as eponine. i have never been kind to ms hathaway but will give her due credit here. she would just not get an oscar vote from me.

hugh jackman is terrific as jean valjean. eddie redmayne as marius is extraordinary. his 'empty chairs at empty tables is brilliant and a highlight. aaron tveit is a fitting and worthy enjoiras. samantha barks is the quitessential eponine and her 'on my own' is brilliant. amanda seyfried with an almost angelic voice is adorably convincing as the lovely cosset. sasha baron cohen and helena bonham carter add the necessary comic relief as the innkeeper thenardier's. and now we get to the weak link: russell crowe who's right for the part but not the singing. his voice is ear piercing. when he starts singing it just pulls you right out of the film. sadly. and admittedly it lost 1/2 a star because of him. 

all in all see it. it is a grand endeavor that succeeds. and samantha, eddie, aaron and amanda along with hugh amaze.

Looking Back: 'The Music Lovers'

'the music lovers' has always been a favorite of mine. finally here is someone, director bernard rose,  who agrees with me. we both think it is glorious and moving. it was ken russell's follow up to 'women in love' and he again used the wonderful, well brilliant, glenda jackson to play the nympho wife to richard chamberlain's so gay but terrifically acted tchaikovsky. it was killed by the critics at large. frack them. it is currently available on netflix streaming but never got an official dvd release. it deserves a blu ray release.

Josh's Juke Box

two from the incredible bonnie tyler

'total eclipse of the heart'


'it's a heartache'

'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' ***1/2

'salmon fishing in the yemen' is a lost gem of 2012. perhaps because it has one of the worst titles of the year. don't let that title fool you. it's one of those slice of life films i enjoy.  it's quite simple: a sheik wants to bring the sport of fly fishing to the yemen and his faith dares want to make the impossible possible. and of course there is the love angle as the relationship between consultant and expert, emily blunt and ewan mcgregor, grows from mutual admiration to something more. emily blunt is wonderful (i love her actually) and ewan mcgregor is subtly brilliant as always. and last but not least there is a rare comedic turn by the wonderful kristen scott thomas (i love her too). and yes emily and kristen are almost always wonderful and more.

this one is already available on disc and digital download. take a chance you may get swept in.

'Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2' ****stars

the 'twilight' finale gets 4 stars because it out did itself. it is a grand spectacle. now i have not always praised this series as there were some major bumps along the way. here we have a fond farewell. the cast shines in a way it has not before although robert pattinson always shined in this series for me.

now i never read the books therefore a turn of events toward the end of the film offered one of the best surprises in film in years. one of the few things that could beat it would be a remake on 'the sound of music' where the nazi's get the von trapps at the end. that would be a surprise!

the fans of the series have seen this already. if you have not seen the previous entries it may not make sense. still i am here to say it is the beat of the series. goodbye to the cullen can and the pack. you served us well.

one last thought: this finale was a better ending than the 'batman' finale although the first two installments of the 'batman trilogy' wre better than the 4 out of 5 of the 'twilight series. i hope that made sense.