Lataa Ohjelma (MP3)

Eeppisen mittaisessa juhlajaksossamme esitellään uusi tunnari, palkitaan kommentoijia ja ennen kaikkea käydään läpi panelistien Top 10 suosikkielokuvat kautta aikojen. Mittaa jaksolle tosiaan venähti melkein kolme ja puoli tuntia, mutta älkää säikähtäkö. Annamme tämän kuunteluun kuuntelijoille muutaman viikon kuunteluaikaa ennen uusia jaksoja ja podcastia voi kuunnella vapaavalintaisissa osioissa.

Juhan Top 10 elokuvat:
- Modern Times
- Amélie
- Seven
- Pulp Fiction
- Á Bout de Souffle
- Apocalypse Now
- Dr. Strangelove
- Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä
- Annie Hall
- Requiem for a Dream

Henrikin Top 10 elokuvat:
- WALL-E
- The Great Dictator
- Metropolis
- The Incredibles
- Galaxy Quest
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Manhattan Murder Mystery
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- Finding Nemo

Missisipi – Anni ‘30. Tre galeotti strampalati evadono dal carcere alla ricerca di un tesoro che non esiste. Lungo il loro viaggio, che è un libero omaggio all’Odissea di Omero, incontreranno una galleria di personaggi a dir poco stravaganti e vivranno una serie di avventure surreali quanto grottesche.

PER CHI

Per chi ama la commedia.. ma anche l’avventura, il western, il gangster movie, il musical, lo slapstick e il cinema muto.

Per chi crede in Dio.
Per chi crede nel Fato.
Per chi non crede né a Dio né al Fato.

Per chi difende la leggerezza, l’intelligenza e l’ironia.

Per chi ha voglia di farsi un viaggio nei miti, quelli cosmogonici dell’antica Grecia, quelli patinati del cinema Hollywoodiano e quelli “falsi” del sogno americano.

Per chi non resiste alle citazioni. Fratello dove sei? è una dichiarazione d’amore al il cinema classico Hollywoodiano, dai generi (ad esempio il gangster movie) alle scene (come quella esplicitamente ripresa da I dimenticati di Preston Sturges), ai personaggi (George Clooney, impomatato e con quell’aria da simpatica canaglia, fa l’occhiolino a Clark Gable). E gli omaggi non finiscono qui: dalla letteratura al cinema, dal mito alle leggende popolari, Fratello dove sei? è un crogiuolo di citazioni e giochi intertestuali, un vero spasso per chi voglia divertirsi a scovarli. Ad esempio: chi sarà mai Tommy Johnson, il chitarrista venuto dal nulla?

Per chi crede ancora agli eroi di un tempo. Quando Ulisse era “pio”, le sirene mezze donne e mezze pesce, Polifemo un gigante tonto con un occhio solo e Penelope stava a casa a fare la maglia.
In Fratello dove sei? Ulisse è un chiacchierone senza fede, astuto e vanitoso, le sirene donne in carne e ossa (soprattutto carne), Polifemo un ladro venditore di Bibbie violento e xenofobo e Penelope una fedifraga emancipata che dà non poco filo da torcere al di lei succube Ulysses.

Per chi vuole farsi un bagno nel profondo Missisipi della canzone popolare americana. La colonna sonora è un’enciclopedia di brani tradizionali e di successo americani, che vanno dal soul (es. Po Lazarus), al gospel (es. Down to the river to pray), al folk, al country (es. Man of Costant sorrow, Big Rock Candy Mountain, You are my sunshine), al blues.

Per (solo per) veri uomini Dapper Dan!

I’m a NCIS fan. Because of that, I watched the NCIS and NCIS: Los Angles premieres. Anyway, when I watched the NCIS: Los Angles premiere, I immediately thought that the actress who plays Hetty Lange looked like Edna Mode, the character that created the uniforms for the Incredibles, in the movie The Incredibles. Personally, I just found it really freaky that they look so much alike. I would say that they based Edna Mode on Linda Hunt. Anyway, I just found it freaky.

I’d never heard about The Piano until last night. After a delightful dinner with friends, we conversed for what seemed like moments but was, in reality, hours, and in the course of our discourse, the subject of this film was broached. It was made imperative to me that not only did I have to see this film, but I had to review it. It was my new mission in life, and I was to make it a priority. And so I did. Not wasting any time, I tracked the film out like a wounded, shallow-breathing gazelle made out of celluloid. What I found after my extensive search and subsequent viewing of The Piano is that I cannot believe I lived in a time either before or after it. There is something so epochal about viewing this film that everything that happened before you started watching it is different than afterwards, and both of those two conditions are equally strange compared to when you’re in the moment watching it. It’s a movie that changes the way you think about Hollywood, the arts, and big-name actors, if only while you’re in the moment.

The Piano is a story-and-dialog-driven film, so there’s a LOT of stuff to cover. Like Sense and Sensibility or any Jane Austen period affair, it is filled with sweeping romance and a story that dances capriciously and wildly on the stylings of the age like a soft hammer on harpsichord strings. Set in the middle of the 19th century, a mute Scottish lass named Ada is being shipped off to rugged New Zealand after an arranged marriage. She’s being bargained off to a man named Alistair Stewart. Ada is a mysterious character, a woman who has no apparent reason to be mute, instead allowing her young daughter from a tumultuous affair with a teacher to communicate to the outside world using sign language. Her one joy in life, and her one real way of expressing herself, is with a piano that she ships all the way from Scotland. It is her means of interacting with the outside world, and she plays it obsessively in her new life on the frontier. It’s not easy living in the primordial nature of New Zealand for Ada and her daughter, and it’s even more difficult living with Alistair, whose dark demeanor and rough attitude leaves Ada cold to his embrace. The only thing that can comfort her is the piano, and when another frontiersman named Baines enters the picture, a passionate man who sees the beauty in Ada’s playing, the two find comfort where there was none for either of them before. What will happen in this odd New Zealand love triangle for these characters fashioned off the beaten trail?

If I had to say only one thing about The Piano, I would simply say that it holds an ocean of strong, almost unreadable emotion. Ada’s world is strange and harrowing, if not a little incomprehensible at times. She is strong, fiery, petulant, determined, vulnerable, dejected, and at times even manipulative; she’s a woman, real and plain and simple, flaws and all. She attracts all this larger-than-life drama because her own character is so large. It’s a fascinating character study into a character who seemingly chose not to speak.

Speaking of not speaking, the score by acclaimed composer Michael Nyman plays a very important role here. The score, you see, acts as Ada’s voice. It is her lifeline to the world, and so Nyman here envelops the audience with a powerful range of emotion that one cannot get from the lips of Ada, and therefore must be translated into the rich, sumptuous world of music. Tracks like “The Mood that Passes Through You” or “Silver Fingered Fling” are among the best piano pieces I’ve ever heard composed for a film. They’re simply a joy to hear, and if you like the feel of Romantic period piano music, then look no further than this intoxicating film. I recommend getting the soundtrack as well; I just downloaded 3 songs from it while I typed the intro to this review.

Jane Campion, a native New Zealander, uses her actors either as part of the wild majesty of her country or extreme foils to it. She captures with amazing breadth and scope the beauty of the world around us, not to mention the beauty of her  subjects. An Academy Award was well deserved for this film, and her direction was definitely up to snuff, so her loss that year was completely unexpected.

Characters like Harvey Keitel’s Baines exist in relative harmony with the living, breathing island, and despite his occupation (forester! Oops!) I still felt as though he belonged in the think of it, a necessary force in the frontier. Ada, on the other hand, is a modern woman wrapped in black and wholesomely clean. She represents with her Western piano all that New Zealand is not. Holly Hunter plays Ada, and interestingly enough, played the piano on most of these songs. She’s very accomplished, and she shows her amazing chops both in front of a lens and behind a camera, which really makes me wonder why she did that horrible Saving Grace show on TNT last year. Sam Neill cuts a malevolent figure as the tragic but ruthless Alistair, and while I honestly feel a little bad for him, since frigid Ada never really gave him much of a chance, he still had a lot of opportunity to not be such a tool. You’ll see what I mean when you watch it, but this guy really knows how to ruin a good time!

With a wonderful director at the helm, a well-evinced script, a legendary score, and a stable of quality actors (including even an early turn by Ms. Anna Paquin), The Piano is a movie that challenges us. It’s a period piece that throws emotions at us as if we were a ship out at sea. There is a lot to experience in this ever-expanding chasm of feeling that will leave you definitely changed in some small ways after you check it out. Do not miss this Oscar nominee from ‘93, or you will definitely regret it. Hell, I regret it and I didn’t know anything about it, so if you ignore my recommendation, you’re crossing your luck at your hazard. I give The Piano 9 hammers against the strings out of 10. A high recommendation!

Tomorrow I enjoy Dazed and Confused, DUDE! Until then!!!

Movies have always challenged us and given us unique perspectives on things we didn’t consider. Some of the greatest arguments of our time have been fought out on the silver screen. From abortion to evolution, these memorable debates are powerful and always deliver both sides of the story. Emily Rose’s story is one of those debates.

Inspired by a true story, Father Richard Moore (Tom Wilkinson) is put on trial for the negligent homicide of 19-year old Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter). The priest’s claim is that Emily had been possessed by the devil and that an exorcism had to be performed to release the devil’s grasp on the girl. The young girl died.

Defending Moore the priest is rising courtroom star Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) who has a difficulty believing the priest’s story at the beginning. The prosecuting attorney (Campbell Scott), is a devote Methodist who has to present the scientific side of the case and debunk the priest’s claims.

“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is a hard film to get your head around. The film is smart, creepy, compelling and has a tasty argument to send to trial but why didn’t it hit home for me.

As the film progressed I often found myself remembering scenes from the 1960 classic “Inherit the Wind” where a teacher is put on trial for teaching evolution in a devote religious system. The film was a blood-boiler as both sides of creationism and evolution were debated in fiery detail. It is still one of the best courtroom films ever made.

I think the problem I had with “Emily Rose” was that I found the courtroom scenes in the film to be rudimentary and photographed rather dully. After seeing countless court scenes on TV and film it was hard to get into this one even if the case was intriguing. There was no passion in the court proceedings but just seemed to be a rigorous game.

This lack of passion in an intriguing case reminded me of the controversial 1989 TV movie “Roe vs. Wade” where a pregnant mother (Holly Hunter) wants to have an abortion in Texas, where the procedure is illegal. The film itself had a good argument but the film itself is heavily flawed and never is each side of the case fairly represented. Especially the prosecution since the film is biased to one side. I felt the same was evident in “Emily Rose”.

To counter-measure the court, you have quite excellent flashback sequences that can be quite unnerving and often stray us away from the factual case. The flashbacks give more meaning to the priest’s case while stealing the audience away from believing the other side of the story.

Even if the story isn’t presented as powerful as it could have been I did like the performances of both Linney and Wilkinson. Newcomer Jennifer Carpenter “no-holds-barred” contortionist performance as Emily Rose is jarring and brilliant. I liked Carpenter but found that the filmmakers let her scenes get way over the top in portions.

I think the film can best be described as “Inherit the Wind” meets “The Exorcist”. Even though the film is probably not what you would expect I wished it was more powerful and delivered a more even handed debate.

3 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer

Inspirado por el deseo del rey Alfonso XIII de construir un hotel de lujo que estuviera a la altura del Ritz de París, el Hotel Ritz de Madrid, inaugurado en 1910, comparte con sus homónimos de París y Londres la reputación de ser uno de los hoteles más majestuosos de Europa. El hotel se diseñó y construyó bajo la supervisión personal del legendario hotelero Cesar Ritz, de quien adoptó el nombre.El Ritz ha desempeñado un papel esencial en la vida de Madrid durante el último siglo. Aún hoy, el hotel persiste como un punto de atracción clave para muchos visitantes de esta capital europea.

A principios del siglo pasado, el rey Alfonso XIII volvía de sus viajes por Europa con el recuerdo de los palacios que había visitado impreso en la memoria. Madrid era una ciudad de intensa vitalidad, con edificios soberbios y hermosos jardines. Sin embargo, de un modo u otro le faltaba algo. El Rey fue el primero en ser consciente de cuánto ganaría la ciudad si contara con un gran hotel de lujo de la misma categoría del Ritz de París o Londres.

Se puso manos a la obra y no perdió tiempo en poner estas ideas en práctica. Madrid debía ofrecer a sus visitantes algo realmente extraordinario: un hotel que pudiera satisfacer el gusto más refinado de un nuevo tipo de viajero, que sólo por aquel entonces empezaba a conocerse como “turista”.

El sueño del monarca comenzó a hacerse realidad. La edificación del Ritz -grandioso, luminoso y confortable- había comenzado con el respaldo de la Compañía de Desarrollo Ritz. Charles Mewes, de París, y Luis de Landecho, de Madrid, fueron los arquitectos responsables. En poco tiempo, las paredes del futuro hotel sobrepasaban ya las magnolias, los cedros y las acacias del Prado.

Lo último en comodidad y lujo en aquella época era contar con cuatro o cinco cuartos de baño en cada planta del hotel. Con instalaciones como éstas, el Ritz se convirtió de inmediato en uno de los hoteles más lujosos del mundo. Había un teléfono por piso junto al ascensor, el cual también estaba considerado como un ejemplo sublime del lujo moderno.

Actualmente, el Hotel Ritz mantiene estas tradiciones, aunque los baños y teléfonos son estándar en todas las habitaciones, las cuales cuentan además con conexiones Wireless de alta velocidad a Internet.

A su vez el  Restaurante Goya es cita obligada para los paladares más exigentes, el té de media tarde en el Lobby Bar, un almuerzo o cena en La Terraza disfrutando de los increíbles jardines unido a un discreto pero atento servicio, hacen de los Restaurantes y Bar del Ritz los lugares más exclusivos de Madrid. 

Para terminar, destacar la fabulosa ubicación del Hotel,  un auténtico lujo por si misma. El Hotel Ritz está situado entre el Parque del Retiro, el Teatro de la Zarzuela y los tres museos más importantes de Madrid: el Prado, el Thyssen Bornemisza y el Centro de Arte Moderno Reina Sofía.

El hotel se encuentra situado en pleno centro financiero de la capital, a escasos metros de la Bolsa de Madrid, y a 5 minutos a pie del casco histórico.

Sin lugar a duda, el deseo del rey Alfonso XIII de crear un hotel majestuoso se vió cumplido.

Durante casi cien años, el Hotel Ritz Madrid ha dado la bienvenida a las personalidades más representativas de todos los ámbitos: cultura, arte, política, ciencia, moda… El Libro de Oro del Hotel se ha convertido en testigo y testimonio importante de ello.

Esta es una pequeña muestra de algunos de los clientes ilustres del pasado y del presente que han firmado en nuestro Libro de Oro: Rey Alfonso XIII y la Reina Victoria Eugenia ,El Emperador Haile Selassie de Etiopía ,El Rey Jaled de Arabia Saudí , La Reina Sonia de Noruega , El Príncipe de Gales y la Princesa Diana , El Príncipe Raniero y la Princesa Gracia de Mónaco , El Príncipe Naruhito de Japón , El Rey Mohammed VI , El Maharaja de Kapurthala , El Príncipe Ernst August de Hannover , Margaret Thatcher , Fidel Castro , Mijail Gorbachov , Eva Peron , President Jaques Chirac , Kofi Annan , Vladimir Putin , Matta Hari , Romano Prodi , Yaser Arafat , Helmut Kohl , Tony Blair , President Bill Clinton , Nelson Mandela, Herbert von Karajan, Sir George Solti , Cher, Placido Domingo, Marc Anthony , Ana Belen , Madonna , Julio Iglesias , Frank Sinatra, Sting , Arthur Rubinstein , Jennifer Lopez , Elton John , Tina Turner , Brian Ferry , Lorin Maazel , Paul McCartney, Salvador Dali , Alberto Maravia , Fernando Botero, Catherine Deneuve , Sofia Loren , Michael Caine , Pierce Brosnan , Mel Gibson , George Clooney , Milos Forman , Salma Hayek , Nicole Kidman , Ridley Scott , Brad Pitt , Jerry Lewis , Tom Cruise , Monica Bellucci , Dennis Quaid , Sylvester Stallone , Jeremy Irons , Penelope Cruz , Morgan Freeman , Will Smith , Emma Thompson , Harrison Ford , Mel Brooks, Laurence Olivier ,Lesley Howard , Richard Burton , Ava Gardner , Woody Allen , Richard Gere , Roger Moore , Melanie Griffith , Zsa Zsa Gabor ,  Antonio Banderas , Julia Roberts , Henry Fonda , Ben Stiller , Jennifer Connelly , James Stewart , Holly Hunter , Dustin Hoffman , Michelle Pfeiffer , Jodie Foster , Burt Lancaster ,Anthony Hopkins , Marcello Mastroianni , Orson Welles, Alexander Fleming , Christina Onassis , Ivan Trump, David Delfin , Dolce & Gabana , Salvatore Ferraga , Manolo Blanhik , John Galiano.

Más información: http://www.ritz.es/web/orit_es/hotel_ritz_madrid.jsp

A comédia romântica “Nos Bastidores da Notícia”, do diretor James L. Brooks aborda a rotina da redação de uma emissora de tevê. Mas no stress de colocar no ar as notícias, rola uma trama que liga vidas profissionais e pessoais. Recebeu 7 indicações ao Oscar. Com William Hurt e Holly Hunter.

serviço

o quê: Nos Bastidores da Notícia (Broadcast – 1987 – 133 m)
quando: 20 de outubro, às 19h30
onde: Espaço Unibanco Augusta – sala 3
endereço: Rua Augusta, 1470 – Consolação
telefone: (11) 3288.6780
entrada: gratuita
informações: www.unibancocinemas.com.br

Live Blog of 2009 Emmys

8:03 Peter- I’m getting tired of the opening songs on all these award shows. Although it’s the only live songs on TV which aren’t lip synced.

8:09 Katie- The “Year in Comedy” montage is really depressing. There were like two funny shows this year.

8:12 Peter- I hope none of the women nominated for best female lead win just because of the stupid glasses gag. I hope that was an isolated incident.

8:14 Peter-If I ever won an award I would give an acceptance speech just like Kristin Chenoweth.

8:22 Peter- Flight of the Concords better win.

8:22 Peter- Dammit.

8:23 Katie- I forgot that 30 Rock wins all the Emmys.

8:23 Katie – Also, I’ve never actually seen an episode of 30 Rock, just out of sheer laziness.

8:25 Peter- If the guy from Two and a Half Men wins I’m quitting the blog!

8:26 Katie- Go Dwight!

8:26 Katie- Shit. I’m out one blog member.

8:28 Peter- If something shitty wins the next award, I’m back on the blog.

Katie- For some reason.

Katie- I’m sure something shitty will win the next one. We’re pretty much guaranteed that.

8:35-Katie – I’ve never seen United States of Tara, but I’m rooting for Toni Collette because I love her.

Katie – Yay!

Peter- Does this mean I’m still off the blog?

Katie- Yeah, for now.

8:36 Katie- Holy shit, she’s Australian. You just never know.

8:37 Peter- Next liveblog, we’re doing our research, and we’re actually watching some of the nominees.

8:38 Katie- They really seem like they’re flying by the seat of their pants here.

8:39 Peter- Tina Fey better win for guest actress on SNL

8:42 Katie- Cool! Jeff Blitz for “The Office”! That was a good episode too.

Katie- Looks like you’re still off the blog, Pete.

8:43 Peter- I like people who don’t go thanking a bunch of people.

Katie- Me too. Keep your acceptance speech short and sweet. You’re an actor. You can control your emotions. Keep it together.

8:44 Peter- Katie’s gone too far. I like when the actors get emotional.

Katie- Says the guy who doesn’t work for this blog anymore.

8:47 Katie- No amount of sexyface on that model can convince me that Suave is a good shampoo.

8:49 Katie- I’ll always remember Rob Lowe for his work in The Stand.

Peter- It better be Steve Carrell.

8:50 Katie- Steve Carrell, and failing that, Jemaine Clement!

8:51 Peter- Alright, I’m back on the blog!

Katie- Uh, we’ve never seen 30 Rock. For all we know, it could be good.

Katie- So you’re still off the blog.

8:53 Peter- Lorne Michaels looks like he’s been taking qaueludes all night. He’s just not happy about anything.

Katie- Maybe he’s sad about how bad SNL is now. Oh, snap!

8:54 Peter- Looks like Seth Macfarlane hired the writers from that season of The Simpsons where it started sucking and every joke involved gore.

8:55 Peter- If Daisy of Love is not nominated in the Reality category, then the academy has made a serious mistake.

Katie- I had no idea there was even a Reality category.

8:56 Peter- Pretty much if any of these win, I’m back on the blog.

8:56 Katie- And people are dancing now for some reason..

8:57 Katie- They should’ve hired us for this. Haven’t they seen our dance pranks? Over 50 Americans have seen our dance pranks!

8:59 Peter- Jeff Probst won. It’s a gray area whether I’m back on the blog, because he really impressed me that one season when he like went motorcycle riding and skydiving back to Los Angeles to give the final elimination ceremony.

Katie- Yeah, I’ve always liked Jeff Probst.

9:07 Peter- Tracy Morgan seems really drunk.

Katie- That’s what we’d be like. Whenever I have daydreams about us winning an award, we’re all drunk.

9:08 Katie- The Amazing Race is a pretty good show.

Katie- It’s been on for 16 seasons ?! That would have to mean that the show has been on since I was 12, or 11 or something. Some number much lower than that, since I’m so young…

9:14 Peter- We should get an agent.

Katie- Yeah, like a blog agent. That’s the only reason we’re not successful.

Peter- At this rate, I’m not even sure I want to be back in the blog anymore.

9:15 Katie- When Mark and Thom aren’t here, our liveblogs are 90% bickering.

9:16 Katie- We’ve been really slacking on watching miniseries. I Think the last time a saw a miniseries was The Stand.

Peter- And Battlestar Galactica.

Katie- Nerd. But you’re right. You’re back on the blog.

9:22 Peter- I don’t understand what’s going on with these Geico “This is the money you could be saving” commercials.

Katie- It’s like those cavemen ones. You have to watch TV constantly so that you understand the back story.

9:26 Peter- Patricia Arquette isn’t having any of this prescripted banter nonsense.

9:30- Katie- Neal Patrick Harris seems like such a nice guy, so I hesitate to say this, but he is not funny at all.

9:32Peter- Oh wow, it’s Nathan Fillion.

Katie- Now there’s a funny guy

9:34 Peter- I’m surprised 30 Rock didn’t win this one too.

9:36 Peter- I hope they go to commercial cause I need another drink.

Peter- Yesss!

9:42 Peter- Is it just me, or does everyone’s cleavage look really airbrushed, like they put makeup on their boobs?

Katie- I was just thinking that.

9:42 Peter- It’s like looking at a mannequin’s boobs.

9:43 Katie- Actually I wouldn’t be surprised if they do put makeup on them. I would put makeup on my ribs if I was going to be in the Emmys.

9:44 Peter- It’s a Grey Gardens sweep.

9:49- Peter- I’ve never seen The Big Bang Theory, but I’ve been told that it’s sexist, so I don’t like it.

9:51 Peter- This guy didn’t get an aisle seat? I mean, he was nominated, and he didn’t get an aisle seat.

9:52 Katie- Yay Colbert Report! Yay Daily Show!

9:53- Peter- Man, I wanna be a writer on one of those shows so bad. I could so do it.

Katie- Me too. It’s in my daydream queue.

9:54- Katie- Okay, SNL used to have good writers, but no.

9:55 Peter- Now we know who to blame for why SNL has gotten so bad.

9:56 Peter- That’s cool that John Stewart let someone else give the speech.

Katie- He’d pretty much have to be a jerk not to.

Peter- Why do you have to be so combative on the liveblogs.

10:01- Peter- The news at 11 is banking on some “surprises” at these Emmys.

10:02 Peter- Jimmy Fallon can either be really funny or really not funny.

10:03- Katie- OMG No Way did they nominate Hugh Jackman’s opening number at the Oscars.

Peter- Flight of the Conchords better win.

Peter- Oh my god!

Katie- I can’t believe that someone actually liked that opening number.

Katie- You’re right, guy. “This is ridiculous.”

10:05- Peter- It is a literal sin that Flight of the Conchords didn’t win.

Peter- These guys do seem pretty funny though.

Katie- It just didn’t come through in their Academy Awards thing, which was really bad.

10:07- Katie- I love Ricky Gervais so much.

10:09- Katie – Are they just nominating SNL out of habit? Have they even seen it recently? The last time I saw it, I almost cried it was so bad.

Peter- Cool, Daily Show won. I’ll take it.

10:10 Katie- Is there a football game on now or something? They keep talking about it. It’s like, hey guys, a huge chunk of your audience actually doesn’t know anything about football. That’s actually why we’re watching this. What do they think the manly men are foregoing the football game for this? It’s women and gay guys here! Oh shit Pete’s coming back…

10:18- Peter- I didn’t know NCIS was considered a drama.

10:18 Katie- We really need to start watching more tv.

Katie- If Battlestar Galactica doesn’t win something, I’ma flip my lid.

10:18- Katie – Did I just hear someone say “You drank a lotta ma blood…”? We should watch True Blood just for the laughs.

10:20 Katie- Hey, remember when we used to watch Lost? But then Michelle Rodriguez was on it, and we got so mad we stopped watching.

10:21- Peter- I love Sandra Oh even if I don’t like Grey’s Anatomy. Which I’ve never seen.

Katie- Don’t worry, it’s bad.

Peter- Sandra Oh is so happy that that other lady won. She’s such a good person. I’ll bring it all back to Sandra Oh.

10:23- Katie – She was really amazing in Last Night.

10:24 Peter- Oh, come on. Fuck off, McLachlan.

Peter- I don’t know what I’m so mad about.

Katie- It is kinda super-cliche to sing “I Will Remember You”, even if you did in fact write the song. It’s like, put it away.

10:25- Katie – I just realized we’re both terrible people.

Katie- Mad dead people are flashing up there, and we’re talkin’ turkey.

10:26- Peter- Patrick Swayze brings a tear to the eye though.

Katie- That is a man that I will remember. And I’m being serious. He rocked.

10:27- Peter- Sarah McLachlan looks like a soccer mom with her short hair. Remember when she had long hair and then she cut it in that video? And then she instantly became a soccer mom.

10:28 Katie- She is a really good singer though.

Peter- Wait, you’re coming out on her side?

Katie- You’re talking to the girl who once put a Sarah McLachlan- scored fan vid of Battlestar Galactica clips on her Myspace page, for like a month.

10:30- Peter- Ooh, that changes things.

10:34 Peter- Man, Michael J. Fox is cool.

Katie- Yeah, he’s always seemed like someone who was just a really good person.

10:36- Peter- Man, it’s cool when the writers do their little skits, because it’s like, they’re not good actors but they’re really funny people.

10:41- Katie- I hope Holly Hunter wins.

Peter- Yeah, I love Holly Hunter.

Peter- Glenn Close isn’t bad though.

10:42- Katie (and Peter, at the same time!)- Glenn Close looks so beautiful for her age.

10:44 Peter- I hate these Bing.com commercials. They’re so corny.

Katie- Yeah, like how do you not find what you’re looking for with Google? It’s pretty easy to zero in on the information you want with any search engine, unless you’re a caveman.

10:53-Peter- Bob Newhart’s funny.

10:54- Peter- That’s a tough one between Flight of the Conchords and The Office.

Katie- Come on! 30 Rock again?

Peter- We haven’t seen it, but it can’t be that good if we haven’t seen it yet.

Katie- It can’t be better than Conchords or The Office.

10:56 Peter- “True Blood” won “Breakthrough Performance” via a vote by the American public. Surprise, sur-fuckin-surprise..

Katie- People can’t get enough of vampires. We need to incorporate them into our blog.

10:59: Katie- I can’t wait to see Capitalism: A Love Story

11:01- Katie- Im not familiar with any of the nominees for Drama Series.

11:01 Peter- No comment.

11:02 Katie- We need to watch TV more.

11:02 Peter- Man, I love how liberal the entertainment industry is.

Yeah, liveblogging!!!

I’m not that excited about the Emmy’s this year, because I am cynical. Because instead of being excited that Jack McBrayer and Jemaine Clement are nominated, I just feel like Emmy voters are trying to feign hipness by nominating the things they know are “in” right now. The fact that they nominated all of this Justin Timberlake business from SNL when it was complete rehash of the 193 other times he’s hosted SNL (and therefore really tired) kind of proves this point. “Oh shit, guys, Omeletteville was FUNNY, let’s nominate for that four years later.”

But I do love Neil Patrick Harris and a ton of the nominees, so I’ll drop the cynicalness for a bit and give you all the goods.

Also, please remember, I’m presently without DVR, an intern, printed out notes, etc, so I can’t pause and create any kind of perfection. And I personally only kept notes for my picks.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY, regardless of what happens, I’m putting on Mad Men at 11.

We’ve begun! NPH is narrating something about basketball and Aretha Franklin’s hat and sophistication (cut to scene from Wipe Out!). There’s cheesy 1950s-like narration jokes, and it’s light and fun, and hopefully NPH is about to sing.

Indeed he is. He’s wearing a snazzy white suit jacket and trying to convince me not to change the channel, and it’s actually not that funny. Paula Abdul joke. Jokes about Joan Holloway’s curves, and okay, “Her curves could turn a blind man straight and a gay man – no wait, there’s Jon Hamm.” Hee. He’s so precious. Whoever is with Tracy Morgan or Alec Baldwin is creepy. NPH is talking about the lack of theme songs on TV, and it’s SO TRUE. In fact, in my Facebook interests, I have listed:

Favorite Music:
tv theme songs.. why aren’t they a big thing anymore?

You didn’t believe me, did you?

Two and a Half Men diss, and we’re only seven minutes in. He’s trying to host like he’s Johnny Carson or something, I think, and it sort of works and sort of doesn’t, and I just want to get a move on.

They’re dividing the show into five sections tonight, and everything is in full view (the band, the control room), and the first section is comedy. So now we’re having a comedy montage that is starting with Family Guy. And now the Office and Ugly Betty and 30 Rock.. so I guess it’s all modern stuff only. I’d enjoy a Dick Van Dyke clip or something here. It ends with floppy haired Jon Hamm, though, so I accept.

Tina Fey and non-floppy haired Jon Hamm are out to present the first award. He thanks us for looking at him. Tina just referred to Seth MacFarlane as Seth MacFarland. Anyways, it’s best supporting actress in a Comedy.

I picked Amy Poehler, though now I wish I had picked Kristin Chenoweth for she is wearing hilarious 2009 glasses. No wait, it’s a thing. They’re all wearing some sort of glasses. Except Vanessa Williams who is either a mega bitch or thinks that part is funny. And Kristin Chenoweth did win and she’s crying! Aw! She just told everyone that it was Amy Poehler’s idea to wear the glasses (so obviously Vanessa Williams is just a mega bitch), and she’s crying and I LOVE HER. She is saying that she’s unemployed so she would like to be on Mad Men, the Office and 24. I’m in an emotional state right now, so I almost cried. AWWWW, ITTY BITTY! She’s still crying backstage, so I’m calling that genuine.

The whole cast of How I Met Your Mother is presenting (minus NPH), and aww. Since Jason Segel isn’t like 8 feet taller than everyone else, that is ONE TALL CAST. Josh Radnor has a great narrator voice, by the way. 30 Rock just won a writing Emmy.

Some girl named Barbie won a seat for being the biggest TV fan in America or something. Neil is making fun of the crummy bit (her seat is behing basketball players! Ha!) Julia Louis Dreyfuss and Amy Poehler are presenting and being all cute and making fun of how networks suck and supporting actors/actresses can buy their awards.

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. I picked Neil Patrick Harris. Remember when Jon Cryer was Duckie and was awesome? Now I just want to punch him. JACK MCBRAYER. AW HE’S GETTING LOTS OF APPLAUSE AND HE’S SO FUCKING ADORABLE AND I LOVE HIM. Jon Cryer won. Oh, I might as well stop watching now. Kevin Dillon looks like he wants to kill someone, but this goes for what I was saying before. Let’s nominate the hip stuff and then give them to the milquetoast. Jon Cryer is being funny, but he lost me when he started talking about how amazing Charlie Sheen is. Life would have been so fantastic had Amy Poehler been able to give Jackie McB an Emmy. Alas.

Here’s a picture of Jack McBrayer showing why he’s a million times funnier than Jon Cryer:

I took this on my cell phone last month. While laughing. SO THERE, DUCKIE.

NPH jokes about losing, it’s cute, moving along, Justin Timberlake is wearing a suit and looking all sharp and being funnier than most of the comedians have been so far. Pause for applause for Bea Arthur.

Best Actress in a Comedy. I picked Toni Collette. Sarah Silverman is wearing a moustache and being completely deadpan, and I like her much more than I used to. And Toni Collette won, so I finally got one right!. Sarah Silverman is pretending to simper in her seat with her moustache, and yeah, funny.

Jon Cryer is saying “In Your Face” to Neil Patrick Harris from the press room. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester are talking about the Creative Emmys, and they both look awful. I mean, let’s be clear, they both look a million times better than I do right now, but I’m not at an awards show.

Tina Fey and Justin Timberlake won awards for being on SNL, and they get to talk during the show, and JT just made a Kanye joke. Come on, Justin. Tina Fey just said, Thanks to Lorne Michaels for making her rich and famous, “if it weren’t for Lorne, Justin would still be very rich and very famous.” A guy from the Office won something and I’m not sure what. I’m a hack. Anyways, he thanks this wonderful moment right here:

And we’re back! With Rob Lowe! I wish he were in character as Sam Seaborn. Rob Lowe can be very, very funny. He had a good SNL a few years back. Right now he’s just being a bit weird. But he’s giving us the Best Actor in a Comedy Series one. I picked Jim Parsons for no reason. As much as I love Jemaine, the name Jemaine Clement doesn’t flow very well. Weirdly enough, the only scene that made me chuckle in the nominee clips was the Tony Shalhoub one. Alec Baldwin won, which isn’t shocking because I forgot about his duel role episode. Baldwin says that he would trade the Emmy to look like Rob Lowe, for serious. And let’s remember that Alec Baldwin used to look like this:

We’re transitioning to the Reality segment which makes me want to change the channel, but I’ll keep with it. Especially because the set just went all Who Wants to be a Millionaire/X-Files-y. Lots of clips of people cursing and losing brain cells.

Maksim and Karina from Dancing with the Stars are dancing all sexylike, which is AWKWARD cause they totally just broke off their engagement. And actually, this isn’t that impressive of a dance, and I wonder if it’s because of that. They disappeared and a bunch of other dancers are here, and eh. Hayden Panettiere looks cute, if you ask me. She is presenting the Best Reality Host with Jon Cryer. I picked Jeff Probst. He wins! I’m a winner! Except Jeff Probst is, and he thanks Neil Patrick Harris for being awesome. Jeff Probst has gotten really strange looking from the first season of Survivor, and he’s also talking about this being his dream. It’s confusing, because when he was a kid, there was no reality TV for him to dream about hosting a TV show about people being thrown into the jungle/outback/desert/etc. Hm.

Tracy Morgan is going to present something or other, and he makes everyone in the crowd laugh simply by saying, “Thank you, Neil Patrick Harris.” I picked Project Runway knowing full well that Amazing Race always wins. Tracy Morgan’s naming of the nominees is cracking me up, and he’s not really doing anything but saying the names of the TV shows in his animated way. And Amazing Race won, of course, but it won after we got an adorable clip of FABIO VIVIANI from Top Chef. Drink if the Amazing Race person says, “It never gets old” or something like that. Neil Patrick Harris says, “Upsets at every turn!” Ha.

Okay, we’re done with Reality and moving on to Movies/Miniseries. Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are out, and I love them, for they totally ride the subway in NYC like normal people. I’m pretty sure everyone that I know (myself included) has seen them on the train. Supporting Actress in a Miniseries, and Shoreh Agdashloo won. I’ve LOVED her since House of Sand and Fog. She’s brilliant and glamorous and beautiful.

Best Supporting Actor goes to Ken Howard for Grey Gardens, which is the only one of these I kind of wanted to see. I didn’t even make pics for these categories. He just made a Joe Wilson/Kanye joke because apparently nobody got the memo that they’re old hat already. He’s the dad from Crossing Jordan, and I almost didn’t recognize him without the Bahston accent. He won an Emmy on his wife’s birthday, and he’s mentioning it while she cries, that’s so adorable.

Brendan Gleeson beat out some pretty heavy competition for Best Actor in a Miniseries/Movie. I think. Though Kevin Kline and Ian McKellan’s were both from plays that were filmed and aired on TV, I guess. He seemingly made an adorable Irish speech, but my mom called. Sorry! I’ll pretend that he won an award for In Bruges, because that was an awesome movie.

Patricia Arquette needs some serious boob control. I think this is a writing award, but I am thoroughly distracted. This whole section has been all over the place. No two miniseries have won anything yet. And directing is also being given out. Little Dorrit won the last two. Yeah Irish! So, Patricia Arquette has better boob control than this Irish lady (Dearbhla Walsh) who is clearly not wearing a bra.

It’s Dr. Horrible time!!! I actually have not watched this yet, which is a shame, because I love NPH and Joss Whedon and humour. Dr. Horrible has interrupted the accountants telling us how they tally votes. He’s explaining why the internet is better because it’s in a tinier size and constantly buffers and HELLO, Nathan Fillion. They’re talking about keyboard cat, which is awesome. We’re back to the accountants, who are midsentence, and that was precious.

Alec Baldwin is out presenting Best Actress to Jessica Lange, who has had enough plastic surgery to create a whole new human. Drew Barrymore is there with Justin Long, who is a Mac. Wasn’t there all kinds of drama about how Jessica Lange REFUSED to submit her name as a Best Supporting Actor thereby basically denying Drew an Emmy and blah blah? Now she’s acting all lovey-dovey with her.

Kiefer Sutherland and Anna Torv (is that her name? She’s on Fringe). Kiefer looks good, and Anna looks like she’s wearing a dress which requires a shirt. It’s just.. too saggy in the middle. This is the best made for TV movie category, which is fascinating if only because I forgot we were still in this section. Anyhoo, Grey Gardens wins. Drew jumps out of her seat in excitement. I laugh at Justin Long who sits calmly next to her. I really need to see Grey Gardens. Maybe I can make Amanda Netflix it. Yeah?!

Now it’s outstanding miniseries. There were only like, two nominees, and Little Dorrit won. I will take this opportunity to use the facilities. My apologies, Little Dorrit fans.

We now switch to Variety. Clips from SNL, the Academy Awards, BLAGOJEVICH on Letterman, Obama on Leno, Jon Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson dancing, Joaquin Phoenix being an idiot, You’re Welcome America, Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars, etc, etc. Man, TV can be so good sometimes. Honestly. I remember playing Mad Libs with my sister once and her listing Johnny Galecki while I thought his name was Johnny Golucky. He used to be cute on Roseanne. What happened? Jim Parsons is the definition of “adorkable” and I hate that word. Somebody from American Idol won something. Best Director of a Variety Program? Apparently Bruce Gowers is the guy that directed the Bohemian Rhapsody video.

Outstanding Writing in a Variety Series. It’s good to see Peter Gwinn. I love him. The Outstanding Series ones always ALWAYS have the best segments. I think I look forward to this the most. This year they’re not as good. The Colbert Show writers got yelled away from the David Letterman awning by Colbert. The Daily Show were all cash for clunkers cars. Conan O’Brien accepted friend requests on Facebook of his writers (including Brian Stack!), the Letterman writer names were sung by Billy Crystal, including a knock at Jay Leno, “Aren’t you on at 10?” and Brian Williams read off the names of the SNL writers, including JESSICA CONRAD who I went to school with. Aw, congrats on the nomination, Jess!

It’s worth mentioning that all night long, Neil Patrick Harris has been introducing the presenters by naming their really old/lesser known/hilarious credits, for example, Jimmy Fallon’s role as “photographer” in Spin City. Jimmy Fallon is singing in Autotune. And he just pratfalled. Steve Carell is dying laughing, and Fred Armisen is slightly amused. Kevin Kline’s face shows shocked unamusement. Hee. I was part of the laugh track for A Colbert Christmas, which I blogged about a million years ago, so if it wins, I feel partially responsible. This is a singing number award or something, I think. The Academy Awards won, beating out Colbert, Timberlake, etc.

LET’S KEEP THIS MOVING BECAUSE I HAVE TO WATCH MAD MEN IN 54 MINUTES.

Ricky Gervais just cursed or something. The mike wasn’t there. I love him. Love. He’s mocking other awards ceremonies and such. Tom Hanks is so funny. I’m laughing so hard, and they just showed Mariska Hargitay and her Hottie McHotterson husband. I believe his name is Peter Hermann?

Dreamboat.

The Daily Show just won Outstanding Variety Series, and the guy who states all of the facts about the winners is saying things about this being The Daily Show’s 900th Emmy, that they’ve been on for 76 years starting on Comedy Central Radio. I like that so many winners keep telling Neil Patrick Harris that he’s awesome. Speaking of football, JStew, how are the Giants doing? They’re up at the half. I am kicking fantasy football’s ass this week. Thanks, Frank Gore.

Okay we’re moving into the final section: DRAMARAMA. The sound on my TV just got all messed up. Unless it’s the show. I’m not sure. HEY THERE, HOT EVIL TONY ALMEIDA. They’re showing the end of Lost, which ruins it for anyone who hasn’t watched last season yet, no? I love that Chris O’Donnell is working again. He’s so handsome. Except maybe not now. Supporting Actor! I picked Michael Emerson, because of the Lost factor, though I fucking love John Slattery and would not be surprised if Aaron Paul wins. MICHAEL EMERSON WON! YEAH! He’s so, so good. His speech was short, sweet, to the point and included some Hawaiian, so good. Good.

Supporting Actress: I don’t really care about this category at all, but I picked Dianne Wiest. CHERRY JONES WON. NO SHIT? Wow. She’s dating Sarah Paulson, which kind of blows my mind, but yeah, she was fun on 24, but who would ever think that she would win? Kiefer is wearing glasses now. I like it.

In Memoriam section, which I will not liveblog. Sarah Mclachlan is singing “I Will Remember You,” which is beautiful because they focused on the screen and not her unlike the Academy Awards with Queen Latifah.

Taken from E!Online:
• The “2009″ specs modeled by Chenoweth during the telecast were stunning, and I, of course, have to know where she got them. Amy Poehler, she tells me. Elaborating on her remarks from the telecast, Chenoweth explains that Poehler goaded on her fellow Emmy nominees at a pre-Emmy party last night: “We’re the funny girls,” Poehler told them, per Chenoweth. “We have to do them.”
• And yes, Vanessa Williams not wearing glasses was part of the joke, Chenoweth assures us.

Okay, so I take back my mega bitch comment.

THIRTY MINUTES ‘TIL I CHANGE THE CHANNEL FOR MAD MEN.

These commercial breaks are outrageously long.

Stephen Moyer and David Boreanaz are out to talk about Guest Actors/Actresses on a Drama Series. They’re almost all from some form of L&O. Jimmy Smits was considered a Guest Actor? Ellen Burstyn and Michael J. Fox won, and it’s always awesme to see Michael J. Fox. Somebody with the bastardized version of my last name is nominated. Cool. AND HEY, HE WON. He’s not there, so I’ll accept the award on his behalf and also ADD AN E TO THE END OF HIS LAST NAME.

Best Writing goes to Matt Weiner and a variation of people. Kater Gordon. She’s wearing a great dress, and John Slattery looks like he just got out of bed. It’s awesome. Matt Weiner has like 18 kids. WRAP IT UP, WEINER, I HAVE TO WATCH YOUR SHOW IN 22 MINUTES.

Simon Baker is such a babe, and he makes me regret never watching the Mentalist, though he should take off those glasses. Best Actress in a Drama.

Not the Emmys, but you get the idea..

I picked Elisabeth Moss. “I had a baby, and I gave it away” gives me goosebumps every. single. time. Do we think that Kyra Sedgwick is just doing a Holly Hunter impression on The Closer? Glenn Close won. Okay. Fun fact! Holly Hunter once lived with Frances McDormand, Sam Raimi and Joel & Ethan Coen. That’s pretty neat. Also, she’s 51 and doesn’t look it at all, and she has twins that she gave birth to at the age of 47. I’m impressed by Holly Hunter’s life. It doesn’t change the fact that I can’t stand the way she speaks.

Dana Delaney is giving out the Best Actor in a Drama award all by herself while wearing the same glasses as Simon Baker. Michael C. Hall looks really sick. Hugh Laurie looks really grumpy. Bryan Cranston won, which isn’t surprising, but I picked Michael C. Hall because it’s a shame that Dexter has never gotten any love. Cranston doesn’t want me to watch Mad Men, apparently. WRAP THIS SHIT UP, YO.

Bob Newhart is out to be amazing, per usual. Yes, I was one of those kids that watched Nick at Nite obsessively. But Bob, Halle Berry did not kiss Adrien Brody. Other way around. And I don’t think Halle appreciated it at all. I picked How I Met Your Mother to win. And the Emmy unsurprisingly goes to 30 Rock. Listen, I love, LOVE 30 Rock, but some other shows need some love sometimes. And did Tina Fey really just say, “Woo! That was a nail biter!”? Because, um, no. No, Tina. Jack McBrayer is so happy back there. It makes me grin.

Some stupid online contest that they had between American Idol, True Blood and Gossip Girl ended with True Blood winning. I couldn’t possibly care any less.

MAD MEN IS STARTING IN THREE MINUTES. END THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. Good thing the replay starts at 11:03, I have some time. Two minutes now.

Go, NPH, go! Sigourney Weaver is out to present Best Drama. She’s talking about this being a golden age in drama, which is kind of true. Sort of. Anyways, she’s speeding through it for my benefit and YES MAD MEN WON! This is the only category in which me and my roommate picked the same nominee. Mad Men wins and now I can watch Mad Men. I wish he would make a joke about it, but he probably won’t. Well, he might have, but I wouldn’t know because my TV just autotuned to AMC. Whoops! Everyone looks great. That’s all I have to say. Now I will watch the actual show.

Sorry I’ll miss you saying “Goodnight everybody,” Mr. Harris, but… goodnight everybody!

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Predicting the 2009 Emmys

And the nominees are…

• Glenn Close (Damages)
  
• Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU)
  
• Sally Field (Brothers & Sisters)
  
• Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)
  
• Holly Hunter (Saving Grace)
  
• Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer)

Five heavyweights and one newcomer, defining a race that’s all about recognizability and not actually about the submissions being made…on the surface.

What makes this category interesting is that Glenn Close really doesn’t have a real shot of losing the award. She’s got just as much credibility as she had when she won last year for Damages’ first season, and she put forward yet another season of strong work on the series. She’s submitted its tense conclusion (which, full disclosure, I never got around to watching since the season got too uninteresting for me to continue), which gives her that element of added drama, and by playing the essential villain in the piece (a somewhat misunderstood villain, even), it’s the kind of performance that voters are really going to see stand out.

And the thing about this category is that there isn’t much variety, so Close’s familiarity and consistency is unlikely to lose when it won against more or less the same contenders last year. Field submitted poorly, and the procedural cop nature of Hargitary/Sedgwick/Hunter doesn’t seem like it can match her intensity. This leaves only one other competitor, young Elisabeth Moss, the first of Mad Men’s accomplished female cast members to garner a nomination.

The problem with Moss is that she has a one scene submission: outside of her amazing sequence with Pete in his office discussing the events of a year previous, she isn’t in a lot of the episode, and because entire episodes are submitted to voters to watch they’re likely going to be wondering just where she is the rest of the time. That scene is incredibly important when you’re a viewer of the show and understand the context, and there’s no question that Moss is stunning in it. The problem lies in the fact that it won’t have that impact with voters, who will see a great episode of television but one in which she plays a supporting role. While I think that submitting in Supporting is misleading to the role Moss/January Jones both play on the show, it does seem like the category would have worked better (where they show only the scenes the nominee is in) for this particular example.

Predicted Winner: Glenn Close (Damages)

I don’t think enough has changed since last year, nor do any of the other actresses have an amazing enough submission tape, for Close to be knocked off of her throne. Hopefully next year sees a bit more divorce lineup of competition and perhaps some room for some surprises.

Dark Horse: Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

Note: See the International Movie Database for links, (too many to list).

Although I enjoy a good movie, I have a hard time sitting still to watch one. Heck, I have a hard time sitting still, period. Therefore, a movie must engage my interest from the get-go. That does not mean that something has to blow up. On the contrary, I don’t care much for action films, though there are a few exceptions of course. Batman, The Dark Knight  is one. Before I watched that movie I was skeptical of Heath Ledger’s performance, certain that everyone was talking about how great it was because he had just passed away. Boy, was I wrong. Heath Ledger as the Joker in Batman, The Dark Knight is some of the finest acting I’ve ever witnessed. Spine-tingling is the best way I can describe his portrayal of the Joker.

For me, it isn’t necessarily the story, the plot of a movie that makes it great, (though of course that is important overall). It’s the acting that makes it or breaks it. I’m not a “star fanatic”, but I do appreciate skilled acting.

I studied stage acting in high school, and won an award for my portrayal of Mrs. Boyle in Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap . It was the way I died that cinched it. That was such a fun time in my life. I enjoyed it so much I decided I wanted to be an actress for life. I was even granted a partial scholarship from Florida School of the Arts. For a long time I regretted the decision to pass that opportunity up; sometimes I still do, but if I’d followed that dream I may have never met my husband, and had the beautiful children I do today. There’s a reason for everything.

You’d be here all day if I listed all my favorites, but here are a few.

All-time favorite movie – Harvey with Jimmy Stewart: This movie, originally performed as a stage play, is hilarious. Jimmy Stewart portrays Elwood P. Dowd, an eccentric drunk who has a “supposed” invisible friend, a tall white rabbit, that accompanies him everywhere he goes. Elwood’s aunt struggles with whether or not to have him committed to a mental institution, and the results will leave you rolling on the floor with cackles. Elwood speaks my favorite line ever – when someone asks “What can I do for you?” Elwood answers with, “Well, what’d you have in mind?”  You can’t miss this one!

Terrifying (the kind that will have you hiding your eyes under the covers)

The first horror movie I saw that scared the be-Jesus out of me was Magic, a tale of a ventriloquist and his dummy. I don’t want to give the whole plot away, in case you do get the chance to see it. Let’s just say that, to this day, I am petrified of dummies.  

Others that had me shaking under the sheets are Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, and Psycho. Classic spooks. Anything by Alfred Hitchcock is worth watching over and over. I love Vertigo and Rear Window, both starring Jimmy Stewart.

Secret Window with Johnny Depp, one of the greatest actors of our time, has that Alfred Hitchcock feel. A right good fright.

The Others, starring Nicole Kidman, is another great psychological thriller. It’s one of the few movies that left me shocked in the end.

The Sixth Sense, with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, is yet another one that will make the hair on the back of your neck come to attention. Like The Others, the ending will leave you with that “wow” feeling.

Comedies, for true laughs

The Incredibles, especially the short at the end, Baby Jack I think it’s called. Anytime I need a real gut-busting laugh I watch Baby Jack.

Home for the Holidays starring one of my favorite actresses, Holly Hunter. In a way Home for the Holidays is sad, because of the dysfunctional family depiction, but if it doesn’t make you laugh you must not have a funny bone.

Raising Arizona – Also starring Holly Hunter, and one of my favorite actors, Nicolas Cage, Raising Arizona is a kooky film about a husband and wife who cannot have children, but the wife feels she may die if she doesn’t have a baby. And so they find one… This could well be Nicolas Cage’s greatest performance.

O Brother Where Art Thou – It wasn’t until I saw this film that I realized George Clooney was more than a pretty face. He actually made me laugh. Just looking at him as Everett made me snort. And when Holly Hunter, as Penny, said, “I’ve spoken my piece and counted to three”, I thought I might pee my pants. A must see!

Drama, or something like it

ET in my opinion, is one of the greatest movies of all time. If you haven’t seen ET, you must’ve been hiding under a rock for years and years. Go get it! You’ll be shedding tears left and right, but not know if it’s because you’re laughing or crying.

The Hours. One of Nicole Kidman’s greatest performances, if not the greatest. She plays Virginia Wolfe. I’ve always been fascinated with Virginia Wolfe, and I can’t imagine anyone could get deeper into a character than Nicole does here.

Cold Mountain, also starring Nicole Kidman, is a fabulous epic film of the Civil War, of what the “people in hiding” had to go through during that horrendous time. Although Nicole did a great job here too, it was Renee Zellweger who defined this film with her quirky character, Ruby Thewes. I just love Renee. She’s not only a cute little gal, but a fine actress.

Chicago. Though technically Chicago is a musical, the drama is intense and well-played. Renee Zellweger is in this film too, as Roxie Hart, and does a fantastic job. If you think you don’t like musicals, see Chicago and your mind will be changed.

The Wrestler. It’s not just drummed-up hype for a low-budget, independent film. Mickey Rourke is Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson. It’s almost hard to call it acting. A heartbreaker of a movie.

One more and I’ll stop. Coal Miner’s Daughter is the greatest biography ever. Sissy Spacek plays Loretta Lynn, and the transformation is amazing. Between Coal Miner’s Daughter and Carrie, it’s difficult to choose which Sissy’s best portrayal was, but if I had to choose, it would have to be as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter.   

There are a few movies I haven’t seen yet, but am anxious to – Julie and Julia. I love Meryl Streep and I’ve heard nothing but great things about this movie, even from the “men who don’t like chick flicks”. Public Enemies. Johnny Depp. Enough said. He also stars as the mad hatter in Alice in Wonderland, due out next spring. That one I must see at the theater.

What are your favorite movies? Who are your favorite actors and actresses? I’d love to hear from you.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Coming soon: The office makeover, Part 2…..I promise?

A former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement…

The Burning kicks horror-movie ass! It has all the ingredients to make a perfect slasher movie. Creepy camp setting? Check. Annoying teenagers? Check. Dodgy 80’s synth music? Check. Prank that went horribly wrong a few years before? Check. You get the idea.

It’s also notable for helping “launch” the careers of Holly Hunter (The Piano), Jason Alexander (TV’s Seinfeld) and Fisher Stephens (Short Circuit). While Hunter’s role is a “blink and you’ll miss it”, Alexander and Stephens are well fleshed out and extremely likeable. The best aspect of this slasher is that the teenagers are ACTUALLY teenagers, not actors in their late 20s/early 30s portraying teenagers (remember Caroline Munro in Slaughter High?). This gives it more of an edge as there’s nothing that reminds you better that we’re not immortal than seeing a 17-year-old kid getting his fingers chopped off with a pair of garden shears, before meeting a sticky end.

As a kid I was used to seeing adults getting iced in movies (Indiana Jones, James Bond etc) so this was a welcome change. The gore effects are top notch too. Tom “The Master” Savini passed on Friday The 13th Part 2 to make this – and it shows. Friday… clearly had some creative ideas for death scenes, but the end product was lacking in some cases. The “Wow” factor isn’t always there.

The same cannot be said for The Burning. The deaths freaking rock. They’re gory and as savage as hell. The killer, Cropsy, is one of the more interesting villains due to a kick ass motive. If you haven’t seen The Burning do it now or shame on you …

- Morganonyx

Javier Bardem, reprising his role as the mysterious and deadly Anton Chigurh in "No Country for Old Men," surprises Kelly MacDonald while she questions her fate in the draw of the cards.

JEFF BRIDGES, a k a the Dude from "The Big Lebowski," loses his way (again) as he tries to grasp the unfolding

Waiting for a sign, HOLLY HUNTER studies the landscape as she did in "Raising Arizona." The police might be on their way, or it might be her husband with their stolen baby. Either way, she's ready.

There's always a heavy, and JON POLITO, who plays some version of a tough guy in many Coen brothers films, is puzzled by the terrorizing nihilism of AIMEE MANN and DAVID THEWLIS in "The Big Lebowski." Like many of California's cultists, their philosophy has gone from dogma to vengeance.

Even bimbos need a place to hide, and TARA REID, better known as Bunny Lebowski, seeks refuge in TIM BLAKE NELSON'S roadside motel. True to her luck, she has picked an inopportune moment to check in.

The West is the land of outcasts, iconoclasts and lost souls, and JOHN TURTURRO as Barton Fink, the man-of-the-people playwright turned blocked screenwriter, is constantly looking for inspiration. Until meeting SAM ELLIOTT, swigging a white Russian as the Dude did in "The Big Lebowski," Fink had never considered writing a cowboy movie. He wonders: Is there any way to mix social realism with the West?

JULIANNE MOORE, the artistic Maude Lebowski, is restless. Like many a rebel, she finds the East Coast stultifying and is heading on the Greyhound west. In California, she hopes, they will comprehend her particular greatness. There, she will be championed!

Sadly, sometimes things just don't work out. STEVE BUSCEMI, who has died over and over in Coen brothers films, meets that bad end once again. Even in the West, dreams do not always come true. If you lie and cheat and steal, you may end up in the trunk of a car. Or you might get lucky. That's the chance you're looking for; it's a risk worth taking.

Nota: Ensaio que saiu no New York Times há uns dois anos atrás. O que me fez lembrar disso foi o título dessa notícia: The Dude Meets The Duke in Coens’ ‘True Grit’. Finalmente alguém dará um tapa-olho ao Sr Bridges, só para ficar ainda mais evidente o quão foda ele é.

“Maneater” -

 Despite sounding like it is a story about a serial killer, this little gem of a mini-series focused on the beautiful and terrifically comedic talents of Sarah Chalke in the role of Clarrisa Alpert, an aging socialite determined to marry the man of her dreams. After setting summertime rating records for Lifetime, it was a wonderful surprise to find it on the Emmy nomination list for Outstanding Makeup for a Mini-Series.

 “The Mentalist” -

 Taking the TV landscape by storm, the show to catch this last season was CBS’ bonefide hit “The Mentalist.” As richly deserved and earned, Simon Baker scored a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Patrick Jane, the reformed psychic aiding the government in tracking down nefarious criminals.

 “Nip/Tuck” -

Another show gracefully bowing out, “Nip/Tuck” still manages to capture our attention with its realistic horrors of plastic surgery. It is thus no surprise that it received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series. It is hard to imagine if any other show will truly capture the simultaneous beauty and horror of the lengths people will go to stay young forever.

 “Pushing Daisies” -  

In a heart-breaking cancellation, one could have thought this show was long gone, dead and buried. But life springs eternal for shows of such beauty, grace and sheer magnificent genius. So “Pushing Daisies” may be gone, but it is not forgotten. It also celebrates its swan song with 5 Emmy nominations for:

(1) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Kristin Chenoweth)

(2) Outstanding Costumes for a Series (for the episode “Bzzzzzzzz!”)

(3) Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series (for the episode “Dim Sum, Lose Sum”)

(4) Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series (for the episode “Dim Sum, Lose Sum”)

(5) Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (for the episode “Dim Sum, Lose Sum”)

There will perhaps never be another show which embodied such pure poignancy and romanticism.

“Saving Grace” -

Receiving her 3rd consecutive nomination for her extraordinary portrayal of Grace Hanadarko in the series “Saving Grace,” Holly Hunter is a force to be reckoned with. This may just be her year to bring home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

“Smallville” -

Receiving its 3rd nomination for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for the episode “Bloodline,” this popular dramatization of the origins of Superman has proven that after 8 successful seasons, it is a show that not only has stamina, but it is also a show striving for the stars creatively.

“Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles” -

Another victim of a surprise cancellation last season, it was a wonderful surprise to find it nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for the episode “Mr. Ferguson Is Ill Today.”

“24″ -

Coming off of its critically acclaimed 7th season and just about to start its 8th season, “24″ is a breathless ride of exhilaration. It is therefore no surprise that it received 6 Emmy nominations and 5 more for its stand-alone special, “24: Redemption.” The nominations for “24″ are as follows:

(1) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Cherry Jones)

(2) Outstanding Stunt Coordination (for episode “5:00 – 6:00 p.m.”)

(3) Outstanding Sound Mixing (for episode “10:00 – 11:00 p.m.”)

(4) Outstanding Music Composition (for episode “7:00 – 8:00 a.m.”)

(5) Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series

(6) Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (for episode “10:00 – 11:00 p.m.)

Then the nominations for “24: Redemption” are:

(1) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series (Kiefer Sutherland)

(2) Outstanding Music Composition for a Mini-Series

(3) Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special

(4) Outstanding Sound Editing for a Mini-Series

(5) Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Mini-Series

From its first season, “24″ never shirked from portraying the harsh horrors of both international and domestic terrorism. But it also strove to deliver some kickass fine television entertainment.

“True Blood” -

In what should be just a campy, slightly trashy guilty-pleasure, “True Blood” has risen above its roots and become a sensational television show with a stellar cast and riveting storylines. It is the break-out hit of 2009 and each award nomination is richly deserved. It received 3 Emmy nominations for:

(1) Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

(2) Outstanding Main Title Design

(3) Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series (for the episode “Burning House of Love”)

While outrageous vampire stories may not be your thing, this decadent delicacy is worth checking out. Just make sure your blood pressure can take the risqué nudity beforehand.

“Ugly Betty” -

Receiving her 3rd nomination for her portrayal as the vacillating villain Wilhelmina Slater, Vanessa Williams scored a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Book-ending her nomination, the series also received a nomination for Outstanding Costumes for a Series — all of which were probably worn by Ms. Williams who always looked like the trend-setting fashion plate she gloriously portrayed.

 While there are surely other shows which deserve recognition for both their Emmy nominations, these are the shows that spoke to me and which I wish to honor here for their achievements. These are the shows with which I laughed and cried and shared this past year. It was an extraordinary year and I am grateful to have been allowed to share in it. May we be similarly blessed in this upcoming season!

Titulo original:The Piano
Música:The Sacrifice – Michael Nyman

Last night, as my birthday gift to myself (so what if it was two days early?!), I bought this jacket:

I love The North Face. I own one of their winter coats and it is beautiful and warm and I have been known to wear it in the house on a cold night and maybe fall asleep in it. I also own a pair of their snow boots and cannot recommend them enough, especially for you city dwellers who have to trudge through piles of ice and snow every winter. The new jacket I bought — the women’s Osito — is made of soft, silky fleece that essentially feels like fur without being fur (it’s 100 percent polyester, if you can believe that shiz). Coziest. Jacket. Ever. Originally I wanted to buy the jacket in white, but after thinking about it, both Brian and I decided that was dumb. I’m not going to spend $100 just so I can spill something on it and be totally pissed.

In other good news, tonight I start my volunteer gig at the library! A week or two ago I was bemoaning the fact that I’d applied to volunteer at several local organizations and no one seemed to want or need my services. Pretty much right after I posted that blog entry, I got an e-mail from the volunteer coordinator at the Crystal Lake Public Library. Eerie, right? Not entirely sure what I’ll be doing there (I may or may not have signed up to do something that I didn’t fully understand, but that’s part of the adventure, right? At least, as adventurous as you can get at a library …), but I’m looking forward to it.

One last thing. The other night I DVRed Broadcast News. I’ve seen it about three or four times and managed to watch about 15 minutes late last night before succumbing to that lovely thing I call sleep. It remains one of the best movies I’ve seen — hell, even Brian seemed to like what he watched of it (this is rare). It is also the basis of my love for Holly Hunter.

Last night I sat there trying to figure out how old Holly is because, if she was in her 20s when she did Broadcast News in 1987, she looks AMAZING as the current star in the also AMAZING TV show Saving Grace (for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series). I finally Googled her age this morning and determined she is 51. Fifty-one, people, 51! I hope I look that good when I’m 51 … but moreso, I hope I can be as proud of my accomplishments at that age as she should be of hers.

Emmy-winning writer, director and producer Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Saving Grace) joins Ed, Frankie and guest co-host Tony Figueroa for a conversation about new media, the current state of network television and other topics:

http://media.podcastingmanager.com/9/3/5/3/3/142636-133539/Media/081009tvc27_2.mp3

Fantastic finale!

I wonder when Grace will finally start listening to Earl, I am not so sure that we will find out before the show comes to a close (the production company has decided that the show is too costly to continue to produce, despite that TNT wants the show to go on).

Bonus points go out to Rhetta for trying to be a little bad in her time of drastic changes!  Her husband Ronnie reveals that he has in fact slept with the realtor, a total of 9 times, and even in their marital bed!  Tsk Tsk, Ronnie!  What a horrible man, Rhetta has been nothing but good to that man, taking care of their children.  BTW, again those kids are still missing in action!  What is up with that?

Grace at the bar calling her cop friend to do a traffic stop on the guy picking up Rhetta at the bar was hilarious!  Rhetta was royally ticked, but you could tell that she was actually glad that the evening failed to progress with the tall good looking stranger…

Clay must be growing up, standing up to his dad, tell him to “Eff Off!” and getting a bitch slap to the face!  Whilst everyone at the station thinks he is getting into fights at school, Grace can tell that something is definitely up.  Only to finally learn that little Clay got into this altercation with Daddy Dearest and fell, hitting the table as he hit the floor!  Gaining a nice shiner!  Clay, your dad has had a real hard time as of late, it’s probably best not to provoke him.

We finally get Ham into a relationship that isn’t with Grace.  And it’s becoming serious!  I’m so happy to learn that he is moving past his “whatever” with Grace.  She is certainly not settling down anytime soon!  I was also very interested in seeing Ham interact with his father, although his father nearly beating the snot out him because he couldn’t remember a baseball player’s number from 30 years ago…  Really??

The best moments of the episode of course, had to be the ones on that roof top.  Neely who suddenly appeared a top that building claiming that she would jump, saying that if God wanted her alive He would protect her from her soon to be untimely demise.  Grace tries to tell her that all is for not, and when Neely decides to jump anyway, Grace jumps too.  Trying to grab her in time, but too late.  They both plummet!!

Earl looking at them, almost in tears…  And then we find that they both survive that fall!  Unbelieveable!!  Neely exclaims that she was saved by an angel, and that Grace was too!

But where exactly did those bushes appear from?  They certainly weren’t there before the fall!  And wouldn’t they have been impaled by the branches??  Hmmm…  A little confusing…

All in all, great episode! I can’t wait for the final season coming up in 2010!

What did YOU think of last night’s episode?  Comment below!