fortune teller

apparently i have to confess.
i went to have my fortune read and was told i need to write.

so, once i get back to vancouver, i will be inundating you with photos and stories of japan, until every rock has been turned, every blade of grass has been dusted.

yoyogi koen tokyo tomorrow, should put the proverbial icing on that cake.

moot or hooey?
if you do not do what your fortune teller tells you to do, you will be visited by large furry animals.

harajuku

tomorrow I board a plane to Tokyo.
the first place I'm going is Harajuku.
and if I manage to bump into these two, I'm never coming back :)

moot or hooey?
America may be the land of milk and honey, but Japan is the land of magic and truths.

deja vous? or simply really bad secret keepers...

well if it wasn't obvious before, it sure is now!
Adam's won Idol.
A standing ovation from Simon? hmm

So Allison gets a record deal too, eh.

And Scott said he wanted America to know he was versatile before they said goodbye.
He's going home?

Tonight was a strange night.
It reeked of betrayal.
Kind of like they'd all sat down and discussed what the outcome would be... with the top four, that is.

So Adam, Allison, and Danny have made deals already. Who's the fourth? That's the only thing I've not been able to peg. I'll bet though, that it's Matt or Kris. Just a feeling.

moot or hooey?
the odds of winning 6/49 are 1:64, while the odds of winning Super 7 is 1:12. The odds of winning Idol, 1:4, the others are just there for ratings.

CTV blooper

I don't know about you, but it drives me bonkers when people in the media publish ads, air commercials, read the news, and the like, with major grammatical errors.

It used to be that news editors and broadcasters, TV and radio hosts, etc, were reliable sources of proper grammar. One could always rely on them getting it right.

With all the possibilities to access Spell Check, Editors, Proof Readers, Grammar Check and a gazillion other things set up with the explicit purpose of aiding the writers and readers, there really shouldn't be any reason for grammatical mistakes.

This year's commercial build up to Tuesday's episode of American Idol ends with the announcer blurting out "this week the Idols will sing songs from the year in which they were born in"

Honestly CTV. no one caught that?

moot or hooey?

in Jan of 1989, the Mainichi daily news published the death of Emperor Hirohito, only he hadn't died yet. All those responsible were immediately fired.

more of my fav photos from '08

world's largest bath tub on L'ile de Porquerolles, in the south of France.Galapagos salt water Iguana (about a meter long), a projectile sneezer.
Sam, in a Lego box.
sea turtle tracks, Galapagos. It was mating season, but this is a G rated blog...I think.
Zorro's saddle, Costa Rica ranch in the northern hills. Zorro was off in the woods carving zeds in the trees.. on foot.
Lago Chico, Chilean/Argentine border. An awesome but very cold swim!
Heron, western Ecuador. Just as beautiful as the herons from the sanctuary in Stanley Park, Vancouver.
Chilean Mount Fuji, from high in the hills of Tinquilco.
back yard of American Astronaut Brian O'Leary's Ecuadorian oasis, along the Peruvian border.
visiting boyfriend George, on The Hour just before my friend Richard's documentary "Cubers" aired.
George tries solving the Rubik's Cube. moot or hooey?
George was so absorbed in solving the cube, that we missed the first 10 minutes of the show.

Nick of time

you know, I hate to say this, being the Adam fan that I am, but I really liked Nick's performance tonight. I still can't look at him when he sings, but I sure loved listening.

Adam pulled it back a bit which I think was a smart thing to do. Ear sex.
He was smart to change up the look again as well. Eye sex.
Kudos for acknowledging the band. I'll bet they're all on their cells right now, dialing your number... seriously.

Allison, omg, tried to do too much. In my opinion, that was an untouchable song. Gwen S. already did everything I ever wanted to hear done with it.

Danny was ok, but I didn't hear much of a difference between this and his other performances.

Megan, when is she going to find the right song. I love her voice but she may have blown it tonight.

Matt, I didn't really like it that much. He sounded like a cheap cover singer.

Scott, he didn't actually do that badly tonight, but again, it wasn't enough to stop me from going into the bedroom to finish folding the laundry.

Anoop, well, what can I say. Sayonara? perhaps. A strange choice of song. Again, someone who's really not that bad, when he has a little guidance. Unfortunately right now, he has no idea where he's going or how to get there.
But just to show you pretty much anything can go full circle into something amazing, I'm sharing this incredible rainbow that sat over my house the other day.

It's either a rainbow or an awfully large contact lens.

moot or hooey?
when you see a double rainbow, the colors on the second one, are reversed.

Kiefer gets naked

I hate all the skinny ass photos on the net these days.
How are we supposed to blog properly about the people we love... 

Tonight it happened. Lucky season seven!!
Kiefer got naked!
Oh yes he did. He took his shirt off then he dropped his drawers, in public. It was awesome!
So the camera didn't shoot below the belt. That's irrelevant when one has imagination.

Let me tell you how it goes down.

The alley is dimly lit. Jack Bauer is wearing a white cotton shirt. You know, the kind women like to wear on sleep overs. He's just removed his pants.

He looks into the distance, then gently pulls his arms out of his shirt.

He stands there half naked in the middle of the street, awaiting orders from the fully clothed woman with the examining wand.
She stares without saying a word.
He somehow knows what she wants. 

We all know what she wants.

He hesitates, gives one of those "here? now?" looks, does the "oh I give in" slump of the shoulders, then slowly steps out of his tackle holders.

He doesn't move, like he's waiting for something. The audience goes wild!

Jack apologizes for all the scars on his chest. 

The woman breaks into a sweat. She thinks she can read her name over his left nipple.
She's snapped back by the little tattoo of the pizza deliver boy on his bicep and tells Jack she's going to have to "lock him up" but before that, she's going to give him a "shower".

Jack stands in the middle of the street spread eagle (gawd!) while they soap him up from head to toe.
When she's done with him, she "tests" him to see if he was exposed to anything harmful, and lets him go.was it good for you? 'cause it sure was good for me!

moot or hooey?
tonight's episode won't be posted on the web because of its racy content. 

(I've just posted the photo below 'cause it made me laugh way too hard. Enjoy it while it's still here.)quote read "Jack hates Nemo"

Idol guitar

I couldn't resist posting this great photo from my trip to LA last month.
(Ndugu Chancler, moi, Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson)

My friend Ndugu did a music workshop with my friend Patrice, and Paul Jackson. It was awesome of course. How could it not be with three of the industry's best.

They graciously volunteered their time to sit in a room filled with budding musicians, and gave their all to these kids. It was inspiring.

LA is an incredible city, but what makes it so, are the amazing people who live there.

moot or hooey?
Paul Jackson sat next to Adam Lambert and played guitar during his performance of Tracks Of My Tears, on American Idol.

the tracks of my tears

OMG!!

ok, I guess I should mention who I'm raving about (as if it wasn't too obvious)
the amazing Adam Lambert.

He did it!
He needed to get personal and close, and he rocked tonight's performance to a standing ovation from Smokey Robinson.
How awesome is that!!

I think anyone who's seen Adam's performance of Dust in the Wind would know he was totally capable of it though.

Adam is on his way. Just make sure you keep an eye on Allison, your fiercest competition.

moot or hooey?
Adam has already been offered a recording contract regardless of the outcome of AI

tonight's the night, everything's gonna be alright...

Motown is gonna make or break a lot of the contestants tonight on American Idol.

I'm guessing Adam will do something by Diana Ross. He loves the Divas!



moot or hooey?
they're saving the "save" card for Scott

POLECAM - ICONIX HD RH1

this is the new camera i'm saving up to buy.

take a good look.
this is the wave of the future!!

this awesome little HD camera has won a multitude of industry awards to rival its competitors.

check out the specs on this beauty.

ok, so i'm going to have to save a few thousand dollars to get all the bells and whistles i'm looking for. i just hope i can do it before i'm ready to go to camera with my documentary in september.

way to go Polecam!!

moot or hooey?
by the time my doc is ready to shoot, there will most likely be two more updated models of this camera on the market.

RIP: a remix manifesto

Brett Gaylor's ambitious documentary, RIP: A Remix Manifesto, is an eye-opening, insightful, and amusing look at one of the pressing issues of the Internet Age: how corporate culture and copyright laws are putting a censoring headlock on freedom of expression, knowledge, and creativity.

The film's central protagonist is Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis), a mash-up music master at creating “sample” songs: songs made up by snippets or “samples” of pre-existing songs.

In an illuminating sequence Gaylor shows how metamorphosing a previous idea, evolved over the years and into Girl Talk's show.

“The Staple singers had a song called 'The Last Time' and The (Rolling) Stones basically riffed on that to create their 'The Last Time'.” he says. “Andrew Oldham then did the instrumental of 'The Last Time' which is basically the refrain that you're familiar with from The Verve and that became 'Bittersweet Symphony' and then Girl Talk takes it one more step and adds the Ying Yang Twins.”

In a day and age where it's common understanding that pretty much nothing is new, that everything borrows from something and has done so for centuries, Gaylor questions why it's illegal to create something new out of scraps of things from the past. According to copyright laws, art itself can be illegal.

Gaylor explores the right to “fair use” or “fair dealing”, a legal defence that allows an artist to “borrow” from another to make a point. Should Intellectual property be protected or shared.
He believes the past should be fair game.

And he doesn't limit his argument to the music industry. Copyright culture in general. The Corporate Copyrighting of plants, animals, insects, and diseases and the very real threat that poses to society.

Gaylor started a web site, posted his rushes and invited users to remix them any way they pleased. Some of the footage made it into the film such as the one segment 16 students got together and altered into an animation piece.
Check out his film web site

RIP opens this weekend at The Ridge Theatre (3131 Arbutus at West 15th)
Screening Times: 4pm, 7pm, 9pm daily

Director Brett Gaylor will be in attendance for the 7pm and 9pm screenings March, 20th

moot or hooey?
Gaylor doesn't have the rights to any of the music in his film

Idolizing Lambert

Adam Lambert is definitely my favourite this year. I think that's pretty obvious.

He's in a league of his own and it excites me to no end that he shakes up the judges the way he does.

He'll get picked up regardless, and I'll be first in line for tickets to his show.

I hope he gets to show his gentler side at some point during the competition though. He can deliver, and I think the judges as well as the audience need to know he can make that stretch. It'd be a shame if we never got to see that.

We know how original and hot he can be, now let us get close.

As the performances evolve, so do the performers.

Allison Iraheta is awesome. She's my new second favourite to Adam. She is so versatile. Can do country, rock, pop, pretty much anything they throw at her, and she's so incredibly young to be able to handle that with such grace.

Anoop Desai really shone this round, and he is definitely third on my list of great singers. I'm just not sure he has the versatility and audience appeal he'll need to make it to the top four.

Danny Gokey. I love this guy. I think he's a great singer, but he may have shot himself in the foot with the "Jesus" song. Kind of like the little blond Elvis from the last American Idol. Jaydee Bixby.

That's it.

I wasn't really that impressed with the others this week and it broke my heart that Alexis Grace didn't smoke that song. She's such an awesome singer, and totally marketable.

Lil Rounds, though I love her voice, didn't showcase it properly this week. This would have been a perfect opportunity to do a heart stopping ballad, and she would have knocked it out of the ballpark.

Megan Joy. I like her. She's very marketable but I'm not too sure where she'd fit. I'm still waiting and hoping to hear something remarkable from her.

moot or hooey?

although originality is a must, necessity is the mother of reinvention.

Adam Lambert

what can I say, I simply love this guy. his imagination, talent, and fearlessness.
a true entertainer!
best thing I've seen in a very long time.

moot or hooey?
Adam Lambert is on his ninth time around.

are you a mensa genius?

Here's a little test for you all.

You have to work out what the numbers and letters mean.

Scoring:
1 to 5 average
6 to 11 somewhat intelligent
12 to 18 intelligent
19 + genius

example:
24 H in a D = 24 Hours In A Day

1) 26 L of the A

2) 7 D of the W

3) 7 W of the W

4) 12 S of the Z

5) 66 B of the B

6) 52 C in a P (WJs)

7) 13 S in the USF

8) 18 H on a G C

9) 39 B of the O T

10) 5 T on a F

11) 90 D in a R A

12) 3 B M (S H T R)

13) 32 is the T in D F at which W F

14) 15 P in a R T

15) 3 W on a T

16) 100 C in a R

17) 11 P in a F (S) T

18) 12 M in a Y

19) 13=UFS

20) 8 T on a O

21) 29 D in F in a L Y

22) 27 B in the N T

23) 365 D in a Y

24) 13 L in a B D

25) 52 W in a Y

26) 9 L of a C

27) 60 M in a H

28) 23 P of C in the H B

29) 64 S on a C B

30) 9 P in S A

31) 6 B to an O in C

32) 1000 Y in a M

33) 15 M on a D M C

moot or hooey?
only two Mensa members have ever achieved full marks for this test.

Bachata!!!!! yayaya!

Bachatas
by tryptico

check out this amazing bachata dance video.

moot or hooey?
if you can dance, you can get a hot date in pretty much any latin country.

Idol Update

Ok, after tonight's performances, it's pretty clear who the top four are going to be...

only trouble is, no one's fessing up and it's driving me mental.

Here's how I think it's going to unfold.

Adam Lambert is a clear in. He's going to win the whole thing. End of story.

the other three in the top four are going to be Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey, and Alexis Grace. Having said that though, Matt Giraud, Allison Iraheta, and Jorge Nunez will give them a good run for their money.

The others, sayonara, two by two.

moot or hooey?

it's a huge shot in the foot to choose to sing a song that's been within somone else's top five hits.

 

Louis C.K.

this is soooooo funny!!

check it out while it's here.

moot or hooey?

the only reason they don't make the entire plane out of the material they make the little black box, is that it'd never get off the ground.

pure genius

pure genius!

My friend Shelley sent me this video today. It's awesome!!

If you're an artist of any persuasion, this 20 min video by Elizabeth Gilbert is a must see.

thanks Shelley!!

 

moot or hooey?

the word "Ole" also translates as "Ancestor"

Idol predictions

Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, and Alexis Grace will be three of the top four on
American Idol.

Mishavonna Henson may give them a run for their money if she makes it through to the next round.

moot or hooey?

no one under 20 has ever won American Idol

Her Morning Elegance

check out this fabulous video/song!

moot or hooey?

YouTube is rapidly becoming the fastest way to fame and fortune, bypassing the multitudes of middlemen

Idol momentum

Danny Gokey is through to the top 12. yes!

Alexis Grace will be with him in the top four!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Jamal Rogers comes back as a wild card.

There's simply no other explanation for his departure.

This week Ricky Braddy was bumped off. 

I think he might come back as a wild card as well.

Who is Persenias?... am I spelling that correctly?

She is a force to be reckoned with. 

I can't wait until her week comes up.

moot or hooey?

addictions can visual as well as physical

Oscars

This year I'm ready for the Academy Awards.
I've schlepped my way from theatre to theatre watching film after film, spent a million hours in front of the TV watching CDs of the ones that were no longer screening, and I'm finally done.

Here's my take on what I saw.

Best Film
Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
Frost/Nixon
The Reader

The Reader is amazing and Kate Winslet and David Kross are stellar, but the film is long. It could easily have ended with Winslet's final scene, but it pushes on for another ten minutes and that's what I think pulls it out of contention.

Benjamin Button is an extraordinary film for its visual effects and unique story. The first 45 minutes of the film enraptures, but it slows down immensely after that. I felt little to nothing for Pitt's and Blanchett's characters. I think it a fundamental flaw that the director allows Pitt's character, with this extraordinary gift/flaw that surely would have made headlines world wide, let alone in his home town, be entirely forgotten as he grows younger and more vulnerable.

Slumdog Millionaire is unique and the pacing is great, but the romance isn't believable. It was very disconnected. My bone of contention with this film is the leading lady. I would have liked to see someone a little less “Hollywood” or in this case “Bollywood” in that role. A life of slums, prostitution, and malnutrition would have taken its toll on anyone regardless. Her flawless skin and perfect teeth proved only to take me out of the film and lose any belief I might have had in the character.

Frost/Nixon. I waited until the end to watch this film. It was worth it. A good film. I was fairly impressed considering the story was known beforehand. Frank Langella and Kevin Bacon were fabulous. Completely believable, they both drew me in entirely. If Milk wasn't on the list, I think this would have been my favourite film.

Which brings us to Milk. Sean Penn gives an incredible performance as Harvey Milk. This is the only film of the lot that I didn't want to end. I wanted more. I wanted to know what happened after Harvey died, to everyone and everything. It's not often you come across a film that can have that affect.

Who I'd like to win: Milk
Who I think will win: Benjamin Button, if it's not edged out by Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Male Actor
Brad Pitt - Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Sean Penn - Milk
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor

Brad Pitt is ok when you see him, and he does a great job of the ADRs, but I think the majority of the most impactual moments on screen come from the performances created by the combination of stand-in actors and the digital work in post production. Not enough of a performance by Pitt to warrant an Oscar.

Mickey Rourke. You've got to admire the work put in to this role, and I'm glad he got the Golden Globe for this role. But is it Oscar worthy? I don't think so. Rourke does a great job bouncing around as a wrestler and if there was an Oscar for best wrestler impersonation, he'd win it hands down. It almost felt like he was hiding behind those tights.

Frank Langella is incredible. If you haven't seen this film, you absolutely must. Langella plays Nixon with such believability it felt like you were watching Nixon in real time. I think it will be a close race between Langella and Penn with Langella winning by an edge.

Sean Penn. What can you say about Penn that hasn't been said before. He's stellar, and delivers a hundred fold on his portrayal of Harvey Milk. Penn isn't afraid to delve into eccentric difficult roles and he does it with ease and flare. I must say though, that I'm torn. Although I truly loved Penn's performance, I felt it was almost too easy. Like giving a gangster role to Pacino.

Richard Jenkins. I have to say I liked this performance the best out of all the male contenders. Jenkins is solid and creates a character both lovable and believable. It's a subtle, mono-toned role (for the most part) within which Jenkins disappears. This, I believe, is an incredibly difficult thing to do, and the true mastery of his craft. The only two who could really give him a run for his money, are Penn and Langella.

Who I'd like to win: Richard Jenkins
Who I think will win: Frank Langella

Best Female Actor
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Anne Hathaway - Rachael Getting Married
Melissa Leo - Frozen River

Meryl Streep is awesome as usual, intense and refined. The only problem was I kept seeing her all the way through the performance. Meryl in a habit. I never once believed I was watching Sister Beauvier. It felt like she was somewhere else, detached. I think in the end though, it was the script I had the most trouble with.

Angelina Jolie. When I first started going through the films, I thought Jolie would take it for her flawless performance. She captures the essence of the character with the greatest of ease. Unfortunately this year, there are two actors who stood out a little more. Melissa Leo and Kate Winslet.

Kate Winslet. It's always a bit of an edge when one makes a film that touches on the holocaust. Winslet was amazing regardless. I believed her every minute of the journey. Her performance in Revolutionary Road felt a bit theatrical, but this one she nailed. I think her biggest competition will be Melissa Leo.

Anne Hathaway. Hathaway is always worth watching, and this is no exception. She puts her heart and soul into the role as we've never seen her. However, this year, she's up against some of the best in the business and the competition's too fierce. I hope she continues to take chances. They're sure to pay off.

Melissa Leo. This was my favourite performance of the lot. A small film with a lot of heart, and I feel the film itself was robbed of a nomination. Leo delivers on all fronts. She is stellar. An emotional, real, and believable performance. She'll never win in a hundred years against four monster Hollywood names, but she certainly deserves to.

Who I'd like to win: Melissa Leo
Who I think will win: Kate Winslet

Best Supporting Male Actor
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Josh Brolin - Milk
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Michael Shannon is the quintessential scene stealer. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I want to see this character in a lead role. That would be awesome. Scary but awesome. Shannon is my all around favorite this year. The only star who shone as brightly was Heath Ledger.

Heath Ledger. His performance was nothing short of genius. The intensity and depth of his performance was insane. No wonder he couldn't sleep. He's sure to take the Oscar.

Robert Downey Jr. hit the controversial funny bone, to say the least, with this role. He truly disappears into his character(s). Another scene stealer, but was it enough for Oscar?

Philip Seymour Hoffman. I could watch this guy butter toast and think it was Oscar worthy. He is an incredible actor. However, this role just wasn't edgy enough. Again, I think it was the script I wasn't that thrilled with.

Josh Brolin. I loved him in “No Country for Old Men”, but found his performance here a little weak. He didn't seem that invested in the role. For such an essential role in the film, he should have been entirely believable.

Who I'd like to win: Michael Shannon or Heath Ledger
Who I think will win: Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Female Actor
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Amy Adams - Doubt
Taraji P Henson - Benjamin Button
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt

Marisa Tomei. What can you say. It's worth the price of entry just to see this 44 year old rival not only Madonna, but half the 20 year olds in Hollywood with her flawless body. As for the acting, it's just kind of ordinary. Marisa is lovely, her performance good. But Oscar worthy? I don't think so.

Amy Adams is phenomenal. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was the best thing about the movie “Doubt”. She is mesmerizing and jumped into the role head first. Actors have been robbed of Oscars before (Ethan Hawke - Training Day, Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond) but if Adams doesn't get one this year, something's seriously awry in Hollywood.

Taraji P Henson. I like Henson's performance. She's a very likable actor. She was certainly the heart and soul of the film. The only person I cared to care about. However, I don't think her performance was strong enough to warrant an Oscar.

Penelope Cruz. I have to admit that I do like Cruz, when she acts speaking Spanish. Somehow, when she acts in English, things change. Having said that, I wasn't impressed with her performance in this film. I found it choppy and showy. But then I wasn't impressed with anyone really.

Viola Davis. Huge kudos for stealing that mega scene from Streep. I wanted to see more range though. It may just be me though. If she had only pulled out that hankie a little sooner.

Who I'd like to win: Amy Adams
Who I think will win: Amy Adams

Best Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader

David Fincher. With all the buzz, Fincher simply has to win. He did an amazing job, with a tricky story. If he doesn't win for best director, then he should at least share the award with anyone else from his cast and crew they may honor.

Danny Boyle sneaked up behind us with this one. There's so much to say about this great little film. It won a Golden Globe and the People's Choice at Toronto and I believe it deserved those awards, when it comes to script writing and editing, that is. However, I don't think it will win an Oscar for directing.

Ron Howard did a great job with Frost/Nixon, I just wish he'd quit casting his family. He got some great performances out of his actors and brought us right into the centre of the action. This film is definitely my top pick of the bunch.

Gus Van Sant. I loved this film for its brave portrayal of an extraordinary man. Again, this was the first film I'd seen in an awfully long time where I wanted more. In a good way. It wasn't that I felt the film incomplete, but that I was so taken in by the characters I wanted to know more about their lives.
I think there is too much Benjamin buzz for Van Sant to win against Fincher. In my opinion he runs a very close second to Howard.

Stephen Daldry. The story-line of this film may be what edges Daldry onto the Oscar stage. The film was intriguing and human, but it went on much too long. It let's go of the viewer to polish the edges and I think that is it's biggest flaw.

Who I'd like to win: Ron Howard or Gus Van Sant.
Who I think will win: David Fincher

(For the categories below, I've put an asterisk* by the one I think will win)

Animated Feature
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
*WALL-E

Original Screenplay
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
*In Bruges
Milk
WALL-E

Adapted Screenplay
Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
*Slumdog Millionaire

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
*Waltz with Bashir

Documentary Feature
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
*Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Film Editing
Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
*Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction
Changeling
*Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Cinematography
Changeling
*Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design
Australia
Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
*Revolutionary Road

Visual Effects
*Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Makeup
*Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II

Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
*Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Sound Mixing
Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
*Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Original Score
Benjamin Button
Defiance
*Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E

Original Song
*WALL-E - “Down to Earth”
Slumdog Millionaire - “Jai Ho”
Slumdog Millionaire - “O Saya”

Short Film - Animated
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory – Lovestory
*Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Short Film - Live
Auf der Strecke
*Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland

moot or hooey?

Oscar trophies are gold plated cast iron, and mounted on a solid plastic base.

Mr Smith comes from Washington

tomorrow morning Canada will wake up to change.

With baited breath, we will all find out whether Harper will rise to the occasion, shake his hand and say "we can too"

... ah, in a perfect world ... 

moot or hooey?

Harper fought to disband the coalition just so he could meet Obama

Danny Gokey

Danny Gokey is going to win American Idol this year.

He has the entire package.

He can sing, he's good looking, charismatic, loveable, has a tragic back story, and is the boy next door.

He's the all American boy in a time where people need a hero, someone to believe in.

He will win this hands down.

moot or hooey?

this year the Idol judges have allowed some real wack jobs to remain, in order to glaze over the fact that they've already made their choice.