Well it is that time of year again and I am going to celebrate my favourite holiday by putting some of my most recent favourite tunes on my box! These get me in the Christmas spirit so much that I sometimes even just around my tiny flat in glee screaming “IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!” (the bf can attest to this)
Here are my selections:
1) No a huge fan of either of these two artists, but the combination of Sarah Maclachlin and the Bare Naked Ladies doing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is magic.
2) Just the ULTIMATE Christmas song. Just honestly the best. Boney M – “Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord”
3) Yes Eartha Kitt’s version if timeless and sexier, but there is just something so cute about Madonna’s cover of Santa Baby. It always gets played as I decorate my tree.
4) Nothing makes me laugh more than this version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Not only does Miss Piggy get the best day, but the ninth day has had me and my friends wetting ourselves all season. Enjoy John Denver and the Muppets.
And he is a beautiful and talented Vanessa Williams with “What Child is This?” and it is not Christmas without Nat King Cole warming the cockles of your heart with a voice like treacle. This is my personal favourite of all his Crimbo songs – “Oh Holy Night” as a bonus:
I need to see more movies!!!! Still not seen “Into the Wild”, “There Will Be Blood”, “No Country For Old Men”, “The Assassination of Jessie James”, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”, “Juno”, “I’m Not There”, and well basically everything getting all the buzz.
I was so excited about the Oscar race, but when the precursors started getting announced I began to get very very bored. It has just been a No Country for Old Men, Daniel Day Lewis, Julie Christie, Amy Ryan and Javier Barden orgy and that makes for a very very boring race.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
And then SAG comes along and pisses me off.
Perhaps next year I will just mainly concentrate of film and performances and not get so caught up in the prediction thing…..I mean nothing is set in stone, there are no rules and every year I am disappointed, I am already disappointed and it hasn’t even begun.
Guess I will just have to enjoy the Christmas season with good friends and lots-a-food-and-wine and not worry so much that “Atonement” is slipping.
So the Screen Actors Guild stick two middle fingers up at both “Sweeney Todd” and “Atonement” each scoring a very disheartening 0 nominations. Still think “Atonement” may be the best live action film I have seen this year…but who am I aside from an above average movie goer.
Here are the nominations:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures) DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview - "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage) RYAN GOSLING / Lars Lindstrom - "Lars And The Real Girl" (Sidney Kimmel Entertainment) EMILE HIRSCH / Christopher McCandless- "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage) VIGGO MORTENSEN / Nikolai - "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
CATE BLANCHETT / Queen Elizabeth I - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal Pictures) JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona - "Away From Her" (Lionsgate) MARION COTILLARD / Edith Piaf - "La Vie En Rose" (Picturehouse) ANGELINA JOLIE / Mariane Pearl - "A Mighty Heart" (Paramount Vantage) ELLEN PAGE / Juno MacGuff - "Juno" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
CASEY AFFLECK / Robert Ford - "The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros. Pictures) JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh - "No Country For Old Men" (Miramax Films) HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz - "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage) TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell - "No Country For Old Men" (Miramax Films) TOM WILKINSON / Arthur Edens - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
CATE BLANCHETT / Jude - "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company) RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas - "American Gangster" (Universal Pictures) CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres - "Into The Wild" (Paramount Vantage) AMY RYAN / Helene McCready - "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax Films) TILDA SWINTON / Karen Crowder - "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)
CHRISTIAN BALE / Dan Evans RUSSELL CROWE / Ben Wade PETER FONDA / Byron McElroy GRETCHEN MOL / Alice Evans DALLAS ROBERTS / Grayson Butterfield VINESSA SHAW / Emmy Roberts BEN FOSTER / Charlie Prince ALAN TUDYK / Doc Potter LOGAN LERMAN / Will Evans
AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)
ARMAND ASSANTE / Dominic Cattano JOSH BROLIN / Detective Trupo RUSSELL CROWE / Richie Roberts RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Huey Lucas IDRIS ELBA / Tango CUBA GOODING, JR. / Nicky Barnes CARLA GUGINO / Laurie Roberts JOHN HAWKES / Freddie Spearman TED LEVINE / Lou Toback JOE MORTON / Charlie Williams LYMARI NADAL / Eva JOHN ORTIZ / Javier J. Rivera RZA / Moses Jones YUL VAZQUEZ / Alfonse Abruzzo DENZEL WASHINGTON / Frank Lucas
HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)
NIKKI BLONSKY / Tracy Turnblad AMANDA BYNES / Penny Pingleton PAUL DOOLEY / Mr. Spritzer ZAC EFRON / Link Larkin ALLISON JANNEY / Prudy Pingleton ELIJAH KELLEY / Seaweed JAMES MARSDEN / Corny Collins MICHELLE PFEIFFER / Velma Von Tussle QUEEN LATIFAH / Motormouth Maybelle BRITTANY SNOW / Amber Von Tussle JERRY STILLER / Mr. French JOHN TRAVOLTA / Edna Turnblad CHRISTOPHER WALKEN / Wilbur Turnblad
INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)
BRIAN DIERKER / Rainey MARCIA GAY HARDEN / Billie McCandless EMILE HIRSCH / Chris McCandless HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz WILLIAM HURT / Walt McCandless CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres JENA MALONE / Carine McCandless KRISTEN STEWART / Tracy Tatro VINCE VAUGHN / Wayne Westerberg
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)
JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh JOSH BROLIN / Llewelyn Moss GARRET DILLAHUNT / Wendell TESS HARPER / Loretta Bell WOODY HARRELSON / Carson Wells TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell KELLY MACDONALD / Carla Jean Moss
I will now just go and continue to listen to the brilliant album ‘Robyn’ by Robyn.
Remember last year, when "Dreamgirls" was considered the winner of Best Picture back in May '06? Well apparently the critics did not agree and the Academy followed suit.
Such an early front runner status can really harm a film, especially (in the case of "Dreamgirls") when the film is not that good to begin with. The hype for that film only carried Jennifer Hudson to a win, and that had a lot to do with her American Idol back story and her genuine humbleness in public.
This year the film that was considered the winner back in August was "Atonement". The main difference between that and "Dreamgirls" was that "Atonement" is actually a brilliant film (IMHO) and deserves a shat at the gold. However it being declared a frontrunner so early on had probably cost it a few critics awards, even runner up mentions.
This is most apparent in the critic awards for Best Supporting Actress......no mention of Saoirse Ronan at all...even in runner up. I know there are a few of you out there who consider her performance heads and tails above Amy Ryan, but she had nary a mention. In fact only the Golden Globes have bought this film rearing back to life. It seemed that up till now, the precursors were wanting to stray so far from the Oscars that they were purposely nominating films like "There Will Be Blood" because they knew the Academy were not likely to warm to it, making their choice seem more important.
Perhaps next year we should all just talk about potential nominees, and not mention possible winners until the actual nominations are announced. All bloggers should write about the films that have the most traction, and get the best reviews. Single out praised performances, but don't crown them the winner until much later into the race. This way, if an amazing film comes out early...we can perhaps save it.
This brings me onto "Zodiac". Now, I know "There Will Be Blood" is shocking and 'important' and "No Country for Old Men" is shocking and brilliant, but dear critics....how the f*ck could you forget David Fincher's brilliant film???? That is shocking on so many levels, considering how it has made almost EVERY top ten list. You dear critics should have picked your films to praise more carefully. If you wanted to differentiate your picks from the Academy so much, you should have gone with "Zodiac"....perhaps then it might have received at least one award.
I mean it only came out in May.......Please do not tell me you are getting all I am not knocking "There Will Be Blood" at all, I have not seem it. I was just so surprised with the lack of mention of "Atonement". Perhaps some of my fellow bloggers were right....the film was just far too British for alot of critics. I am sure the Merchant Ivory films would disagree.
