Oscar Watch: Part Four

Crazy Heart tells the story of down-and-out country music singer/songwriter Bad Blake. Bad, who we later find out is really named Otis, is a 57 year old alcoholic He’s had four failed marriages and is estranged from his only child. His life consists of making a modest living playing in venues like bowling alleys and small town bars, having one-night stands, eating bad food and living in cheap motels.

Until he met Jean and her son, Buddy.

Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a young reporter who interviews him. In doing so, she begins to see the man behind the musician. They soon become attracted to each other and become involved. Jean and Buddy become the catalysts for Bad getting his life together, both personally and professionally. He also renews his relationship with Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell), a successful country music star he’d once mentored.

Sadly, his relationship with Jean does not last... Jean leaves him after he loses her son in a mall because he stopped to have a drink. After losing Jean, he turns to his friend Wayne (Robert Duvall) who helps him get into Alcoholics Anonymous.

Bad, now sober, turns up on Jean’s doorstep. While she is happy that he’s gotten his life on the right track, she finds she could never forgive him for his irresponsible behavior with Buddy. Inspired by Jean, despite her turning him away, Bad begins writing songs again, most notably “The Weary Kind” (which he sells to Tommy who makes it a big hit.)



Crazy Heart is based on the 1987 novel (of the same name) by Thomas Cobb. The character of Otis “Bad” Blake is based on a combination of Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard.

While the movie itself tends to be somewhat awkward and wander off in its own directions from time to time, Jeff Bridges performance is nothing less than exceptional. Bridges does his own singing in the film and is totally believable as Bad Blake. His captivating portrayal will beg you to stick with him to the film’s completion. I think it might be the most outstanding performance of his life, and judging from his nomination as Best Actor in a Leading Role, I’m inclined to believe the Academy agrees with me.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has also been nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category, which is also well deserved. She comes across as both strong and tender, and her character is quite endearing.

Oscar Watch: Part Three

I watched Up In The Air a few weeks back, and to tell you the truth, I’m still not quite sure what I think about..one might even say my opinion about this film is still Up in the Air.

It’s the story of Ryan Bingham who makes a living traveling all over the country firing people who have bosses who are too cowardly to do it themselves. Ryan (played by George Clooney) also delivers motivational speeches to extol the virtues of a life free of relationships with people and things. He spends most of his life traveling, and collecting frequent flyer miles (his life’s ambition is to obtain 10 million frequent flyer miles).



But when a new hot shot ambitious coworker named Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) devises a plan which will allow him to do his job via web-cam over the internet, he’s suddenly is in jeopardy of losing the on-the-go unencumbered lifestyle he treasures.

Ryan convinces his boss (Jason Bateman) to allow him to take Natalie on the road with him to show her there is more to the job than just telling someone they are “fired”. Meanwhile, Ryan becomes involved in a casual relationship with fellow frequent flyer Alex (Vera Farmiga).



Over the course of their travels, Natalie discovers there is a great deal more involved in this job - it changes people’s lives forever. Ryan learns how completely empty his life really is without committed relationships with family, friends and someone to love.

This film is directed by Jason Reitman (son of famed director Ivan Reitman) and has been nominated for Best Picture and Reitman as Best Director (Reitman’s second directorial nomination).

Also nominated are: George Clooney for Best Actor in a leading role; and Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick both for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

Clooney, Farmiga and Kendrick all give great, believable nomination worthy performances.

All in all (though it probably will never been one of my “I’d watch that over and over again” choices) it has a good plot, great acting and was worth (at least) a one-time viewing.

Oscar Watch: Part Two

Well I did it. I broke down today and (finally) watched Avatar. I realize how blasé that must sound – but I was not really even sure I wanted to see this film. There has been much ado about it since the week it first hit the theaters, and even much more since it was nominated for Best Picture… but Sci-Fi isn’t exactly my cup o’ tea. I’m the person who couldn’t sit through even the first ten minutes of the first Lord of the Rings movie, and may be, quite possibly, the only person on the planet who never understood the world’s fascination with that particular trilogy.

That being said, Avatar was good. As promised, both the graphics and special FX were mind boggling – truly outstanding use of technology. The sheer craftsmanship it took to put it all together into this neat little 162 minute package, simply phenomenal.

Avatar is the age-old story about one race of people wanting the precious resources another race of people has. They will do anything, including trying to exterminate an entire race of people, to get it. (Actually, it’s rather like Disney’s Pocahontas set on a futuristic planet… I’m just sayin’.)

But to me, neither the story–line nor the actor’s performances were enough to merit a nomination for Best Picture. Those were not outstanding, just “okay”.



By the same token, James Cameron has broken new ground with this film, much the same way that Orson Welles did with Citizen Kane. In Avatar, Cameron pioneered a specially designed camera built into a 6 inch boom that allowed the facial expressions of the actors to be captured and digitally recorded for later use by animators. He also used his own virtual camera system, which displays augmented reality on a monitor, placing the actor’s visual counterparts into their digital surroundings in real time, allowing the director to adjust and direct scenes just as if shooting live action. James Cameron earned his nomination for Best Director, no doubt about that.

Oh yeah nearly forgot to mention - the James Horner composed score is quite good, both haunting and powerful.

So, if you like special effects, CGI graphics and action-packed Sci–Fi, Avatar is something you’ll wanna see.

Tomato Bruschetta

Here is a great light-but-filling recipe perfect for summer – but ya don’t have to wait till then… make it anytime you need a reminder of summertime!

Tomato Bruschetta

Here’s the low-down on this easy-as-pie recipe:

You’ll need a few thick-ish slices of good rustic bread (½ inch should do the trick): something with a great crust but is still softly chewy on the inside – like French or sourdough (or any of a number of “artesian” style breads that are readily available today. Don’t be hasty in your selection though, as the bread is the key to a great bruschetta.

Next you’ll need some good extra virgin olive oil. Fry bread until light golden brown and crispy. You don’t want a soggy base to your dish. If you prefer going “lighter”, you can toast the bread in a hot oven (400°) until desired crispiness.

After frying (or toasting) rub each slice of bread with a whole clove of garlic (however much your taste buds prefer). Drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil on it at this time (if you toasted in oven) and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cut fresh tomatoes into chunks (any variety you like it fine – I prefer a nice selection of Heirloom tomatoes, which come in a rainbow of colors now-a-days), tear fresh basil leaves into medium sized pieces (to taste, but more is better) and toss with olive oil. Let this marinate for a while (10 minutes is good) and then season with salt and pepper. (Only add salt about ½ hour before serving, as it makes the tomatoes release their juices more rapidly… you want some juiciness, just not too much.)

Now, pile your lovely tomato/basil mixture onto the crispy bread, serve and enjoy.

This dish is a snap to make, appealing to the eye, easy on the waistline and oh so Yummmmy! Enjoy this taste of summer any time of year!

Is it summer yet?

Ahhhhhhhhhh summer! Hurry pleaseeeeeeeee?!?!?!?!

Sade

Sade, English R & B band, is back on the charts after nearly 10 years. Soldier of Love was released worldwide on February 8, 2010. The title cut was release as a single in December 2009.

The group is famous for the silky smooth voice of is lead singer and name-sake Sade Abu (pronounced Shah Day, in case you didn’t know). They had major success in the 80’s with such chart toppers as Your Love Is King, Smooth Operator and The Sweetest Taboo.

Those of you who were fans then will be glad to hear this new album is just as good as their previous offerings - filled with deep, rich harmonies and soulfully sexy- sweet music.

Below are a souple of my favorite cuts from Solider of Love

For My Valentine

I Love You, Robert.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Me

The Fundamental Things Apply...

"Play it once Sam, for old time's sake.

Play it Sam... play 'As Time Goes By'."

Tuesdays with Morrie

Outwardly, this book by Mitch Albom is as small and unassuming as its namesake. But open up its plain, cream colored cover and you’ll find an amazingly incredible and inspiring story – the story of Morrie Schwartz.

Morrie was a teacher – a professor of sociology at Brandeis University for over 30 years, to be exact. He spent his life and his career molding young minds, challenging them to be the best they possibly could be. But perhaps his greatest teaching came in the final two years of his life. Morrie was “A Teacher to the Last”, his personal epitaph.

At the age of 78, Morrie Schwartz was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a disease for which there is no cure. But instead of being bitter and wasting what time he had left, he lived out his life to the absolute fullest by doing what he did best, teaching… only this time the lesson was in how to die.

He shared his story with Nightline, being interviewed three times over the next year by Ted Koppel, at various stages of his deterioration. It was as the first of the interviews aired that Albom, one of his former students, by sheer accident while flipping through channels, found out of his illness and decided to go and see him.

What was, by Albom’s own admission, supposed to be a onetime get-in-and-out-as-quickly-as-you-possibly-can-visit, turned out to be a series of thought-provoking chats about loving, giving and sharing; of sorrow and joy; about forgiveness and responsibility; and of life, death and acceptance.

Incidentally, Tuesdays with Morrie has become the best-selling memoir of all time.

This book will make you laugh and cry. It will challenge you to think about the direction of your own life…where you have been and where you are heading. It will remind you to love and cherish what is truly important (family and friends), and not worry so much about the other stuff.

In the few short hours it takes to read this little 192 page gem, you could gain a whole new perspective on life.Do yourself a favor; read it. You’ll be thankful you did.

The following is an excerpt:

“I heard a nice little story the other day,” Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.

Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He’s enjoying the wind and the fresh air – until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.

‘My God, this is terrible,’ the wave says. ‘Look what’s going to happen to me!’

Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, ‘Why do you look so sad?’

The first wave says, ‘You don’t understand! We’re all going to crash! All of us are going to be nothing! Isn’t it terrible?’

The second wave says, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’re not a wave; you’re part of the ocean.’”

I smile. Morrie closes his eyes again.

“Part of the ocean,” he says, “part of the ocean.”

GRITS

While at the library today, I happened upon a book whose title caught my eye almost as immediately as I glanced in its direction. It’s titled The Grits (Girls Raised In The South) Guide to Life by Deborah Ford And Edie Hand. Well, being a full-fledged, bona fide Grits gal, I had to check it out (both literally and figuratively).

While I think only a true Southern woman can appreciate all the books nuances, there are some gems within that even a Yankee (I’m giggling as I type that word, saying it aloud in my head as if I were Miss Scarlet O’Hara herself) could appreciate.

This "Grits Bible" contains information all Southern ladies know to be true; from what defines a true Southern Belle to understanding that football is indeed a second religion in the South: from the art of hospitality, planning the perfect party and landing a husband, to the importance of family, friendship, sisterhood, values, and traditions.

Sprinkled in amongst the sage advice is, of course, a smathering of Southern humor – which brings me to today’s funny. Please note: not all Southerners are Rednecks and not all Rednecks are located in the South… They are everywhere, darlin’.


Redneck Rules of Etiquette


• To avoid bruising wine as you decant it, make sure you tilt the paper cup.

• Your centerpiece should never be prepared by a taxidermist.

• When dating (outside the family), always offer to bait your lady’s hook, especially on the first date.

• Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say 10:00 p.m.; others might say Monday. If the latter, it is the man’s responsibility to get her to school on time.

• When attending the theater, refrain from talking to the characters on the screen. Tests have proven they can’t hear you.

• Never take a beer to a job interview.

• Always identify people in your yard before shooting at them.

• Convenient though it may be, it’s considered tacky to bring a cooler to church.

• If you have to vacuum the bed, it is time to change the sheets.

• Even if you’re certain you’re in the will, don’t drive a U-haul to the funeral home.


“The sound of laughter is contagious. It’s a verbal hug, best shared between friends and family. In today’s world, with all the pain and frustration we’ve seen, you’ve just got to laugh. Nothing else seems to make sense.
Thank the Lord there’s so much to laugh at in this world.”

And the winner is...

"That's not what your girlfriend says."


Congratulations to Drew Brees, Sean Peyton and the entire New Orleans Saints oganization for their victory in Superbowl 44! Who dat!

I am I said...

"Well, I'm New York City born and raised. But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores. LA's fine, but it ain't home, New York's home but it ain't mine no more.

I am, I said, to no one there. And no one heard at all, not even the chair. I am, I cried. I am, said I. And I am lost, and I can't even say why."

Lava Dreams

Pretty cool, huh?

Photography by Vincent K. Tylor

Yankee Dawg

"No, I don't think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That's what's wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how."

Question of the hour...

What do you get a man for a basically “girly holiday” like Valentine’s Day? (Which, by the way, is a week from Sunday…you have been reminded.) Now, now ladies, don’t get defensive because I called Valentine’s Day “girly” – you know deep down I am right on the money. Guys (as a whole) could care less about this over-commercialized day of candy and flowers… therefore, I consider it a girly-type holiday.

Be that as it may, most of us with partners of some sort buy a little something for them on Valentine’s Day… ‘Cause that’s how we roll.

So, what do you get “The Guy” for Valentine’s Day? Do you go with the silk boxers with lil’ hearts again that he sincerely hates but would probably never say? Tickets to a ball game might be nice – if it were baseball season, that is.

Here’s an idea… how about chocolate? No, no, no not just ANY ol’ chocolate…I’m talking Exotic chocolate.

Working on the “man” premise that “everything goes better with bacon”… May I present Mo’s Chocolate Bacon Bar. Yes, you read that right – Chocolate with BACON!




Made by Vosges Haut-Chocolat (out of Chicago), Mo’s Chocolate Bar comes in both milk and dark chocolate varieties.

Here’s what the Vosges web-site says about it…

“Breathe…engage your five senses, close your eyes and inhale deeply. Be in the present moment; notice the color of the chocolate, the glossy shine. Rub your thumb over the chocolate bar to release the aromas of smoked applewood bacon flirting with deep milk chocolate. Snap off just a tiny piece and place it in your mouth, let the lust of salt and sweet coat your tongue.”

Is that sexy, or what? I’m not even a guy and that description makes me wanna run out now and buy a case… right now!

Vosges has over a dozen flavors of exotic chocolate like:

Ginger, wasabi, and black sesame seeds

Cardamom with walnuts and dried plums

Sweet Indian curry and coconut

Mexican ancho and chipotle chilies

There are a few I’d love to try myself, but I gotta admit, the bacon one sounds like heaven.

Check it out for yourself

Billy and his organ...

William Everett Preston, child prodigy & musical genius. Of course, if you know him at all, you’d know to call him Billy. Some of you may even call him “The Fifth Beatle” – one of only two to non-Beatles to receive billing (along with The Beatles) as an artist on a an official Beatles record release.

But Billy was impressive way before his appearance on the Hammond Organ with the Fab Four in the “Get Back” Sessions in 1969.

He began playing piano from atop his mother’s knee at the age of three. At the tender age of 11, he was performing live with none other than Nat ‘King’ Cole on his variety show (as seen in the first video below). By 16, he was the organ player for Sam Cooke on what is considered to be one of Cooke’s best albums, Night Beat - an album recorded in three night's work.

Over the span of his career and right up until his death in 2006, Billy played with a wide variety of artists which run nearly the entire musical genre gambit – from Ray Charles, Eric Clapton, and Bob Dylan to The Rolling Stones, Johnny Cash and The Red Hot Chili Peppers - just to name a few.

Simply put, the man could PLAY! Don’t believe me? Take a gander at the video below where he is performing “Summertime”…complete with impersonations of JS Bach and Ray Charles.

After viewing it, “Bess” is reported as having said “I don’t loves you no mo, Porgy…I loves Billy now!”

(My apologies to the Gershwin brothers for that comment…)

Oscar Watch: Part One

This week the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards. There’ve been some changes this year – like 10 movies being nominated for Best Picture instead of five in years past. Also, a studio promotion snafu actually kept one actor from being in contention for an award as they promoted him for Best Supporting actor when in fact, he should have been promoted for Best Actor.

Studio Head of Promotions: “Dude, my bad.” More on this in future posts.

Not sure if selecting twice as many nominees for Best Pic is a good thing or a bad thing yet… only time will tell.

I’ll be commenting on nominees in various categories from time to time between now and March 7, but today I shall be focusing on the performances of two of the nominees for Best Actress.

First a funny about the two ladies in question:

Upon learning of her nomination, first time nominee Sandra Bullock called 16 time nominee and two time Oscar winner Meryl Streep and left a voice message which said “You’ve got to watch your back. I’m gonna cut you. I’m gonna take you down. Don’t wear the same thing.”

Meryl responded with sending Bullock dead orchids and told her to die. All this followed a tongue-in-mouth kiss Bullock planted on Streep when they tied at the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards. Lord knows the world loves a good cat fight as long as there is a big make-up kissy kiss, huh?

Anyway…Both ladies are nominated for their portrayals of real women.

Sandra plays Leigh Ann Tuohy; a gutsy Southern matriarch and adopted mother of Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Michael Oher in the movie The Blind Side.
Meryl plays the very tall Julia Child; the chef who nearly single-handedly made the art of French cooking assessable to American woman in the early 1960’s in the film Julie & Julia.

Great movies, both of them. EXCELLENT performances by these ladies…BOTH of these ladies.



I saw The Blind Side first and thought “Wow, no other woman will come close to the performance Sandra Bullock gives in this movie.” She was awesome! She was cute, sweet and gutsy all rolled up into a protective Southern Belle mama that could rival any other.



Day before yesterday, I watched Julie & Julia. Now, all I can say are two things: “Glad it’s not me making this decision.”, and “No wonder the Critic’s Choice Movie Awards people could not decide.” Meryl Steep nailed, and I do mean NAILED Julia Child. She totally rocked – the voice, the mannerisms, everything. They even somehow managed to make her look 6’2”, even though she is only 5’6”.

And as badly as I would love to see Sandra Bullock win her first Oscar, I have to say to the Academy Voters: “Flip a coin, people. You’ll be a winner either way.”

Do yourselves a favor and check out the stellar performances by these great actresses. You won’t be disappointed!

Groovy Soul Baby

How's about a little of that blue-eyed soul for your Thursday enjoyment. Straight from Detroit, Michigan and the groovin' sixties baby come The Flaming Ember.

For those of you not familiar with the term "blue-eyed soul" (also sometimes known as "white soul") - It just means Caucasian artists who were influenced by the Soul and R & B genres.

Although they did not enjoy much commercial success, The Flaming Ember had every bit as much soul as The Righteous Brothers, Len Barry, The Doobies and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.

In total, they had only three hits reach the Billboard charts between 1969 and 1970. Personally, their chart status means very little to me... 'cause I know what I like. Give me some of that groovy soul, baby!

Steam Heat

Confession: I LOVE movies!

Comedy, romance, thriller, drama, musical - LOVE 'em. I dig old movies in black and white starring wonderful film icons such as Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn, Clark Gable and Gloria "I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille" Swanson.

I like the new stuff too - well mostly. Some quality work still in the "biz"... not like the glamour days of Hollywood, but still some noteworthy stars of today: Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks and one of my personal favorites, Sandra Bullock.

Please notice the intentional omission of the horror genre. Reason: I don't do "scary". I don't enjoy being subjected to blood and guts to the nth degree, idiot victims who inevitably run up in buildings with no hope of escape, or the 49th version of a psycho killer wearing a hockey mask while terrorizing a summer camp. Nope, not I... No way, no how. Period.

Now a musical comedy to me is like a double-dip of Rocky Road ice cream - simply the best there is. My Fair Lady, Singin' In The Rain, Mary Poppins, The Music Man... no matter how many times I've seen them, I could see 'em all a million more. Really, is there anything more magical than Gene Kelly "singin' and dancin' in the rain"? But I digress...

Steam Heat is the title, so onward we go. In case you didn't know, this particular musical number is from the The Pajama Game, a broadway musical... which, in 1957 became a film starring Doris Day and John Raitt.

It's the story of Sid, a newly hired factory foreman/efficency expert and Babe, a union rep who is trying to get a 7 1/2 cent raise for her fellow workers. Yes, it is the classic story of management vs. workers, with a few little comedic twists along the way - Hinesie, a jealous, knife throwing boy friend; Gladys and Hernando's hideaway complete with password; and a double set of accounting books... oh, and love, lest we forget.

Choreographed by the great Bob Fosse, Steam Heat features Gladys (Carol Haney) with "two of the boys from the cutting room floor" performing at a union rally.

I never tire of seeing this classic clip. Whether it's your first time viewing or your hundreth, enjoy!

Into The Unknown

According to Merriam-Webster Online, "eclectic" is defined as selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods or styles; composed of elements drawn from various sources. "Unknown", when used as a noun - like here in the title for instance, simply means something that requires discovery.

Guess what this whole ball of wax comes down to is us discovering a variety of interesting elements pulled from almost any source imaginable. You never know what might come out here, maybe something about music, movies, cooking or perhaps books. Could be something funny, or serious. Apt to be completely off the wall and out of the ballpark at times, while other times may find topics closer to home and heart.

Ready for anything? Are you brave enough to explore The Eclectic Unknown?

And so, the journey begins...