Artist: AFI
Album: Decemberunderground
Release Date: June 6, 2006

In college, a snowstorm like the one pounding the east coast today is like the holidays. It’s a time when friends gather together, enjoy each other’s company, and celebrate friends, family, lovers, and the times we’ve all shared. Indeed, while the real world is crippled by the elements, college students see nothing but an opportunity for reflection and celebration of life.

What does this have to do with AFI and this album? Absolutely nothing. But all of my friends have gathered in my apartment, and for me to be sitting here being a dork blogger goes against the feeling of camaraderie going on here. So I’ll be leaving the blogoverse to join the times.

AFI – Miss Murder [iTunes] (YSI)

==TJ==

Last night was the screening of the short film ”A Simple Conversation” at The American Film Institute (AFI). I played Kitty Olsen, the lead in this film. “A Simple Conversation” was screened twice that evening and I attended the 7 PM Screening.  It was great to see Director Jon Clark and Writer/Producer Kristina Monson again, as well as a number of cast and crew members.  

I was pleased with the final outcome of the film. Kristina said that the film will be submitted to the Sundance Film Festival, as well as a number of other film festivals, which is very exciting.  Overall, this was a great evening! 

Jennifer Keller with Director Jon Clark and Producer Kristina Monson

Just the Girls: Actress Jennifer Keller and Producer Kristina Monson

Cast and Crew of "A Simple Conversation" at the 7 PM Screening

Acts announced for Germany’s leg of Give It A Name, and thus possibilities for the UK festival, are: AFI, Against Me, Gallows, Haste The Day and The Swellers.

Joining AFI on their UK tour with Sick Of It All will be The Dear and Departed.

I just read the American Film Institute’s picks for the best 10 movies of 2010, and I wanted to deliver a eulogy, just to be the first speaker at the funeral for American cinema, since cinema played an important role in my life.

Exciting News!  “A Simple Conversation”, a short AFI Film that I worked on, will be premiering on Friday, December 18, 2009.  There will be 2 screening times, 7 PM and 8 PM, both at AFI in Los Angeles, CA.

 Check the flyer for more details!

“A Simple Conversation” Premiere Flyer

Nicole sits down with AFI to discuss their triumphant return to Almost Acoustic Christmas.

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The KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2009 webcast was presented by Xbox 360 and Fox.

This January on FOX. When the threat is real and your life is on the line, you need the best protection money can buy. Christopher Chance is half detective, half bodyguard and all kinds of trouble. Human Target, a new series coming this January to FOX 11.

With games for everyone and every mood, plus instant HD movies and TV, Xbox 360 is more games, more entertainment, more fun.

Get official band merch from AFI right here

Four score and seven years ago, it was 1922. And while the Roaring ’20s were the first great height of leisure time in the US, it was hard to discover music independently without going to ballroom dances every night.

Some flappers dancing to the new Al Jolson hit, "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)"

Fast forward from the Jazz Age to the Digital Age, and it seems as if everyone is a producer. Indeed, the cast of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast have declared the 2000s the best decade for music ever, in part because of the sheer amount of music being released each year. Not only that, more and more people can consume as much as possible thanks to the growing availability of legal music online.

Yes, we’re living in a new golden age for rock music. The “Roaring Zeros,” if you will. As tk and I launch our top ten lists this week, we acknowledge that it’s not going to be possible for us to write about every album we listened to. We each listened to a whole heck of a lot of music this year. As much as we’d like to, covering all of it is simply not a possibility.

That being said, we wanted to give you more than just our top ten. In the past, I’ve listed honorable mentions and other categories along with my top ten list, and that tradition is about to continue. Here, you’ll see the good, the bad, and the ugly of the albums that didn’t make my top ten list. tk will have a new post with his notable omissions later this week. Have opinions about any of these albums? Let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear your angle on these things. So, without further ado, here are the categories we’ll be discussing today:

HONORABLE MENTION: Number 11 through 15 on my top ten list, in alphabetical order. These albums are given the same full review as the top ten.
WORTH NOTICING: A list of albums worth checking out, reviewed in tweets (those of you following me on Twitter got to see these in advance!).
ALBUMS THAT MADE ME SAY, “WAIT, WHAT?”: Sometimes, an album doesn’t quite fit into categories like “the good,” “the bad,” or “the ugly.” I was confused by these albums for one reason or another this year.
DISAPPOINTMENTS: There was a lot of great music this year. There was also a lot that should have been greater.
THE JURY IS STILL OUT: For whatever reason, I didn’t listen to these albums enough to rate them. I think they’re probably worth listening to, but I’m not sure how they’d it into the rest of my list.

HONORABLE MENTION
Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s an American Idol album. But so what? I like American Idol. I get sucked into reality shows. And Adam Lambert is the first American Idol winner to come out of the competition with rock star swagger, an ear for good songs, and a polished debut album. He’s the best Idol since (and maybe including) Kelly Clarkson. With songs written by Pink, Rivers Cuomo, and Justin Hawkins (formerly of The Darkness), it’s a record that leaves all the blood, sweat, and tears in the studio. The only minor quibble I have is the sequencing. An album should flow logically instead of sounding like a greatest hits album. These are some great hits, though. Lambert has a great future ahead of him in the industry. (Wait, what? Kris Allen won? What? Way to go, America.)
MUST HEAR: “Music Again,” “Whataya Want From Me,” “For Your Entertainment“
Antony and the Johnsons – The Crying Light: After a very strong 2008, Antony Hegarty steers his ghost ship of misfit toys through their third full-length album. The songs on The Crying Light are very fragile. They sound like they were carried into the studio on a morose breeze instead of in Hegarty’s lungs. This isn’t the sound of a heart setting itself on fire and tumbling down the stairs; this is the sound of something slowly dying in a beautiful, almost poetic way. Each track is absolutely gorgeous.
MUST HEAR: “Epilepsy is Dancing,” “Another World“
Beck – The Velvet Underground and Nico: When Beck launched his Record Club project in June, it sounded odd. And yet, there was some promise in the premise. According to the official Record Club website, “Record Club is an informal meeting of various musicians to record an album in a day. The album chosen to be reinterpreted is used as a framework. Nothing is rehearsed or arranged ahead of time… The songs are rough renditions, often first takes that document what happened over the course of a day as opposed to a polished rendering.” While Beck and his collective may not have been trying to “recreate the power of the original recording,” they have brought a surprising new vision to this great old recording. The fragility and power of the album are brought back to life, with some songs driving on strong while others sound like they’re threatening to fall apart.
MUST HEAR: “Sunday Morning,” “Run Run Run“
Tegan & Sara – Sainthood: The twins are back in town, kicking tail, taking names, and writing songs with unexpected vocal harmonies. Nobody is going to accuse Tegan and/or Sara of having the best voices in the business, but somehow, the abrasiveness of their vocal connection fits the (mostly) high-energy approach to pop-rock. We’ve almost figured out what to expect from Tegan and Sara. Almost. This time, they’ve come up with their best album yet, driven by those voices that sound like honey to some and nails on the chalkboard to others.
MUST HEAR: “Hell,” “On Directing“
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz: Anchored by the most remixable song of the year (“Zero“), It’s Blitz is eminently listenable. I know that doesn’t sound like much of a compliment, but there’s something to be said for an album that you can just turn on and zone out to. And get up and dance to once in a while. The songs blend together, for the most part, which makes this one of the best background albums of the year.
MUST HEAR: “Zero,” “Heads Will Roll“

WORTH NOTICING
AFI – Crash Love: A solid straight rock album from Hot Topic’s favorite band.
Beirut – March of the Zapotec/Realpeople Holland: Two semi-concept EPs that whet the appetite for another Beirut full-length.
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast: I don’t know if he’s necessarily improving, but he’s still writing great, great songs.
The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love: This hyper-literate indie prog group gets bigger and more epic than The Crane Wife – which turns out to be a mistake.
Discovery – LP: Bouncy electronic side project of Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot puts out a fun debut.
Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest: A solid effort anchored by a few great singles, including the phenomenal “Two Weeks”.
Metric – Fantasies: Rollicking electronic rock album driven by Emily Haines of Broken Social Scene gets your blood a-pumpin’.
Mew – No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away: Untweetfriendly
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Shoegazing fuzz from an exciting new place.
Patrick Wolf – The Bachelor: Weird? Yes. Full of good songs? Sure. A worthy follow-up to The Magic Position? Not quite.
Sufjan Stevens – The BQE: Sufjan takes his expanding vision to a logical conclusion- a classical suite about the Brooklyn/Queens Expressway.

ALBUMS THAT MADE ME SAY, “WAIT, WHAT?”
Bob Dylan – Christmas in the Heart
Dark Was The Night
The Dead Weather – Horehound
The Lonely Island – Incredibad
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Breakup

DISAPPOINTMENTS
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Outer South
Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse – Dark Night of the Soul
Fever Ray – Fever Ray
The Flaming Lips – Embryonic
Julian Casablancas – Phrazes for the Young
Julian Plenti – Julian Plenty Is… Skyscraper
Mika – The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Monsters of Folk – Monsters of Folk
Taking Back Sunday – New Again
Them Crooked Vultures – Them Crooked Vultures
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa
The xx – xx

THE JURY IS STILL OUT
Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Dan Deacon – Bromst
Islands – Vapours
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
KiD CuDi – Man On The Moon: The End of Day
Kings of Convenience – Declaration of Dependence
Lady Sovereign – Jigsaw
Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You
The Mars Volta – Octahedron
Modest Mouse – No One’s First, and You’re Next
Muse – The Resistance
Pictureplane – Dark Rift
Relient K – Forget and Not Slow Down
Riceboy Sleeps – Riceboy Sleeps
Say Anything – Say Anything
Silversun Pickups – Swoon
St. Vincent – Actor
Sunset Rubdown – Dragonslayer
Switchfoot – Hello Hurricane
Wilco – Wilco (The Album)

Check the photos from KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2009.

Buy merchandise from all of the ACX bands right here

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Photos by Alex Rauch

“The Hangover” isn’t the type of movie that usually wins awards, but there it is among the critically-acclaimed films on the American Film Institute’s top 10 movies of the year.

The AFI doesn’t rank the movies in any kind of order.

In addition to “The Hangover,” the list also includes “Up in the Air,” “Up,” “Precious” and “The Hurt Locker.”

Rounding out the top ten are “A Serious Man,” “A Single Man,” “Sugar,” “Coraline” and “The Messenger.”

Meanwhile, “Glee” and “True Blood” are on the American Film Institute’s list of the top 10 TV shows of the year.

“30 Rock” didn’t make the cut this year.

Other shows on the list include “Mad Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Modern Family,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Big Love,” “Nurse Jackie,” “The Number One Ladies Detective Agency” and “Party Down.”

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

LOS ANGELES, December 13, 2009—American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2009, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well as significant moments in the world of the moving image.

AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honors the film and television creative ensembles as a whole—those both in front of and behind the camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television.

Unlike any other film or television award, the AFI AWARDS 2009 selections are made through AFI’s unique 13-person jury process in which scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees discuss, debate and determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection. Two AFI juries—one for motion pictures and one for television—convened in Los Angeles for two days of deliberations at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. The jurors have remained confidential until today…

and guess what?????

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE was part of the selected one of the Top 10 movies in 2009

Also a big round of applause for Mo’nique who recieved the “Best Supporting Actress Award” from both the New York Film Critics Online and The Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

AFI has released their “Top 10 Television” shows of the year…and I can tell you, most of them you do not watch. So it is apparantly based on “excellence” rather than viewership, so like….the Oscars.

Here is the List, you decide…

1. Big Bang Theory (seriously…)

2. Big Love (The word “big” is big this year…obviously)

3. Friday Night Lights (people should just watch…real football.)

4. GLEE (agreed…the musical nerd in me rejoices)

5. Mad Men (the show with swagger, sass and smoke…HBO’s baby)

6. Modern Family (agreed…a very funny, no laugh track sitcom, and no need for cable!)

7. No1 Ladies Detective Club (um…what?)

8. Nurse Jackie (there is life after The Sopranos for Edie Falco…but have you seen this show?)

9. Party Down (again, um…what?)

10. True Blood (the “adult” version of Twilight…you can’t get arrested for ogling these vamps)

And there you have it…thanks AFI for waving your “excellence” wand over these shows (artistic achievements) and introducing us to shows that are better than the ones (mindless smut) we watch…

When the American Film Institute delivered their list of the Top 10 Television Series of 2009, with critics Maureen Ryan, Brian Lowry and Matt Roush on the jury with CCH Pounder and David Milch, you start to realize that any sort of representative Top 10 is about casting a diverse group of shows which offer an objective spectrum of the television world.

The result, if we look down AFI’s list, is choices which may be more representative than they are substantive, more recognizable than entirely creatively successful. And, accordingly, we could “label” each show as filling a particular niche, if not necessarily filling it as well as another show in our personal opinions.

• “The Big Bang Theory [Newly minted "hit"]
• “Big Love [Transcendent Season]
• “Friday Night Lights [New business model]
• “Glee [New series]
• “Mad Men [Unquestionable Quality]
• “Modern Family [New series]
• “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency [Int'l Co-production]
• “Nurse Jackie [Dramedy]
• “Party Down [Underground sensation]
• “True Blood” [Fan Favourite]

You could replace a show like Big Love with Breaking Bad, or a show like Party Down with Better Off Ted, or Modern Family with Community, or Nurse Jackie with United States of Tara, and the list would ostensibly be the same. And in some ways, when you have the huge range of great television available at the moment, this is all that a small jury can do: use their own subjective analysis to craft a list objective in its diversity, trying to capture the trends and the series which helped define the year in television. We’d all swap out a few shows here or there (as the discussion on Twitter decided, Parks and Recreation is the big name that deserves to be here), but I don’t think anyone can argue the list is a failure (especially considering the fantastic mention of Starz’s Party Down).

However, when the Golden Globes casts its nominations tomorrow morning in the television field, its choices are far more indiscernible, its criteria limited to whatever happens to strike the fancy of the mysterious Hollywood Foreign Press Association. And in most cases that is “the new,” those shows which are new and hip and tapping into the cultural zeitgeist. Combined with the existence of “Comedy and Musical” categories, Glee seems like a sure bet to break through into this year’s awards, but with such a wide range of new shows it’s hard to know which will happen to match the Globes’ casting call.

I like analyzing the Emmys because you understand the nomination process, and can delve into individual performances in predicting who might grab a nomination. However, with the Globe, there is so little logic involved that all you can do is have no expectation of quality and be glad that you live in a time zone where the awards are nominated at a decent time (or, at least that’s what I do). Daniel Fienberg at HitFix has more patience with the awards than I do, and has a detailed analysis of every category, but I just can’t bring myself to predict the unpredictable.

I can, however, bring myself to watch the nominations at 5:30 pacific (that’s 8:30 eastern, and 9:30 for me) tomorrow morning to see just what those crazy folks at the HFPA are up to this year, especially since the show itself is a must watch with Ricky Gervais hosting.

I went and saw a concert called “WreX the Halls 2009″ with a handful of bands, notable: 30 Seconds to Mars, Rise Against, and AFI.  I was disappointed with 30 Seconds to Mars because they played a song called “Kings and Queens” and they claimed it was “about you” which it clearly wasn’t as it was enforcing a gender binary.  The show was filled with heteronormalivity and the crowd was eating it up.  It probably all went unnoticed by the people in the audience who claimed to be alternative.  They’d go to a show about being against the establishment but work and live within the system with being the servant not the master.  How do they expect anything to change?

30 Seconds to Mars released a new album called, “This is War” and the title track talking about battle and believing in nothing but the truth of themselves.  I don’t think they can even begin to know “truths” being so caught up in illusions, gender roles, and maintaining social order.  It was like going to a show filled of Hot Topic punks.  It was corporate punk with corporate sponsorship trying to pass itself off at alternative.  You can’t fool me.

Rise Against is a good band and I appreciate their music but the show seemed almost as a joke.  At $39 dollars a ticket – it wasn’t a diverse audience with it being mostly white males in their 20’s and 30’s with their girlfriends.  It was white men playing for white men.  Rise Against is a bit political but I was surprise they had a song for the soldiers called “Hero of War” which is pretty violent and sounds almost patriotic of supporting war and not being given the support back home.  They sing of the hungry and the poor to the middle class which will never do anything to change things.  The show was full of a bunch of liberals who are useless.

I was wearing my sweatshirt with sheeps being abducted by a UFO and I had a pretty good response to it.  However, one girl came up to me and was like, “That sweatshirt is gay.”  I was like, “No, it’s not.”  She was like,”Yeah, it is.  I mean gay like absurd.”  I just kind of stared at her blankly and was like, “I got to go.” It was neither the time or place to explain to her that gay doesn’t mean absurd.  It either means homosexual or happy.  The sweatshirt was silly but wasn’t gay.  It might have been queer because I was wearing it but it was odd that the girl felt the need to stop me and use the wrong words to explain things.  I also had a moment of gender confusing the ticket lady, “Ma’am… Sir…” I was tempted to say “Call me ze” but it really wasn’t a genderqueer safe space in the middle of lots of straight males who are angry at the establishment but are mere sheeps and pawns.

So, the reason I went to the show to begin with was AFI.  They were amazing and put on a great show.  I know, I know, AFI isn’t punk rock anymore but I am still a fan. One of my favorite albums of all time is The Art of Drowning.  I go to hear their old music.  Their new music isn’t bad but not as good as their old music.  I rocked out the entire time.

I just wished the alternative scene was really alternative with radical politics instead of supporting a liberal agenda and pushing faith in the system.  The system was and is working for the angry people at the show who are just angry at their own banality.  They are boring.  Going to shows and having to drink to have fun.  It’s like dude, you are at a show, you should be able to have fun without alcohol.

I was surprised at how much the music was about being broken inside with no solution how to fix it or make it better.  Or how they didn’t want to make it better.  Like being broken is okay and feeling nothing or pain is the way life should be.  Experience, learning, is painful but life is joyous if you find the beauty in small and large.  There was just a lot of hollowed shells of people, like the living dead, it was almost overwhelming.

I know I’m not perfect – but I am working on healing myself from past hurts so that I can be as productive in the world and help society.  In order to heal the world, you first need to heal yourself.

The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced the official selections of AFI AWARDS 2009, AFI’s almanac that records the year’s most outstanding achievements in film and television, as well as significant moments in the world of the moving image.

AFI AWARDS is the only recognition that honours the film and television creative ensembles as a whole—those both in front of and behind the camera—acknowledging the collaborative nature of film and television.

Unlike any other film or television award, the AFI AWARDS 2009 selections are made through AFI’s unique 13-person jury process in which scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees discuss, debate and determine the most outstanding achievements of the year, as well as provide a detailed rationale for each selection. Two AFI juries—one for motion pictures and one for television—convened in Los Angeles for two days of deliberations at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel.

“AFI AWARDS 2009 is the tenth chapter in a century-long program to honor the artists and their work,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. “This program celebrates the creative community – not competition – and it is in this spirit that the institute brings America’s storytellers together to acknowledge their contributions to our nation’s rich cultural heritage.”

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
CORALINE
THE HANGOVER
THE HURT LOCKER
THE MESSENGER
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL ‘PUSH’ BY SAPPHIRE
A SERIOUS MAN
A SINGLE MAN
SUGAR
UP
UP IN THE AIR

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR—OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
THE BIG BANG THEORY
BIG LOVE
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
GLEE
MAD MEN
MODERN FAMILY
THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY
NURSE JACKIE
PARTY DOWN
TRUE BLOOD

Some good choices there, but also many missed out. Nice to see Coraline included, but no Moon. Which selections do you agree with and what should have been there?

What have been your top ten films of 2009?

My one resolution every year is to get tickets to KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas, and this year, I thought I had missed the opportunity.  I’ve been living by the mantra of ‘what will happen will happen’ and ‘everything always works out’ and this story was no exception.

The story of how I got tickets to the Kroq Almost Acoustic Christmas Night One is unreal.  But imagine:

• tickets to second row center stage
• backstage passes
• within tackle distance to all the rock stars
• 2009’s Miss Double December
• and secret guest – the “new” Sublime

and all for free!  Seriously, unreal right?  But yesterday, I may have been the luckiest person at the show.  I have one super awesome friend who made this all possible and for that a million thank yous.

Night ONE!

The Golden Ticket

The line up:

30 Seconds to Mars

30 Seconds to Mars

Hotness

Jared Leto as he was running through the crowd. 2 seats from me!

.

mmmm

“New” Sublime

Surprise guest - the "new" Sublime. Welcome Rome.

.

Alice in Chains

AIC

AIC frontman

.

NO WAR

Rise Against

Rise Against

.

.

AFI

Night One Headliners ---> AFI!

.

Love Like Winter

Backstage

.

KROQ's Kat Corbitt

me!

Jared... even hotter up close

me and AIC!!!

Me and Miss Double December!

American Film Institute unveiled their list of the top 10 films and TV shows of 2009.

AFI’s Top 10 Films of 2009

* “Coraline”
* “The Hangover”
* “The Hurt Locker”
* “The Messenger”
* “Precious: Based On The Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire”
* “A Serious Man”
* “A Single Man”
* “Sugar”
* “Up”
* “Up In The Air”

Of these films, I’ve seen Coraline, The Hangover, Precious, and Up and I agree that the deserve to be on this list. I’ve heard good things about the rest of the films listed especially Up In The Air, The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man.

AFI’s Top 10 TV Shows of 2009

* “The Big Bang Theory
* “Big Love
* “Friday Night Lights
* “Glee
* “Mad Men
* “Modern Family
* “The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
* “Nurse Jackie
* “Party Down
* “True Blood”

For the TV shows, I watch all these shows except for Friday Night Lights, The Big bang Theory, Big Love, and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective. I’ve heard good things about all but the last show and plan on watching The Bang Theory over the Christmas holidays.

I’m so glad that AFI included new shows Glee, Modern Family, Party Down, and Nurse Jackie. These are amazingly funny comedies and I think that they represent the best comedies on TV. True Blood is finally getting the recognition that they deserve. Mad Men is just in a league of its own. Not including it would just be plain wrong. Also, I think it’s speaks to her amazing talent that two of the shows that made the top 10 star Jane Lynch. She is a true talent and it’s about time she’s received some mainstream success.

Samson (Rowan McNamara) and Delilah (Marissa Gibson) from Samson and Delilah

While I would have liked to have seen Balibo pick up a few more of the major awards at the 2009 Samsung Mobile Australian Film Industry Awards, I am nevertheless thrilled by how well Samson and Delilah did. As a professional voting member of the AFI I did vote for Balibo to win Best Film (in both the industry choice and the AFI’s member choice categories) and Best Direction as I truly think it is the most remarkable film I have seen this year. Nevertheless, I am also extremely fond of Samson and Delilah and since I gave it my second vote in the above mentioned categories I was more than happy to see it come out on top.

My original reviews of Samson and Delilah and Balibo.
My interviews with Warwick Thornton and Kath Shelper (Samson and Delilah) and Robert Connolly (Balibo)

José Ramos-Horta (Oscar Isaac) and Roger East (Anthony LaPaglia) from Balibo

Among other things Samson and Delilah also picked up the awards for Best Original Screenplay (Warwick Thornton), Best Cinematography (Warwick Thornton) and Best Sound while Balibo also won Best Adapted Screenplay (David Williamson and Robert Connolly), Best Lead Actor (Anthony LaPaglia) and Best Editing (Nick Meyers ASE). All these awards reflected the way I voted. I also voted for Blessed to win Best Lead Actress (Frances O’Connor) and I was pleased to see that come through as well. While the Best Supporting Actor award for Balibo (Oscar Isaac) and Best Supporting Actress for Beautiful Kate (Rachel Griffiths) did not reflect the way I voted, I thought they were the strongest categories in the awards this year with little separating the nominees.

My disappointments were minor but I would have much preferred to see the Production Design and Costume Design awards go somewhere other than Australia. It always frustrates me the way these awards tend to automatically go to period films rather than to films that use production design and costumes to subtly convey character information. I also wasn’t impressed with Mao’s Last Dancer getting the Best Original Music Score as its music was merely serviceable. Finally, I was a bit sad that Mary and Max didn’t pick up any awards and as I mentioned in my previous post about the feature film nominees (and the following comments) it was a real shame that Disgrace didn’t even get any nominations.

The Cat Piano

As well as voting in several feature film categories, I also was pleased to vote for Best Feature Length Documentary, Best Short Fiction Film and Best Short Animation, and the winning films in all these categories reflected how I voted. While The Cat Piano was by far the best film in the Best Short Animation category, I found most of the films nominated in the Best Short Fiction Film to be very strong this year. Although I did vote for the winning film Miracle Fish, Water and Burn were not too far behind. I voted for Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts for Best Feature Length Documentary but Bastardy was also an incredibly strong contender for that award.

A complete list of all nominees & winners from the 2009 Samsung Mobile AFI Awards

AFI 2009 Best Short Animation The Cat Piano (Ari Gibson and Eddie White, 2009)

© Thomas Caldwell, 2009

Featuring AFI, Rise Against, Alice in Chains, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace, Anberlin and Dead By Sunrise at Gibson Amphitheatre.

FM AND AUDIO STREAMING BROADCAST

KROQ’s on-air broadcast is presented brought to you by Warner Bros. Pictures’ Sherlock Holmes. starring Robert Downey Jr. Nothing Escapes Him. Sherlock Holmes In theaters Christmas Day.

KROQ.COM WEBCAST: LIVE AND UNCUT

The KROQ webcast is presented by Xbox 360 and Fox. Watch all of the performances, backstage interviews and shenanigans live and uncut! Join us right here at starting at 5:45pm, as Psycho Mike hosts both nights of KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2009.

With games for everyone and every mood, plus instant HD movies and TV, Xbox 360 is more games, more entertainment, more fun.

This January on FOX. When the threat is real and your life is on the line, you need the best protection money can buy. Christopher Chance is half detective, half bodyguard and all kinds of trouble. Human Target, a new series coming this January to FOX 11.

Supporting AFI on their upcoming tour will be Sick Of It All.

Photos by Alex Rauch