On Sunday, the New York Film Critics Online selected Avatar as Best Picture at their awards ceremony at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. Jeff Bridges was named Best Actor for Crazy Heart while Meryl Streep was picked as Best Actress for her role as Julia Child in Julie & Julia.
Kathryn Bigelow snared the Best Director for The Hurt Locker, and marks the second time she's won the award in three weeks, having taken the same nod at the Washington DC Area Film Critics Awards (WAFCA), making her the first woman to ever receive prize from the WAFCA.
Rounding out the major awards, Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for Precious, Christoph Waltz earned 'Breakthrough Performer' while 'Best Screenplay' went to Quentin Tarantino, both for Inglourious Basterds.
While it did not get an individual performance award and lost 'Best Picture' to Avatar, Up In The Air was named one of 2009s' top films.
Picture - Avatar (20th Century Fox)
Actor - Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Actress - Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Director - Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique (Precious)
Breakthrough Performer - Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Debut Director - Marc Webb - (500) Days of Summer
Ensemble Cast - In the Loop (IFC Films)
Screenplay - Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino
Documentary - The Cove (Roadside Attractions)
Foreign Language - The White Ribbon (Sony Classics)
Animated - Up (Disney/Pixar)
Cinematography - Inglourious Basterds - Robert Richardson
Film Music or Score - Crazy Heart - Steve Bruton & T. Bone Burnett, music supervisor: Jeffrey Pollack
Star Trek is Quentin Tarantino's best film of 2009 - for now. The critically-acclaimed producer and director of films like 2009s Inglorious Bastards and the classic Pulp Fiction sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to list his top films of 2009.
Quentin Tarantino
Before we listen to Mr. Tarantino, here's his list, again, so far:
1. Star Trek
2. Drag Me to Hell
3. Funny People
4 Up In The Air
5. Chocolate
6. Observe and Report
7. Precious
8. An Education
Quentin Tarantino states that he's not seen "some of the films I'm expecting big things from" Avatar, Lovely Bones, and Invictus. He also stated that he's not including his own film, Inglorious Bastards, his highest grossing film to date.
Here's the Quentin Tarantino video interview:
This, coupled with the New York Film Critics Online choice of Avatar as Best Film, is starting a kind of cooling off of the rapid awards success of Up In The Air. Still, the awards season is young and it's just December 14th.
I received an email from Sean Sullivan who's on the board of directors of the Oakland-based Khadafy Foundation for Non-Violence, regarding a breakfast this Friday, December 18th 2009. The event, called the Chicken & Waffle Holiday Breakfast, starts at 8am and goes until 10 am, and is something that you should attend. It's just $25 per person and the ticket goes to the foundations' work.
The founder of the organization is Marilyn Washington Harris, who lost her 18-year old son, Khadafy on my birthday - August 4th, 2000 - as he was just riding his bike in West Oakland. Ms. Harris channeled her grief into the creation of Khadafy Foundation for Non-Violence to provide support services to anyone who's lost a child or loved one to violence.
Marilyn Washington Harris
I think Sean already expressed it better than I can in his communication to me; here's what he wrote:
Seasons Greetings,
As the holiday season approaches, this will not be a merry time for everyone, including the now 102 Oakland families that have lost a family member to homicide. The Khadafy Foundation for Non-Violence, which exists to help these families through their loss, bereavement and after, is hosting a Holiday breakfast Friday, December 18th at the House of Chicken & Waffles in 444 Embarcadero.
The House of Chicken & Waffles is being so generous that they are picking up the entire cost of the breakfast so 100% of your $25 ticket for breakfast will go towards the Khadafy Foundation's work with these victimized families and is tax deductible.
This moving breakfast also serves as a way for businesses with smaller budgets than past years to treat staff out during the holidays without the high cost of a holiday party.
Yesterday I created a video-blog (video above) asking why the Showtime Original Series Dexter was so popular given the, er, habits, of its main character Dexter Morgan (played by Michael C. Hall from Six Feet Under) and why Dexter was cast as a white male.
In "Dexter Season 5 - what's Dexter anyway?" I asked two questions: first, what's wrong with a society that makes a show featuring a serial killer popular?; second Would the show be as popular if he were black? I ask those questions because I'm not comfortable with how we as a culture tend to consume mass media images given to us without questioning their existence. Simply, why is this what it is?
Dexter (regardless of Season 4 or Season 5 to come) may be good and with Michael C. Hall in the title role I'm sure its excellent, but I don't like what it says about America in 2009.
I am used to being insulted and criticized; that comes with the territory. However, what I find bothersome in this case is the sheer anger that some express over asking questions. Someone over at YouTube wrote that I should just "shut up and enjoy the show", which is a solid guarantee that I will do neither.
There aren't a lot of voices video-blogging such questions for a mass audience and I can think of just a few names with major news organizations who write about why blacks or women or people of color in general are regularly excluded from anything - but the question is important to raise regardless.
I remind all that I have and will employ the right of dissent. And if you need a refresher on its meaning, here it is:
1. To differ in sentiment or opinion, esp. from the majority; withhold assent; disagree (often fol. by from): Two of the justices dissented from the majority decision.
2. To disagree with the methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government; take an opposing view.
3. To disagree with or reject the doctrines or authority of an established church.
In Dexter's case, I received precious few sensible answers to my questions, but even then what I got was both elegantly presented and a bit disturbing. Here's an example:
"Dexter is popular because many people like the idea of payback. Justification makes the concept of ending a life understandable. Not saying it is good, but if a person were to be removed from this planet and they were a vicious killer, Dexter's concept of testing and finding guilty is great!"
What I found bothersome, and the author agrees with me, is the idea that "Dexter's concept of testing and finding guilty is great!"
When I read that and considered that the organization Dexter Morgan works in is within the Miami Police Department, I wondered if a real life Dexter existed and if he went unnoticed in part because he was a good-looking white guy. So I openly wondered why Dexter isn't black?
And this - in a time when one online publications' list of the passing of important figures in American media included not a single African American person - is an important question. We as a nation must end this knee-jerk fear of questioning (or lack of attention to the question of) why people of color are excluded from presentations of our World in media.
Here's what's bothersome to me: the possibility that being bombarded with such images causes us to judge how bad someone is by the color of their skin, and at a subconscious level. Could Dexter's fans handle seeing a black Dexter exact his unique form of justice on mostly white victims? For that matter, would the people that could not stand such an image become fans of the show in the first place?
Those are the questions swirling in my head. They don't take the place of my concern with the America Economy, or the lack of spending for the University of California and the outrageously high tuition cost, or for the safety of Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau in the midst of this season of protest, but they're important nonetheless.
We must make sure that the images presented to us for consumption in media do not cause us to violate our amazing civil rights progress or forget the basic ideals that created America.
The elimination of racism and the embrace of dissent are key objectives in the advancement of American culture. Let's make sure we don't reject them and deteriorate into a society directed by the irrational, unpredictable, harmful, and occasionally racist desires of the mob.
Lastly, for those who've not seen Dexter and want a taste of it, as well as the show's producers, who are certainly happy for the Internet chatter, here's a clip from the show's last episode of 2009:
Dexter is not a Tiger Woods update or an NFL football player. For that, you may say "Thank God", but look; what's Dexter anyway? More like who's Dexter anyway? Dexter Season 5 has got people talking include me, and I've never heard of Dexter. Showtime calls him "America's favorite serial killer."
Yikes.
Dexter is a Showtime Original Series about a man who works within the bowls of the criminal justice system, but goes out and kills those people already suspected of being guilty of a crime, making him a kind of serial killer.
My first response in considering this television series was "I can't believe someone made a show like this, and that people are watching it."
My second take was "What the hell is wrong with society?"
I ask because, thousands of people lined up for at least four hours to see a special screening of the show's Season 5 finale Sunday in New York City, leading to this tweet:
At the Dexter finale party in NYC and fans have been lined up since 4:30 this afternoon. That's Dextication! about 6 hours ago from Echofon
And "Dextication"? Oh man. What's going on? And I have to ask, why is Dexter white? Would the show be as popular if he were black? I ask because once again we're thrown images to consume without asking why we're supposed to do so. You know? Is this a way of saying that it's OK for a white man to be a celebrated serial killer? Now, maybe I should rethink that, because who in blazes wants to be fawned all over because they're a serial killer?
But the point is, does Dexter reflect a racial double standard, such that in reality a white person is more likely to get away with such crimes than someone black? It's worthy of discussion.
Well, here's a video from the show; maybe you can clue me in:
The NY Giants came into this game tonight needing a win over the Eagles in the worst way. They couldn't come up with one, and so goes their season. In dropping the second game of the year to the birds, NY has no chance to win the NFC eastern Division, and must now win the final three games against the Redskins, Panthers, and Vikings just to win 10 games and get into post season play. We will have a full recap, but three players who had tough days for NY on Offense were Brandon Jacobs, Eli Manning, and Mario Manningham. This was their last game against the Eagles in Giants Stadium, with all the motivation in the world, and while they never gave up, they made plenty of mistakes in the loss. Including a sack and fumble on the very last play on offense. the Giants allowed 4 turnovers and several big plays, including a defensive touchdown, a punt return for a touchdown, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The Giants drop to a 7-6 record and are once again hanging by a thread in the playoff race. No joy in "wetville" tonight folks.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a list of 15 movies competing to be one of just three films to be nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. In my view this is the most competitive field in years. Let's look at the list first where the movies are in alphabetical order:
* Angels & Demons
* Avatar
* Coraline
* Disney's A Christmas Carol
* District 9
* G-Force
* G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
* Sherlock Holmes
* Star Trek
* Terminator Salvation
* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
* 2012
* Watchmen
* Where the Wild Things Are
If recent trends are a guide, the Academy will pick realism over obviously fantasy environments. That's what happened with the Lord of The Rings series which won the effects prize every year one of the movies was released. With that in mind, I think Avatar, 2012, and Star Trek have to be the front runners here.
Avatar has some of the most complex effects scenes ever developed and one look at a trailer reveals an unmatched richness and depth of layering. The Avatar world is hyper-real on a grand scale.
2012's depictions of earthquakes, floods, and giant arc-like vessels is just breath-taking. So much so that the film becomes a sensory experience.
Star Trek has a scene with the drydocked Enterprise that's so good it looks as if the 1,000-foot spacecraft is actually there in daylight. Subject matter aside, it's the most realistic scene of its kind I've ever seen in a movie.
Oscar List will be paired to three
The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee - the same group that created this list - will meet in January to pair it down to seven films. Then on January 21st all AMPAS Visual Effects Branch members will be invited to a special screening of 15-minutes of each of the seven short-listed films. From that, the members will vote for the final three films for the category at the 82nd Academy Awards. The nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Academy Awards is on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on ABC. Seen one of the films? What's your favorite for the VFX Oscar?
Tiger Woods moving to Sweden on a yacht? Tiger woods quit golf. The Tiger Woods latest news updates are getting weird. The the continuous public frenzy to learn more and more about the fall of Tiger Woods, the World's Greatest Golfer, has caused more confusing headlines and sloppy media content in the midst of all these updates - including mine.
For example, The Huffington Post has it that Woods' wife Elin Nordegren has purchased a $2 million home in her native Sweden. But that alleged development has other media outlets assuming she's leaving Woods. Now, it's reported at the same Huff Post that Woods himself is moving to Sweden with Elin Nordegren. But Campbell Brown and Larry King Live both on CNN reported that Woods and his wife were going to get away on their yacht.
So from all this we can only conclude that Woods and wife are traveling to Sweden on their yacht.
Right.
Separating fact from fiction is a doable process in this scandal but the rapid pace of information created, in some cases from thin air, makes it hard to do. Then that information is covered over by television appearances by Tiger Woods mistresses Jaimie Grubbs, who said she is sorry for huring Elin Nordegren, to Jamie Jungers, who was given the spotlight on NBC's The Today's Show to say she had fallen in love with Tiger Woods during their affair.
Sad for Jamie Jungers, who seems like a nice person. I suppose her mood is still anxious.
Meanwhile the whole deal gets a ton of attention, leading some to ask why the media pays attention to the story. Hey, it's society's fault. OK. Besides, I have to admit it's a lot less annoying than the attention given to Sarah Palin. I mean lets' face it: Palin is no match for Al Gore in a debate on anything. But Palin versus Al Gore on climate change would be like Bambi versus Godzilla.
You know how that turned out.
And will someone - OK me - tell Stephen A. Smith to chill on insulting Tiger Woods, calling him a phony and essentially cracking on him with a really hurtful relish as he did on Larry King Live Friday night. In the past I liked what Stephen A. Smith had to say about anything, and watched his TV show as its important for blacks to support blacks in media. But only to a point. I've reached it.
Now Stephen A. Smith really just comes off as a mean person. I wonder how he would handle it if another Stephen A. Smith talked about him the way he talks about Tiger Woods? Think about it. Here's a brother who of course wants other brothers to stand behind him on the air but he can't even bother to talk about Tiger Woods in measured tones? I get that Smith's upset with Woods' parade of stories, but come on.
WEEK 14 FANTASY SLEEPER By William Queen for Football Reporters Online
Nearing the end of the regular season, fantasy football fans are thinking of only one word; playoffs. Over the course of the season, I’ve provided a fantasy sleeper every week to help you out with who to bench and who to start. Well Washington Redskins running back Quinton Ganther takes the spot as week 14’s fantasy sleeper; if you need an extra boost this week, this is the guy to get.
Only 21% of fantasy leagues have this guy on a roster. And only 12% start him. So, needless to say, no one knows who he is. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t rack up fantasy points. Not getting a rushing attempt till the 10th week of the season, Ganther was simply an unknown backup. But, hence to two season-ending injuries suffered by backs in front of him, Ganther has his shot.
This is Ganther’s first career start, meaning that he’ll be looking to impress and hopefully take over in the Redskins backfield for the rest of the season. And lucky him, guess who’s lining up on defense? Only the worst rush defense in the NFL; the Oakland Raiders.
Allowing nearly 160 yards rushing per game, the Raiders think they’re catching a break with Ganther in the backfield. But little do they know that the Washington Redskins, along with back Quinton Ganther, will be looking for revenge after they’re suffering a painful 33-30 overtime loss vs. the Saints.
