R.I.P. Whitney

when i heard the news last weekend my reaction was the cynical 'of course. what did you expect to happen?' have i mellowed over the past week? no, not really. i am still cynical. but a great voice is silenced. that is what i need to give notice of: the voice. just the voice as i can now only wonder what if. what if ms houston had just listened to the lyrics she was singing in this song: 'on my own'' which is the one i'll remember most and be wishing she had also!

Treatment Finished

time to heal now that the cancer treatment has ended. and time to catch up on things i think. catching up with 'downton abbey' season 2 currently. still loving it.

so indulge me with giving you this video capturing the wonderful and beautiful michelle dockery as lady mary crawley. i am loving michelle. always loved 'angel of the morning'. quite fitting for lady mary.

more on season 2 to come

If You Missed Madonna at the Super Bowl Here Goes...

Sag Winners

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Best Male Actor in a Leading Role
★ Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Female Actor in a Leading Role
★ Viola Davis, The Help
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role
★ Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role
★ Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Cast in a Motion Picture
★ The Help

PRIMETIME TELEVISION
Best Male Actor, Movie/Miniseries
★ Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Best Female Actor, Movie/Miniseries
★ Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Male Actor in a Drama Series
★ Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Best Female Actor in a Drama Series
★ Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Male Actor in a Comedy Series
★ Alec Balwin, 30 Rock
Best Female Actor in a Comedy Series
★ Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Best Ensemble in a Drama Series
★ Boardwalk Empire
Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series
★ Modern Family

And the Nominees Are!

The nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning in Beverly Hills, CA.  The complete list of nominees are as follows.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Jonah Hill, "Moneyball"
Kenneth Branagh, "My Week with Marilyn"
Nick Nolte, "Warrior"
Max Von Sydow, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"


Actress in a Supporting Role

Jessica Chastain, "The Help"
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
"Berenice Bejo," "The Artist"
Melissa McCarthy, "Bridesmaids"
Janet McTeer, "Albert Nobbs"


Actor in a Leading Role

George  Clooney, "The Descendants"
Brad Pitt, "Moneyball"
Juan Dujardin, "The Artist"
Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
Demian Bechir, "A Better Life"

Actress in a leading Role

Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Michelle Williams, "My Week with Marilyn"
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,"

Directing

Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"
Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Terrence Malick, "Tree of Life"


Documentary

"Pina"
"Project Nim"
"Buck"
"Bill Cunningham: New York"
"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
 "We Were Here," "Hell and Back Again"

Film Editing

Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Thelma Schoonmaker, "Hugo"
Michael Kahn, "War Horse"
Kevin Tent, "The Descendants"
Christopher Tellefsen, "Moneyball"
Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,"
Alisa Lepselter, "Midnight in Paris"   

Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillan, "Moneyball"
John Logan, "Hugo"
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
George Clooney, "The Ides of March"



Original Screenplay

Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Annie Mumalo, Kristin Wiig, "Bridesmaids"
"Asghar Farhadi, "A Separation"
J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call,"



Foreign Language Film

"Bullhead"
"Monsieur Lazhar"
"A Separation"
"Footnote"
"In Darkness"


Animated Feature Film

"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
"Rango" Gore Verbinski


Best Picture

"The Artist"
"The Descendants"
"Moneyball"
"Hugo"
"The Help"
"Midnight in Paris"
"The Tree of Life"
"War Horse"
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

BAFTA Nominations

BEST FILM
THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MY WEEK WITH MARILYNSimon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
ATTACK THE BLOCK Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
BLACK POND Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
CORIOLANUS Ralph Fiennes (Director)
SUBMARINE Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
TYRANNOSAUR Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
INCENDIES Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw
PINA Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
POTICHE François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
A SEPARATION Asghar Farhadi
THE SKIN I LIVE IN Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

DOCUMENTARY
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Martin Scorsese
PROJECT NIM James Marsh, Simon Chinn
SENNA Asif Kapadia

ANIMATED FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Steven Spielberg
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS Sarah Smith
RANGO Gore Verbinski

DIRECTOR
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn
HUGO Martin Scorsese
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh
THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
THE HELP Tate Taylor
THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan

LEADING ACTOR
BRAD PITT Moneyball
GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants
JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist
MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame

LEADING ACTRESS
BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist
MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady
MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn
TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin
VIOLA DAVIS The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER  Beginners
JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady
JONAH HILL Moneyball
KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CAREY MULLIGAN Drive
JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help
JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn
MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids
OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help

ORIGINAL MUSIC
THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
HUGO Howard Shore
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias
WAR HORSE John Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth
HUGO Robert Richardson
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema
WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski

EDITING
THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
DRIVE Mat Newman
HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker
SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King
TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY Dino Jonsater

PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE ARTIST Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
HUGO Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
WAR HORSE Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN
THE ARTIST Mark Bridges
HUGO Sandy Powell
JANE EYRE Michael O'Connor
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jill Taylor
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR
THE ARTIST Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
HUGO Morag Ross, Jan Archibald
THE IRON LADY Marese Langan
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jenny Shircore

SOUND
THE ARTIST Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
HUGO Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
WAR HORSE Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Joe Letteri
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
HUGO Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R Christopher White
WAR HORSE Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

Some Golden Globe Winners

69th Golden Globe Winners

Best Motion Picture — Drama: “The Descendants”
Best Motion Picture — Comedy or Musical: “The Artist”
Best Director — Motion Picture: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Best Actress — Drama: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Best Actor — Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Best Actress — Comedy or Musical: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”
Best Actor — Comedy or musical: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource – “The Artist”
Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” — W.E., Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry
Best Animated Feature Film: “The Adventures of Tintin”
Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation” (Iran)

Television
Best Series — Drama: “Homeland”
Best Series — Comedy or Musical: “Modern “Family”
Best Actress — Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland”
Best Actor — Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss”
Best Actress — Comedy or Musical: Laura Dern, “Enlightened”
Best Actor — Comedy or Musical: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes”
Best Mini-Series: Downton Abbey
Best Actress — Mini-Series: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce”
Best Actor — Mini-Series: Idris Elba, “Luther”
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story”
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Dinklage, “Game Of Thrones”

Saying Goodbye to 'One Live to Live'

43 years. yes for 43 years i have visited llanview on an almost daily basis. and now my home away from home is gone. i was hoping it's cancellation was just one long nightmare that i'd wake up from in time. however, this past friday the 13th proved i was well awake all these months and that my retreat in the world of llanview was over. my dvr will never be the same again. the best soap ever on tv is now in the past to be replaced by cheaper talk show type programming which i hope fail miserably. i hope the now fired brian frons head of daytime programming at abc has a long and utterly miserable life. he has made many a fan miserable recently and he deserves pain and suffering. am i being to harsh on this man. no! i think not. miserable bastard.

amazing casts over the last 43 years entertained us. their writers made us feel every emotion there is. yes some of the storylines were 'out there' but hell that is the fun of soaps. fun. drama. what was there not to like? well all soap detractors have everything not to like. but the rest of us grieve in our own ways over the loss of this and other shows. we will go on but will go on without these friends. dear friends. i will miss my daily trek to this western pennsylvania hamlet. i will need to find a new escape route from the craziness of life and dare i say the republican party lol. goodbye victoria lord the matriarch of llanfair. goodbye dorian lord the zaniest diva ever. goodbye to the wolacks, the craigs, the mannings, the lords, the buchanans. to all their friends and mine  we bid a bittersweet adieu.

one last photo

for now blair, todd, starr and john mcbain will be heading to port charles in february as they check into 'general hospital'. this gives some solace to some of us. only time will tell.

the final cast

'The Artist' ***1/2stars

What's old is new and most welcome. In glorious black and white this silent, yes silent, film is pure joy. Going back in time to the earliest days of film is a pleasant surprise. My only fear is that there will be second rate copycat films if this is a hit. 


'The Artist' has Oscar buzz written all over it. Lead actor Jean Durjardin will get an Oscar nomination and so far I believe he deserves the win. But there is Leo in 'J. Edgar? And George Clooney. A good year for this category.

For the passionate moviegoer this is a must. Everyone else buy some popcorn and enjoy this slice of film past.

trailer

'War Horse' ****stars

'War Horse' is Steven Speilberg's epic anti-war film. From lofty farmlands in Britain to the battlefields of World War 1 France it remains an engrossing and powerful film. This is the best Spielberg has offered in years and will eventually be seen as a classic.

Jeremey Irvine in his film debut is wonderful. He does not miss a beat as the boy who believes in his horse Joey. Together and apart they both become heroes in the messy reality of war.

In one single scene, which is most reminiscent of 2005's 'Joyeux Noel', the frutality of war and the humanity of the men who fight in them touches your heart and senses in a few brief minutes.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself to a theater near you to see this masterpiece. It is meant for big screen viewing as it is a 'big' film. It will certainly be a contender for the best picture come oscar night.

trailer

The 84th Annual Oscar Poster

it's time to start thinking and arguing oscarbation

Midnight in Paris 2012

R.I.P.

Honoring Barbara Cook at Kennedy Center Honors

the tribute

and audra stole the moment 

Honoring Meryl at Kennedy Center Honors

the tribute

'The Descendants' ****stars

'The Descendants' is a damn good film. it is a quiet film that delivers a heavy punch to the heart and the soul. George Clooney plays a Hawaiian land baron forced to deal with two daughters he hardly knows after his wife becomes comatose after a boating accident. After the accident he finds out his wife was having an affair from his eldest daughter. Now having to deal with this adultery, parenting and a life-death decision he tries to get his life back and his daughters on track.

George Clooney has never been better and may get a second oscar for his touching quiet yet at times frenetic performance. Shailene Woodley as the eldest daughter will get a well deserved oscar nomination in the supporting category. The rest of the cast delivers the goods as they are all well directed by Alexander Payne also a potential nominee.

The final scene of the film is perfection. There could be no better ending.

This film will stand the test of time and that is what makes a good film a great film.

I'm with George

TV'S Best 2011

2011 proved to be a good year for tv. some older shows got stronger, newer shows impressed and network and cable shows as well as pbs offered somewhat better fare than most theatrical releases.

I could not narrow my list to 'the top ten' as i could not leave any of these following shows off the list. in alphabetical order the best of 2011 tv are:

'American Horror Story' is the first time i have picked an FX show. Set in modern day Los Angeles it kept you on the edge of your seat in it's first season. There was not a weak performance in it as it showcased excellent work by Jessica Lange, Dylan McDermott, Lily Rabe, Connie Britton and Sarah Paulson to name a few.

'The Borgia's' was Showtimes take on the Vatican under the scandalous Borgia Dynasty rule. As an officiando on Vatican history I can say it was as close to the truth as it will get. Scandal, treachery, murder, implied incest...who could ask for anything more. Yet Showtime has one better series as you will see below.

'Camelot' was the Starz network's attempt to rise to the top. And rise it did. However, the network has cancelled plans for a second season due to production costs. What? They did not see this going in? But just because it left viewers hanging does not diminish this one and it's only season's excellence.

'Castle' on ABC like fine wine gets better season by season. Stana Katic and Nathion Fillion shine as the non-couple Castle and Becket. The supporting cast is given more to do season to season adding greater dimension to this hour of pure joy.

'The Closer' gets better and better with age. Sadly next summer it will close shop forever. The superb Kyra Sedgwick is calling it a day after seven seasons. The writers are setting us up for what hopes to be a fulfilling climax as each new episode unfolds.

'Criminal Minds' returns to the top of the heat after rehiring actresses JJ Cook and Paget Brewster after fans protested their firing in 2010. With Ms. Cook's return the show has it's heart back which is needed in this darkly gripping and often disturbing series.

'Downtown Abbey' on PBS was far and away the best of 2011. This was not just another upstairs/ downstairs  BBC piece. It was nothing short of brilliant. Brilliant writing, directing and production values were supported by one of the best casts on TV this year. Special kudos to Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery  and the sorely missed, from every medium, Elizabeth McGovern.

'Game of Thrones' was the finest HBO had to offer in 2011. It presented mythology at it's best. I started watching it with trepidation but was soon swept up in the majesty of the 'other worlds' with fleshed out performances drawn from an exceptional cast. Kudos to all involved and i can't wait for season 2.

'The Good Wife' keeps getting better as it fleshes out the characters supporting Alicia Florack portrayed by the wonderful Julianna Margulies. There are not enough superlatives to describe Ms. Margulies so i will stop gushing now. This season has made her a good wife no more...she is GREAT as is the show.

Homeland' on  Showtime was the best of Showtime. In the post 9/11 era where major concerns surround terrorism attacks on the USA  this drama pulls at the seams of those involved with aborting future attacks or presumed attacks on our soil. Damien Lewis, Mandy Patinkin and Claire Danes head a damn good cast. I have never been impressed by Ms. Danes prior to this show but I am coming around to her. She is finally showing me her acting chops and that she has a heart whereas before i only viewed her as cold as ice. I will eat my piece of humble pie now.

'The Lying Game' on ABC Family' is not just for kids. It twists and turns with mistaken, taken and/or borrowed identities. Newcomers Alexandra Chandro, Allie Greczyn and Ethan Whitehorse headline a personable and believable cast in this tale of two sisters twister.

'Once Upon a Time' was the network surprise on ABC. There is a reason this fractured fairy tale series is a hit. Because it is TERRIFIC.

'Pretty Little Liars' is still my guiltiest of pleasures. Four friends tormented by the mysterious 'A' continue to capture attention. Great writing keeps this show moving along. Just when you think you've figured the mystery out something wonderful steps in the way and the juggler keeps juggling the balls in the air that have yet to fall to the floor.

'The Killing' on AMC is a grim dark murder mystery set in a gloomy water soaked Seattle. Some were put off by the first season finale. Not me. I await season two with eyes wide open.

'True Blood' returned to form this past season. Adding witches in with the vampires and werewolves added a new dimension to the series. And next year Chris Meloni joins the series as the baddest vampire of all. I can't wait.

'The Vampire Diaries' on the CW network remains the best 'supernatural' series of them all. Mixing humor to all the bloodletting is it's charm. The cast has matured wonderfully so the sensual overtones feel more real. It already had witches mixed in with vampires and wolves so all they needed to do was flesh them out and bring them to new and higher levels. It succeeded on both counts.


Well that's a wrap. If you missed all or any of these shows and want to catch up you can find many of them for rental, 'on demand' or soon to be released video. here's hoping for 2012 to be as well worth watching.

All I Want for Christmas' Spoof

i don't  mean to offend anybody but as a half jew i find this humorous