A Glee Moment Part 1

glee is one of the most frustrating shows ever. it is so damn erratic. when it is good it is often very good and when it is bad...well it sucks.

but today i want to celebrate the very good. these three songs appeared in the last episode of what is now being called the winter season. these three performances are not just good. they are quite wonderful bordering on great.

'cough syrup'

'fly/i believe i can fly'

'here's to us'

{to be continued}

If It's Wednesday It's Time for Some Revenge

and emily vancamp and madelein stowe make it all the sweeter

new promo that premiered during oscar ceremonies

Some Nice Oscar Shots

Some Nice Oscar Shots

The Top Five and Meryl Pulls It Out

84TH Annual Oscar Winners

List of the 84th Annual Academy Award winners announced Sunday:
1. Best Picture: "The Artist."
2. Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist."
3. Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady."
4. Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners."
5. Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help."
6. Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist."
7. Foreign Language Film: "A Separation," Iran.
8. Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants."
9. Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris."
10. Animated Feature Film: "Rango."
11. Art Direction: "Hugo."
12. Cinematography: "Hugo."
13. Sound Mixing: "Hugo."
14. Sound Editing: "Hugo."
15. Original Score: "The Artist."
16. Original Song: "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets."
17. Costume Design: "The Artist."
18. Documentary Feature: "Undefeated."
19. Documentary Short: "Saving Face."
20. Film Editing: "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."
21. Makeup: "The Iron Lady."
22. Animated Short Film: "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore."
23. Live Action Short Film: "The Shore."
24. Visual Effects: "Hugo."

And the Winners in the Most Predictable Year Ever Will Be....

will meryl upset olivia? doubtful.

will clooney upset jean dujardin? i can only hope.

the rest are a lock.

here's to a better film year in 2012.

Kate at the at the Ceasar Awards Where She Picked Up an Honorary Award Friday Night

Oscar Past

haven't gotten into the oscar mood this year which is surprising. there are 2 reasons. the first was the cancer treatment knocking the hell out of me. the second was the lack of really good films this year. most of the best pic nominees would be also rans in other years. nothing really stuck out for me. maybe the treatment. maybe the films. probably a bit of both.

so here's a look back to better days:

Michelle Dockery of 'Downton Abbey'

michelle charms on dave letterman

downton's michelle joins the ranks of my fave brit actresses: maggie, judi, julie, keira and kate. as they did it took but seconds for me to respond to that certain something that makes me want more and then more still. talent plus a look, their own special look, combine and create something unstoppable. ms dockery is marvelous. don't believe me? well then do not take my word for it. rent 'downton abbey'.

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