There’s 24 categories to go through so this is going to be a long one:

Best Picture:

Nominees: 

• The Artist – Thomas Langmann
• The Descendants – Jim Burke, Jim Taylor, and Alexander Payne
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin
• The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, and Michael Barnathan
• Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese
• Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum
• Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, and Brad Pitt
• The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, and Bill Pohlad
• War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy

Will Win and Should Win: The Artist

This film totally dazzled cinemas, and dazzled me bring back and wave of nostalgia in a film which is really the epitome of a crazy gamble paid off. Silent, or Black and White, when was the last time either or let along both got any attention anywhere? (Rhetorical questions, but that would be Good Night, and Good Luck)

Should be Nominated: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

My Favourite movie of the year, Alfredson, Oldman, Firth, the screenwriters, and the rest of the cast bring to life a breathtaking adaptation of LeCarre’s 700 page book into scarcely just 2 hours of unconfusing film. That feat alone deserves applause, but the beauty, and the sharpness of the direction, and the perfect pacing make the film so much more. This should be in contention for the Best Picture win, but wasn’t even nominated.

Best Director:

Nominees:

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Will Win and Should Win: Michel Hazanavicius

He’s hit all the precursors, and played up all the heartstrings, along with the exact reason that The Artist will win Best Picture watch for the guy with a last name that not even the President of the Oscars can pronounce pick up the prize.

Should be Nominated: Tomas Alfredson for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

See Best Picture

Best Actress: 

Nominees:

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clark
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Lisbeth Salander
• Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher
• Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe

Will Win: Viola Davis

I love, love, love Meryl Streep but there is no denying that as razor thing as the margin will be Viola probably will win only because of politics being the 1st 100% African American Actress to win in this category, sadly the performance neither deserves this award, nor the nomination. However, it is commendable that a woman of colour got this far, and to be even considered the front runner whether or not she wins(though she will) should be an amazing feat in its own right.

Should Win: Meryl Streep

It’s Meryl, Bloody, Streep, is there anything that this Lady can’t do? Young lady. Check. Old Lady. Check. Dementia. Check, all with perfect execution, and while it is only marginally the best performance of the year, the second sadly wasn’t even nominated. While the Academy does represent Sanity in a world of garbage cinema, sometimes we have got to question why the most deserving nominee wasn’t even nominated.

Should be Nominated: Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin as Eva Khatchadourian. 

Quiet, Poignant, Reserved acting at one of its finest, the lack of dramatics, can be compared to the likes of Helen Mirren in “The Queen” and really elevated everything around it, to a whole other level. Sadly this and many others were overlooked for Michelle Williams, Rooney Mara, and Viola Davis. I have never been this contentious with the AMPAS’ Actress nominees. Shame(Which was also a deserving film for Best Picture, NOT NOMINATED SADLY)

Best Actor

Nominees:

• Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo
• George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King
• Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin
• Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane

Will Win: Jean Dujardin

Charismatic, and Charming he’s definitely wormed his way into the hearts of many Academy members, and despite a challenged from Clooney; Dujardin should walk away with this hands down.

Should Win: Gary Oldman

I know I’m biased towards this “Perfect” film in my opinion, but his performance was stunning as the British Intelligence Operative, George Smiley, as he finds the mole “right at the top of the circus”.

Should be Nominated: N/A

I honestly don’t have problems with this list, though I wouldn’t have minded seeing Demian Bichir swapped out for Michael Fassbender in Shame, however Bichir is perfectly all right for me, and I don’t have the heart to kick any of the other nominees out for a replacement.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees:

• Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller
• Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote
• Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids as Megan Price
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page
• Octavia Spencer – The Help as Minny Jackson

Will Win: Octavia Spencer

Is there any doubt about this anymore, she got the GG, the SAG, the BAFTA, the BFCA, the this, and the that, and probably ever single award this year, I’d be shocked but extremely happy if she loses this weekend.

Should Win: Janet McTeer

Movie Sucked, Glenn was fairly amazing, but Janet McTeer though not absolutely convincing as a Man(all due to the make-up) makes up for all of that in some of the best acting this year. Catch the film only if for her.

Should be Nominated: Vanessa Redgrave

In other words, starring in “Shakespeare makes Sense” she blows the performance out of the water, easily better than at least 2 of the nominees.

Should be Nominated for a Different Film: Jessica Chastain for Tree of Life

It makes me wonder if this was the film she was supposed to be nominated in, as the official nominee film still wasn’t actually from the Help, but even though she was phenomenal in both, Tree of Life just presents a much more superior performance quality wise for her. What can I say? Terrence Malick definitely worked his magic here.

After going through the most important categories, I’ll just list the winners, and comment on my opinions on the race.

Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris

Though the Artist could hit this category in a Sweep.

Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants

Definitely a 3 way race between The Descendants, Moneyball, and the heavily Brit supported Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the 3 took it as their consolation prize as none are likely to win anywhere else.

Animated Feature: Rango

No Contest

Foreign Language: A Separation

I don’t see why A Separation would lose here however I hear the Academy voters aren’t particularily impressed with the film, and also keep in mind it was upset at the BAFTAs by a film that wasn’t even nominated here. Watch In Darkness or Monseiur Lazhar to take it here if A Separation looses.

Documentary: Undefeated

Two Words: Harvey Weinstein (especially after Project Nim wasn’t even shortlisted)

Live Action Short: Time Freak

I just picked the prettiest film, with the added bonus that I liked it the best. (Though the Academy often goes for the prettiest film here.)

Animated Short: La Luna

Same reason as the Live Action Short.

Score: Ludovic Bource for The Artist

Seeing as the Score is literally half the film, I see this being a category that The Artist has firmly locked up.

Original Song: Man or Muppet

Crap shoot coin toss, only 2 nominees makes me wonder why even bother. It’s obviously Man or Muppet, the other song I honestly don’t even remember along with most of the AMPAS members.

Sound Editing: Hugo

Sound Mixing: Hugo

Ask me what the difference is, and ask anyone else what the difference is, the answer is: Dunno. It’s most likely to go to the same film  though, and I see Hugo taking these as a sort of consolation prize for having to loose so many times on Sunday.

Art Direction: Hugo

I really hope that Potter gets tossed a bone anywhere but that’s not happening, and Hugo is totally a deserving winner. See the film and feast yourself on the best 3-D use ever, and amazing sets.

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for Tree of Life

Lubezki = Legend = Oscar.

Best Make-Up: The Iron Lady

The prosthetic work, and the amazing use of the ageing make-up is definitely what puts it marginally in front of Harry Potter, and the fact that despite being both British, Harry Potter lost the award on it’s Home Turf, at the BAFTAS.

Best Costume Design Most Costumes: W.E. 

Madonna’s epic disaster of a film will now be an Oscar winner come Sunday night(God, I’ll have nightmares for weeks), because the Academy as a whole understands Best Costumes as Most Costumes and Most Elaborate Costumes, and no one can deny the work in that aspect.

Best Film Editing: The Artist

Artist in a Sweep.

Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Just watch Andy Serkis, and the apes in the movie, and enlightenment shall come upon you.

Things to Watch for on Oscar Night

The Artist Hitting Costumes, Art Direction, Original Screenplay and/or Cinematography

Sure Sign that Director, Actor, and Picture are going it’s way, and maybe even Supporting Actress as well(but only if it hits all the categories)

The Artist missing Film Editing or Score

Weakness in the beloved movie, best abandon ship.

The Iron Lady missing Make-Up

Meryl’s chances are dead in the Water.

Octavia Spencer missing Supporting Actress

Viola’s chances are dead, and Meryl’s guaranteed Trophy #3 with nomination #17.

Tinker Tailor hitting Score

Adapted Screenplay may very well be its now, and Actor is no longer out of the question though that would be hugely surprising considering Dujardin won that prize at the BAFTAs in Britain only to loose to a Brit.

There are other categories that can be alluded depending on how the early awards go, but nothing that holds any importance. Enjoy, and hope you watch the 84th Academy Awards live from Hollywood and Highland, starting at 5:30 pm on Sunday 26 February.

]]> http://talonsblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/oscars-richard/feed/ 0 talonsblog Oscar http://talonsblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/superpowers-duncan/ http://talonsblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/superpowers-duncan/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:03:28 +0000 talonsblog http://talonsblog.wordpress.com/?p=735 ]]> If you could have any superpower, what would it be? That’s a tough question. There are tons and tons of superpowers out there and to pick only one, that’s pretty hard. I would pick a superpower not only what I want and what is effective towards me, but also effective and useful towards others. If I had a superpower I would have Wolverine’s powers and also be able to heal people. That would help me in combat against criminals and when they hurt their hostages. I could heal the hostages and defeat the villain. If the criminal hurts me then I will be able to also heal myself. Speaking of Wolverine, he is one of my favourite superheroes because he’s so badass and doesn’t care about anything except for what he wants to do. Even though Wolverine’s powers would be great to have, if I would get really angry I could possibly be able to kill someone.   Another superpower I would want is the powers of Superman. Which are being able to fly, ‘made of steel’ and have super strength. Flying would be a good method to get around. For example if you were to go to school or want to visit a country, you could fly there. One big point, Jen A. this is for you, flying is environmentally friendly! No pollution! Well, except for maybe some methane, if you catch my drift. See what I did there… Drift. Anyways being made of steel would be so awesome! You could block bullets with your body and if someone tried to punch it would end up hurting them. Now to super strength, that would be the best! I could lift an enormous amount of weight. Not that I can’t do that now… Ha-ha can’t even write that with a straight face. With super strength you could save people that are buried under things, like cars or a tree. Anyways if you could have one of these superpowers, or any at all what would it be? Leave your answers in the comment section below. H

          Chuck Norris was not always able to kill two stones with 1 bird or listen to sign language songs. No, growing up Chuck described himself as nonathletic, shy, and scholastically mediocre. Other children taunted him about his mixed ethnicity; he said he wanted to beat up the kids bullying him. He never did though. Another speed bump in his life growing up was that his dad had a drinking problem and was never there for him. He admits to loving his father but yet at the same time not liking him. Apparently this was not enough to stop Chuck.

He joined the air force in 1958 as an Air Policeman and was sent to Osan air base in South Korea. In South Korea he began his training in Tang Soo Do (a Korean martial art). This interest in martial arts led him to achieving his black belt in that art and founding the new art of Chun Kuk Do meaning “Universal Way”.

Chun Kuk Do is primarily based on Tang Soo Do but still includes many different elements of every combat style he knew. He also created a code of conduct and rules to live by for his newly created style. These include:

1.   I will develop myself to the maximum of my potential in all ways.

2.   I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.

3.   I will continually work at developing love, happiness and loyalty in my family.

4.   I will look for the good in all people and make them feel worthwhile.

5.   If I have nothing good to say about a person, I will say nothing.

6.   I will always be as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

7.   I will maintain an attitude of open-mindedness.

8.   I will maintain respect for those in authority and demonstrate this respect at all times.

9.   I will always remain loyal to my God, my country, family and my friends.

10. I will remain highly goal-oriented throughout my life because that positive attitude helps my family, my country and myself.

For number 9, Chuck Norris himself is Christian. (Just to throw it in there, politically Chuck is a conservative.)

In 2005, yes the part you’re probably waiting for, a new thing introduced to the internet was Chuck Norris Facts. Most facts are normally absurd and contain content that Chuck Norris is a super-humanly-being. Most of which are humorous though. So I’m going to share some with you to wrap this up. (Thanks to Chuck Norris Facts )

1)     When Alexander Bell created the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Chuck Norris.

2)     Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

3)     Fear of spiders is arachnophobia, fear of tight spaces is claustrophobia, fear of Chuck Norris is called Logic.

4)     Chuck Norris once won American Idol. Using only sign Language.

5)     Ghosts sit around the campfire and tell Chuck Norris stories.

6)     Chuck Norris has a grizzly bear carpet in his room. The bear isn’t dead it is just afraid to move.

7)     There used to be a street named after Chuck Norris, but it was changed because nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives.

8)     Chuck Norris died 20 years ago, Death just hasn’t built up the courage to tell him yet.

9)     Once a cop pulled over Chuck Norris….the cop was lucky enough to leave with a warning.

10)Chuck Norris and Superman once fought each other on a bet. The loser had to start wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants.

“It’s funny. It’s cute. But here’s what I really think about the theory of evolution: it’s not real. It is not the way we got here. In fact, the life you see on this planet is really just a list of creatures God has allowed to live. We are not creations of random chance. We are not accidents. There is a God, a Creator, who made you and me. We were made in His image, which separates us from all other creatures. By the way, without Him, I don’t have any power. But with Him, the Bible tells me, I really can do all things — and so can you.^” – Chuck Norris

Even though many people will agree with this I decided to share it anyway just showing you a peek at Chuck Norris’s perspective. I also thought it will arise some discussion in the TALONS classroom.

You used to think these words were so bad and awful when you were
younger but now you find yourself uttering it as if it was a spell
that can make everything better.

Study shows that the average usage of profanity every day vary from
between 0% to 3.4%. In comparison, first-person plural pronouns (we,
us, our) make up 1% of spoken words.

Don’t tell me you’ve never sworn in your life. You could be saying the
truth, and if so, kudos to you. When I was in elementary school and
middle school, I used to get terrified when I saw older kids swearing
so I thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to grow up into one of those
kids.’ Little did I know that I, along with almost everyone else that
I know would soon become one of those kids. I know that profanity is
rude. It is without a doubt, insulting; hence profanity is also known
as foul speech and a show of disrespect. Then why do we still use it?

What are you really supposed to say when you stub your toes
unexpectedly? What if it really really hurts and you feel like you
should display your pain publicly? When you’re walking in front of the
class with a folder full of paper and you drop them? When someone
deliberately slaps you, looks at you, make a funny face at you and run
away laughing? Would you be able to restrain the temptation to swear?
Would ‘ouch my toe really hurts’ or ‘oh no, I dropped everything’ or
‘why did you just slap me and run away with that face?’ really work?

I’m not defending profanity in any way, nor am I insulting profanity
(oh haha that’s rather funny) because if I did, I’d become a huge
hypocrite. I just think that we as teenagers do use way too much
profanity than necessary, and guess what. People now start using
swearing words from other languages. As a native speaker, it just
seems really pathetic when people swear in my language, AND THEY DON’T
EVEN SAY IT RIGHT.

Profanity is not ‘just crude,’ I think it can be quite useful. I mean,
they are used in literature and art. It can be used to make a
statement, and to make a big impact. But when it is used; in class, in
front of elders, in front of children, with a purpose to sincerely
insult someone unnecessarily, it’s just crude. Let’s just keep, or try
to keep a balance between everything.

The fruits we eat on a daily basis are not really that interesting. Apples, bananas, oranges, and pears, we probably have all eaten more than we could count. Of course there are the more tropical ones, such as pineapples or mangos as well that I’d say are pretty well known. But I could only remember eating one kind of strange fruit (or at least what the internet refers to as a strange fruit) recently. In my opinion, to be a “strange fruit” the fruit just has to look, and possibly taste, bizarre. Weird shapes and bright colours are great attributes for strange fruits.

Some of the strangest fruit I could find are:

1.  Dragon Fruit or Pitaya

I had some Dragon Fruit not too long ago and it was quite delightful. It has a sweet taste, although not very strong. It is really too bad that Dragon Fruit, or Pitaya, is uncommon where I live because it does not only look cool and taste good, it is also extremely nutritious. Pitaya is high in fiber, minerals, and Vitamin C. Eating this fruit improves digestion, eye sight, and will enhance your metabolism.

2.  Yangmei

Originally from Southeast Asia, this fruit can be either sweet or sour. Although considerable less well known, yangmei fruit is similar to a strawberry texture and flavour. Yangmei is also very high in Vitamin C and will replenish the soil where it is grown.

3.  Noni Fruit

Apart from looking abnormal this fruit has a couple other interesting distinctive qualities. Noni Fruit has a pungent aroma and doesn’t taste very nice. In fact it tastes more like medicine, which isn’t so surprising since it has medicinal properties and can cure certain diseases.

4.  Horned Melon or Kiwano

The Horned Melon, also called Kiwano, resembles a papaya in size and shape. When picked green the Kiwano has a flavour like lemon and banana mixed together. However when it is ripe, Kiwano is said to taste more similar to cucumbers. The Horned Melon is commonly used as a decoration as well as eaten.

Goot Music

KurtHugoSchneider

Boyce Avenue

They are all very talented musicians and singers, some of them even have original songs! But the majority of their work is based around performing covers of songs by other artists. Almost always, the most successful and viewed covers are renditions that put an interesting twist on the original song.

Original:

Cover:

The twist, in my opinion, is where the majority of viewers are hooked. It’s something different than what you hear on the radio. It seems almost more natural and close to the listener. The three groups that I listed are not supported or signed by any labels, and therefore have not been jacked up to celebrity heights. They also constantly make vlogs to keep in touch with their fans; this interaction is a key factor in why cover bands, or youtubers, are so popular. With all the big stars out their being… well BIG STARS. There’s a distance between them and their viewers/listeners. The gap is caused by the heights they are at and the lack of personal contact with their fans. However, cover bands operate on a level much closer to their viewers. Through vlogs and the absence of condescending material in their videos, cover bands achieve something big stars can’t: a sort of relationship with their fans. When I, and I think many others, listen to cover bands, I think of them as a very talented friend that I have. On the other hand, big stars in the music industry cannot create the same sort of feelings. They are only capable of occupying the “Star/Celebrity” position in a person’s life.

Besides relation aspect of cover bands, the ways the portray their songs also have an effect. In contrast to big stars and their high budget music videos with boats and cities, cover bands often stick to just the recording room. The YouTube artists often film themselves performing the actual piece, raw with no boats or planes. This gives viewers a look into what goes into producing the music they hear, not just dubbed versions of train rides or beach adventures (ahem one direction). Keeping it real, I dare say. Through their videos, you know exactly what cover artists put into their work; you know what instruments they use, the microphones, right down to the chair they sit on. It’s raw, and in a way it’s strikingly impressive the way they are filmed, focusing on the emotions of the face and the strokes of how they play. The videos add so much more depth to the performer than those of big stars. All the details emphasized in the subtle videos of cover artists add depth and character to the performers making them more interesting and round.

Cover artists are a quaint bunch, attracting those who like the smallness and rawness of their music. The almost friend like relationship paired with the depth of character they dig with videos is why cover artists attract so many viewers, sometimes numbering in the millions. Cover artists keep old songs alive while providing new takes on newer hits. Wherever you look for cover artists, difference and contrast are key.

If you want to check out some more covers you could consider starting with these!

A video from January showing a TALONS physics lab in action.