My Oscar Picks

Since everybody under the sun is making prediction. I figure it wouldn't hurt to take a stab at it.

Leading Actor

Russell Crowe. Just because I don't want Tom Hanks to win again. I haven't seen Castaway anyway.

Supporting Actor

Jeff Bridges. I usually don't like him much, but I thought he made for a truly believable POTUS.

Leading Actress

Joan Allen. I know everybody's rooting for Julia, but as far as I'm concerned, she's no actress, just a movie star.

Art Direction

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's one.

Cinematography

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's two.

Costume Design

Gladiator. It probably took quite some work too.

Directing

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's three.

Documentary Feature

Your guess is as good as mine.

Film Editing

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's four.

Foreign Language Film

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's five.

Makeup

Innie, Mennie, Minnie, Moe…

Music (Score)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Go Yo-Yo Ma! That's six.

Music (Song)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A Love Before Time, the Mandarin version. That's seven.

Short (Animated)

Huh… Huh…

Short (Live Action)

Hrrmmm…

Sound

The Perfect Patriot Gladiator.

Sound Editing

<pin drop>

Visual Effects

Gladiator. Hands down.

Writing (Adapter)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's eight.

Writing (Original)

Almost Famous.

Best Picture

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's nine out of ten.

Did someone say I was biased?

Apparently the producers are offering a big screen TV to the person with the shortest acceptance speech. I'm sure all the big movie stars can't wait to compete for such attractive prize. It should be pretty easy to win it anyway; say nothing… raise your thumb up and leave.

It was our first time at Daniel's in Bellevue.

It's no Morton's but it wasn't bad at all. Especially when considering our last experience with a new restaurant…

The escargots were average. Vicki didn't care much for them. Although it was only her second attempt at a taste of snails.

The clam chowder was below average.

The steaks were pretty good, especially Vicki's filet. My 16oz New York strip was a little too charbroiled for my taste. I was pleasantly surprised as to how spicy the peppercorn sauce actually was.

The garlic mashed potatoes were eatable, at best.

My crème brulée did not rival the trio at Anthony's Pier 66, but was quite above average. Vicki's chocolate sampler, was simply too much. We won't know how good it really was until we get done with the doggy bag….

Trivia

With which country is the Negev desert most associated?

He is one of the Select Five--the first five men voted into the Hall of Fame. He was a pitcher, and his nickname was The Big Train. Can you identify him?

Finish this phrase and name the genius who stated it: "Genius is one percent…"

In the first organized sporting event designed to raise money for AIDS research, athletes in which sport raised half a million dollars in 1992?

Who became Woody Allen's farther-in-law in 1998?

Puffy Dream

Ever wondered why the Bad Boy, as he calls himself, signed an all-teenage-girls band on the spot?

Probably not…

Could it be they can actually sing?

Nah…

I didn't know who (or what) they were until a few days ago when someone mentioned the teen-pop band on some TV entertainment show. Not surprising considering I had never heard of Puffy until I saw the Godzilla clip for his version of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.

Dancing Princesses… I kid U not…

Can You Sing?

Talking about people who can belch a tune… There's the new Latino dynamic duo. Well… She can and he's trying. ;-)

Vicki thinks they make a cute couple…

Which bring us to people who can sing and look good doing it. Even the song's writer is a looker… and… oh!… surprise!… has been known to carry a tune or two.

Can I sing, you ask?

Unfortunately, no. I ain't tone-deaf… yet…

I'm Over It

We went to see Get Over It, yesterday. We originally wanted to see 15 Minutes but the mood and timing weren't quite right. We would have had to wait too long for the next show. In retrospect, maybe we should have.

Get Over It, is no Bring It On. The trailer made it sound a lot funnier than it actually is.

I have to admit that I do like Kristen Dunst. She's quite refreshing. She just couldn't carry it all on her own, especially when considering that Ben Foster (Vicki says he reminds her of Screech from Saved By The Bell) had much more screen time than she did.

The soundtrack (slated to be released on the 13th) features Vitamin C and Sisqo. Both of them actually appear in the movie. Vitamin C performs a great cover of Captain & Tenille's Love Will Keep Us Together in the opening sequence. Sisqo and Vitamin C also perform a not so great cover of Earth, Wind and Fire's September at the end of the movie.

And in case you actually wondered… Sisqo can't act. But then again I can't take much of his singing or dancing either.

In case you haven't noticed I'm in a multimedia mood as of late.

Let there be light, and there was light…

Dido's Rap

Thank You, Stanley

Let there be sound, and there was sound…

Eden's Crush

The popstars are getting over themselves.

Let there be drums, and there was drums…

I Need You

You'd figure I'd be tired of it by now… nope.

Let there be guitar, and there was guitar…

Born to Make Me Happy

She would have done it again if it had been released as a single in the U.S.

Let there be rock…

Know Your Role

Oh Hell Yeah…

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