2012 Academy Awards Update

My 2012 Oscars Ballot

17 out of 24! Not too shabby if I say so myself. I'm predicting at 70.8% . One day I'll make up a trading card with my award shows stats on it. Look out for them at Target starting December 2012.

The show was not the most exciting out there. I grew tired of all the "going to the movies is an experience" segments. Clearly, they were filler so the stars could take bathroom breaks and fill up the entire 8:30 - 11:30 timeslot. Billy Crystal was an okay host. I wasn't completely convinced. He kept repeating some of the jokes, especially about the Kodak Theatre name change.

The most memorable moments for me in list form and no particular order:

• Robert Downey Jr. was hilarious with his bit about The Presenter documentary while proving to me that he can do no wrong. 
• Emma Stone was equally funny in her first time as Oscar presenter. "Let's dance"
• Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy calling back to their drinking game from the SAG awards (SCORCESE!) was brilliant
• Jim Rash imitating Angelina Jolie's right leg as he won for Best Adapted Screenplay
• The speech for Best Foreign film about Iran's culture was very touching as was the speech for Documentary Short about the victims of acid attacks. 
• Christopher Plummer's speech mixed cheeky old man with heartfelt thanks
• But of all the speeches, Meryl Streep's stuck with me the most as she thanked all of her colleagues both in the room and dearly departed. The New Yorker had a great post before the Oscars about how classic and artful her acceptance speeches are. And of course last night's speech was added to the list as well. The more I watch Meryl Streep just being Meryl Streep, the more respect I have for her and a desire to be her. Because it is obvious that she is a BAMF and does what she wants and doesn't give a fuck. As of this moment, she is my new role model.

And with that my awards season predictions are over. Now, time to prepare for March Madness, where I will fail miserably.

2012 Academy Awards Predictions

It's Oscars night! And that means it's time for me to pick who the winners will be. More often than not it will be random guesses since I'm terrible at watching movies.

Best Picture: "The Artist"
One of the few films I actually saw this past year. I absolutely loved it. Plus I would love for a silent film to win again since the first Oscars.

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
File under same reasons why I picked "The Artist" for Best Picture

Best Actor: George Clooney, "The Descendants"
Purely picking him because I think he is still one of the sexiest men ever. I mean, that voice. That smile. Everything about him is attractive. But I wouldn't be disappointed if Jean Dujardin won because he seems like a French George Clooney to me.

Best Actress: Meryl "T-Bone" Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Backing my lady Meryl Streep here. She is just phenomenal in everything she does.

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
It's Captain von Trapp!

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
She's been sweeping up all the other awards. Plus I want to see her wacky facial expressions during her speech.

Best Animated Feature Film: "Rango"
Random guess.

Best Foreign Film: "A Separation", Iran
Everyone says this will win, and so do I.

Best Original Screenplay: "Midnight in Paris"
This is a tough one, but I think Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" has what it takes.

Best Adapted Screenplay: "The Descendants"
I know it's unwise to vote against an Aaron Sorkin-penned film, but I want to see Jim Rash up on the stage more than anything in the world.

Best Art Direction: "Hugo"
From what I've seen from the trailer, this world looks vibrant and fantastical. And "Hugo"'s destined to take home a few awards.

Best Costume Design: "The Artist"
Because the other period pieces like "Anonymous" and "Jane Eyre" seemed lacking. And "The Artist" is my default guess.
Best Original Song: "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets"
The Muppets hands-down. How can you compete with Kermit?

Best Orignial Score: "The Artist"
Without minimal audible dialogue, "The Artist" relies on facial expressions and music to tell the story. The Kim Novak - Vertigo dilemma aside, I think "The Artist" will take home the prize for its beautiful score that hit all the right notes.

Best Documentary: "Paradise Lost 3 Purgatory"
Just a guess.
Best Documentary (short): "Saving Face"
Guessing again based on Entertainment Weekly's suggestion.

Best Cinematography: "The Tree of Life"
Cinematography is one of the categories I always have to look up to see what it means. And even then that doesn't help. I'm going with "The Tree of Life", despite not having seen it (everyone keeps telling me not to and I'm a little scared of facing my own mortality in a film), because this film looks like it has some of the best shots. The camerawork looks gorgeous and that's what I think it takes to win.

Best Film Editing: "The Artist"
Default "The Artist" pick.

Best Makeup: "The Iron Lady"
Since Meryl Streep will win for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, I'm going with the makeup that transformed her into the iron lady.

Best Sound Editing: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
I feel like this film should win something technical. Still not sure of what sound editing is but I think "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was the best at it, maybe?

Best Sound Mixing: "Hugo"
Default "Hugo" guess.

Best Visual Effects: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"
Obligatory vote for Harry Potter. This is my last chance to get it right for once. I think the final film has what it takes to finally take home an Oscar. Though, critically acclaimed "Hugo" will probably win.

Best Short Film (animated): "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore"
I just finished watching this touching animated short on YouTube. It is cute, fantastical, creative, and a bit of a tearjerker. The only competition I see for this short is Pixar's "La Luna" because, well it's Pixar. But this short has got a former Pixar artist at the helm so that and the film's message should be enough to pick up a win.

Best Short Film (live action): "Tuba Atlantic"
The description of this just seemed the most absurd and fantastic one out there. Old man + angel of death + mission to kill seagulls + Norway + the word 'tuba' in the title = Oscar. At least for me.

We'll see how well I do later. Wish me luck in kicking my friends' asses at the ballot.

What's Making Me Happy This Week: Community returns

Taking a page out of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour's book, I'll be posting what makes me happy each week.

It was announced on Tuesday that Community would be returning to primetime(line) on March 15th. After being gone for 3 long months, this cult show full of wacky and funny personalities will finally be back in its 8pm time slot. What I love most about the show is its ability to reference other pop culture and experiment with genres like no other show I've seen. Below is a clip from one of my new favorite episodes 3x04 "Remedial Chaos Theory", which might not mean anything to someone who hasn't seen the episode or the show at all. For those of you, 1) give Community a chance and watch it 2) this represents a return to the Prime Timeline where these people aren't just a study group, but a community.

ROOOOOXANNE

Over the hiatus, they cruelly teased us with upcoming guest stars and genres they would explore all while the audience questioned if we would ever return to Greendale again. Well, now I've only got a few more weeks of waiting left and then order will be semi-restored to the NBC Thursday line-up (it is a shame that Parks and Recreation has to go on a 5 week break in order to give us Community). And that's what's making me happy this week.