In Which I Briefly Talk About Being A Fan of Michelle Williams

 I experienced a lot of loss after his death. I lost my city because of all the paparazzi descending upon us. I actually lost my journal during that time, oddly enough. I literally couldn’t hold on to anything. It felt as if things were literally slipping through my fingers. Things were just streaming away from me. I lost my sense of humor. I’m still sort of looking for that.

- Michelle Williams, in an interview w/ The Daily Beast

For some reason, I have always been very affected by Michelle Williams. As a youngin, I related to her on Dawson's Creek, Dick was my favorite movie for about a year, I admired her work in Station Agent & Brokeback, then was devastated by Wendy & Lucy. And Blue Valentine is one of my favorites of this year, seen it twice, and I'm still in awe of her honest work in it, from top to bottom. And for whatever reason, I've always been fascinated with her quotes about Heath Ledger. I loved their story too, they were my "favorite Hollywood couple" as shallow as that is, and I was bizarrely affected by his death as well as what it meant for my favorite couple - that they would never get the chance to reunite. And because losing someone close to me is just about my #1 fear, mostly because of its inevitability in one way or another, I can't stop reading about how she has dealt with her grief.

This quote in particular, from a recent interview with The Daily Beast really stuck with me. I highly recommend reading the rest, link above.

I really want her to get an Oscar nomination for Blue Valentine. I think that's my "District 9 for Best Picture!" of this year. Though it could also be my "Fantastic Mr Fox for Score!" of this year. We'll know on January 25th. But I really do think she is one of the most talented, classiest and stunning actresses of her generation. So much so that it warranted a blog post.

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V: SERPENT'S TOOTH

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr... Blogger didn't post this when it was supposed to yesterday morning.  Anger!!!!!!!!!!!  I should have checked before now, but here it is. 


A great piece of Science Fiction is usually just a great Western minus the spurs, dust, and livestock.  Feel free to tear apart this broad statement in the comments, but Joss Whedon gets it.  Fine.  Basically, I'm sticking with my The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly breakdown because the show continues to be all over the place, and this is the best way to write about it.  If I hadn't already seen next week's episode with all of the craziness that goes down with Lisa's character, I probably would have been done after this one. And that would have been a shame because Lisa is going some crazy places. 

The Good

Even though continuity was a little confusing,* Erica and Malik discovering that the other was a double while they were in a speeding car in the middle of nowhere was awesome.  Watching them pick apart one another's lies while trying to watch the road was gripping, and when they both noticed the blood on Malik's shirt and what it meant, I was leaning forward on the futon.  I only lean forward for The Wire, Mad Men, and Fringe so that was a high quality five second blip of television.  V, please do this all the time.  I want these cat and mouse games every week instead of the stagnant stuff that makes up most of each episode.  Let's have betrayals stacked on betrayals stacked on car crashes!   

*I feel like Erica should have known the truth about Malik after she learns that Malik beat her to the warehouse, but whatever.  There was a car crash.  I'll take it!

The Bad

It's pretty clear that V and I are going to have some major problems this year, but the largest is by far Diana, Anna's mother and the deposed queen who's trapped in the swampy bowels of the ship.  We only got a glimpse of her in the premiere, but now it's clear she's an exposition device they added because Marcus was starting to take on actual character traits, and there has to be at least one person on the show with nothing to do but listen to Anna's evil plots.  

Diana is played by Jane Badler, the actress who played the character in the original series.  Anna's pretense for returning to the swamp hold of the ship again and again is her mother's knowledge of human emotion, but the whole thing feels like stunt casting because we never learn much.  The Diana scenes together are full of thinly disguised backstory and lines like, "You'll tell me everything you know about human emotion and how to defeat it."  My eyes can only roll so much before they physically ache.  That's right, I suffer for these reviews!

The plot is finally advanced when Diana is like, "Humans have these soul things you can't destroy" and Anna is all, "I'm going to destroy 'em anyway, Mom!  You can't tell me what to do!" but I still feel like this whole storyline would have played better with Marcus, the man to whom she has to keep proving she has rid herself of emotion. Marcus is a threat and Diana just isn't.  If she doesn't break free of her swamp pod and start mucking things up real soon, I'm going to wish Anna had succeeded in getting her to eat one of the immolation pills.  

The Ugly

Sandwiched between the eye-rolling Diana soul speak and the Erica and Malik's Spy on Spy action were Ryan, Father Jack, and the fight for Ryan's soul!  Yeah, it doesn't really deserve the italics.  In a nutshell, Ryan isn't grieving hard enough for Valerie's parents, and Val's mother asks, "Don't you have a heart? Don't you have a soul?"  You then see the wheels turning in his little lizard mind, and he's like, dude, I better go to the priest about this.  

Father Jack insists he acknowledge his grief through prayer or something, but poor Ryan can't pray because when he's "vulnerable," Anna can remind him telepathically that she's torturing his daughter.  And that's no fun.  In the end, Ryan tells Anna he'll do whatever she wants to help his daughter like we knew he would, and all the soul talk was just to… add to all the exposition we got in the Anna and Diana scenes?  Maybe? 

Tune in next week when I write about Anna eating a rat!  I heart television CG!


Oh, and Reaper alumni Brett Harrison is playing a baby-faced scientist now.  He gets the two funny lines per episode.

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2nd Annual Fangirl Awards - Info & Ballot!

Welcome to the Second Annual Fangirl Awards! Aka the Golden Fangirls aka The Fannies (yeah, we went there) aka whatever suits our fancy.

This year, the Fangirl Academy is 87 members strong and even more badass than before. These ladies are smart, informed & passionate and I'm so excited to be able to help get our opinions out in this way for the second year in a row. We have 39 categories, which cover mostly movies, but also TV, comics, video games, music & books with at least one category a piece.


The ballots are due on Friday, January 21st (two weeks from today) and the nominations will be announced Monday, January 24th, the day before the Oscar nominations are revealed. Academy Members can turn their ballot in as early as tomorrow or as late as the 21st.


Our mantra is have fun and nominate your favorites! I want Academy members to give some attention to the films they think are getting the shaft or continue to reward those films they love that are miraculously getting the attention they deserve. Most importantly - I want them to nominate what they WANT.

Here are the categories!

Film

Best Picture ** Best Actor ** Best Actress ** Best Supporting Actor ** Best Supporting Actress ** Best Director ** Best Screenplay (Adap.) ** Best Screenplay (Orig.) ** Best Score ** Best Romantic Chemistry ** Best Platonic (or is it?) Chemistry ** World I'd Most Like To Visit ** Best On Screen Animal (live action or animated) ** Best Voiceover (live action or animated) ** Epic Fail Movie (by @geekgirls) ** Best Fight/Battle Sequence (by @acorn_hat) ** Guiltiest Pleasure ** Best Animated Film (by @onnabugeisha)

Television

Best TV Show of the Year ** Best Actor in a Drama (any size role) ** Best Actor in a Comedy (any size role) ** Best Actress in a Drama (any size role) ** Best Actress i a Comedy (any size role) ** Best Romantic Chemistry ** Best Platonic (or is it?) Chemistry ** Guiltiest Pleasure

Film or Television

Most Romantic Line EVAR (by @that_sarah) ** Best Fan Outreach Endeavor (@caitlin_burns) ** Best Characterization of an Established Figure (by @pardonmysass) **

Any Platform (Film, TV, Video Games, Comics)

Most Overrated ** Most Underrated ** Best Villain (by @acorn_hat)

Misc.

Actor I'd Most Like to Marry 2010 Edition ** Actress I'd Most Like to Marry 2010 Edition ** Best Graphic Novel of the Year ** Best Comic of the Year ** Best Video Game of the Year ** Best Musician of the Year ** Best Book of the Year (fiction or non-fiction)

And your list of Academy members coming soon!!

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Season Premiere of V RED RAIN

Tonight V returns to ABC, and while No Ordinary Family will remain the ultimate unwatchable Sci Fi show on network television, V has tumbled from the just above mediocre heights it reached in the finale last year.  After Anna's eggs had been wiped out and the skies turned Corvette red, it seemed like that the next season would delve into gut-wrenching character stuff, drop more bodies, and actually play into the really high stakes the characters are always mentioning.  But sadly, V falls back into all of it's bad habits:  ignoring or actively dismissing anything interesting, both over and under explaining the science-y stuff so that it's as frustrating as possible, and Tyler's continued presence on the show.  So let's break this down Western style into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.  Also there are spoilers.  Lots and lots of spoilers.  

THE GOOD

When Erica shot Joshua in the finale, I was thrilled that show was finally going there.  This is a war, people you really like need to die, and their friends might have to do the killing.  Awesome!!  But with Joshua's death, we lost one of the most compelling characters.  As a Visitor betraying Anna while working closely with her, he had to do all kinds of icky things that didn't sit well with those pesky human emotions his skin infected him with.  Plus, while everyone else spent most of the first season whining, Joshua got shit done and made the ultimate sacrifice for us human cry babies. 

However, now that Lisa is a full blown emotion-wielding double agent queen-to-be, I don't miss Joshua AT ALL.  Not only is she going to take over Joshua's role supporting the Fifth Column, but doing so will demand so much more of her.  In every scene, she has at least three things going on: working as a double agent, faking a collected Visitor exterior for her mother Anna, and dealing with how conflicted she feels over having emotions at all.  Falling in love with Tyler is what gave her the human emotions that led to her betrayal in the first place, but now she has to have sex with him per her mother's orders while her mother watches!!!  More scenes like this but with less Tyler, please.

Even with Lisa switching over to the Fifth's side, Anna is still the reason to watch the show.  Although it's in large part do to how amazing Morena Baccarin is in the role, she continues to be given the most interesting stuff to work with.  In this episode alone, she ruthlessly murders another Captain with her tail for questioning her decision to launch Red Sky.  To prove to her second in command Marcus that she won't succumb to emotion again, she cuts the life support on her six surviving child soldiers from the finale last year.  Since she's developed human emotions, Anna has become more ruthless and bloodthirsty, and I can't wait to see Baccarin keep hitting it out of the park with her anger on the outside and sadness on the inside.  

THE BAD

I know this was revealed in the finale, but Joshua is still alive.  Kind of destroys the awesomeness of his sacrifice, but I like the Canadian actor (he was awesome in an episode of Being Erica) so it evens out.  However, now that he's back, he remembers nothing about being a traitor.  Now, V, if you're going to have entire conversations about Blue Energy and the evils of Human Emotions, you can't have an amnesia story line, too.  You just can't.  I mean, is there anything more annoying than an amnesia storyline?  I'm serious.  Please comment if you can tell me that there's anything that makes you want to take the batteries out of your remote and eat them more than TV amnesia. 

Then there's alien-human hybrid baby daddy Ryan.  A prisoner on Anna's ship, he escapes to go stare at his noseless lizard daughter swimming around in tank.  He promises to get her out of there, and then he does nothing.  Anna and her guards grab him, and he insists that he knows she murdered Valerie and yawn, ugh, dammit.  What a waste for him to just "know" that Anna killed Valerie.  It would have been so much more heart wrenching if he'd found that out after working with Anna for a couple of weeks to destroy ze humans.  Or even if he somehow knew the truth about Valerie's death, couldn't he have at least pretended he didn't for a while?  As far as he knows, Joshua is gone, and there's no one on the ship to help the Fifth Column.  There's an opening for a double agent idiot!!!  But no, he has to spout some crap about how Anna will never understand love and get himself banished back to Earth.  

THE UGLY 

If the human race is really counting on the Fifth Column to save us, we are so screwed.  Worst gorilla rebel force ever.  When they're having a club meeting in their super secret hide out, they draw their guns on someone walking down the stairs.  First of all, it's Ryan, and until he showed up, no one seemed to be worried about him at all.  I know the sky is red and all, but he's kind of a huge part of your team, guys.  Second, does everyone in the Fifth Column want to be eaten alive by lizard aliens??? Why don't they lock the door?  There should be a retinal scan and a blood sample and slot where you leave your first born child to get into this place or something!!

Erica continues to be either really ineffective and lucky or the worst mother ever.  During all this red sky stuff, she repeats over and over, "Anna, Anna, we need to talk to Anna, now, Anna."  Then when she meets Tyler at a riot outside a peace center, he's serendipitously hit in the head with a baton and starts bleeding profusely.  Now she has a ticket to see Anna and her snazzy medical tech!  Plot obstacle maneuvered!  And this is how it always goes.  Tyler just happens to get injured or in trouble in such a way that benefits her, and she just stumbles into good fortune at the expense of her son.  But if we're supposed to make the leap that Erica intentionally gets Tyler hurt, suddenly Erica's no better than Anna, using her child to advance her agenda in winning the war.  Actually, it'd be interesting if they went that direction, but they won't.  So Erica's continuing to use Tyler's booboos and dumbassery is just clunky and lame.

Also, Tyler's not dead.  He dies in a dream sequence in the beginning, and then Erica wakes up.  Why did she have to wake up?  Why?  How can he be alive and having sex with Lisa?!  No one that pretty should have to bed someone that annoying even if her evil queen Mother ordered her to!  She should just dislocated her jaw and eat him already! DIE, TYLER, DIE!

Finally, the red rain was the worst pay off possible.  The streets look bloody for a few scenes, Anna broadcasts, "Relax!  We fixed your planet!" and despite the world wide riots, everyone on Earth loves the Visitors again.  Of course the rain really did something to our blood to make us breeders for alien babies, but we're just going to hear that repeated in exposition all season.  It won't actually effect our characters or anything for a long time.  The rain wiped the slate clean and despite all the awesomeness of the season finale, the status quo has returned.  The stakes are gone, and nothing feels all that dire or important again.  The Visitors are still too powerful to fight in the open, but they can't stop some freedom fighters who don't even lock their basement hideout.  The Red Rain that we'll never understand according to Anna is explained two scenes later by a baby-faced scientist and Ryan.  This is the V I watched last year.  This is not the V the finale promised. 

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Defendere Vivos A Mortuis

There are many zombie combat guides currently in circulation but there's only one that will actually help you fight and defeat a zombie and that's Roger Ma's The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead.



As Muse mentioned in our holiday gift guide, this book is a must read for those of you invested in honing your zombie combat skills. Ma's book is not just some cute, flimsy manual; it's a legitimate guide to helping you kick some undead ass.

The Zombie Combat Manual prepares you for every type of zombie confrontation--with a complete analysis of how to fight every type of zombie in every type of situation. The guide gives readers a breakdown of zombie misconceptions, best weapons and combat techniques, and even shares firsthand zombie encounters and combat reports.

Let's face it, the end is nigh and we all need to be prepared for the inevitable. So get yourself a copy of Roger Ma's The Zombie Combat Manual: A Guide to Fighting the Living Dead and also check out the Zombie Combat Club website for more info and tips.

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All Things Fangirl Holiday Gift Guide 2010

Oops. Christmas is in a week. HOORAY FOR EXPEDITED SHIPPING!

This year's list is a mix of things I want, things I own, things I've already bought for my friends, and things I've seen on other gift guides that made me squee. So if you're stuck in your search for the perfect geeky gift for your fannish friends, look no further - we've got you covered.

Extra Lives by Tom Bissell

A must for any video game fan in your life, Extra Lives manages to alleviate any guilt one may feel dedicating hours upon hours to killing zombies, marrying NPCs & assassinating some Creed (just go with it). The book makes a clear & concise argument that video games are not only art, but are capable of telling stories more personally & profoundly than any other art form can. I read the book in three days, but it could have been one if I hadn't purposefully stopped myself. I couldn't recommend it more highly! Buy it here, $15

Time Traveler's Calendar

This calendar takes 95 time travel occurrences and places them on a single timeline. Watch thousands of years of time travel take place over the course of 12 months!

Includes favorites such as Back to the Future, Terminator, Lost and Chrono Trigger!

Yeah, that's a must own. And I own one. Buy one for yourself here, $20. Hat Tip: Slashfilm

Pride & Prejudice Fleece Sweatshirt

I AM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS. I want this so bad. Like, beyond all wanting of anything. It's my favorite style of sweatshirt for one of my favorite books/love stories of all time. I ache with desire for this sweatshirt. ACHE. Buy it for me, or well, people you know in actual life, here - $42 (42! the meaning of life! it's a sign!). The fine folks that make this sweatshirt, Out of Print, make A LOT of awesome shirts & sweatshirts, all featuring "iconic & out of print" book covers. I highly encourage browsing their catalog!

Cinders At Home Cooking Clothes

A delightful Etsy shop featuring aprons, pot holders, and more made from classic geeky bedsheets & the like. My personal favorite was a Star Wars New Hope sweetheart apron that sold today...fingers crossed it's because someone bought it for me...that's TOTALLY plausible, right? But if you know someone who cooks and is fan of Nightmare Before Christmas, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mario, Zelda, etc. this is the Etsy shop for you. Click here to check out her goods - $16-$39

Sweet 80s Movie Print Set

If you are a fan of Retowhale on Etsy (we were all about her director coasters in last year's gift guide), you may want to check out her 80s Movie Print Set. The artwork is also available on coasters, but not in time for Christmas, I'm afraid. But if you are interested in her prints, she can get them to you by the 23rd if you order today, the 17th! Other available prints include Rushmore, Pulp Fiction & The Royal Tenenbauns. Click here to buy one - $24.

 80s Filmography Shirt

A different kind of tribute to the films of the 80s, this time on a t-shirt, minimalist in style, and focusing on a broader range of genres. For your friend who identifies with being a geek, or at least film geek, but hasn't yet taken the step toward wearing it proudly, this shirt is a grade a geek garb gateway drug. What did I just type. I'm actually not even sure I can name all the movies on there, which means it's even cooler than I am. You should buy it. Here. $20. Hat Tip: Io9

Comic Wallets

Super cool shop that creates wallets out of comic book pages. Right now they have wallets made from 8 Marvel titles, 11 DC titles, plus Simpsons, Star Wars, Walking Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Transformers and more. The perfect gift for any comic lover whose wallet may be looking a little worn down. Buy them here, $10-$30.

Little Otsu Anything

Discovered the Little Otsu site thanks to the Tribeca Film Festival's Gift Guide and I absolutely adore everything they make - to do lists, planners, film notebooks, and so on. They're inexpensive, quirky, unique & practical. A great gift for the Type A geeks in your life. Check out all their items here - $10-$16

Game of Thrones/Walking Dead/Hunger Games/Green Lantern/Powers

We all have those friends that love to be up to date on whatever the next big Geek thing will be. Surprise that friend with not only your generosity, but your knowledge of both them & the geek world around you by tapping into the zeitgist with one of the books listed above. Game of Thrones for the fantasy film/tv lovers, Walking Dead for anyone watching it (so, everyone), Hunger Games for the sci fi film fans, Green Lantern TPBs, (the Geoff Johns era, staring with Secret Origin & Rebirth), for the superhero movie lovers, and if you REALLY want to be ahead of the game, some Powers books, for fans of either superheros or crime/mystery who don't even know yet how much they are going to love the forthcoming FX show. $10-$20, anywhere, just give em a google.

Eco Friendly Tote Bags

Celebrities, art, landmarks, subway stops, pets - the list of images printed on these tote bags goes on and on and on - 175 pages worth of on and on in fact, so if you're super stuck, this is the place to go. The Anderson Cooper bag featured above happened to crack me up, but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of this sites' offerings. Click here to browse - $18.

Arclight Gift Card

Obviously this requires that the recepient live in Los Angeles, but for a film lover who isn't a journalist (and thusly on every screening list) - what's better than free movies at the best movie theater chain in the country? I mean, you know, I'll take one at least. Buy em here - $5-$200.

Lost Encyclopedia

We all have those friends who love Lost and will continue to love Lost, questionable final season or not (for the record, I loved it), for the rest of ever. This comprehensive encyclopedia is a wonderful addition to any Lost lovers collection and can maybe even help clear up any lingering questions...? I own it. I love it. Buy it here - $25.

Lego Hogwarts Set

A perfect gift for that geek couple in your life, with kid or without. If anyone says they don't like legos, they aren't a real person. Or a real geek. Or a human. Whatever, it's nonsense, is my point. This amazingly awesome I want it set is a great project for couples or roommates to work on while sipping on hot chocolate during the holiday season. Or while sipping on whiskey turning whenever. It's expensive, but it's LEGO HOGWARTS. Buy it here - $150.

Character Clinks

This gift would be geared towards your geek friends who happen also to be big into the wine scene and/or hosting events. The Clinks Etsy shop has plenty of fun wine (and beer!) clinks to make sure no one loses track of their drinks at a party. My favorite part of the Mad Men set is the inclusion of Dick Whitman. Loltown. Other sets include James Bond, Star Wars, and The Beatles. To check out the complete collection, head here - $17-$34

Zombie Combat Manual

I mean, you gotta be prepared right? If watching The Walking Dead is starting to make you question your ability to survive a zombie outbreak (please let their never be a zombie outbreak), pick up this book and get a learnin'. Buy it on Amazon - $11

Comic Location Art Prints

Wow. Gorgeous, right? I want this. I want this on my wall! But I can't put something like this on a wish list OR buy it for myself...I need to hope someone randomly comes across it and decides to get it for me. Such is the case with all decorative wall hangings I suppose. But man oh man do I love this. The artist, Justin Van Genderen, also made prints for Metropolis, New York & Neo Tokyo. See them all here. $18.

Back to the Future Card Game

For the film geek who is ALSO a board game nerd. Like me. Citadels is my jam. So Citadels + Back to the Future = let's DO this thing. Buy it here. $16

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15 Year Old Muse Predicts The Oscars

Was just looking through my old files for the Fan Fiction I wrote in middle school and stumbled across this Oscar article I wrote for my school newspaper when I was 15. It was in regards to the 73rd Annual Academy Awards, for the films released in 2000 - telecast airing in March of 2001. Below I have reprinted the article.

It's equal parts cringe-worthy (you can tell I read A LOT of Oscar articles and think I know what I'm talking about) and insightful for a 15 year old (shhhh, it is, sort of). My personal top five seems to consist of Wonder Boys, Almost Famous, Quills, Requiem for a Dream & Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. ... How did Crouching Tiger make my top 5? Interesting. And I REALLY loved Kate Hudson in Almost Famous. In retrospect however, that may be her only great performance, so I'm glad she lost the Oscar.

Read on if you dare!

Well, everyone, it’s that time of year again! On February 13th at 5:00 AM the Oscar race officially began, showcasing some of the most original and entertaining movies we’ve seen in a long time. This years nominations run the gamut in variety, from serious, involving movies about matters of life and death to action-filled, sometimes mystical movies that took us back to another time and place. It’s been forever since an Oscar race was this diverse, and even more odd is the fact that in no categories, excluding Best Actress, is there a shoe-in. With almost every critic disagreeing with each other, this year will prove to be incredibly unpredictable, at times surprising, and just maybe, historic.
Some of the nominations alone have made history. The sweet fable, “Chocolat” surprised everyone by managing to nab a nomination for best picture thanks to Miramax’s aggressive early campaign, yet “Cast Away” and “Almost Famous”, both backed by the very powerful Dreamworks, were snubbed in that category. Another interesting fact, making history this year, is director, Steven Soderbergh not only being nominated twice in the best director category but having both of his films be nominated for best picture. But, the biggest news of all this year is the fact that a foreign film garnered 10 nominations, 2 away from having the most. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, a Taiwanese film entirely in subtitles is nominated in such prestigious categories as Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. If it wins best film of the year, it will be the first time ever a foreign film has received such an honor. But, will it win? Many people across the country are now debating over what film will take top honors and what actors will walk away with shiny new Oscars. Here are my predictions and thoughts on the Oscar race this year: What will win, what should win, and what shouldn’t even be nominated.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Stephan Gaghan – “Traffic”
Wang Hui Ling, James Schamus and Tsai Kuo Junh – “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
Ethan Coen and Joel Coen – “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Steve Kloves – “Wonder Boys”
Robert Nelson Jacobs – “Chocolat”
Can I just say, if you haven’t seen “Wonder Boys”, please, please, go see it. Such a good movie with such a good script, it’s just too bad it won’t be winning this category. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, another movie with an exceptional script will be robbed as well, I’m afraid. I’m pretty sure that this award will go to Stephan Gaghan for adapting “Traffic”, a 6 hour mini-series, into a 2 and a half hour movie. He won the Golden Globe and seems to be the favorite in this category. With all the other wonderful scripts nominated though, here’s hoping it’ll end up going to one of them.
Who Should Win: Steve Kloves, “Wonder Boys”
Who Will Win: Stephan Gaghan, “Traffic”

Best Original Screenplay
Cameron Crowe – “Almost Famous”
David Franzoni, John Logan and Willian Nicholson – “Gladiator”
Susannah Grant – “Erin Brockovich”
Kenneth Lonergan – “You Can Count On Me”
Lee Hall – “Billy Elliot”
In this category, I am torn between “Erin Brockovich” and “Almost Famous” the most. Both were very well written, perfect blends of drama and comedy. Ultimately, I’m pulling for “Almost Famous”, but I’m not sure if the Academy feels the same way. I actually have this sick feeling in my stomach, worrying that they might give it to “Gladiator”, a movie not made at all by the screenplay, but rather the directing, budget, and scope. I enjoyed the movie, I did, but the screenplay was not it’s strong point. It does not deserve to win. It didn’t even deserve to get the nomination. “You Can Count On Me” has a good script, but it’s not my favorite. Same goes for “Billy Elliot”, but with a bit more affection.
Who Should Win: Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous”
Who Win Will: Cameron Crowe, “Almost Famous”

Best Supporting Actress
Kate Hudson – “Almost Famous”
Judi Dench – “Chocolat”
Frances McDormand – “Almost Famous”
Julie Walters – “Billy Elliot”
Marcia Gay Harden – “Pollock”
Although great performances all around, my personal favorite this year is Kate Hudson and I’m fairly certain that the academy feels the same way, but unlike the Best Actress category, this win isn’t completely in the bag. Judi Dench is a great actress and loved by the Academy, as is Frances McDormand. Still, here’s hoping that Hudson gets it.
Who Should Win: Kate Hudson
Who Will Win: Kate Hudson

Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro – “Traffic”
Jeff Bridges – “The Contender”
Willem Dafoe – “Shadow of the Vampire”
Albert Finney – “Erin Brockovich”
Joaquin Phoenix – Gladiator
For me, personally, this is absolutely the toughest category. Willem Dafoe, Albert Finney and Joaquin Pheonix all put on great performances. The two that stand out the most for me are Dafoe, who so completely looked and acted like Nosferatu, it was scary, and Phoenix, whose portrayal of an insane roman emperor was mesmerizing. Finney, who has been acting for years and years and never won, put on a great performance in “Erin Brockovich”, and if he won, I know I would be happy, because even though it wasn’t the best performance of the year, it’s been a long time…he deserves one. In this category though, I think it will go to Benicio Del Toro. There is tremendous buzz surrounding him right now, especially after winning the Golden Globe. Though his performance was very good, it wasn’t the best, so if he does win it will be quite disappointing considering he has the rest of his life to put on even greater performances whereas someone like Albert Finney has already been waiting his whole life.
Who Should Win: Albert Finney
Who Will Win: Benicio Del Toro
Who I Want to Win: Joaquin Pheonix

Best Actress
Julia Roberts – “Erin Brockovich”
Joan Allen – “The Contender”
Juliette Binoche – “Chocolate”
Ellen Burstyn – “Requiem for a Dream”
Laura Linney – “You Can Count on Me”
I think this year most everyone would agree that Julia Roberts put on an amazing performance. True, it was fantastic…but it wasn’t the best. I might be a minority here, saying this, but I think the best actress this year was Oscar winner, Ellen Burstyn, in “Requiem for a Dream”. Her performance was breathtaking. I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved or so astounded by someone’s ability to act. Because of all the buzz though, Julia should still win or it would be the biggest upset in the history of the Oscars.
Who Should Win: Julia Roberts
Who Will Win: Julia Roberts
Who I Want to Win: Ellen Burstyn

Best Actor
Tom Hanks – “Cast Away”
Javier Bardem – “Before Night Falls”
Russell Crowe – “Gladiator”
Ed Harris – “Pollock”
Geoffrey Rush – “Quills”
Even though Geoffrey Rush, Ed Harris, and Javier Bardem gave us wonderful performances, for some reason the race has been cut down to Russell Crowe and Tom Hanks. I wouldn’t mind if Crowe won, he gave the role his all, but I definitely don’t want Hanks to win. “Cast Away” was not that great of a movie and though Hank’s performance was good, he’s already got two Oscars. But I’m thinking that maybe where that issue is concerned the academy agrees. Since my favorite performance, Michael Douglas in “Wonder Boys” wasn’t nominated, I will throw my support to Russell Crowe.
Who Should Win: Michael Douglas, but then he would have to be nominated…
Who Will Win: Russell Crowe

Best Director
Ang Lee – “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
Ridley Scott – “Gladiator”
Steven Soderbergh – “Erin Brockovich”
Steven Soderbergh – “Traffic”
Stephan Dalory – “Billy Elliot”
Sadly, some speculate that Stephan Soderbergh will cancel himself out, ruining his chances to win for the movie that should win for best direction, “Traffic”. Under these circumstances, keeping in mind that Ridley Scott, albeit respected, is not a well-liked man, Ang Lee just might get the Oscar. Not that that’s completely a bad thing though.
Who Should Win: Steven Soderbergh, “Traffic”
Who Will Win: Ang Lee, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”

Best Picture
“Gladiator”
“Traffic”
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
“Erin Brokovich”
“Chocolat”
This year, unlike most years, the Best Picture race is the most unpredictable. I’ll just try to guess based on decisions the Academy has made in previous years. I think this one will go to “Gladiator”. As for my pick, well, I’d say either “Traffic” because of the political impact and strong message or “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, because it’s the only one nominated that is on my own personal top 5 list. The other 4 on my list, “Wonder Boys”, “Almost Famous”, “Quills”, and “Requiem for a Dream”, were all snubbed in this category. Any of those deserved the nomination over “Chocolat”, which although sweet, isn’t even close to being the best picture of 2001.
What Should Win: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Traffic
What Will Win: Gladiator
What I Want to Win: Requiem for A Dream, but that’s not exactly possible

The Oscars air, Sunday, March 25.

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