Sorta That Guy

Oscar Ballots Mailed Today

2012-02-01T23:26:00.001-05:00

Even though I'm under the weather, as I usually am this time of year after the craziness of January, just wanted to remind everyone that today the Oscar ballots were mailed out to those lucky few who will vote on this year's winners. Of course, the nominations took place more than a week ago and the ballots won't be due until a little less than three weeks from now. The ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 26th.

Why did I include a picture of Kate Winslet winning her Academy Award with this post? The better question to ask would be WHY WOULDN'T I?

Looking Forward To...

2012-01-31T23:07:00.002-05:00

Chronicle
Release: February 3, 2012
Distributor: Fox
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly, Ashley Hinshaw, Bo Petersen, and Anna Wood

Birthday Girl: Vanessa Redgrave

2012-01-30T23:20:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to give a quick birthday shout out to Vanessa Redgrave who turns 75 today. Admittedly, I actually haven't seen many of her films including any of her Oscar-nominated turns, which I really need to fix right away. With that said, she did appear in one of my favorite films ever, Atonement, as the older Briony and in spite of her limited screen time, she was just grand. I also haven't seen any of her most recent films from the past year including Anonymous and Coriolanus. I've only heard great things about her performance in the latter.

The Help and The Artist Get Boosts From Guilds

2012-01-30T00:16:00.012-05:00

It was a huge night for The Help at the SAG Awards netting three awards for its Ensemble, Lead Actress for Viola Davis, and Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Those latter two look pretty solid for Oscars especially Spencer who has won all of the major precursors prior. Same goes for Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer who took home the award here. Jean Dujardin's win over George Clooney was the biggest shock (and biggest delight for me this entire awards season), but then I supposed they just couldn't let the Oscar front-runner The Artist go home empty handed could they? What it means for the Oscars is not clear except that actors clearly support The Artist as well making its run to Oscar glory even easier.

Best Ensemble: The Help
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

The TV awards were... at best boring and at worse completely awful. Consider that 5 of the 8 awards went to last year's winners and it'd probably be 6 if they could award Claire Danes for Temple Grandin again! The only differences this year were Kate Winslet and Paul Giamatti winning Best Acting in Miniseries and Jessica Lange winning Best Actress in Drama. Plus why was Winslet not around to at least give us an overly enthusiastic speech?

Best Ensemble, Drama: Boardwalk Empire
Best Ensemble, Comedy: Modern Family
Best Actress, Drama: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Actress, Comedy: Betty White, Hot in Cleveland
Best Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Best Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actress, Miniseries: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Actor, Miniseries: Paul Giamatti, Too Big To Fail

But to shift back to films and Oscars, the Directors Guild handed out their awards earlier this weekend and the race for Best Picture is now a one-film race as Michel Hazanavicius of The Artist won it over his more experienced fellow nominees among them Martin Scorsese. I still believe Scorsese, with his acclaim and legendary status, could win at the Oscars over Hazanavicius, but this win more than any this awards season points to The Artist ultimately triumphing for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Feature Film: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
TV Drama Series: Patty Jenkins, The Killing
TV Comedy Series: Robert B. Weide, Curb Your Enthusiasm
TV Movie/Mini-Series: John Cassar, The Kennedys
Documentary: James Marsh, Project Nim
Musical Variety: Glenn Weiss, Tony Awards
Reality Programs: Neil P. Degroot, Biggest Loser
Daytime Serials: William Luel, General Hospital
Children's Programs: Amy Schatz, A Child's Garden of Poetry

The other winners are above, and I wished I could comment on them a bit more. Though I was surprised to see Patty Jenkins winning for her admittedly great work on The Killing especially in light of some fierce competition from Homeland, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Friday Night Lights. Who ever knows, right?

TV Report: Week of 1/22

2012-01-29T19:08:00.002-05:00

I guess many shows decided to take a break the week right before February sweeps which meant there's not much to talk about. In fact all I really want to talk about are the series finale of a show I stopped watching and an old school episode of a show seemingly no one is watching.

Aces Series Finale for Chuck

Being 22 episodes behind didn't stop me from checking out the two-hour series finale of Chuck. I only stopped since I thought Chuck proposing to Sarah was a great ending to linger on, but unfortunately I just never got around to catching up. With that said, watching the finale was like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in awhile. Sarah losing all her memories enabled the show to go back to those best moments in the show, especially in the first season, as Chuck tried to walk Sarah down through memory lane in hopes she'll regain her memories. It reminded us how lovely their journey has been. It helped that Zachary Levi and Yvonne Strahovski were just so sensational with what they were given. Levi's waterworks as he realized that Sarah is gone or Strahovski's reaction to her video diary broke me. Not to mention the awesome action sequences, more notably Sarah channeling her inner-Bryce Larkin. In the end, it was a great conclusion to an enjoyable show with most of the characters getting their happy-ish endings. Yes, the main relationship is a bit uncertain with Sarah's memories still mostly gone, but if this show taught us anything is that anything is possible. I believe they will get together in the end.

Fringe Tackles Old School Case

As much as I've liked/loved the past few episodes of Fringe, there certainly was something refreshing about this week's Case of the Week episode revolving a girl who can sense when death is coming. I mean we've had Case of the Week types of episodes recently, but if you noticed this was the first in a while that we got Peter working with his usual crew. On top of this, we get a bit of movement on the Observers warning Olivia last week about her inevitable death as well as a peek into Nina's true motives. No actual answers, but the teases are good enough for now. Next week the Astrids meet each other! I seriously cannot wait for that.

Other Miscellaneous TV Thoughts

It was a heart-breaking episode of Once Upon a Time with Snow/Mary Margaret forcing herself to forget about her true love. Her meeting the dwarves were great, too. Though who is the mysterious stranger with the typewriter?... Kiefer Sutherland has a new show and while I found the pilot of Touch good, I'm going to need a couple more episodes. My review is here... Not one the stronger Parks and Rec episodes, but made well use of its ensemble. Especially loved Tom's Drive-esque jacket and April using her various accents to beat Chris... Big Bang Theory was pretty bad this week, right? A Siri-centered plotline? Penny and Leonard beta testing each other? Amy and Sheldon do a web blog on flags? Not good.

Australian Open: The Finale

2012-01-29T15:24:00.000-05:00

Don't really know where to begin in talking about the end of the Australian Open championships only to say that the eventual champions are also the best players in tennis right now not only because they are both the no. 1 players come Monday, but also by how they won their finals. One beautifully handled the situation outplaying her opponent in two quick sets, while the other suffered through a five-set battle outlasting his opponent. So it was that Victoria Azarenka and Novak Djokovic won the 2012 Australian Open for their first and fifth major titles respectively. It was Azarenka's first major final and with her win, the streak of first-time slam winners continues with four players. Djokovic becomes only the fourth man to win to win three or more Australian Open titles in the the Open Era and only the fifth man who have won three Grand Slam events in a row n the Open Era. For the latter record, he joins the elite group of Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

It was completely understandable that Azarenka would have been tight right out of the gate of her first major final especially with Maria Sharapova right across the net from her who had more experience with these kinds of matches. The occasion, the noise, the crowd, and the cameras were all probably too much for Azarenka who dropped served early. She finally found her groove, with a bit of help from Sharapova to even the match at 2-all in the first set. Sharapova held the next game for a 3-2 lead only for Azarenka to reel off 10 straight games, bageling Sharapova in the second set, to win. While Sharapova's serve let her down, Azarenka was also the stronger, more aggressive player dictating points and playing with such a swagger. Sharapova will be ranked #3 after the tournament and she be pleased to have reached the finals after years of dealing with injuries, but like the Wimbledon final with Petra Kvitova last year, she'll see this as another slam she should've won. In the meantime, Azarenka remains undefeated this year, also winning a tournament in Sydney prior to the Australian Open.

Could it be possible for the match of the season to happen this early in the season? That seems to be what everyone was asking during the epic five-set brawl between no. 1 Djokovic and no. 2 Nadal. It was the pair's first five-set match and at 5 hours and 53 minutes, it also was the longest Grand Slam finals in the Open Era. Nadal won a tight first set only for Djokovic to take command in the next two. Djokovic had a chance to break Nadal down Love-40 3-4 in fourth set to serve for the match, but Nadal won five straight points to make it even. It was also right after this that played was suspended for 15 minutes in order for them to close the roof due to rain. It eventually went to a tiebreak where Djokovic again found himself a few points away from winning only for Nadal to make a great comeback and winning the fourth to force a fifth. Nadal was actually up a break in the fifth, but Djokovic broke right back. At 5-5, Djokovic finally broke Nadal's serve and was able to serve out the match after which he fell on the ground, probably due to ecstasy and exhaustion in equal measures. For Nadal, this match will haunt him especially at how come he came to winning. It was also Nadal's 7th straight loss to Djokovic, third straight in Grand Slam finals (an Open Era record). For Djokovic, if he can find a way to win the French Open, he would claim the Djokovic Slam and be the eight man to win all four titles.

A couple of unseeded teams won in Doubles with Leander Paes teaming up with Radek Stepanek avenging his lost to top seed Bob and Mike Bryan last year in the Men's Doubles Final and the last-minute Russian pair of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva winning over the 11th seed Italian team of Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the Women's Doubles Final. Eight seed team Horia Tecau and Bethanie Mattek-Sands won the Mixed Doubles title over fifth seed team Paes and Elena Vesnina. The end... now back to normal sleeping patterns!

End-Of-Year: 2011 Film Winners

2012-01-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

Already getting impatient about the Oscars to see who'll win? Unfortunately we all still have to wait a month to see who wins that and hell, the final ballots haven't even been mailed out yet! So take some time and enjoy the next best thing, the result of my own year-end awards! Cue the applause and the cheering, etc. etc. etc. Of course, if you want, check out my nominations first, then see which I've picked as my favorite...

Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, Drive/Ides of March/Crazy, Stupid, Love
Runner-Up: Dominic Cooper, The Devil's Double

You can't be shocked by the winner here. How many posts have I done on Ryan Gosling this past year? Definitely more than a couple, that's for sure. But how could I not award him this after the year he has had with three different fantastic performances? You could argue that by that logic I probably should've given the award to Michael Fassbender, who I nominated alongside Gosling, but I was just slightly more impressed by Gosling. Of course, why did I pick Cooper over Fassbender for runner-up? That decision was more me wanting to highlight a performance that people probably haven't seen. His film was a bit on the messy side, but he really got into playing the dual roles of Uday Hussein and his double and made me believe it.

Best Actress: Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn/Meek's Cutoff
Runner-Up: Viola Davis, The Help

Ugh, okay so I'm exposing my love for Blue Valentine here, but I didn't award Williams (and Gosling) just because of that beautiful film. I actually didn't know much about Marilyn Monroe, but I was pretty bowled over by Williams' portrayal of her. While she may not have the infectious charisma that Monroe oozed, Williams was still able to make me believe this was the real Marilyn Monroe, the Marilyn who wasn't in front of a camera. I didn't even mention her very strong work in Meek's Cutoff which was a film I didn't expect to like, much less love. Then of course there's Viola Davis, who lordy, made me cry and made me give her a standing ovation. She really was the dominant force in her film even with the immensely talented ensemble around her.

Best Supporting Actor: Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Runner-Up: Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

It's really weird that I'm giving it to Corey Stoll for probably the smallest screen time of any of the actors I nominated, but he just left such an indelible impression that I do still think about his Ernest Hemingway from time to time. In fact as much as I love the film, I'm not sure I'd be so in love with it if I don't constantly think about Stoll's Hemingway. Then of course there's Andy Serkis who adds yet another phenomenal mo-cap performance on his resume with his nuanced work as Caesar. The movie worked as well as it did, because we had to relate to this CGI ape and Serkis was extraordinary in making Caesar the heart of the film.

Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, The Help/Tree of Life/Take Shelter
Runner-Up: Carey Mulligan, Shame/Drive

I know what you're saying, I'm biased towards actors who do a lot of films a year and it may seem like that with my third multi-film actor winner, but similar to Gosling above, I just couldn't not award Jessica Chastain. She had an incredible year and that's something to celebrate. I didn't see all of her performances, but she was fabulous in the three films that I did see. If I had to pick, her Celia Foote was probably my favorite performance of the summer and so even if I could vote on just one film, she'd probably still win with that performance. Of course, Carey Mulligan also had a great year continuing in her quest not to be typecast as the Audrey Hepburn heir apparent by appearing in not one, but two dark and brave films. Her work in Shame is probably the better of the two since it was so unlike anything she's ever done, so raw, so electric.

Best Young Actor or Actress: Elle Fanning, Super 8
Runner-Up: John Boyega, Attack the Block

This was a bit difficult to pick since any of them really could've won, but then I remember that train depot scene, you know the one, with Ellen Fanning and just like the boys watching her, I was just transfixed. She also cast her spell with me last year in Somewhere, so maybe that also had something to do with my pick. But I also wanted to highlight John Boyega's strong leading performances in Attack the Block as Moses. He really was the glue of that quite inventive and fun film. Quick shout out to Saoirse Ronan who always seem to be doing fantastic work and Thomas Horn who made me cry a few times.

Best Ensemble: Midnight in Paris
Runner-Up: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

First I want to talk about the runner-up which is definitely a career award. Hasn't every British actor appeared in this film at one point or another? It's either this or Doctor Who I guess. I was most impressed by how the three lead actors held their own amongst these British acting juggernauts like Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman. Woody Allen outdid himself with the cast of Midnight in Paris, not only picking just the right actors to play these historical figures (great blend of known and not so known actors), but to also choose an unlikely, but solid lead in Owen Wilson (who I probably should've nominated).

Most Disappointing Film: The Conspirator
Runner-Up: Like Crazy

James McAvoy in a period piece revolving around the events after Lincoln's assassination co-starring Robin Wright and Rachel Evans Woods. How could that movie suck? And yet, it did. Despite fine acting from those three (though Wright gets almost nothing to work with), the film was pretty flat and dull throughout. I literally could not stop looking at my watch every few minutes or so. Then there's Like Crazy which is the type of movie I usually enjoy. Hell, critics were calling it a younger version of Blue Valentine and we all know my feelings towards that film, but as much as I like the two main actors, their relationship never hooked me and thus when their relationship went through its ups and downs, I could hardly care. I found myself rolling my eyes a couple of dozen times throughout the film.

Worst Film: Your Highness
Runner-Up: Beastly

The less said about these two films (and the other films I nominated) the better. I'm thinking Your Highness would be much better with a little herbal therapy, but I was unfortunately clear of mind when I saw this film and nothing was good. I literally wasted my time watching it. Beastly was actually less aggressively bad, but it was still pretty heinous. In the middle of the film I asked myself out loud why ANYONE would think this was a good idea to green-light.

Worst Acting Performance: Channing Tatum, The Eagle
Runner-Up: Natalie Portman, No Strings Attached/The Other Woman/Your Highness

My friends for some reason make fun of my seemingly baseless hatred for Channing Tatum and I wish I could articulate why I find him so... unappealing. I suppose I just find him dull and blanked-face plus his charms just don't work on me. Natalie Portman should thank her lucky stars that these films came out after she was already on her way to winning her Academy Award, because as much as I love her in Black Swan (she won my Best Actress award last year), she was just as dreadful in not one, not two, but three films this year. You may say I could be reacting negatively because of the films, and yes while the films are also bad, she was quite awful in them as well.

Best Netflix Movie: Almost Famous
Runner-Up: Undertow

his is one of my weirder categories since how can you really compare films from different eras? You really can't which is why I implore you to check out all of the films I've nominated for this. With that said, I can't believe it took me this long to see Almost Famous. It was love at first sight... or is it love at first hearing? I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, especially as well-done as it was with this film. It also helps that by now most of the young sort of unknown actors who appeared in that film are now household names and that was fun. Quick shout out to my runner-up Undertow, a Peruvian gay film that is beautifully structured and emotionally heartfelt.

Of course, I'm saving my pick for Best Film until sometime next week when I'm ready to post my list of top 30 or so films from this past year. Though, spoiler alert, I've already told you my top 10: The Artist, Drive, The Help, The Ides of March, Meek's Cutoff, Midnight in Paris, My Week with Marilyn, Thor, Weekend, Warrior. Which film will come out on top?

Australian Open Report: Finals Preview

2012-01-27T22:24:00.002-05:00

Tennis fans were absolutely spoiled the past couple of days at the Australian Open with some highly competitive semifinal showdowns. And even though every match went against what I wanted to happen, they were still good for the sport. The non-winners fought hard making each of the four finalists (three of which are former champions) earn their opportunity to win the tournament.

At the beginning of the tournament, about eight women had a chance to overtake Caroline Wozniacki for the top ranking. So it's only fitting that the two of these women are in the finals and thus not only fighting for the trophy, but for the honor to be world no. 1 on Monday. And so it will be world no. 3 Victoria Azarenka vs. world no. 4 Maria Sharapova. This would be Azarenka's first Grand Slam final, while Sharapova will try to get her fourth major win, her first since 2008.

Both ladies had to get through a battle of a semifinal match against proven champions. Azarenka had to face defending champion Kim Clijsters who was supposedly playing in her last Australian Open while Sharapova avenged her Wimbledon loss last year in the hands of Petra Kvitova. Both matches went to three sets with the eventual winner losing the second set and taking charge/being more consistent in the deciding set.

As for the finals, their H2H is tied at 3 a piece. Azarenka has been undefeated so far this year taking the title in Sydney prior to the Australian Open, but Sharapova is more used to the big stage with the stakes as high as they are. I'm thinking it's going to be pretty even and potentially high-quality if Azarenka can keep her nerves in check and if Sharapova's serve is stabilized. Have no real basis for this prediction, but I'm predicting Victoria Azarenka to win in two tight sets.

Sunday's final between no. 1 Novak Djokovic and no. 2 Rafael Nadal will be the third consecutive time these two have met in a Grand Slam final with Djokovic winning the previous two in last year's Wimbledon and US Open. In fact, Djokovic has had Nadal's number of late winning their last six encounters. Winning here will be big either way. For Nadal, it'll be his 11th slam victory and one step closer to reclaiming the top ranking. For Djokovic, not only will he be among just a handful of players to win three or more Australian Open championships, but it'll also signal a continuation of his most dominant last year.

Their road to the final was not made easy especially by the opponents they faced in the semifinals. While Nadal had every confidence he could big Roger Federer, losing that first set was a wake-up call. He did eventually edge Federer in the next three sets, but the 16-time Grand Slam winner hung in there. Andy Murray was even more relentless pushing Djokovic into a fifth set and clawing his way back to 5-5 after being down 1-5. Both Federer and Murray lost to the better player that day, but their skills and grit are unquestionable leaving the rest of the tour outside the top 4 looking from the outside.

Nadal leads the H2H with Djokovic 16-13, but as I said above Djokovic has won their last six, all last year, including in Nadal's precious clay surface. Both have had physical problems during the off-season with Djokovic and his shoulders and Nadal with his knees, but both have seemed more than fit the past few days. Djokovic may have been pushed a bit harder than Nadal in their previous match and has one less day to recuperate, but I don't think that will matter with these two. The question is... has Nadal figured out how to beat Djokovic. I'm going to say yes and predict Rafael Nadal wins in four sets.

It's Not Easy Being Green or a Song Up for Oscars

2012-01-27T16:54:00.006-05:00

Is there more I could've said?
Now there are only pictures in my head.
That's why my green is feeling gray.
Sometimes even frogs have rainy days.

Every day that passes since Oscar nominations, I find myself getting angrier and angrier about what happened with the Best Song category. Joe, Nathaniel, Andrew, amongst many others have already gone into everything I wanted to say about this tragic situation from this category missing potentially showstopping acts to perform at the Oscars to the obviously screwed up selection and qualifying process for the songs.

At the very least, they did nominate at least one song from The Muppets, even if it wasn't my favorite song (which I excerpted at the beginning of this post). But "Man Or Muppet" more than deserves its nomination if only to (most likely) give Bret McKenzie his Oscars.

See its music video below:

Plus the surprise cameo makes me smile every single time. Though I am still amazed that "Pictures in My Head" didn't make it in this year especially with the unofficial theme of nostalgia and looking back this year. No offense to Jason Segel and Walter, but I really, really wanted Kermit and the gang to sing at the ceremony. Maybe they'll still do somehow, or maybe not. That's why my green is feeling gray.

Pilot Thoughts: Touch

2012-01-26T23:44:00.003-05:00

First of all, I know my mind is always in the gutter, but can we just take a few moments to reflect that someone actually thought it was a good idea to name a show centered around a young boy "Touch." Of course the name probably has more to do with the general conceit of the show that somehow, some way every single person in the world is touched (influenced/affected) by everyone else. More literally, it could also have to do with the young protagonist and his dislike of people touching him.

Touch's main duo is an autistic child and his father, the latter played by Kiefer Sutherland. I do admit that 80% of the reason why I felt compelled to check this show out was my fond memories of those early seasons of 24. There's just something quite familiar about seeing Sutherland back on TV screaming on his cell phone, almost like a homecoming of sorts. In any case, the pilot episode introduces us to the obviously delicate relationship between the two with the father patient, but frustrated by his son's condition. The son, played well by David Mazouz, is mute and confounds everyone he comes in contact with. He is busy doodling repetitive numbers and tinkering with cell phones and being obsessed by it all. We later find out that he has a preternatural ability to "connect the dots" of the universe enabling him to more or less know the future. He then tries to use the numbers and the technology as a way for him to communicate this knowledge to others.

It's certainly an ambitious and intriguing concept. Something I'm not surprised Tim Kring created. In fact, the pilot for Touch gave me eerily similar feelings for when I saw the pilot for Kring's Heroes (whose first season still kicks ass in spite of what transpired later on). It was made more evident in the B-plot with the camera phone that made its way to London, New York, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, and Iraq affecting a handful of people's lives in the process which was also something very reminiscent of another high-concept show... Lost. And so I readily admit that, even as I recognized that the show was manipulating me to feeeeel something (seriously among other plot lines in this episode... there was a mom who dies in 9/11, a bus full of kids getting saved, a father grieving for his dead daughter, and a son who was willing to kill himself to help his family), it actually did make me feel something.

I already know people on both sides of the aisle: those intrigued and would love to see the next episode and those who think of it all as a waste of time. I'm leaning towards the former group, but the real test for this show is not its pilot, but its second, third, tenth, and even its 22nd episode. Will every episode have Sutherland's character try and connect people by whatever vague clues his son gives him? If so, is that a bad thing or a good thing? I mentioned both Heroes and Lost previously and its quite apt since one show did a better than the other to re-invent itself season after season. It's still too early to say where Touch will fall in that spectrum, but I'm willing to wait it out for a bit. B

Australian Open Report: Quarterfinals

2012-01-25T19:24:00.000-05:00

Australian tennis fans are in for a double treat today as not only are they celebrating a national holiday (Australia Day of course), but the tennis lineup is just ridiculously awesome as both women semifinal matches will be played as well as an epic blockbuster of a men's semifinal match at night, but before that let's quickly rundown what happened in the quarters...

Roger Federer d. Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4 6-3 6-2

Federer has only lost to two players in Grand Slam finals and Del Potro is one of them, so Federer has a lot of respect for the Argentine's game. It clearly showed when Federer put on a masterclass and wowed not only the crowd, but himself on his great play. Not to say Del Potro played badly, but Federer was just on another level. He is the only player left in the draw not to drop a set. He'll take this momentum and use it to his advantage when he next faces a very familiar foe...

Rafael Nadal d. Tomas Berdych 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-4 6-2

Two days earlier, Berdych made headlines when he refused to shake Almagro's hands at the end of his fourth round match garnering a ton of bad press. Many thought that would color the match between Berdych and another Spaniard Nadal. I don't think it did, especially since both already have a contentious history. With that said, Berdych played Nadal tough in the first few sets seemingly fearless. But Nadal stepped it up and took care of business in the fourth to setup a tantalizing match-up with Federer.

Novak Djokovic d. David Ferrer 6-4 7-6(4) 6-1

Defending champion Djokovic has been in cruise control all tournament long until he met up with Hewitt a round before where he lost his first set. Indefatigable Ferrer would seem like a bigger obstacle for him, but Djokovic was able to take advantage of Ferrer's non-threatening serve, especially in that crucial second-set tie break to jump ahead. Djokovic has won 19th straight Grand Slam matches and will try to make it 20 games to reach the final. But before that, he'll have to play in a rematch of last year's final with...

Andy Murray d. Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-1

It's obvious that Murray is the lone non-Slam winning member of the Big Four, but reaching nine major semifinals and three finals deserves credit. In this tournament, Murray has been blessed by the draw gods with his most dangerous opponents losing before they get to him. It was in this way that he faced Nishikori instead of Tsonga. The scoreline may seem overtly one-sided, but Nishikori played pretty Murray quite closely especially in those first two sets making Murray work hard. In the end, Murray was just too much.

Kim Clijsters d. Caroline Wozniacki 6-3 7-6(4)

This was a do or die situation for both players. If Wozniacki lost to Clijsters, she would relinquishes her no. 1 ranking. If she had won, she would be Clijsters final Australian Open opponent. Clijsters, still tentative especially with the ankle injury she sustained a match prior, really took it to Wozniacki in the first set. It was closer and more nervy, from both, in the second, but Clijsters finally came out on top in the tiebreak. She next faces...

Victoria Azarenka d. Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7(0) 6-0 6-2

Azarenka must have been super frustrated at herself after losing the first set tiebreak at love, but she took a break and came back a different player. That and she also got some help from Radwanska would couldn't string together points after winning the first set. This match has actually been very similar to many of their matches with Radwanska winning the first then losing composure for the last two. It's pretty bad since Radwanska is also the highest ranked women's player to never reach a Grand Slam semifinals.

Maria Sharapova d. Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-3

If you ask around, it seems that everyone is calling Sharapova the favorite to win the tournament. It's certainly a sound prediction especially with the way she has been in cruise control all tournament long. She continued her great form against an outpowered and outshrieked Makarova. But she'll have to get by another 'ova in the next round and this one has been on a roll...

Petra Kvitova d. Sara Errani 6-4 6-4

Kvitova is probably the best player in the women's game at the moment, but she really needs to live up to her seeding and reach the finals and possibly win to solidify this. Her match against Errani wasn't as straightforward as the straight-sets scoreline indicate. She was actually down a couple of break points in the second before reeling off five straight games to win the match. It's that fighting spirit she will need when she goes up against Sharapova.

Final Note: The semifinal stage is seriously stacked. Not only do we have the top 4 men, but also 3 of the top 4 women along with Clijsters. Both of the defending champions are still alive and amongst all of them, they have 38 Grand Slam titles. There's not one match that isn't intriguing, but I do admit that there is one match that is the MOST intriguing and that is Nadal-Federer XXVII. I will be up until the break of dawn for that one.

Thoughts on Oscar Nominations

2012-01-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

It has been more than 12 hours since the Academy Award nominations were announced and just like every year, there are a few snubs, some pleasant surprises, and basically the same films and performances everyone has been predicting since this past fall. Before I talk about each category, just a few numbers. Out of the 46 films nominated (excluding the shorts categories), I've seen exactly half at 23 films. Out of the 104 total nominations (again excluding shorts), I've only seen 71 (68%), which is worse than last year's. Finally, I correctly predicted 33 of the 44 nominees from the top 8 categories, which isn't half bad.

And now for the nominations (I bolded those I've seen):

BEST PICTURE

The Artist (10 nominations)
The Descendants (5 nominations)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2 nominations)
The Help (4 nominations)
Hugo (11 nominations)
Midnight in Paris (4 nominations)
Moneyball (6 nominations)
The Tree of Life (3 nominations)
War Horse (6 nominations)

It was no surprise to see Hugo and The Artist leading the nomination tallies setting up a curious two-horse race between a Hollywood film set in France and a French film set in Hollywood. The other films were mostly expected with the key exception of the critically lambasted Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close which was also most ignored in the precursors. Tree of Life was similarly ignored by the precursors, but its much highly regarded and did well to get its three nominations. For the first time in history, we have 9 films nominated and it'll forever be debated which film would've been the tenth. The most likely candidate would probably be The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with its 5 nominations.

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

This was the same as the DGA nominations only with David Fincher being replaced by Terrence Malick. I predicted Fincher would get replaced also, but I thought they would go for Steven Spielberg. I definitely was rooting for Nicholas W. Refn to surprise here, but his film didn't resonate at all with the Academy it seems. The race here is between Martin Scorsese (the legendary frontrunner) and Michel Hazanavicius (the hot newcomer). Finally, it's important to note that Stephen Daldry's streak of being nominated for his films was broken today.

BEST LEADING ACTOR

Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

The great news, of course, is that Gary Oldman finally, finally has his first Oscar nomination. The fact that he has waited so long is frankly ludicrous. Demián Bichir's nomination may surprise many, but he was shortlisted by the SAG showing us great support. Of course Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't join his fellow SAG nominees, but maybe his time will come someday. And finally, even with 100 or so films between the two of them this year, Michael Fassbender and Ryan Gosling couldn't get nominated for any of their critically-lauded roles. Watch Clooney win here, but perhaps Pitt or even Oldman can surprise.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

Viola Davis, The Help
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

It's pretty shocking to see Tilda Swinton not nominated especially since she pretty much hit every precursor including a win from the National Board of Review. Rooney Mara supposedly replaced her, which is too bad only because it'd be a great list if both of them made it on. With that said I'm of course on Team Williams and happy that she has garnered her 3rd nomination in five years. Then again that's nothing to Streep who gets her record 17th nomination. At this point, I can actually see every single woman here win though if I was a betting man it'll probably go to Davis... or Streep... or possibly Williams.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

The lack of Drive love was most evident in this category where critical favorite Albert Brooks was completely snubbed just as he was at the SAG. Of course this makes the road for frontrunner Christopher Plummer's first Oscar win a bit easier. Then again maybe not since there's another former Oscar nominee octogenarian on the list in the form of Max Von Sydow whose film is nominated for Best Picture. Finally, I'm not against Hill's nomination, but I was hoping for perhaps Andy Serkis or Patton Oswalt.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Melissa McCarthy is having quite an awesome year doesn't she? Not only did she star in one of the biggest movies of last year, but she is also on a hit TV show, both of which garnered her an Emmy win and now an Oscar nomination. Just... wow. Of course the other breakthrough actresses made it here in the form of The Help's Jessica Chastain (who appeared in all the other films Fassbender and Gosling couldn't be in) and Octavia Spencer. I'm thinking the winner will be between these two and it's going to go down the wire. Shailene Woodley's non-nomination could mean nothing or something.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist
Bridesmaids
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

With the benefit of hindsight, these nominations seems so obvious. Of course The Artist and Midnight in Paris would fight it out for the win. Of course, Margin Call and A Separation would be nominated due to their quality. Of course they'd find a way to reward the success of Bridesmaids (sidenote: who thought Kristin Wiig would garner an Oscar nod before Tina Fey?). The losers here are a pair of WGA-nominated indie films, 50/50 and Win Win.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

This nearly matched the WGA nominations with The Ides of March and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy replacing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Help. I was hoping for Drive to sneak in here, but again no love lost for that film. But it doesn't really matter since the race is and has always been between The Descendants and Moneyball. I like the latter better, but Jim Rash (Community) co-wrote the former. I don't know who to root for!

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Bullhead, Belgium
Monsieur Lazhar, Canada
A Separation, Iran
Footnote, Israel
In Darkness, Poland

A Separation is the overwhelming favorite here winning almost all precursors including a pleasant surprise win at the Golden Globes against Angelina Jolie-helmed In the Land of Blood and Honey. From what I hear it's biggest competition will be In Darkness since the Polish film's topic is very Academy friendly i.e. Nazis!

BEST ANIMATED FILM

A Cat in Paris
Chico and Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

The big shock here is the absence of the Golden Globe winning The Adventures of Tintin which probably shouldn't have been that big of a surprise since the Academy is so unsure of what to do with mo-cap technology. With that film gone, Rango should be declared the winner here and now especially with Pixar for the first time ever not making the shortlist.

BEST ART DIRECTION

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

The final Harry Potter film finally pops up here and it has two more nominations in the tech categories. I personally think it deserves a bit more love, but it was just never meant to be. It'll come down to Hugo and The Artist here, like most of the tech nominations below... or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Tree of Life's Emmanuel Lubezki has dominated the precursors and he should win his first Academy Award. I would have been more wary if he was his film's only nomination, but the Picture/Directing nods only solidifies his front-runner status. Drive really should've been nominated here.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Nothing too weird, though I supposed I expected to see My Week with Marilyn, The Help, or The Iron Lady to show up here. I'm guessing Anonymous or Jane Eyre are the front-runners since ZOMG FLUFFY OLD TIMEY DRESSES!

BEST FILM EDITING

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

As always, this is an important category and the winner is usually the Best Picture champion which just goes to show you again how odd it is that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo didn't make that shortlist. In the same vein, if something else wins Best Picture outside of the four Best Picture nominees here, it'll surely be a big surprise.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

This is one of my favorite categories, but I'm not really feeling it this year. Perhaps because, with the exception of The Artist, I can't really remember any of the other scores. Must do research.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Man or Muppet," The Muppets
"Real in Rio," Rio

I'm so upset that the Academy only deemed two songs worthy out of the 37 songs they had to pick from. At the very least, they could've nominated more than one song from The Muppets. I really expected "Life's A Happy Song" to make it in or my favorite "Pictures in My Head." And where Captain America's little ditty? Too on-the-nose for them? I'm one of the few who actually LOVE the inclusion of this category, but they need to severely overhaul their selection process ASAP.

BEST SOUND EDITING

Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Oh look it's Drive! For its one nomination! But then again here's Transformers yet again. I'm sure it's well-deserved, but there's just something to this series getting these nominations while other films don't get any.

BEST SOUND MIXING

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Take out Drive. Put in Moneyball. Rinse. Repeat. There was one time I knew the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Real Steel's inclusion is probably the only one that causes one's eyebrow to raise a little. The five films that were in consideration that didn't make the shortlist include Captain America, Mission Impossible 4, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Tree of Life, and X-Men: First Class. I personally would've been a-ok to have seen either Marvel films or even Mission Impossible or Tree of Life. But oh well.

BEST MAKEUP

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Iron Lady

This was what everyone predicted and so here they are. I'm thinking a non-Harry Potter film will win this one.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: The Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

I unfortunately haven't seen any of these, but there's no time like the present. I don't even know what half of them is about. Anyone have any recommendations and/or any insight which film is the likely winner?

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Of course I need to do more research on all of the short films nominated, but I do like my initial ignorance when trying to predict which one I think would win. I usually pick the film with the quirkiest title which would be God is the Bigger Elvis, but for some reason I'm leaning towards The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom for the win.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Even though Pixar failed to get nominated in Animated Feature, they still have a horse in the race with La Luna. They might even win though with the title alone, I want to desperately see The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

And finally... the quirkiest title award is between Time Freak and Tuba Atlantic.

So those were the nominations. I do remember this morning I felt quite zen about the whole thing. Perhaps it's because I've been paying attention to the Oscar race for a few years now and have gotten just a bit jaded or perhaps it's because I got a total of 2 hours of sleep the night before. Either way, let's bring on the final phase of campaigning. It'll probably be just a bit less bloody and ridiculous than the presidential campaign in the coming months.

End-Of-Year: 2011 Film Nominees

2012-01-23T14:28:00.002-05:00

Before the Academy announces which films and performances they liked bright and early tomorrow, I wanted to make my personal picks known. I usually try to post these nominations the first week of January, but I had wanted to see a few more films.

With that said, there are still many films I just never got around to seeing such as A Separation, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Melancholia, Pariah, The Adventures of Tintin, The Skin I Live In, Coriolanus, The Debt, Tyrannosaur, A Dangerous Method, A Better Life, Albert Nobbs, War Horse, Margaret, Young Adult, and I'm sure a lot more. My final tally is 97 films, which was A LOT more than last year. Maybe next year I'll finally crack 100 films. So without further a due...

Best Film
The Artist
Drive
The Help
The Ides of March
Meek's Cutoff
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn
Thor
Weekend
Warrior

Best Actor
Dominic Cooper, The Devil's Double
Tom Cullen, Weekend
Joel Edgerton, Warrior
Michael Fassbender, Shame/X-Men: First Class/Jane Eyre
Ryan Gosling, Drive/Ides of March/Crazy, Stupid, Love
Chris New, Weekend

Best Actress
Juliette Binoche, Certified Copy
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Elisabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn/Meek's Cutoff

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Bruce Greenwood, Meek's Cutoff
Tom Hiddlestone, Thor/Midnight in Paris
Brad Pitt, Tree of Life
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

Best Supporting Actress
Jessica Chastain, The Help/Tree of Life/Take Shelter
Marion Cotillard, Contagion/Midnight in Paris
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Shame/Drive
Maggie Smith, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Young Actor or Actress
John Boyega, Attack the Block
Joel Courtney, Super 8
Kerris Dorsey, Moneyball
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Thomas Horn, Extremely Close & Incredibly Loud
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna/The Way Back

Best Ensemble
Bridesmaids
Contagion
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Help
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris

Most Disappointing Film
The Conspirator
The Eagle
J. Edgar
Kaboom
Like Crazy
The Three Musketeers

Worst Film
Bad Teacher
Beastly
The Hangover: Part II
No Strings Attached
The Other Woman
Your Highness

Worst Acting Performance
Cameron Diaz, Bad Teacher
Ken Jeong, The Hangover: Part II
Alex Pettyfer, Beastly
Natalie Portman, No Strings Attached/The Other Woman/Your Highness
Channing Tatum, The Eagle
Chris Zylka, Kaboom

Best Netflix Movie
Almost Famous
Annie Hall
Buried
Fish Tank
Galaxy Quest
Love of Siam
Spirited Away
The Stranger in Us
Tokyo Sonata
Undertow

I do want to make it know that most of the categories, especially the acting ones, each had a long list of about 12-15 contenders so it was insanely difficult and if you ask me a day or two from now if these would be the same exact nominees, I'd probably say no. With that said, unlike the Academy Awards, I won't make you wait a month for the winners which I'll post in the next week or so.

Australian Open Report: Fourth Round

2012-01-23T11:58:00.003-05:00

Let's talk about the women first. The top four have been insanely on form this whole tournament. Combined, they have lost only two sets heading into the quarterfinals with plenty of lopsided matches in their favor. Maria Sharapova had been the most dominant of them all except she was finally tested in the fourth round by Sabine Lisicki. Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova also won easily against Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic respectively. Victoria Azarenka has yet to drop a set while Agnieszka Radwanska dispatched Julia Georges easily while Sara Errani shocks everyone by making it into her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

This is where it gets interesting. The blockbuster fourth round match-up everyone had been waiting for since the draw came out was a re-match of last year's final between Li Na and Kim Clijsters. Let's just say it lived up to the hype. At 3-3 in the first set Clijsters twisted her ankle and after getting it checked out continued to play and lose the first set. Li would jump ahead in the second set with an early break, but Clijsters recovered to force a tiebreak. Li again jumped ahead 5-1 and then 6-2 with four match points, but incredibly Clijsters saved them all and won to force a final set where Clijsters eked out a win against an obviously stunned Li. And if that was an insane match, then I'm not sure what to call Serena Williams' inexplicable straight-set loss to Ekaterina Makarova. It's definitely the tournaments biggest upset so far and it also means that no American, men or women, are heading into the quarters.

Quarterfinal Preview
Kim Clijsters vs. Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka vs. ~~Julia Georges~~ Agnieszka Radwanska
~~Serena Williams~~ Ekaterina Makarova vs. ~~Sabine Lisicki~~ Maria Sharapova
Petra Kvitova vs. ~~Samantha Stosur~~ Sara Errani

I only got half right, but in retrospect I guess I really underestimated Maria Sharapova while overestimated Samantha Stosur. I would have never guessed Errani or Makarova, but then again no Americans in the quarterfinals is also pretty damn rare. We'll see how Clijsters' ankle hold up as she's the only one I believe can break up the top four. I did predict Serena to win the tournament, so I guess I'll revise that to... Maria Sharapova.

Like the women, the top four men have made it through the quarters losing only two sets. Again like the women, the most dominant of them all, Novak Djokovic, was finally tested last night against hometown hero Lleyton Hewitt who managed to get a set off the defending champion. Andy Murray in the meantime made quick work of Mikhail Kukushkin who retired in the third set with a hip injury. Potential semifinal opponents Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have yet to lose a set and they both thumped Feliciano Lopez and Bernard Tomic respectively. David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro also won easily against their opponents.

The lone upset of the round was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga losing to first time major quarterfinalist Kei Nishikori. While Tsonga easily won the first set, the heat must have gotten to him as he managed to win only three more games in the next two sets. He valiantly won the fourth to force a deciding set, but Nishikori held his ground to beat the Frenchman. Now I did say it was the lone upset of the round, but if you asked those who saw Tomas Berdych and Nicolas Almagro's match, they'd tell you differently. Berdych had to win in four sets and three tiebreaks to move on, but it was his behavior after the match was done that's been getting a lot of press. During the match Almagro hit the ball at Berdych's arm, not on purpose. Berdych then refused to shake his opponent's hands at the end, a classless move, thereby turning the Australian Open crowd against him.

Quarterfinal Preview
Novak Djokovic vs. David Ferrer
Andy Murray vs. ~~Jo-Wilfred Tsonga~~ Kei Nishikori
Roger Federer vs. Juan-Martin Del Potro
Rafael Nadal vs. Tomas Berdych

I'm actually shocked at how well I predicted these line-ups. I probably did as well as anyone out there unless some crazy psychic actually picked Nishikori to be a surprise quarterfinalist. I believe the top four will make it into the semifinals with Del Potro the only player I see who can break that up, which as a Federer fans worries me to no end. I'm still naively predicting a Djokovic-Federer final, but really it's all about the top four in the end.

TV Report: Week of 1/15

2012-01-22T17:51:00.004-05:00

Don't have as much to say on TV this week, but that's probably because I've been all caught up with tennis and other things. With that said, other than yet again missing an episode of The Secret Circle (which doesn't bode well for me catching up on that show any time soon), I pretty much found the time to watch all my usual shows. Just a few quick thoughts on some of them...

CBS Shows Reach Milestones

How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory celebrated their 150th and 100th episodes respectively. One of the more refreshing things about both episodes was that if you didn't know about the milestones, you wouldn't have really known it by the episode, but once you do you can look back and appreciate what they did. Both made great use of the past to comment on where the future of each might be heading. For Mother, we get the gang struggling to handle the idea of Lily/Marshall moving out of the city into Long Island prompting Barney to find their replacements in Lily's stripper doppelganger and her pimp. The new credits first sana Lily/Marshall and then with the new gang were nice touches, but of course the episode ends with the original gang hanging out in Long Island in their "new booth." For Big Bang, Leonard asks Penny out on a date seemingly wanting to get back together with her. We find out in the end, that the entire episode was a daydream, but before the audience feels cheated, Leonard really asks her out. The fun bit in the episode of course were the main cast wearing the same as what they wore in the pilot.

Wedding Bells Are In the Air...

...Or at least that's what it felt like this week. Glee actually had an okay episode that revolved around Will trying to figure out the best song (how about no song?) to use when proposing to Emma. I was especially shocked at my non-hating feelings considering the episode largely focused on characters I didn't really like, but good solid performances plus a rare three-dimensional Sue plus the random Helen Mirren voiceover put it on the good column for me. Of course the episode ends with another proposal with Finn hilariously asking Rachel's hand in marriage.

In Revenge, Daniel finally bit the bullet and proposed to Emily, but if the pilot is any indication, he's one day closer to death. This episode most of all proved that while Emily's laser-focus on wreaking havoc upon the Graystones is fun to watch, it's also hurting innocent bystanders. Jack's been badly beaten while Charlotte's world has been turned upside down with the reveal that she's David Clarke's daughter (though she doesn't know this yet). Emily was just about to retreat a bit only for Daniel to put his foot in his mouth and diss her father. Vengeance wins yet again!

Other potential wedding bells on TV this week... Frank is already trying to get together with Butterface in Shameless to get her insurance money while The Office's Andy thinks about proposing to his new girlfriend, but is still confused about his obvious feelings for Erin.

Cute Guys Abound

I wasn't such a huge fan of 30 Rock this week even though I knew Fey and company was going to deal with Tracy's troubles from last year. With that said, Jane Krakowski remain hilarious in every scene she's in and cute guy James Marsden is revealed as Liz's new boyfriend. At the moment, she isn't sure is he's just Dennis 2.0, but um... it's James Marsden. Another cute guy Paul Rudd makes his first appearance in Parks and Recreation as Leslie's political foe. In Parks style, the character isn't really evil and more spoiled dumb brat. Love his interactions with the cast as well as the dueling ads of Ben and Leslie. Finally, there's the mysterious cute guy that appeared at the end of Once Upon A Time played by Eion Bailey. Who is he? My friends and I are betting the Big Bad Wolf, but it could be anyone really. And since I'm already talking about this show, how great was it to see Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch? She looked amazing.

Miscellaneous/Other TV Tidbits...

Sherlock's finale was emotionally brutal... Fringe was spectacular two episodes in a row... Not the best Good Wife episode, but the end was great with Kalinda put in the precarious position of either betraying Will or Alicia... I also find little children cursing funny so that Modern Family storyline this week worked for me.

The Artist Remains Ahead with Producers Guild Win

2012-01-22T02:57:00.004-05:00

Remember when Avatar made a bajillion dollars two years ago and won Best Picture at the Golden Globes? Remember last year when The Social Network swept the critics and won the Golden Globes handily? Well, they both lost at the Oscars their years. The beginning of the end for their Oscar hopes happened at the Producers Guild of America Awards when The Hurt Locker and The King's Speech won then taking their momentum all the way to the Kodak Theater. This year, however, there's no such shift. The Artist was the front-runner before the PGA results and with the win, it is even more of a front-runner. I'm still expecting, probably naively, to lose the DGA and the SAG Ensemble awards, but if it's truly a sweep year, then so be it.

The rest of the PGA winners were just as predictable with the exception of Best Animated Film going to The Adventures of Tintin over its more lauded Rango. I guess the only two real competitive categories at the Oscars will be Best Actress and Best Animated Film!

Here's a list of the PGA winners/award recipients:

Motion Picture: The Artist
Animated Motion Picture: The Adventures of Tintin
Documentary Motion Picture: Beats, Rhymes and Life: the Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Drama Television: Boardwalk Empire
Comedy Television: Modern Family
Long Form Television: Downton Abbey
Non-Fiction Television: American Masters
Live Entertainment and Talk Television: The Colbert Report
Competition Television: The Amazing Race
News Television: 60 Minutes
Sports Television: ESPN’s 30 for 30
Children's Television: Sesame Street
Web Series: 30 Rock Presents Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero

Milestone Award: Leslie Moonves
Norman Lear Achievement Award: Don Mischer
David O. Selznick Achievement Award: Steven Spielberg
Vanguard Award: Stan Lee
Stanley Kramer Award: In the Land of Blood and Honey

As I said, pretty unexciting in terms of winner's list. Would it have killed them to shine a light towards Parks and Recreation? Or how about Game of Thrones? In any case, let's all just shrug our shoulders and move on. I mean I'm actually happy that The Artist won and that Downton Abbey continues its unlikely, but welcome stampede through awards season, but there's just not much else to comment on, don't you think?

Australian Open Report: Third Round

2012-01-21T16:00:00.002-05:00

Australians have lots to cheer about this Australian Open as two of their men reached the round of 16s, a first since 2004. Top ranked Australian Bernard Tomic thrilled Rod Laver Arena with his win against equally quirky and 13th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov in five sets. Of course the other Australian is Lleyton Hewitt who seems to have found his form of old taking out young up and comer 23rd seed Milos Raonic. It was, however, a tournament to forget for the Americans as the lone man in the draw, 16th seed John Isner, fell to 18th seed Feliciano Lopez.

Other upsets include 9th seed Janko Tipsarevic being soundly beaten by 17th seed Richard Gasquet while Mikhail Kukushkin impressed everyone by outlasting 14th seed Gael Monfils. Kukushkin is the first Kazakhstan tennis player to make a Grand Slam fourth round. Similarly, 24th seed Kei Nishikori becomes the first Japanese man to reach this round after winning against Julien Benneteau. Of course the top contenders are still moving along quite nicely with the top 7 seeds still in and winning their matches in straight sets. Top ranked Novak Djokovic has only lost 10 games in his first three matches giving birthday boy Nicolas Mahut only two games in his most recent match. The top three seeds of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer have yet to lose a set. 10th seed Nicolas Almagro and 11th seed Juan Martin Del Potro are also looking good.

Similarly to the men, the top women contenders have been in scary form leading into this second week of the tournament. Surprisingly, yet also not, there was no one scarier than 4th seed Maria Sharapova who has only dropped 5 games in three matches. She is joined by top seeds Caroline Wozniacki, 2nd seed Petra Kvitova, 3rd seed Maria Sharapova, 5th seed Na Li, 8th seed Asnieszka Radwanska, 11th seed Kim Clijsters, and 12th seed Serena Williams all moving on. Williams is the last American in both draws with Serbian compatriots Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic beating Americans Christian McHale and Vania King respectively.

Of course not all of the top seeds made it through as 7th seed Vera Zvonareva was taken out by Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. Jie Zheng, 2010's semifinalist, also continued her lopsided H2H against 9th seed Marion Bartolli. The only other noteworthy results was perhaps 14th seed Sabine Lisicki's "upset" of 18th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova after being down a set and a break. Lisicki is making great progress after being out with injury for most of 2010. Last year, she made the semifinals of Wimbledon and the 4th round of the US Open.

Final Note: The Fourth Round match-ups are as juicy as I've remembered it to be. Djokovic-Hewitt? Wozniacki-Jankovic? Gasquet-Ferrer? Kvitova-Ivanovic? Clijsters-Li? Nadal-Lopez? Lisicki-Sharapova? Federer-Tomic? There are hardly any that doesn't look even somewhat interesting. All of them are fighting to reach the quarterfinals and with the top players strong and in-form, it should be a sight to behold.

Williams and Fassbender Turn Up the Heat

2012-01-21T02:20:00.002-05:00

Michelle Williams and Michael Fassbender both may well be nominated for an Oscar this upcoming Tuesday for their critically praised work this year. It'll be a little easier for her having been nominated twice before, winning at last week's Golden Globes, and for playing the famous and beloved Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn. He, on the other hand, headlines Shame, an NC-17 film where he plays a sex addict, and that combination maybe just too much for the relatively conservative Academy. It's worth it to note that Williams received her second Oscar nomination last year for a film that almost got the "dreaded" NC-17 rating.

In any case, their publicists are doing quite well to keep them both in the spotlight and it's a sexy spotlight indeed. She appears on the cover of GQ wearing nothing but a blonde wig and negligee which are also highlighted within with a few more sexy poses. He has a spread in W Magazine that includes him wearing very little clothing in bed. We can analyze both of these for what it would mean regarding their film careers and/or their Oscar chances... or you know, we can just ogle. I'll choose the latter, thanks. But after all of that, make sure to read the articles, especially the particularly heartbreaking one for Williams.

Australian Open Report: Second Round

2012-01-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

Controversial calls, injury retirements, dominant performance from top contenders, and long grueling matches were all on tap for the second round.

For the American men, it was a bloody round with 5 of 6 losing early including 8th seed Mardy Fish and 15th seed Andy Roddick. The latter retired with injury to Lleyton Hewitt who joins fellow Australian Bernard Tomic into the next round. John Isner is the lone American man left in the draw after he gutted out a five-set victory 10-8 in the final set against David Nalbandian. Nalbandian was burned by the chair umpire who overturned a call against Nalbandian and wouldn't let him challenge. It wouldn't have decided the match, but in tennis every little bit helps.

Other five set victors include 5th seed David Ferrer, 10th seed Nicolas Almagro, 13th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov, 24th seed Kei Nishikori, Julien Benneteau (d. 12th seed Gilles Simon), Mikhail Kukushkin (d. 19th seed Viktor Troiki), and Michael Llodra (d. 32nd seed Alex Bogomolov Jr.). 26th seed Marcel Granollers was also upset, but no one was more upset that Marcos Baghdatis who went down to 21st seed Stan Wawrinka. His racquet-busting reaction has gone viral. Of course, the top men moved through easily none more easily than 3rd seed Roger Federer who had a walkover into the next round.

The American women had a little better time than their male counterparts as 3 of 5 moved through including 12th seed Serena Williams. Serena was also among the top contenders who dominated their opponents with pretty lopsided matches. Special kudos go out to 3rd seed Victoria Azarenka, 4th seed Maria Sharapova, 11th seed Kim Clijsters, and 26th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues for their straight-set bagel/breadstick wins.

Of course, it wasn't easy for everyone. Second seed Petra Kvitova and 18th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova among others were tested, but still moved through. The same cannot be said for the eight seeds who were defeated including 10th seed Francesca Schiavone, 15th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 16th seed Shuai Peng, 17th seed Dominika Cibulkova, and 29th seed Nadia Petrova.

BAFTA Nominations

2012-01-17T23:07:00.003-05:00

At this point last year, The Social Network was on its way to Oscar glory after sweeping the critics and winning big at the Golden Globes. Then... it only mustered 6 BAFTA nominations compared to the 14 nominations eventual Oscar Best Picture champ The King's Speech received. This year, however, it looks like nothing can stop the frontrunner. The Artist led the nomination tally with 12 followed closely by Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with 11 nods. The latter film got the boost everyone predicted today, but The Artist looks to continue its dominant run. And now the nominations...

Best Film

The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best British Film

My Week With Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Tinker Tailor predictably doubles up and should be the favorite to win at least one of these awards, probably Best British Film with The Artist taking Best Film. This is a great result for The Descendants and The Help since they're so "American" that you'd think they would be left off (like Moneyball) was for something like Tree of Life or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Instead those two were largely ignored.

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Hugo got nine nominations including this one for its director, so it's a bit weird it missed out on a Best Film citation over the more lukewarm-received The Descendants. Drive surprises with Film and Direction nominations giving the film new life this awards season. I'm still quietly hoping that film makes some kind of splash at the Oscars.

Best Actor

George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Gary Oldman. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress

Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

The leading categories seem pretty expected except for Bérénice Bejo promotion to lead as she's being campaigned supporting for Oscars. So give or take Leonardo DiCaprio, Glenn Close, or Rooney Mara, these BAFTA nominations could very well be the Oscar ones.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress

Jessica Chastain, The Help
Judi Dench, My Week With Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Octavia Spencer, The Help

The supporting ones are a bit more all over the place. With all the love for Drive, it's very telling that Albert Brooks, also snubbed by SAG, was left off the list which saw room for really out-of-the-blue picks such as Jim Broadbent (then again he's British). Another automatic Anglophilic pick was Judi Dench, but that's not as weird as the BAFTAs honoring Carey Mulligan for her work in Drive over her work in Shame. Melissa McCarthy's nod here BTW means VERY good things for her.

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Guard
The Iron Lady
Midnight in Paris

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March
Moneyball
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The Iron Lady making it in should be surprising, but I guess it's not especially as the three front-runners (The Artist, Midnight in Paris, and Bridesmaids) still made it in. For Adapted, it's worth noting that this group awarded the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and also nomimated Noomi Rapace for Best Actress). This time they decided to honor another adaptation of the Larsson classic. No nod for Hugo is... curious.

Best Foreign Language Film

Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Documentary

George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Best Animated Feature

The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Rango

A Separation continues its award season sweep while all of the documentaries are decidedly British. I thought that out of the James McAvoy-voiced animated films this year, Gnomeo & Juliet would eke it out over Arthur Christmas, but I was wrong.

Best Art Direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Costume Design

The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
My Week With Marilyn
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Film Editing

The Artist
Drive
Hugo
Senna
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Makeup & Hair

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week With Marilyn

Best Music

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Sound

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Visual Effects

The Adventures of Tintin
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
War Horse

Only four nominations for the final Harry Potter flick, all of them technical awards. The Artist nearly swept the techs, but for some reason they didn't didn't its Visual Effects were worthy. Tinker Tailor also missed the sweep by missing out of Best Makeup & Hair and Visual Effects. Hugo, in the meantime, did sweep. Again, how did it not get a Best Film nomination? Finally, no Tree of Life cinematography nomination is... weird.

Best Debut by a British Director, Writer or Producer

Joe Cornish, Attack the Block
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley and Sarah Brocklehurst, Black Pond
Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus
Richard Ayoade, Submarine
Paddy Considine, Tyrannosaur

Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award

Adam Deacon
Chris Hemsworth
Tom Hiddleston
Chris O'Down
Eddie Redmayne

The lack of Weekend for these two final awards is a bit sad, but I can't really fault those Best Debut nominations. The Rising Star award though is noticeably... manly. Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jessica Chastain were all in the running and the latter should have at least been an automatic entry after the year she has had. But you know... pretty boys for the public to vote on.

Birthday Boy: Jim Carrey

2012-01-17T19:45:00.001-05:00

Jim Carrey celebrates his 50th birthday today. He shares his birthday with Betty White, Zooey Deschanel, and Michelle Obama. All of those three ladies at one point or another trended on twitter the past 24 hours. For White, she even had an NBC special to celebrate her birthday yesterday. But this birthday post is dedicated to Jim Carrey who has been working dilligently for the past three decades.

My very first Jim Carrey film was The Mask coming out at just the right age where I found its high energy camp the best thing ever. The most recent film I've seen of his was last year's I Love You Phillip Morris which was a great effort that has sadly gone quite under-appreciated. Both of these performances would probably crack my top 5 list of his performances, but then again I've only seen 9 of his films.

Of course my top two favorite Jim Carrey performances are also in two of my favorite films of all time--The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I will forever be flummoxed at the fact that neither of those netted him an Oscar nomination, though thankfully he did grab Golden Globe nominations for both and even a win for The Truman Show. That latter award is especially heartening as he was absolutely perfect in that film. His other Globe-winning role was for Man on the Moon which I have sadly not yet seen.

His next project reunites him with his Bruce Almighty co-star Steve Carrell in Burt Wonderstone where both will playing dueling magicians. I doubt it'll net him his first Oscar nomination, but that boat seems to have sailed. But Happy Birthday to you, Jim Carrey!

Australian Open Report: First Round

2012-01-17T17:33:00.003-05:00

After two days of first round play, the field of 256 men and women tennis players have been cut to half.

The top men moved through, most of them quite easily, including former champions Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Former finalists Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also moved through despite losing a set. Only five seeded players, none seeded higher than 22, lost in the first round: Fernando Verdasco, Juan Monaco, Ivan Ljubicic, Radek Stepanek, and Jurgen Melzer. In their defense, they all lost to dangerous floaters with Verdasco notably losing to Australia's #1 male tennis player, Bernard Tomic who mounted an impressive comeback after being down 2-0 in sets.

Tomic was joined by three other Australian men in the second round, the most since 2005--Lleyton Hewitt, Mattew Edben, and James Duckworth. Hewitt joins Tommy Haas in the old-timers club. Both will have tough opponents in Andy Roddick and Nadal respectively. Roddick in the meantime was one of six American men to move through to the next round include 8th seed Mardy Fish and 16th seed John Isner. Other notable first round losses include unseeded players such as Nikolay Davydenko and Mikhail Youzhny who both lost in five grueling sets.

It was pretty much the same story on the women's side with many top seeds and contenders moving through in straight sets even doling out breadsticks and bagels on their path including dominant performance from Petra Kvitova, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, and Victoria Azarenka. One top player not so lucky was 6th seed Samantha Stosur who was defeated by an excellent Sorana Cirstea. US Open Champion Stosur is the fourth straight Grand Slam champion who ended up losing before the second round in the next Slam tournament. It's especially gutting since it happened in her home country. Three Australian women did step up with Jelena Dokic, Casey Dellacqua, and Olivia Rogowska making the second round.

Other upsets include 24th seed Lucie Safarova and 28th seed Yanina Wickmayer. Notable unseeded players to lose in the first round include Kimiko Date-Krumm, Anna Chakvetadze, and Sania Mirza. 7th seed Vera Zvonareca and 8th seed Agnieszka Radwanska fought in three hard sets to move through. Americans moving to the next round include Christina McHale, Sloane Stevens, Jamie Hampton, Vania Kind, and last but definitely NOT least, Serena Williams. She will apparently team up with Roddick for mixed doubles in preparation for the Olympics.

The Artist and Homeland Win Golden Globes

2012-01-16T01:58:00.006-05:00

While I got 7 of 11 predictions right with the TV categories, I bombed with the films getting only 6 of 14 predictions right including only 2 of the 6 acting categories! The award ceremony itself moved fairly well. Host Ricky Gervais did his schtick which ended up being not as controversial as was marketed. The big winners of the night ended up cable/premium TV shows and Harvey Weinstein as you will see from the winners below...

Best Motion Picture, Drama: The Descendants
Best Motion Picture, Comedy: The Artist
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Actress, Comedy: Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actor, Comedy: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Animated Film: The Adventures of Tintin
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Score: The Artist
Best Song: "Masterpiece," W.E.

Weinstein's The Artist was the top film of the night netting three wins for Picture, Actor, and Score. It definitely looks like this is the film to beat for the rest of the awards season culminating at the Oscars. Good news for it is that there isn't a clear-cut challenger from amongst the other films with the field divvying up the other awards. While The Descendants also won Best Picture, it didn't get Director nor Screenplay, which were arguably won by superstars in their field, Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen respectively. Weinstein also steered Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams to their Golden Globes win (Streep's 8th, Williams' 1st) giving presumed frontrunner Viola Davis real competition for Oscars. Davis was the only BFCA winner to not win tonight as George Clooney, Octavia Spencer, and Christopher Plummer solidifying their chances by winning here. Jean Dujardin also won and showed off just how charming he is. Finally, Madonna won Best Song and made sure to thank Harvey Weinstein for believing in her film.

Best TV Series, Drama: Homeland
Best TV Series, Comedy: Modern Family
Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland
Best Actress, Comedy: Laura Dern, Enlightened
Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Best Actor, Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Best Mini-Series or TV Movie: Downton Abbey
Best Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Actor, Miniseries/TV Movie: Idris Elba, Luther
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

On the TV side, Modern Family was the only broadcast show to win an award taking home Best Comedy Series. Homeland was the only multiple winner here taking home Best Drama Series and Best Actress for Claire Danes. It marked Showtime's first Best Series win at the Golden Globes. I predicted Kelsey Grammer's win, but totally didn't expect Laura Dern and Matt LeBlanc to win even though in retrospect, both wins totally make sense. The latter was also helped by a particularly thin category. I was pretty damn happy to see Downton Abbey win its category as well as seeing Kate Winslet get her third Globe win. Deserved wins also went to Idris Elba, Jessica Lange, and Peter Dinklage though Lange thanked Ryan Murphy for his great writing. Hilarious. Dinklage in the meantime urged people to Google Martin Henderson.

There's not much else I could say about the ceremony. There were an unusually numerous mentions of poop and penis. The former most due to the Bridesmaids presence and the latter courtesy of Seth Rogen claiming he had an erection and Clooney extended tribute to Michael Fassbender's member. My favorite speech of the night probably went to Michelle Williams. She was noticeably happy, but still reserved and even paid tribute to Marilyn Monroe. I also loved Sidney Poitier and Helen Mirren honoring Morgan Freeman with the Cecil B. Demille Award. Of course Uggie goofing off on stage after The Artist took home the last award was probably the one moment everyone will remember from tonight's ceremonies. It's a dog eat dog world after all.

Australian Open Preview

2012-01-15T15:44:00.005-05:00

Another year and another tennis season begins. There have already been title winners and injury withdrawals and in that sense it's as if the tennis season didn't even have an off-season. And so it goes as the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of the season, begins in a few hours. Here's a preview of the the men and women's draw and its top contenders...

Last year's champion and world no. 1 Novak Djokovic begins his daunting task of defending the massive amount of points he earned last year going undefeated for the first half of the season. Winning Doha a couple of weeks ago, he seems fit and ready to go. His toughest "test" will be from a couple of North Americans in the fourth round where he'll either face American Andy Roddick or Canadian Milos Raonic. It's worth noting that Lleyton Hewitt has a potential second round clash with Roddick. The quarters are a bit more dangerous with a potential match-up with 5th seed David Ferrer or 9th seed Janko Tipsarevic.

On the same side of the draw as Djokovic and his likely semifinal opponent, world no. 4 and two-time Australian Open finalist Andy Murray will try to win his first Grand Slam trophy. It won't be easy. His first round match with Ryan Harrison will probably be straightforward, but it's something to watch as is his possible third round clash with Alex Bogomolov Jr. Victor Troiki or Gael Monfils are his potential fourth round opponents and should give him some trouble. Troiki himself has a very tricky first round with Juan Carlos Ferrero. The biggest obstacle for Murray to reach his third Australian final in a row however will be 6th seed and also former finalist Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, his likely quarterfinal foe.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are on the same side of the draw for the first time since 2005 and it's easy to pencil them both in for the semifinals. For world no. 2 Nadal, it's less about his opponents and more about his physical condition. He had shoulder problems late last season so we'll see. His first real test will be big-serving John Isner in the fourth round though we'll also see how John deals with not only the Australian heat, but also a possible second round match-up with David Nalbandian. Even in the quarterfinals, Nadal should be favored over 7th seed Tomas Berdych, 10th seed Nicolas Almagro, or Stan Wawrinka. The latter could meet former finalist Marcos Baghdatis in the 2nd round.

Three-time champion and world no. 3 Federer should be okay in the early rounds which will be good for him after retiring from Doha a couple weeks ago with a bad back. Before that, he was on a 20-match win streak going back to his phenomenal fall season last year. His fourth round opponent include Alexandr Dolgopolov or Fernando Verdasco. The latter will have to contend with the highest ranked non-seeded player in the draw Bernard Tomic in the first round. Eight seed Mardy Fish and 11th seed Juan Martin Del Potro await Federer in the quarterfinal with the latter being a lot more dangerous.

Quarterfinals
Novak Djokovic d. David Ferrer
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. Andy Murray
Roger Federer d. Juan-Martin Del Potro
Rafael Nadal d. Tomas Berdych

Semifinals
Novak Djokovic d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Roger Federer d. Rafael Nadal

Finals
Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer

Defending champion Kim Clijsters thrilled many by winning last year's Australian Open title, but she was out with injury for most of the year and is just returning to the game. She also admitted this was most likely her last year playing. She can meet and should win her third round match with Daniela Hantuchova, but the draw gods were mean and her fourth round clash with 5th seed Li Na will be a rematch of their final from last year. Whoever wins that should be favored for the semifinals since world no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and 13th seed Jelena Jankovic await them in the quarters.

Third seed Victoria Azarenka heads up a pretty easy quarter giving her a real good chance to make it all the way. Potential fourth round opponents include Shuai Peng and Flavia Pennetta. The quarters will be a little trickier, but still doable with 10th seed Francesca Schiavone and 8th seed Agnieszka Radwanska as her biggest threat.

Second seed Petra Kvitova and defacto "best player on tour right now" will try to get her second Grand Slam event victory after capturing last year's Wimbledon. She should be able to handle the early rounds including possible fourth round match-ups with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Ana Ivanonic. Sixth seed Samantha Stosur will be her biggest obstacle in the quarterfinals especially since she won last year's US Open and is playing in her home country (though latter could be more a curse than a blessing sometimes). Also on this side is the always unpredictable and should never be underestimated 9th seed Marion Bartoli.

Finally, fourth seed and former champion Maria Sharapova will have to get through a very tricky draw starting with her first round match with Gisela Dulko. The third round could see her meet up with Angelique Kerber and then the fourth round could bring either Sabine Lisicki or Svetlana Kuznetsova. If she gets through all of that, 7th seed Vera Zvonareva and more notably 12th seed Serena Williams await in the quarterfinals. The latter is also trying to make her comeback, but Serena is Serena.

Quarterfinals
Kim Clijsters d. Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka d. Julia Georges
Serena Williams d. Sabine Lisicki
Petra Kvitova d. Samantha Stosur

Semifinals
Kim Clijsters d. Victoria Azarenka
Serena Williams d. Petra Kvitova

Finals
Serena Williams d. Kim Clijsters

FINAL WORD: I'm looking at my Women Predictions and just shaking my head. Do I honestly believe these results? My heart and head says no, but here they are anyways. As for the men, I'm probably less off since the top men are THAT consistent, but Federer in the final isn't as automatic as it once was. Then again I'm predicting Serena to win, so I honestly don't know.

TV Report: Week of 1/8

2012-01-15T11:59:00.001-05:00

Tonight's a busy, busy TV day for me. Yes, there's the Golden Globes which is probably my main priority since I'm an awards nuts, but there's also the football playoffs featuring the Giants and more importantly the beginning of the Australian Open. I didn't even mention my usual Sunday TV fare like The Good Wife, Shameless, and Sherlock. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off. With that said, that's tonight, how about I talk about the TV week that was...

Speaking of Sunday TV...

My two favorite episodes this past week came exactly seven days ago with the latest episode of The Good Wife featuring the welcome return of Carrie Preston's eccentric, but shrewd lawyer Elsbeth Tascioni and the season premiere of Shameless with the return of Emmy Rossum and the rest of the Gallagher clan. Both actress did win my personal end-of-year awards, but that's neither here nor there. While they were my favorite parts, they didn't perform in a vacuum. The Good Wife, like every week, expertly juggles multiple characters and story lines with nary a fumble. This week the main story was a couple suing the always hilarious David Lee who brokered their divorce agreement during Alicia's first year. It gave us very tense moments where we thought Alicia might have ::gasp:: done something wrong showing us not only that this show can make missing paperwork exciting, but also giving a more bonding moment for a newly made-up-ish Kalinda/Alicia. This storyline also offered us a wonderfully new rivalry in Eli and David Lee which I hope will continue to foster. Of course, Elsbeth, as Will's new lawyer, confronting Wendy made me gleeful since both of them are so smart and manipulative is similar and yet very different ways. I'm so looking forward to what transpires there.

As for the Gallagher clan et. al, it was great seeing them back, this time in the summertime. It's been a few months since the events of last season's finale with Steve leaving and Eddie seemingly committing suicide. As per usual, the Gallaghers are surviving just okay in their usual way--Fiona working as a server, Lip doing fight club, Debbie and Carl babysitting the neighborhood kids. Frank gets up to his usual trouble which not only threatens his kids (Liam is held for ransom basically), but makes them lose all their hard-earned money. It's a strong premiere in that regard welcoming us back to what we fell in love with the show in the first place. Oh and it featured a dirty-mouthed shirtless James Wolk as Fiona's rebound. Yes, please.

The Ever So Consistent ABC Wednesday Block...

Apart from possibly Sunday, Wednesday seems to be my favorite TV day which is even made more peculiar since I only watch one network. Or if not my favorite then it's definitely the most consistent/best flow which was solidified even more this week as I graded each individual episodes a B+. The Wire references abounded this week on Suburgatory and Happy Endings with the first show featuring guest star Dan Byrd (Cougartown) working as an undercover cop and the latter show featuring Max, Alex, and Brad staking out a possible prostitution ring. Both had their usual sitcom-y twists of course with Tessa thinking Byrd's cop was actually a closeted gay and the prostitution ring not at all what it seems. For the latter show, the highlights were the guest appearances of Michael McKean (as Dave's dad) and Megan Mullaly (as Penny's mom) who are now dating and of course the racist/homophobic parrot Alex bought.

Meanwhile Modern Family delivered a solid episode that is to be commended for a not-too-grating Cam/Mitchell storyline that had them trying to impress a girl who wanted to give up her baby for adoption. Phil's schtick this time wasn't as funny as I usually found it, but I loved his final scene with Gloria who wanted Phil to be angry with her so it felt like they were family. I liked the Egg Drop bit more for Alex's background snickers and Luke's observations than anything else. Finally, Revenge was delicious as usual featuring the wonderful appearance of Robert Bart as the journalist turned author who burned Emily's father. The ending was predictable in that Emily got her revenged, but it was quite effective with the flames and Nolan's maniacally smiling in the background. I don't have high hopes for Fauxmanda. She's the loose end to Emily's plan and she'll eventually has to be dealt with, but I did love Emily as Cyrano for Amanda scene. Charlotte as Emily's half-sister is... boring, but this is a soap opera and maybe it'll be more development for that underused character.

Welcome Comebacks...

It's been more than a month since we got a new episode of Parks and Recreation and nearly TWO MONTHS since we saw a new episode of Fringe, so I was glad to have both shows back in my life this week. First, Parks was fantastic especially the Ben as depressed plot. Adam Scott was literally stealing scenes throughout from his calzones-zones to his claymaysh. It was also a welcome sight to see him interact with Chris. The other part of the episode with Leslie relaunching her campaign was good, but didn't become great until the end with the ice rink debacle with Gloria Estefan's "Get On You Feet" playing in the background. By the time the basketball player slipped and the song played immediately after, I was delirious from laughing so hard. It was both hilarious painful and painfully hilarious. End result is one we all predicted though with Ben being Leslie's campaign manager. Bring it, Paul Rudd!

As for Fringe, it was a very strong first episode of the new year which in all likelihood might also be its final year. I'd like to think this was probably setup as the mid-season finale, but the ratings made the network delay. Too bad since it really was quite epic in scope with the two Lees from both universe meeting up and Peter confronting not only his "all is not what it seems" father, but also his affectionate mother giving us a wonderfully heartbreaking reunion scene. The Observer's scene with Olivia was appropriately foreboding, but the return of Jared Harris as Jones from the first season is more than exciting and if this is to be the endgame, then I might be able to live with it. Just barely.

Few Other TV Tidbits...

The last episode of Once Upon A Time as a whole wasn't really that strong especially when we were in the real world, but props must go to Rober Carlyle for his great work... Ryan got married on Castle and Castle/walking down the aisle in the end was cute... Amy gleefully reacting to her tiara gift from Sheldon in Big Bang Theory was pure joy... Nice to see 30 Rock back again, but I still miss Community more.. Didn't get to see either The Secret Circle (too much on that night) or Supernatural (falling out of love with the show). Though I hear for the latter, it was a particular good episode. Go figure.

Golden Globes Predictions

2012-01-14T23:39:00.002-05:00

Since I posted my predictions for Oscar nominations yesterday, might as well post my Golden Globe winners for tomorrow's ceremony. Though to be honest, everyone is watching the ceremony to see what crazy/non-crazy thing Ricky Gervais does tomorrow, right? Oh and the pretty dresses of course.

My predictions are as follows:

Best Motion Picture, Drama: The Descendants
Best Motion Picture, Comedy: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actress, Drama: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actress, Comedy: Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Best Actor, Drama: Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Best Actor, Comedy: Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Foreign Language Film: In The Land of Bloody and Honey
Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Score: The Artist
Best Song: "The Living Proof," The Help

(Read my thoughts on the film nominations here)

Best TV Series, Drama: Homeland
Best TV Series, Comedy: Modern Family
Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland
Best Actress, Comedy: Laura Linney, The Big C
Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Best Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Mini-Series or TV Movie: Downton Abbey
Best Actress, Miniseries/TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Actor, Miniseries/TV Movie: Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Best Supporting Actress: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Best Supporting Actor: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

(Read my thoughts on the TV nominations here)

I'm kind of all over the place and I'm pretty sure a lot of these are wrong. I did pretty okay last year with my predictions, but I was horrendous the year prior. We'll see where I'll land this time around.

Trying My Luck: Oscar Nomination Predictions

2012-01-13T23:18:00.006-05:00

It's Friday the 13th and while I don't really believe this particular date is more unlucky than others, I find it somewhat chuckle-worthy that today was the deadline for Oscar ballots. Certainly there will be those lucky few to make the Oscar shortlist while others not so much. Sometimes the Oscar race feels like a roll of a die, doesn't it? What if Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was released a few months before? What if The Help didn't make all of that money in the box office? What if Shame received an R-rating? What if The Iron Lady wasn't released this year? What if The Social Network won last year?

Those what ifs questions are fun to ask, but ultimately useless. Voters are bombarded by so many different things from critic top ten lists to the various organizations giving out their own accolades. Not to mention the fact that each voter has their own individual taste and biases. As Andrew eloquently points out, Oscar voters are people, too.

With that said, this is more me making my peace with the whole circus of it all before we get the nominations in about ten days time. I don't usually publicly post my Oscar nomination predictions, but in the spirit of this year's season's unpredictability, I'll chime in with the top 8 categories after the jump...

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

Inner monologue: I want to predict Tree of Life, but it's just the kind of film that too many people don't get. And why 8 nominees? No clue, but there'll definitely have less than 10 this year.

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight in paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Inner monologue: I pretty much copied the DGA nominations, but decided that they like Spielberg more than Fincher. Sound assumption right?

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Inner monologue: What am I doing leaving off Leonardo DiCaprio? His film/performance is tailor-made for an Oscar nomination. And instead Oldman/Fassbender? What am I smoking?

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Inner monologue: Streep and Davis are locked, but the rest is wishy washy even Williams who seems to be losing steam (my imagination) down the stretch. No young ingenue? Should I have put Mara over Theron or Close?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Inner monologue: This is the free-for-all category esp. with the two-man race of Plummer and Brooks. Any three actors can join them.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Ostavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Inner monologue: The Academy just isn't that cool to vote for an Apatow-produced Wiig-written character. Or say I'm telling myself. I wanted to put her or Redgrave though.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist
Bridesmaids
50/50
Midnight in Paris
A Separation

Inner monologue: As good as any guess I think. Am I understimating Win Win? Or maybe Rango?

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball

Inner monologue: I went with the WGA nominees which is terribly pedestrian of me. Maybe Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as an alternate to Dragon Tattoo? I don't know.

The Artist is the Critics Choice

2012-01-12T22:48:00.006-05:00

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) gave out their awards tonight at the Critics Choice Awards. The winners were...

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball
Best Ensemble: The Help
Best Young Actor: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Best Action Movie: Drive
Best Cinematography: War Horse and Tree of Life
Best Editing: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Best Sound: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Score: The Artist
Best Song: "Life's a Happy Song," The Muppets

The critics went big for the "little" silent film that could with The Artist picking up four wins including Best Picture and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius whose name should be learned by all presenters this awards season from the looks of it.

It was also a huge night for The Help getting three acting awards: Best Ensemble, Viola Davis for Best Actress, and Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress. George Clooney won Best Actor while Christopher Plummer took home Best Supporting Actor. All of them have certainly done well with critics this season and will have real momentum and are the de facto frontrunners moving forward. That EW cover is starting to look a bit prophetic doesn't it?

While The Artist and The Help ruled the night (and Clooney representing for The Descendants), the rest of Best Picture nominees didn't walk away empty handed. Moneyball and Midnight in Paris both took home screenplay awards while Drive won Best Action Movie. War Horse and Tree of Life tied for Best Cinematography while Hugo won Best Art Direction. Its director, Martin Scorsese, was also given a Music+Film Award and a lovely tribue. Finally, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close gave us the one minor surprise of the night when its lead actor Thomas Horn won for Best Young Actor.

Not all of my favorites won, but none of the winners were truly undeserved. There's still the Globes, SAG, BAFTAs, and ultimate the Academy Awards to come. I'm hoping the slight unpredictability of this awards season continue, but there's also the more real possibility that things will start honing in. If so, good for the winners tonight.

People's Horrible Choices

2012-01-12T17:42:00.004-05:00

Tonight is the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, but I had prematurely wrote two days ago that this was the "first televised awards ceremony of the awards season." I had neglected to count the People's Choice Awards that took place last night. Granted these awards don't really matter especially as their tastes have slowly, but surely matched those with the Teen Choice Awards. I mean Katy Perry won FIVE awards last night and one of them was for guest starring on a TV show. Adam Sandler, who apparently is still relevant, won Favorite Comedic Movie Actor, Water for Elephants was their pick for Favorite Drama Movie, and Kim Kardashian won the non-ironic Favorite Celebreality Star. So yeah, this award = horrible. Speaking of Horrible...

Former Dr. Horrible arch-rivals win!

The Dr. Horrible pair of Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion grabbed Favorite TV Comedy and Drama actor respectively to go along with both of their current shows winning Favorite Network TV Comedy and Crime shows respectively. In fact it was a particular Whedon-y night as David Boreanaz and a lovely and pregnant Alyson Hannigan (with husband Alexis Denisof in tow) presented awards (albeit not together). Other pleasant results of the evening include Emma Stone being a double winner in the movie category capturing Favorite Movie Actress (The Help) and Comedic Movie Actress (Crazy Stupid Love). Awards magnet Bridesmaids took home Favorite Comedy Movie while the final Harry Potter flick took home four awards including Favorite Movie and Favorite Ensemble. Hilariously, Chloe Grace Moretz won Favorite Movie Star Under 25 over the four Harry Potter actors she was up against.

The ceremony itself started out well with an extended, but funny Big Bang Theory sketch featuring host Kaley Cuoco. She then had a great back-and-forth with Neil Patrick Harris about his desire to host. Emma Stone then won her awards and it was then fast forwarding through about 70% of the ceremony for me. Cuoco was personable enough, but there were more than a few moments where you can tell she wasn't completely at ease. It didn't help that some of her jokes fell a bit flat with the audience. I also really enjoyed the random, but welcomed Parks and Recreation sketch in the middle of the show. For a complete list of winners, click here.

Looking Forward To... WINTER/SPRING

2012-01-11T23:46:00.004-05:00

This time of year, movies are usually crap. So it's the perfect time to catch up on those films that came out at the tail-end of last year to take advantage of the holidays and awards season. So if you still haven't seen The Iron Lady, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Shame, The Artist, Carnage, Young Adult, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, A Separation, and many more... then go ahead. But if you want to jump right into 2012, hold your nose...

January isn't that bad. In fact this weekend, I'm going to check out Disney's latest 3D cash grab with Beauty & the Beast. Though to really other than that, the rest of January looks like a "wait for Netflix" kind of month. Kate Beckinsale does double duty in Contraband (with Mark Wahlberg) and her fourth Underworld film. More promising, or at least promises to be more fun, is Joyful Noise with the super campy pairing of Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton. Red Tails, a film focusing on black airmen during WWII could be okay as do Steven Soderberg's Haywire starring Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor (but also unfortunately Channing Tatum) and Man on the Ledge with Jamie Bell, Sam Worthington, and Elizabeth Banks.

February actually seems worse than January. Off the bat, Channing Tatum (ugh) has another film in Nicholas Sparks-like The Vow with Rachel McAdams while Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington appear in the action thriller Safe House. I don't have any idea what the film is about, but there's also Gone starring Amanda Seyfried and Sebastian Stan plus Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston in the Apatow-produced Wanderlust. Two films that I may actually check out this month is The Woman in Black, Daniel Radcliffe's first non-Harry Potter flick since the end of his Hogwarts stint, and Reese Witherspoon's This Mean War where Chris Pine and Tom Hardy fight for her affections. That latter one could be godawful or fun... or both.

March is thankfully full of choices. First and foremost is of course The Hunger Games, aka the film adaptation to the super popular series, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. It's probably my most anticipated film in the first four months of the year. For the young ones or the young at hear, there's Dr. Seuss' The Lorax or The Pirates! Band of Misfits which both look cute. Wall-E and Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton tries his hand on live-action with John Carter starring Friday Night Light's Taylor Kitsch. If romantic comedy is more your speed, there's Playing the Field with Gerard Butler and Judy Greer. If drama is what you like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with the adorable pair of Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor or Learning to Fly with Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal may be preferable. I'm going to say no thanks to useless film remake of 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum (third film of the year if you're counting) and Wrath of the Titans. Finally visionary director will get his Snow White film out to public first in Mirror Mirror. I'm hoping it doesn't look as bad as the trailer made it look.

April has tons of films, but I'll likely check out only a few. One of them will be American Reunion which is hopefully the final film in the series. Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods is finally released this month also and while not my usual genre fare, I may watch it. Focus Features has Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and while I don't know what this movie is about, the studio, the title, and the cast (Steve Carrell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton) intrigues me. There's The Five-Year Engagement with Emily Blunt and Jason Segal which I'm hoping is a fun movie coupling. There's also the 3D re-release of Titanic which you know the whole world has been waiting for. Other notable films this month include the Farrelly brother's take on The Three Stooges, Zac Efron doing a Nicholas Sparks film in The Lucky One, and Movie 43 which seems to contain everyone in Hollywood and will comprise of short films.

In summary, there's way too many Channing Tatum films coming out and we haven't even gotten to the one based on his life story releasing later this year. The reality though is I'll probably get to see about 3-4 of these films in theaters (not including the 3D re-releases I'm already committing myself to seeing) while I'll see most of everything else when they are made available on Netflix by the end of the year (or much earlier).

Critical Consensus 2011

2012-01-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

There's just two days until the first televised awards ceremony of the awards season airs with the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) giving us their awards at the Critic' Choice Movie Awards. To refresh your memories, click here for their nominees. Leading up to this for the past month, critics from around the country (and Canada) have chimed in with their collective picks for the best of the year, which are listed below.

This final list of 29 critic groups include the Alliance of Women Journalist (AWFJ), African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), National Society of Film Critics (NSFC), Online Film Critics (OFCS) as well as critic groups from the following regions: Los Angeles (LAFCA), New York (NYFCC), Boston (BSFC), Washington D.C (WAFCA), New York Online (NYFCO), Southeastern (SEFCA), Indiana (IFJA), San Francisco (SFFCC), Austin (AFCA), San Diego (SDFCS), Toronto (TFCA), Dallas-Forth Worth (DFWFCA), Las Vegas (LVFCS), Utah (UFCA), Detroit (DFCS), Houston (HFCS), Chicago (CFCA), Florida (FFCC), St. Louis (SLFC), Phoenix (PFCS), Oklahoma (OFCC), Kansas City (KCFCC), Central Ohio (COFCA), North Texas (NTFCA), and Vancouver (VFCC). National Board of Review (NBR) winners are marked with an asterisk.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist (13) - NYFCC, BSFC, NYFCO, WAFCA, IFJA, SDFCS, LVFCS, DFCS, SLFC, OFCC, PFCS, AWFJ, VFCC
The Descendants (6) - LAFCA, SEFCA, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, KCFCC
The Tree of Life (5) - OFCS, SFFCC, TFCA, AAFCA, CFCA
Drive (2) - UFCA, COFCA
Hugo* (1) - AFCA
War Horse (1) - NTFCA
Melancholia (1) - NSFC

Notable exclusions: Moneyball, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Ides of March, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius (9) - NYFCC, NYFCO, IFJA, DFCS, SLFC, OFCC, UFCA, PFCS, AWFJ
Terrence Malick (8) - LAFCA, NSFC, OFCS, SFFCC, TFCA, CFCA, KCFCC, VFCC
Martin Scorsese* (5) - BSFC, WAFCA, SEFCA, FFCC, NTFCA
Nicolas Refn (5) - SDFCS, HFCS, LVFCS, AFCA, COFCA
Alexander Payne (1) - DFWFCA
Steve McQueen (1) - AAFCA

Notable exclusions: Woody Allen, David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Stephen Daldry

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney* (7) - WAFCA, SEFCA, DFWFCA, SLFC, OFCC, KCFCC, NTFCA
Michael Fassbender (7) - LAFCA, OFCS, HFCS, DFCS, FFCC, AWFJ, VFCC
Michael Shannon (6) - NYFCO, TFCA, SDFCS, CFCA, AFCA, COFCA
Brad Pitt (3) - NYFCC, NSFC, BSFC
Jean Dujardin (2) - LVFCS, PFCS
Gary Oldman (1) - SFFCC
Paul Giamatti (1) - IFJA
Woody Harreslson (1) - AAFCA
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (1) - UFCA

Notable exclusions: Ryan Gosling, Leonardo DiCaprio, Owen Wilson, Demian Bichir

BEST ACTRESS

Michelle Williams (10) - BSFC, WAFCA, TFCA, LVFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, CFCA, FFCC, OFCC, UFCA
Tilda Swinton* (4) - OFCS, SFFCC, HFCS, AFCA
Elizabeth Olsen (4) - IFJA, PFCS, COFCA, VFCC
Meryl Streep (3) - NYCFF, NYFCO, SEFCA
Viola Davis (3) - AAFCA, AWFJ, NTFCA
Kristen Dunst (2) - NSFC, KCFCC
Rooney Mara (1) - SLFC
Yun Jung-Hee (1) - LAFCA
Brit Marling (1) - SDFCS

Notable exclusions: Glenn Close, Charlize Theron, Felicity Hones, Kristen Wiig

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks (16) - NYFCC, NSFC, BSFC, NYFCO, WAFCA, SFFCC, AAFCA, HFCS, LVFCS, CFCA, FFCC, SLFC, AFCA, OFCC, UFCA, PFCS
Christopher Plummer* (12) - LAFCA, OFCS, IFJA, SEFCA, TFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, KCFCC, AWFJ, COFCA, NTFCA, VFCC
Nick Nolte (1) - SDFCS

Notable exclusions: Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill, Armie Hammer, Patton Oswalt, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Corey Stoll

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (9) - NYFCC, LAFCA, NSFC, OFCS, TFCA, CFCA, AFCA, KCFCC, VFCC
Shaileen Woodley* (5) - SDFCS, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, COFCA
Octavia Spencer (4) - WAFCA, OFCC, AWFJ, NTFCA
Melissa McCarthy (3) - BSFC, NYFCO, LVFCS
Berenice Bejo (2) - SLFC, PFCS
Janet McTeer (2) - SEFCA, AWFJ
Vanessa Redgrave (1) - SFFCC
Carey Mulligan (1) - DFCS
Adepero Oduye (1) - AAFCA
Viola Davis (1) - IFJA
Amy Ryan (1) - UFCA

Notable exclusions: Judi Dench, Sandra Bullock

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist (6) - CCFA, FFCC, SLFC, OFCC, PFCS, VFCC
Midnight in Paris (5) - OFCS, SEFCA, SDFCS, AFCA, AWFJ
A Separation - (2) LAFCA, NSFC
50/50* (2) - WAFCA, UFCA
Margin Call (1) - SFFCC
Win Win (1) - IFJA
Beginners (1) - KCFCC
Source Code (1) - COFCA

Notable exclusions: Young Adult, Bridesmaids, Tree of Life, Shame, Contagion

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants* (10)- NYFCO, WAFCA, IFJA, SEFCA, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, SLFC, UFCA, AWFJ
Moneyball (10) - NYFCC, BSFC, TFCA, SDFCS, LVFCS, DFCS, CCFA, OFCC, KCFCC, AWFJ
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2) - OFCS, SFFCC
The Help - (1) PFCS
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (1) - COFCA
Drive (1) - AFCA
I Will Follow (1) - AAFCA

Notable exclusions: Hugo, Ides of March, Extremely Close & Incredibly Loud, We Need to Talk About Kevin

What does this tell us? A lot and nothing. Let me explain. Yes, there does seem to be a handful of contenders that are bonifide critical favorites such as The Artist, Michelle Williams, Albert Brooks, and Jessica Chastain, but even within those categories things are seriously competitive.

Also more interesting are the films and performances cited by critics that most likely will be ignored by Oscars. It's nice that a big array of performances and films (minus Best Supporting Actor) were given some love this season--from those fringe contenders such as Malick's Tree of Life and Refn's Drive to those extreme long-shots such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brit Marling, and Adepero Oduye.

I would hazard trying to predict who would win the Oscars (especially before nominations have even come out) by these results alone. The guilds (PGA, DGA, SAG, and WGA) as well as the Golden Globes and BFCA will clear up who has the momentum for Oscars, but as I've said many times this awards season, doesn't it feel like any body's game still? It IS a very good bet, however, that the winners are amongst the films and performances listed here... unless there's a Sandra Bullock story in the works for someone (DiCaprio? Close?), but it's highly unlikely.

Directors Guild Nominations

2012-01-09T16:24:00.005-05:00

The surprises keep coming this awards season where nearly everything is still up in the air making it one of the more exciting Oscar precursor season in recent memory. By virtue of things being largely unsettled and the Academy's new procedures for picking Best Picture nominations, the Directors Guild was the one branch that people hoped would settle a few things. Well it did and it didn't as you can see from their nominations below.

The DGA nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Feature Film for 2011 are:

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

These nominations solidified The Big 3 Films of this year's season as Hugo, The Artist, and The Descendants. Not only are their directors the only ones of the five who were also nominated for Golden Globes and BFCA, but they've had wide support from critics and guilds alike. The Descendants remain the only film to hit every major guild with The Artist missing WGA (ineligible) and Hugo lacking SAG. One of these three will win this, most likely Hazanavicius, and all of them will surely be nominated for an Oscar. Their three films as well will be fighting it out for Best Picture. I'd be shocked if another film makes it over these three. But now the fun begins...

Woody Allen seemed like a very good bet for a nomination as well especially with Midnight in Paris doing well with all of the major guilds, but it's been awhile since his skills as director has been noticed by the DGA and the Academy and I was afraid the summer release would make everyone forget about this lovely film. Plus with the field being quite stacked this year, the Academy may decide to honor Allen for his screenplay instead. Of course, they could also do both. Then there's the shock nomination of David Fincher this morning for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The film is certainly good (I really liked it), but precious few predicted Fincher to make it over Steven Spielberg, Tate Taylor, or even Terrence Malick. I'm fine with it in general, but if there was going to be a surprise nominee I was rooting for Drive's Nicolas W. Refn or Shame's Steve McQueen. War Horse and Tree of Life probably needed this more though to give their dwindling Oscar chances a boost after decidedly not getting much love from the guilds.

So now the question remains who will get nominated for an Oscar? The DGA has rarely gone 5/5 with the Academy. Just last year the Academy decided to nominate the Coen brothers over DGA-nominated Christopher Nolan. This year, Allen and Fincher sit in that precarious spot, the latter more than the former. I think Taylor and Spielberg have the best chances, the former because of the film's popularity and the latter because of the director's popularity. But this year... who knows anymore, right?

TV Report: Week of 1/1

2012-01-08T18:43:00.002-05:00

I think the idea behind my weekly TV rankings is solid, but I'm continually trying to figure out the best way to offer up my thoughts on the shows I watch. The problem is I just watch too much and the amount of what I have to say varies from show to show and even week to week. So with that said, I think I'm going to do without weekly rankings and if I don't have much to say about a show, I won't talk about it (though maybe just in passing?). And so it begins...

Forgettable CBS Monday Episodes

I get why CBS decided to air new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls especially with an NYE-theme episode of the former, but talk about being wholly forgettable and largely filler. Mother had good elements that never really gelled together. Barney and Ted's lifelong dream of opening up the bar should've made more of an impact than it did and Robin's big on-screen moment was also similarly anticlimactic. Marshall and Lily having separate "dad moments" gave the episode an uplifting ending, but not their best efforts. Girls went into the world of extreme couponing and Occupy Bathroom Tampons. I don't even want to go into it really.

ABC Wednesday Makes Strong Return

Let's just say the weakest episode on this night went to a solid Modern Family episode which tells you how strong this night is for this network. Any episode of Suburgatory where Tessa is forced to spend most of her scenes with Dalia, hilariously played by Carly Chaikin, is always excellent. Dalia BTW is like Regina and Karen from Mean Girls rolled into one. Modern Family delivers a somewhat boring episode with the only highlights coming from a paranoid Phil thinking he's about to die and Claire, Cam, and Mitchell eying Manny's father. Happy Endings was enjoyable as ever mostly because I loved the pairing of Max/Jane (competing for a matching sweater) and Alex/Brad (finding out they share a love of rom coms). The Penny/Dave possibly subplot intrigues, but I need more to jump on board.

Of course last but definitely NOT the least was a new episode of Revenge where Tyler pretty much went off the deep end and it was so absolutely, and sometimes terrifyingly, a joy to watch. Tyler ate up most of the episode going up against Conrad then Daniel then poor Nolan before holding most of the main cast under hostage. Of course he is taken down and it's tough to say goodbye to Ashton Holmes, but they didn't kill him and since this is a soap, I'm sure we'll see him down the line hopefully with his hot brother in tow. In other news, Victoria is fighting two battles, one with Emily for Daniel's affections and one with Conrad in regards to their divorce. Can't wait to see her play dirtier as she gets more desperate.

Brief Thoughts on Dark Thursdays

I don't blog about Grey's Anatomy, but I do still watch it and this latest episode, the second part of a two-parter that began before the holidays, was great if only for Sandra Oh's performance. Actually I also give props to Kim Raver whose devastation was so well-played by the actress and gut-wrenching to watch. As for The Secret Circle, it was a fairly middling episode even though I did like that they didn't drag out the gang knowing about Cassie's possible dark side. I am getting tired of whatever plan Dawn and Charles are trying to cook up as well as Faye's one-mindedness of being such a bitch.

And Some Final Reservations for Supernatural

This season hasn't been awful. It actually started out strong and the last new episode before the break where Bobby died was one of their best. And yet, I'm just finding myself not caring as much about these brothers. This is one of those shows where I've stopped having actual things to say and I'll probably stop talking about it in the weeks to come unless something big happens.

My Top Ten Favorite Posters of 2011

2012-01-07T09:19:00.008-05:00

Still trying to catch up on a few 2011 films so my year-end film lists and nominations are on hold, but I did want to share with you guys some of my favorite posters from the past year. My longlist was about 36 posters, but I narrowed it down below to my top ten, five honorable mentions, and a poster that should've been in my top 10 but I forgot.

1. Martha Marcy May Marlene - This is just such a beautifully composed poster. From the colors to the overlapping images, it creates a sense of ethereal beauty as well as a sense of chaos and danger. Positioning her lips in the center right next to her "names" is an inspired choice.

2. Tree of Life - For a teaser poster of a most anticipated film that no one knew anything about, this was tops them all. And it really was the best way to advertise Malick's visually arresting film seemingly showing us everything and yet telling us nothing. My favorite part is of course the dinosaur.

3. One Day - It seems fitting that this poster for a love story was love at first sight for me. While the movie itself was less than I expected, this poster is just perfect in its romanticism. The color treatment is gorgeous and the image used just lovely.

4. Shame - The unkempt and empty bed is such an interesting and bold image and yet it really is such a fitting image for the film hinting at the sexually charge nature of the film, but being subtle about it. There's also a sense of lonliness that is conveyed here.

5. Ides of March - Not gonna lie, I think this poster was particularly creative. It's a wholly imaginative way to have your two stars on the poster without doing the tired designs of floating heads. The TIME Magazine motif as well as the tagline tells you a lot about the film.

6. Jane Eyre - Reminds me a bit of my #1 choice though this came out first. It's simultaneously romantic and haunting. Plus this poster is multipurpose--can work as a Criterion DVD cover or a book cover!

7. Drive - Yes, I questioned this poster a few months back saying it wasn't particularly doing a good job marketing the film. With that said, I want to own it so badly. Basically how can you go wrong with Ryan Gosling wearing a henley? The white space and bold pink font are icing.

8. Cowboys & Aliens - The movie may have disappointed, but this teaser poster was well done. It was really the only poster in their marketing campaign that adequately mixed the brown earthy tones of Western films with the blue cool colors in sci-fi films. Plus it highlighted the best feature of the film: Daniel Craig's leather-chaps framed backside.

9. The Iron Lady - I love this poster, I'm not even kidding. It's grotesque, bold, hilarious, ridiculous, and eye catching. It's also very polarizing. Sounds like Margaret Thatcher herself, doesn't it? The tagline for the film is "Never Compromise" and they certainly didn't at least with this poster. Also love Streep's Giaconda-like smile.

10. In the Land of Blood and Honey - Haven't seen the film, but this poster is able to highlight the love story and the violence contained in the film. The font is a bit curious, but the map graphic background is a nice touch.

Honorable Mentions

Carnage - Goofy, brash, memorable, and eye-catching.
The Girl with Dragon Tattoo - Elegant and appropriately chilly.
MI4: Ghost Protocol - Wonderful and exciting perspective.
Moneyball - Great use of color, text, and space.
Submarine - Confident, fresh, and quirky concept.

I forgot to include this poster from Weekend in my original post so instead of changing my list above and figuring out where it'll rank, I'll just mention it here to end the post. So romantic. So mysterious. The font/text design is just so pretty. And with that said, what were some of your favorite posters of the past year?

Writers Guild Nominations

2012-01-05T18:23:00.005-05:00

It's a barrel of laughs with the Writers Guild of America announcing their comedy-heavy nominations earlier today. One of those nominations went to Bridesmaids which so far has shown up in almost all of the guilds including SAG and PGA joining Oscar front-runners The Descendants, The Help, and Midnight in Paris in that elite group. Some are already wondering if this can translate to a Best Picture nomination. It's not impossible!

Original Screenplay

50/50
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
Win Win
Young Adult

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
Moneyball

Documentary Screenplay

Better This World
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Nostalgia for the Light
Pina
Position Among the Stars
Senna

Again, Bridesmaids getting nominated here is telling especially since unlike the other nominees it wasn't nominated at the Golden Globes, BFCA, nor got any critics awards. With that said, one film will need to leave to make way for Oscar front-runner and WGA ineligible The Artist. Other ineligible films for Original Screenplay that might make the Oscar shortlist include Beginners, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Melancholia, A Separation, Rango, Margin Call, Shame, and Take Shelter. Tree of Life was eligible, but no one really expected this to show up here though there's always a chance it'll show up at the Oscars.

For Adapted Screenplay, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo got the big boost here with the others getting critical notices as well as BFCA or Golden Globe nominations prior. Fincher's film presumably knocked out War Horse, Ides of March, and Extremely Close & Incredible Loud all of which had their Oscar chances decrease a bit with the snub today. Ineligible films include Drive, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Albert Nobbs, My Week with Marilyn, Carnage, and Jane Eyre. And of course nothing for the final film of the Harry Potter series.

Looking Forward To...

2012-01-04T23:50:00.006-05:00

Now that I picked my favorite performances and shows of 2011, it's time to look forward to 2012. Already there are more than a handful of new shows on tap for this winter/spring. Below are just some of the shows I'm most excited about not including still unscheduled Awake (NBC) and Apartment 23 (ABC).

House of Lies (Showtime)
Premieres: Sunday, 1/8 10PM

Alcatraz (FOX)
Premieres: Monday, 1/16 8PM

Smash (NBC)
Premieres: Monday, 2/6 10PM

The River (ABC)
Premieres: Tuesday, 2/7 9PM

GCB (ABC)
Premieres: Sunday, 3/4 10PM

Touch (NBC)
Special Preview: Wednesday, 1/25 9PM
Premieres: Monday, 3/19 9PM

Also some returning shows to check out:

Downton Abbey (PBS) - January 8
Shameless (Showtime) - January 8
30 Rock (NBC) - January 12
Mad Men (AMC) - March TBD
Game of Thrones (HBO) - April TBD
Cougar Town (ABC) - Spring TBD

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2011 TV Shows, Part 2

2012-01-03T22:48:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I posted the bottom part of the Top 30 list of TV shows. Below you will see my Top 10 list full of British aristocrats, community college students, meth dealers, vampires, lawyers, and government workers. There's also time travel, alternate realities, and a world where dragons roam. Before all of that, however, just a few more quick mentions of some other TV shows...

Shows that I watched, but didn't rank: Suburgatory, Dexter, Raising Hope, 2 Broke Girls, 30 Rock, The Office, Grey's Anatomy, New Girl, Up All Night, Pan Am, The Secret Circle, The Killing, V, American Horror Story, Supernatural, Grimm, and Weeds

Shows I've stopped watching for one reason or another: Covert Affairs, Drop Dead Diva, Pretty Little Liars, Chuck, and White Collar

Dishonorable Mentions:

Torchwood: Miracle Day - I knew there would be growing pains when they moved this show to America, but I didn't expect them to hurt this much. I can't believe the team that gave us the amazing Children of Earth gave us this mess of a season.

Glee - Don't think I'm jumping on the hate bandwagon because everyone else is. The truth is I continually root for this show, because I love seeing a musical regularly on television. But lazy writing, awful characterizations, and overblown hype is making this show borderline unwatchable at times.

Terra Nova - The pilot was pretty solid and the finale was actually kind of great. Too bad everything in the middle ranged from mind-numbingly dull to ridiculously awful.

My Top Ten TV Shows of 2011

10. Homeland - More than a year since 24 ended and I have finally found its replacement in this gripping tale of an American POW soldier coming back home embroiled in a possible terrorist plot. I only saw this show a couple weeks ago because of its impeccable word-of-mouth from critics and friends, but, and excuse the choice of words, it really did blow me away. Damian Lewis as the soldier and Claire Danes as the lead investigator are both magnificent and every episode was so intense. If I had to critique the show, I'd ask what the hell is up with its opening title sequence!

9. Downton Abbey - If I counted the first season, which I technically saw earlier this year, this would be ranked higher. In any case, I knew my Anglophilic ways would render me unable to fall head over heels in love with this series and that's exactly what happened. A British period piece about the aristocracy and their lowly servants isn't anything new, but with a ridiculously amazing cast (Maggie Smith is a stand out) and engaging stories, though with 1-2 key exceptions less engaging this past season, it's definitely become one of my favorite shows.

8. Doctor Who - I may have ranked other shows above this, but I didn't wait in line for nearly 12 hours to watch an advance screening of those other show's season premiere. It was in this kind of spirit that I approached this sixth season of this show that perhaps bit off more than it could, but was nonetheless brilliant throughout. Moffatt certainly needed to reel himself in, but the trio actors of Smith, Gillan, and Darvill were perfection, the latter especially. If nothing else, this year gave us the beautiful episode "The Doctor's Wife" and made me cry like a baby with "The Girl Who Waited."

7. Being Human - There's not much else I can say to praise this brilliantly written supernatural heartbreaker of a drama. This time around they are in a new town, a new house, and new dangers. Annie's wonderful rescue from limbo, the intriguing Pack storyline coupled with George and Nina's new baby, and of course the return of Herrick were all highlights. But as I've always said it's all about the characters and their constant struggle to feel human. The finale was the show's most human yet in its determined optimism amidst amazing sacrifice.

6. Community - An episode centered around Dungeons & Dragons. Two episodes done in documentary style. An episode that is doubly an homage to Pulp Fiction and My Dinner with Andre. An epic episode with seven alternate realities. A musical Glee parody episode. A clip episode using almost no old clips. And of course a 2-parter paintball episode for the ages. All of this are certainly gimmicks, but what makes this show so good is that through it all, we still care about the characters. I don't think any other sitcom can pull off what this show is doing at the moment.

5. Fringe - The thought of this show prematurely ending this season is making me sad, so I'll just tell myself that if anything it's already given us 70 episodes full of great, inventive, and more importantly emotionally affecting sci-fi stories. This past year, it's been more of the same. The fallout over Fauxlivia's infiltration in our world was the big storyline at the end of last season and Anna Torv and company sold it wonderfully. The childhood flashback episode the the LSD episode were two of my favorites. This season's Peter-less alternate reality has been more of a mixed bag, but it's never not intriguing.

4. Game of Thrones - *BEST NEW SHOW* As a big fan of Rome and Lord of the Rings, I knew that I would love this show which seems like a great hybrid of those two great works. I admit that most of what I like about this show is its thoughtful and expansive world building which is a staple of its genre. Yes, I was confused for a good half a season getting people's names and relationships with others straight, but by the end I just wanted to know more. I was especially drawn to the outcasts/underdogs--Daenarhys, Tyrion, Snow, Arya. Looking forward to visiting Westeros again soon.

3. The Good Wife - There is no doubt to me that this is the finest drama on network TV at the moment. The cast is impeccable and every episode works in many levels both for the plot of the week and for the overreaching plot arcs all the while continuously enriching the characters and their relationships with one another. As I said last year, what puts this above other lawyer shows is their commitment to their characters. Throw in a quirky judge here, a sociopathic client there, and an extramarital affair and wham bam, it's all good.

2. Breaking Bad - *BEST TV DRAMA* Did the season start out a bit slow? Certainly, but the slow burn in the beginning only made the numerous explosive episodes in the back half that rendered me speechless and emotionally drained week in and week out. The devolution and subsequent rise to darkness of Walter White was a sight to behold just as it was great to see the growth and journey of Jesse this season. With the show's end in sight, 16 more episodes, I'm excited to see just how dark they can actually take the show's lead character. For now, I'm hust glad a show like this exist.

1. Parks and Recreation - *BEST TV COMEDY* This show is perfection. I'm going to repeat that lest you think I'm joking. This show is perfection. Got that? Good. But seriously, this time last year I just started watching the show and more than liked it. Now, I'm a hardcore fan. The show itself sounds a bit bland... a bunch of government workers and their work hi-jinks. And yet there isn't a single episode, at least for the past two seasons, where I wasn't left smiling from ear to ear or crying with joy. That's what this show is really, pure happiness. From its endlessly optimistic lead character to the hilarious supporting players. This show has the biggest heart of anything on TV and that's why it's my favorite show of 2011. Also zomgAdamScottissofine.

Final Note: Three British shows make it in my top 10 and six in my top 30 not including a remake of a British show (Shameless). ABC has the most shows on my list with 6, but oddly enough none to crack the top 10. CBS is second with 4 shows. NBC and BBC America made it into my top 10 twice. Along shows from the main networks and premium channels, shows from FX, CW, ABC Family, and PBS also made my list. Finally and happily, my list contains a whopping 9 new shows compared to none last year.

Producers Guild Nominations

2012-01-03T13:28:00.002-05:00

If Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had any chance of some industry/Oscar love, it would've shown up as one of the nominations from the Producers Guild. But when they announced their nominations early today, the boy wizard was nowhere to be found. Instead a tattooed girl and a group of bridesmaids found their way in.

Producer of the Year Award in Films

The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

The Oscar front-runners are all accounted for so this announcement didn't really shake up the race as much as it could've. They did snub Cannes-winning critical favorites Tree of Life and Drive, arguably the two films this year championed most online not counting Harry Potter. Speaking of Potter, a non-nomination here pretty much signals its already unlikely Best Picture nomination. No nominations for Extremely Close & Incredible Loud, J. Edgar, and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy also lessen their already small chances. The unlikely films which did receive boosts are Bridesmaids and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with both probably wishing the Academy still nominated 10 films for best pictures.

Producer of the Year Award in Animated Films

The Adventures of Tintin
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Even Pixar's worst film gets in, but that's what you get if you're a respected brand and five nomination slots needed to be filled. Rango has been the outright frontrunner this season and it should be a steamroll to Oscar glory. Its biggest competition is the mo-cap Tintin, but may the technology be too radical for the animated branch? Arthur Christmas and Winnie the Pooh are the notable snubs here especially the former which nabbed Globe and BFCA nods.

Producer of the Year Award in Documentaries

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Bill Cunningham New York
Project Nim
Senna
The Union

These were announced awhile back, but here they are. I haven't seen any of these so I don't have much to say and I confess that I'm not even sure which ones here are eligible for Oscars attention this year. Project Nim seems to be the front-runner with the critics at the moment though.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2011 TV Shows, Part 1

2012-01-02T23:25:00.006-05:00

Certainly took me long enough, but I'm finally posting my Favorite 2011 TV Shows. I did a rough count today and figured out that I have seen more than 870 television episodes last year. I knew I watched a lot of TV, but I was still shocked to see that kind of number. With that big of a sample size, it was tough for me to narrow it down to my Top 30 TV shows, but I tried below. I'm saving my Top 10 for tomorrow, but here are the other shows on my list...

30. Ringer - There were many new shows fighting for this last spot, but I eventually went with a show headlined by my childhood hero Sarah Michelle Gellar aka Buffy Summers. The show itself has lots of potential especially if they take themselves a lot less seriously. In retrospect, I probably should've included Suburgatory instead of this or another show on my list.

29. Once Upon A Time - Upon further reflection, it's odd this show made it in my list, but not Grimm whose initial episodes and tone appealed to me more. Some of it has been my laziness to catch up on the latter show, but I am also starting to get caught into this show's spell. Some of the acting is still pretty cartoonish, but I think the show has its heart in the right place.

28. Greek - I was sad to see this group of college buddies say goodbye, but I definitely enjoyed the journey they took me on. The final episode was a great highlight featuring every character and various relationships of the show. RIP KT House.

27. United States of Tara - The highlights this season were Toni Collette really going off the deep end and Eddie Izzard's brief supporting role. Other characters had solid emotional beats to play and for the most part they were all left in a good place during the series finale, though a bit bruised and battered.

26. So You Think You Can Dance - A pretty entertaining season capped with an all-girl final between two amazing dancers not to mention the final two boys being Asian! Love that Melanie ended up winning, but I would've been happy with any of the top 4.

25. The Walking Dead - Did we really need to spend most of the season looking for Sofia or being stuck in that farm? Probably not, but it certainly made that last scene all the more spine-chilling. Plus I'm okay with the slower paced episodes, but I wished more (believable) character development happened other than Darryl.

24. Amazing Race - Not the best two installments of the show, but they were still better than most anything on TV. Race-wise I enjoyed the earlier All-Stars season with Kisha/Jen winning versus the later season with Ernie/Cindy winning.

23. True Blood - I was pleasantly surprised this season perhaps because I actually liked most of the storylines plus or minus Jason's werepanther adventures or Sookie and Eric's sexy times. A lot of the actors stepped up this season and the witch vs. vampire big arc was really interesting.

22. The Hour - Many people call this the British Mad Men and I'm pretty sure it's meant to be complimentary. I really ended up liking this even though some of the stories were a bit too twisty for me to unknot. I was most impressed by Whishaw and Garai and their relationship.

21. Wilfred - Caught up on this show over the long Labor Day weekend and highly enjoyed it mostly due to the fun chemistry between its two lead characters. Props to Gann for really getting the essence of being a man in a dog suit acting like a dog. Kudos to Wood for acting along side him!

20. Modern Family - This has plummeted in my list, less because of its quality which is still top-notch along with its amazing ensemble, and more because there are just more sitcoms I've found I love more than this one.

19. Misfits - Did I miss Nathan? Maybe a little bit, but Kelly kicking ass and her relationship with cutie Seth more than made up for his absence. Their new powers were pretty unexciting, true, but solid episodes throughout. The finale was especially engrossing especially that tragic end for a couple of characters.

18. Big Bang Theory - The girls are why I tune in now, which is not to say that Parsons and the rest of the guys aren't good. It's just that I consistently enjoy the girls more and most of that is the chemistry between Penny and Amy.

17. Castle - I never know why I always end up ranking this show relatively low compared to my feelings regarding its awesome cast and fantastic episodes. Perhaps it's the procedural aspect of the show which screams "BEEN THERE DONE THAT!" That said, I have much love for this show and hope they can keep it up.

16. Friday Night Lights - This is probably as high as it is, because I actually saw every episode of this series this year though of course only a handful of episodes actually aired this year. Even so, it was a pretty good ending for a series that could've ended far sooner. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

15. Cougar Town - It has felt like more than a year since we got a new episode of this great show, but alas its low ratings and awkward title has done its damage. But no matter since this cul de sac crew has wormed its way into my heart and forever they will remain.

14. How I Met Your Mother - This is such a complicated show to rank since it's one of the shows I look forward to each week and while they more often than not do great episodes, there have been more than a few clunkers. In the end, it's all about how excited I am every week for it and in spite of itself sometimes, I'm always excited!

13. Shameless - I was pretty much ready to write this show off as another useless American remake of a British show, but then I caught it and immediately fell in love with the Gallagher clan. I was most impressed with Emmy Rossum caustic portrayal as the head of the chaotic household. Can't wait to see them back on TV.

12. Revenge - This show was probably the biggest surprise for me this fall season. I expected this to crash and burn, but not only did it deliver one of the strongest pilots of the new season, but it somehow kept its juicy mixture of trashy guilty pleasures with strong characterizations and acting.

11. Happy Endings - I once described this show as a piñata filled with candy and crack and it's so very apt. It's continuously weird and endlessly funny. The characters are a big part of it as there's no weak link (yes, even Alex and Dave).

Any shows here that surprised you? Anything shocks you at being missing? Perhaps they'll show up tomorrow when I post my top 10 list. Or perhaps they just missed the cut.

Brief Tennis Year-In-Review

2012-01-01T23:56:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year to all, but especially fellow tennis fans who will be glad to have new tennis matches already underway to obsess over. Of course, the tennis offseason is notoriously short to nonexistent, but before we dive headlong to the new year, let's take a quick look back at the year that was via a couple of its most notable players...

Novak Djokovic - He went on a historic and undefeated run for most of the year and compiled an unreal 10-1 record against Nadal and Federer. He won 10 titles including 3 Grand Slams and earned more money than any tennis player ever. He faded a bit in the end, but

Petra Kvitova - She ended the year as the player to beat, rising to #2 and beating the best at the year-end championship as well as leading her Czech team to a Fed Cup win. On top of all of that, she also won her first major at Wimbledon.

Kim Clijsters - Started out the year very well winning her first non-US Open Grand Slam at Melbourne then reaches the top ranking soon after becoming the first mother to ever hold the top spot. She dropped off the rest of th year skipping Wimbledon and playing her last match in Toronto.

Rafael Nadal - Won his sixth French Open title and made the finals in two others, but the big story this year for him was his inability to beat Djokovic in every surface including his beloved clay. He went out on top though by leading Spain for their 5th win.

Roger Federer - He didn't win a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2002, but he was the only person to defeat a fully healthy Djokovic and ended his year on a great note going on a 17-match run winning his 6th year-end championship for his 70th title in 100 career ATP finals.

Li Na - Not only did she become the first Asian player to reach a Grand Slam singles final (at the Australian Open), but she became the first Asian Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros after taking out defending champion Francesca Schiavone.

Caroline Wozniacki - She ended the year at no. 1 two years in a row and while she won the most matches and tied with Kvitova for the most titles won, she was still slam-less. She didn't even reach a Grand Slam final all year.

Sam Stosur - She won only one title last year, but it was for her first Grand Slam championship at the US Open taking out Serena.

Andy Murray - Won the second most titles on the ATP and reached the Australian Open final for the second time, but still slam-less and still ended the year ranked as #4.

Serena Williams - Out for most of the year due to illness and injury, she won Toronto and reached the US Open final only to lose to Stosur on 9/11.

Venus Williams - Like her sister, she was out of the year due to illness and injury and was eventually diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease.

What will 2012 bring to all of these players? It's an Olympic year, of course, so all of them will have that on the back of their heads for most of the year especially since it'll be held at Wimbledon. Kvitova and Federer are hoping their late-season momentum continues through the new year while Djokovic and Wozniacki hope to play well enough to keep their top ranking. But simply they all just want to win. We won't have to wait very long to see how they all handle the big tournaments. The Australian Open begins on January 16th!

Video: Filmography 2011

2011-12-31T14:40:00.004-05:00

"Of course it's happening inside your head. Why should that mean it's not real?"

Any Harry Potter fan know where that quote is from, but as I watched the latest year-end film montage (below) and thought about all of the films I've watched this year, the quote really does speak to all cinephiles alike. We all share this love for the movies which in essence are stories "happening inside our heads" and as fabricated as most of them may be, why couldn't they be "real?" With that said, see the great montage below:

And with that, we bid adieu to 2011. I'll try to post my ranked TV list very soon (i.e. tomorrow) and then after catching up on 2-3 more films, start on my year-end Film posts. To anyone reading this, thanks first of all and also have a Happy New Year!

End-Of-Year: 2011 TV Winners

2011-12-29T09:32:00.002-05:00

In previous years I would actually try to talk about each and everyone of my nominees and why I picked them. Stretched myself a bit thin this year so I'm afraid I won't be doing that. But feel free to comment on those nominations and perhaps tell me performances I may have overlooked. With that said, here are my pick for my favorites...

Best Actor, Drama: Damian Lewis, Homeland
Runner-Up: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Cranston had this in the bag until I saw Homeland this past week and was just absolutely blown away by Lewis. Perhaps it's because it's the performance that's made the most recent impact since I was also pretty blown away by Cranston this season. I think in the end I went with the actor who was the strongest element on his show.

Best Actress, Drama: Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Runner-Up: Anna Torv, Fringe

This was a tough decision for me and I think I chose via my expectations. While I expected great performances from my other nominees, I really had no idea that Rossum had this performance in her. Great chemistry with the rest of the cast and the camera loves her. Torv won last year and she continues to do under-appreciated work on an under-appreciated show.

Best Actor, Comedy: Steve Carell, The Office
Runner-Up: Matt Smith, Doctor Who

I never said I couldn't be swayed by sentimentality, but gosh darnit I can't believe Carell will NEVER win an Emmy for this role. His last few episodes were heartbreaking, funny, and touching and his absence this new season has been palpable. Smith or Wood probably could've win this, but I needed to honor Carell.

Best Actress, Comedy: Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Runner-Up: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

The parade of last year's winners being runner-ups ends here. Poehler won my award last year when I wasn't even into the show that much. This year with my absolute devotion to her show, I couldn't not give her this deserved honor. Collette, however, more than deserves this for the tough/tricky things she had to do this past season.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Runner-Up: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

I'm so happy they both have already won an Emmy, because next year when they have to go up against each other it'd be my own Sophie's Choice. I give a slight edge to Paul since I think he's doing more complicated things emotionally (and with more complex plots). Quick shout out to Reedus who I nominated for really crafting a character almost from nothing on his show.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Runner-Up: Madeleine Stowe, Revenge

I was duly impressed with everyone who I nominated for this, but the winner had to be one of these two fierce scene-stealing ladies who both play wealthy and demanding matriarchs. Smith had the edge since I like her show a bit more and is just delightful in every scene she's in.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Arthur Darvill, Doctor Who
Runner-Up: Jim Rash, Community

This was probably the toughest category ever considering I left off Neil Patrick Harris, Nick Offerman and Dani Pudi in my nominations. But maybe that's why my top two picks ended up being two actors who would probably least expect to get this award. Darvill was the best part of this past season of Doctor Who and Rash manages to steal scenes even with his talented cast.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Mayim Bialik, Big Bang Theory
Runner-Up: Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother

Bialik is a godsend to her show since I think without her interactions with the girls, the show would've gotten stale. Instead, it's actually funnier than ever and she has quickly become my favorite character on there. The writers haven't had an easy time trying to figure out what to do with Smulders, but whatever crazy thing they come up with her, she's more than game.

Best Ensemble: Game of Thrones
Runner-Up: The Good Wife

Last year, I picked The Good Wife to win in this category and even this year the show garnered 5 acting nominations from me. With that said, I do love the expansive cast of Game of Thrones including, or more especially, the younger actors.

Best Limited Role, Actor: Mark Margolis, Breaking Bad
Runner-Up: Craig Roberts, Being Human

Margolis had one episode where he spoke and it was maybe 4 lines in Spanish. The rest of the time he was immobile and communicated only by ringing a bell. And it was beautiful especially when he rang his bell one last time. Roberts was so good they gave him a web series spin-off which was pretty great as well.

Best Limited Role, Actress: Carrie Preston, The Good Wife
Runner-Up: Suranne Jones, Doctor Who

I don't think I ever laughed as much as the episode where Preston guest starred on The Good Wife this season and while the episode itself was comical, she was the highlight for me. Jones in the meantime was in one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes ever playing an inanimate object/the love of the main character's life. Don't you want to watch it just to make sense of what I just said?

I'll save my picks for Best Shows when I post my list of Favorite Shows of 2011 in a day or two. In the meantime, here are the nominees to refresh your memories:

Best Drama: Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Fringe, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, Homeland
Best Comedy: Community, Cougar Town, Doctor Who, Happy Endings, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation
Best New Show: Game of Thrones, Happy Endings, Homeland, Revenge, Shameless, Wilfred

Looking Forward To...

2011-12-28T22:23:00.001-05:00

The Iron Lady
Release: December 30, 2011
Distributor: Weinstein Company
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anthony Stewart Head, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Iain Glen, Harry Lloyd, Richard E. Grant, Roger Allam, and Nicholas Farrell

Birthday Girl: Maggie Smith

2011-12-28T16:11:00.002-05:00

In honor of Dame Maggie Smith's 77th Birthday I was going to peruse her IMDb credits and then list my top 7 characters she's ever played. In an odd bit of coincidence, however, I discovered I've seen her play only 7 characters (not including her voice work in this year's Gnomeo & Juliet) in her long and great career. This, of course, speaks more about me and my lack of initiative to see anything she has done before the 90s including her two Oscar-winning performances California Suite and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, but I still found it a bit humorous.

In any case, in chronological order they are...

Granny Wendy in Hook - I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first film I saw her in, but even if it was it's such a small cameo that I wouldn't have registered her at all.

Mother Superior in Sister Act - This movie/series was for some reason a big part of my youth perhaps since I went to Catholic school, but her character's evolution is obviously my favorite. She reprises the role in the possibly more entertaining sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit a year later. Too bad we never got to see her sing in the films though.

Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden - I remember totally hating her in this film (which also happens to be one of my favorite films of all time) when I was younger. Of course I couldn't see that she was just trying to do what she thought was best and her love/loyalty to the family was unquestionable.

Constance Trentham in Gosford Park - For one of my favorite films ever, I have an awful memory when it comes to individual characters so I can't quite comment on Smith's Contance at the moment, but again I loved the film and it's the only Oscar-nominated role of hers I've seen.

Mastery of the "Bitch, Please" Face

Professor Minerva McGonagall in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - And with this role she was introduced to a whole new generation of fans who only grew to love her as the character she played continued to grow in the books and in the films. She appears in every film of the series with the exception of the second to last film, but she probably made her biggest impact in this year's finale.

Lady Gresham in Becoming Jane - Not much new in this role playing a very rich British aristocrat, as she does, but it's Maggie Smith. Hathaway and McAvoy should just be glad they were on a film with her!

Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey - She recently won an Emmy Award for this role as she should as she takes a lifetime of playing upper crust British dames and stern-faced sharp-tongued ladies and shows it all off on this scene-stealing character.

So that's my own complete history with Maggie Smith's filmography. I know she'll continue to be awesome in Downton Abbey for as long as that show is made, but with nearly a decade since her last Oscar nomination, I'm itching for her to be in the conversation again. She does have a film coming out soon and she's filming another one, but whether or not they will garner her Oscar attention is tough to tell. At this point of her career and life though, the Oscars is probably the last thing on her mind especially with her recent bout with cancer.

And hell, on her 77th birthday "Happy BAMFday Maggie Smith" trended on twitter. She clearly really has nothing left to prove.

Link Roundup: Weekend, Who, and Oscar Memo

2011-12-27T23:54:00.007-05:00

Seems like everyone was talking about Weekend or other gay films the past week or so. I already made my feelings known regarding Weekend and it should figure in my own top 10 list, but you should also try to check it out yourself. If you have Netflix, it's available on Instant. Also peruse...

In Contention Guy Lodge posts his personal Top 20 Films of 2011 with Weekend topping his list.

Towleroad Nathaniel includes Weekend's British pair on his list of Best LGBT Characters of the Year.

A Blog Next Door But Manuel shows that not everyone is high on Weekend as he eloquently lays out his problems with the film.

After Elton looks at the Year in Movies and duly notes queer films and actors who made their mark in 2011.

Already having slight Doctor Who withdrawal even if I was decidedly mixed on the Christmas special. Others had their own thoughts...

Rob Will Review loved "The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe" and does an amazing job making me rethink about my own thoughts about the episode.

What's Alan Watching though is one of the many critics not exactly enthused.

And finally, Oscar nominations are a little less than a month away and...

Film Experience Nathaniel sends a friendly memo to AMPAS members on the top 10 things they need to consider as they fill out their ballots, which they should've received today.

End-Of-Year: 2011 TV Nominees

2011-12-27T09:31:00.001-05:00

I watch a lot of TV. Some would say too much TV, but that just makes it all the more difficult to determine my favorites of the past year. Like last year, I found it most difficult to narrow down the supporting categories since there have been some truly noteworthy performances even in not so special shows. In any case, I've generally made peace with this list so before I start over-thinking it all over again, here are my nominations...

Best Show, Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
Fringe
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Homeland

Best Show, Comedy
Community
Cougar Town
Doctor Who
Happy Endings
How I Met Your Mother
Parks and Recreation

Best New Show
Game of Thrones
Happy Endings
Homeland
Revenge
Shameless
Wilfred

Best Ensemble
Breaking Bad
Parks and Recreation
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Downton Abbey
Community

Best Actor, Drama
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Aidan Turner, Being Human
Ben Whishaw, The Hour

Best Actor, Comedy
Steve Carell, The Office
Nathan Fillion, Castle
Joel McHale, Community
Jim Parsons, Big Bang Theory
Matt Smith, Doctor Who
Elijah Wood, Wilfred

Best Actress, Drama
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Claire Danes, Homeland
Romolai Garai, The Hour
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Anna Torv, Fringe

Best Actress, Comedy
Beth Behrs, 2 Broke Girls
Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Courtney Cox, Cougar Town
Karen Gillan, Doctor Who
Jane Levy, Suburgatory
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Alan Cummings, The Good Wife
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
John Noble, Fringe
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Brent Sexton, The Killing

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Arthur Darvill, Doctor Who
Jim Rash, Community
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
Eddie Izzard, United States of Tara
Jason Segel, How I Met Your Mother

Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Joan Cusack, Shameless
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Karine Vanesse, Pan Am

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Eliza Coupe, Happy Endings
Mayim Bialik, Big Bang Theory
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Busy Phillips, Cougar Town
Naya Rivera, Glee
Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother

Best Limited Role, Actor
Misha Collins, Supernatural
Mos Def, Dexter
Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights
Mark Margolis, Breaking Bad
Zachary Quinto, American Horror Story
Craig Roberts, Being Human

Best Limited Role, Actress
Kehinde Fadipe, Misfits
Dot-Marie Jones, Glee
Suranne Jones, Doctor Who
Carrie Preston, The Good Wife
Anika Noni Rose, The Good Wife
Jessica Tuck, True Blood

Nomination Tally: 7 - The Good Wife; 5 - Breaking Bad, Doctor Who, Game of Thrones; 4 - Community, Downton Abbey, Homeland, Parks and Recreation; 3 - Cougar Town, Fringe, Happy Endings, How I Met Your Mother, Shameless; 2 - Being Human, Big Bang Theory, Dexter, Friday Night Light, Glee, The Hour, Modern Family, Revenge, United States of Tara, Wilfred; 1 - American Horror Story, Castle, The Killing, Misfits, The Office, Pan Am, Suburgatory, Supernatural, True Blood, 2 Broke Girls, Walking Dead

With all of the extra categories and opening myself up to six nominations per category, I was able to honor 34 different shows and 60 performances. What can I say? I'm the "everyone gets a trophy" kind of guy. With that said, I will pick out a winner for each. Probably tomorrow or the day after. Soon after that, I'll post my ranked list of my favorite TV shows of the year, but it's also quite evident which shows those will be with these nominations.

Thoughts on Doctor Who & Downton Abbey Christmas Specials

2011-12-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

America really needs to adopt this quirky, but totally great British tradition of having some of its prime-time shows do one-off Christmas specials that actually air on Christmas. Of course it won't ever happen here in America where ratings and Nielsen are what matters, but it's nice to have access to those happening across the pond. With that said, I did watch the latest Christmas specials of two of my favorite shows yesterday, Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, and they were just delightful. My thoughts are below, but only my Doctor Who thoughts are spoilery since Downton Abbey's second season hasn't even aired in America yet.

Doctor Who

I'm not quite sure what to make of this episode. I enjoyed it surely and there were some tears shed especially towards the end, but there were parts that felt a bit off. Maybe it was my mind trying to put the Narnia-esque storyline with talking trees and big robots all together or the somewhat silly forest life force inhabiting a person only to be dispersed in the stars. I have to say, however, Matt Smith was still as wonderful as ever as the Doctor. The first half was very fun/funny really tapping into the "this show is for kids and it's Christmas dammit" tone what with the backwards helmet, the lemonade faucet, and the hammocks for bed. But of course the show is at its best when it tries to tap into just a bit of sadness which was evident in the mother's ordeal of not telling her kids on Christmas that their father had been killed or the Doctor's everlasting feeling of loneliness. In true Christmas fashion though both were fixed by the end and as contrived and saccharine the resolutions turned out to be, I was, as the Doctor would say, "Happy Tearing. Humany Wumany." The end especially with the Doctor reuniting with Amy and Rory (a most pleasant surprise to me) was fantastic. With all the craziness and drama they've all been through the past two seasons, it was nice for them to have this moment. There was also something very affecting to the Doctor spending time with his friends like that or maybe it was seeing the Doctor/Smith cry. I am dreading ever more how they handle permanently separating the Doctor from the Ponds sometime next season. B

Downton Abbey

This past season, which again hasn't aired in America and won't until this upcoming spring, had more than a few story-lines that frustrated me to no end, but the cast has always been up to the task. My favorite storyline, I have to admit, is the continuing saga of Matthew and Mary whose relationship I had grown to deeply care about as the season progressed. Most of this I attribute to the actors Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens. I say all of this because I was particularly glad that they weren't shortchanged in this Christmas special. With that said, I found this Christmas special quite engrossing. In fact this episode felt more like a season finale than what we actually got a few weeks ago and while there were some characters and story-lines that had to be pushed aside, I felt they shone proper light to those that needed more resolution especially as the next new episode won't be until autumn of next year. As I tried to keep spoilers out, I shall stop now, but I do have to say Maggie Smith steals every scene she's in. This is true for the season, the special, and life in general. A-

I started off this entry wishing American TV would copy the ways of British TV, but then I realized that I probably shouldn't be too hasty. The quirky British scheduling means that I now have to wait 9-10 months for the new episodes for both of these shows. That wait, especially with how each ended their respective specials, is damn interminable. They say patience is a virtue, but I'm not really the virtuous sort.

Don we now our gay apparel...

2011-12-25T11:26:00.002-05:00

Hoping everyone is having a very Merry Christmas and just a general happy holiday season. I'm taking just a bit of a blogging breather, but should have my year-end TV nominations in a day or two.

In the meantime, here's a great scene from this past and final season of United States of Tara...

Marshall: You really like Christmas, huh?
Sandi: Makes me happier than anything in creation.
[...]
Sandi: You have such soft hands for a boy. You're a gay, aren't you?
Marshall: I am.
Sandi: How is that?
Marshall: It's like... Christmas every day.

Thoughts on Dexter and Terra Nova Finales

2011-12-22T19:03:00.007-05:00

Right around this time of year I usually post my year-end Best of TV lists, but since I'm finding myself behind on a few shows, I'm delaying a bit until after Christmas when hopefully I would have had time to catch up. With that said, I do want to briefly talk about two shows that had their season finales this past week.

Dexter

The last words of the season was "Oh God" and it's pretty appropriate since all season we were hammered by religion and God. It didn't really work for me especially after Brother Sam was killed since he provided a grounding presence for Dexter and for the audience. Of course, those words was said by Dexter reacting to getting caught killing Travis by sister Deb. It's a moment that fans of the show have been waiting for and as far as cliffhangers go, there's nothing bigger for this show than that. They slightly telegraphed the ending, but maybe it was just me looking for something exciting to happen since the finale itself, like the season, had been subpar. Colin Hanks (and Edward J. Olmos) were fairly game this whole season and some of the apocalyptic imagery was gruesome and exciting, but in general the season felt weaker than most. The finale was especially boring as the big drama was whether or not something would happen with Jamie and even though the show is known for their twists and shocks, they weren't going to kill Dexter's child.

With that said, I was impressed by what Jennifer Carpenter and Michael C. Hall had to do, not just in the finale, but in the entire season as well. I was initially worried that their rocky real-life relationship would mean less scenes between the two siblings or scenes that lacked any chemistry. It turned out it was the complete opposite this season with Deb examining her relationship with Dexter and her feelings for him all season giving us plenty of scenes between the two with lots of nuance and emotional charge. I do question the incestuous arc though especially since it doesn't really add anything to the dynamics. Deb already loved Dexter (as a brother) and her reaction to Dexter killing would probably not have changed that much even if she wasn't in love with him. I also question it from the point of view of the writers torturing these two recently divorced actors by putting them in an awkward romantic storyline together. As for the rest of the season, I've already forgotten about it. Here's to hoping a stronger season next year!

Dexter Finale: C+ (B+ for the last 15 seconds!)
Dexter Season 6: B-

Terra Nova

The two-hour finale made me sad, because it offered us a glimpse of what the show could've been this season. It wasn't fantastic, but it was a solid two hours of great energy, good plotting, and thrilling action. If you remember all the way back to the pilot, I was actually high on the show. The show had lots of potential and other than my general annoyance of the Shannon family, I tried to be optimistic. Unfortunately the Shannons became the focal point of the show which would have been okay if we had gotten to learn about other characters, but not really. The finale didn't really change my mind about the family, mostly because I was really disappointed they all managed to come out of it alive, but I was impressed by Elizabeth pretending to inject the guy with dangerous larvae to help Jim escape.

Part of the finale was great. I love that within minutes of the beginning the whole compound was already taken over. Seeing the citizens of Terra Nova (who we should know more of by now) come together was a nice touch. Jim running away from a T-rex who was trying to outrun a fire was a fantastic scene (need more of this please!). And yet still more things to nitpick such as the decision to make Lucas and the rest of the bad guys so one-dimensional. Though I guess in Lucas' case he has more than one dimension but they all hate daddy. And I'm not sure how I feel about The Badlands which is like this show's version of Rambaldi or The Numbers. Now, I'm down on this show because despite the crappy first season it has squandered it's still about a show about a group of people from the future going back in time 85 millions to live with the dinosaurs. THAT IS COOL. They just need to make me care about the characters AND NOT JUST THE SHANNONS. They need to give us more danger, more awe, more of everything really. Well not the Shannons. Less of them would be nice.

Terra Nova Finale: B
Terra Nova Season 1: C+

Looking Forward To...

2011-12-21T23:27:00.002-05:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Release: December 21, 2011
Distributor: Sony/Columbia
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Robin Wright Penn, Stellan Skarsgard, Geraldine James, Goran Visnjic, Joel Kinnaman, Joely Richardson, and Rooney Mara

Christmas Movie Offerings

2011-12-21T07:43:00.004-05:00

We're four days away from Christmas, but since that falls on a Sunday this year the Christmas box office starts today with the release of The Adventures of Albert Nobbs with the Dragon Tintin. On Friday, We Bought the Land of Blood and Honey comes out and then on Christmas Day Extremely Loud War & Incredibly Close Horse makes it debut. Wait... back up, let's start over.

Like last month for Thanksgiving, there are about seven films coming out this upcoming holiday which I'm interested in checking out though if I'm being honest, I'm only planning on seeing 3-4 of them in theaters. The good thing about the films coming out is that they're all aiming for slightly different audiences which means there should be something for everyone. And with super famous names both in front and behind the cameras, Hollywood is hoping for some potentially big numbers.

The Films For the Whole Family

Not sure where to take the little ones on the trip to the cinema? Well you can catch up on the number of films that are already out such as Arthur Christmas, The Muppets, Hugo, or even that not-at-all recommended Chipmunks movie. But if you want your animals, maybe check out We Bought A Zoo, a film by Cameron Crowe starring Matt Damon as a father who, not shockingly, buys a zoo. Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning co-star. Or you can also see a film that's already made more than $200 million internationally and is directed by Steven Spielberg. That film is The Adventures of Tintin which is based on a popular Belgian comic book character. Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, and Simon Pegg are among the voice actors.

The Films For the Whole Family with Older Kids

Speaking of Spielberg and animals, War Horse also comes out this weekend, more specifically on Christmas Day. Most of the marketing for this film focuses on the horse and the way Spielberg makes war look so darn pretty and cinematic. There's also Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, a film by Stephen Daldry based on a book about an autistic kid whose father dies on 9/11. Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, and Viola Davis are in the film. Both films seem to aim at tackling some serious events in history with a heartwarming tale that is bound to tug at your heart and make you cry. I can't wait.

The Films Certainly Not For Kids

Finally, if all of these other films seems a little too candy cane sweet and ho-ho-ho jolly and you prefer something a bit edgier and thrilling then David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is for you. This is definitely one film I'm looking forward to, partly because of the amazing trailer I've seen ad nauseum and partly due to the track record of everyone involve. The film stars Rooney Mara, Daniel Craig, and Christopher Plummer with Mara getting some award notices already for a tough role. There's also Angelina Jolie's directorial debut with In the Land of Blood and Honey which I'm thinking is a war story like War Horse except a little more brutal.

Fringe Contenders: Will either/both be nominated for an Oscar?

Of course there's also Albert Nobbs starring Glenn Close, which probably fit in the middle group except I doubt many kids, even older kids, are clamoring to see this one. She's getting some Oscar buzz for this film playing a woman pretending to be a man though the general reviews for this is decidedly mixed to negative. The other films have generally positive reviews with Fincher's Dragon Tattoo the best bet there and Daldry's Extremely Loud waiting for more reviews to give consensus.

There are plenty of other films in the marketplace for audiences most notably this past weekend's box office champ Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the very well-reviewed Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol as well as some Oscar favorites like The Artist and My Week with Marilyn. For me, I'll do my best to catch The Artist, Mission Impossible, Adventures of Tintin, Extremely Loud, and Dragon Tattoo in the next two weeks or so. What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

One ring to rule them all...

2011-12-19T22:09:00.005-05:00

Ten years ago today, America got its first glimpse of Middle Earth as Peter Jackson visualized from J.R.R Tolkien's epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings. The first film, Fellowship of the Rings, was a box office and critical hit making $47 million in its opening weekend for a total of $313 million overall and winning 4 out of its 13 Academy Award nominations. Even with the bar set high with the first film, the series kept bettering itself. Each subsequent film made more than the one before it with the final film, Return of the King, cracking $1 billion worldwide becoming, at the time, the only film to do so since Titanic. The final film also tied Titanic and Ben Hur for most Oscars won with 11 trophies.

What Peter Jackson achieved, along with the superbly talented cast and crew he assembled, was nothing short of amazing. Saying he brought Tolkien's world--The Shire, Mordor, Rivendell, and Helm's Deep--to life would be an understatement. As grand as the visuals and story were, the cast and characters were my favorite parts. Seeing the hobbits shuffling alongside Gandalf or Legolas riding a giant elephant or Eowyn killing the Nazgul or Smeagol channeling his inner Gollum... pure cinematic wonderfulness. It also made household names of Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom*, Andy Serkis, Dominic Monaghan, and many more.

*As an aside, kudos to this film series for introducing me and the world for the first time to brown-haired brown-eyed Orlando Bloom who of course played the blonde-haired blue-eyed Legolas. The level of fanboyism I devoted to him rivaled that of my first fandom love Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

And it's not over! Jackson is currently hard at work in New Zealand reunited with a lot of the same people he worked with for the prequel entitled The Hobbit, which will be divided into two films. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was a lightning in a bottle, so who's to say these next two films will live up to that? No one can really, but boy am I excited to revisit Middle Earth again.

Watch the very first teaser trailer for the series after the jump...

Critics Groups Rundown

2011-12-19T13:42:00.005-05:00

Since last week, about 11 critics groups have chimed in with four groups doing so this morning. The groups represented below are the following:

Toronto Film Critics Association, San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS), African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS), Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS), Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA), Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS), Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC), St. Louis Film Critics Association (SLFC), Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA)

The number in parenthesis represent the total number of critics awards the film or actor has received to date including the wins from last week's update.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist (9) - SDFCS, LVFCS, DFCS, SLFC
The Descendants (5) - SEFCA, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC
The Tree of Life (4) - TFCA, AAFCA, CFCA

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius (5) - DFCS, SLFC
Martin Scorsese (4) - SEFCA, FFCC
Terrence Malick (4) - TFCA, CFCA
Nicholas W Refn (3) - SDFCS, HFCS, LVFCS
Alexander Payne (1) - DFWFCA
Steve McQueen (1) - AAFCA

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney (4) - SEFCA, DFWFCA, SLFC
Michael Fassbender (4) - HFCS, DFCS, FFCC
Michael Shannon (4) - TFCA, SDFCS, CFCA
Brad Pitt (2)
Jean Dujardin (1) - LVFCS
Gary Oldman (1)
Woody Harreslson (1) - AAFCA
Paul Giamatti (1)

BEST ACTRESS

Michelle Williams (8) - TFCA, LVFCS, DFCS, DFWFCA, CFCA, FFCC
Meryl Streep (3) - SEFCA
Tilda Swinton (2) - HFCS
Viola Davis (1) - AAFCA
Elizabeth Olsen (1)
Rooney Mara (1) - SLFC
Brit Marling (1) - SDFCS
Yun Jung-Hee (1)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Albert Brooks (11) - AAFCA, HFCS, LVFCS, CFCA, FFCC, SLFC
Christopher Plummer (6) - SEFCA, TFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA
Nick Nolte (1) - SDFCS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (4) - TFCA, CFCA
Shaileen Woodley (4) - SDFCS, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC
Melissa McCarthy (3) - LVFCS
Vanessa Redgrave (1)
Octavia Spencer (1)
Berenice Bejo (1) - SLFC
Janet McTeer (1) - SEFCA
Carey Mulligan (1) - DFCS
Adepero Oduye (1) - AAFCA
Viola Davis (1)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Artist (3) - CCFA, FFCC, SLFC
Midnight in Paris (2) - SEFCA, SDFCS
A Separation (1)
50/50 (1)
Margin Call (1)
Win Win (1)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants (8) - SEFCA, HFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, SLFC
Moneyball (7) - TFCA, SDFCS, LVFCS, DFCS, CCFA
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1)
I Will Follow (1) - AAFCA

The Artist remains the frontrunner with the critics with its actor, supporting actress, and script also getting some love this week. The biggest mover this week, however, is Michelle Williams who has built a significant lead with the critics over her fellow actresses while Albert Brooks continues to dominate his category albeit with some tough competition from Christopher Plummer. The other categories are virtually free-for-alls which makes for a disjointed, but exciting awards race. The most intense competition seems to be happening in the Original Screenplay category between The Descendants and Moneyball.

Last week I mentioned to watch out for the unseen films such as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, War Horse, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, but other than Rooney Mara surprise win with St. Louis critics, they haven't made much of a dent with the critics. But then again, there are still about a dozen or so groups left.

Birthday Hotties: Brad Pitt & Josh Dallas

2011-12-18T15:36:00.004-05:00

Two blond prince charmings celebrate their birthdays today. One is getting plenty of Oscar buzz, while the other is in one of the few success stories of the new fall TV season.

The first one needs no introduction as Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt turns 48 today coming off a fantastic year in film. Just this week, he was nominated for a Golden Globe, SAG Award, and BFCA Award for his portrayal of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in Moneyball. All of that coupled with his celebrity status, almost assures him his third Oscar nomination and is a real threat to win his first. He also appeared in this year Cannes-winning film The Tree of Life where I thought he delivered a better performance as the strict father figure.

Relative newcomer Josh Dallas is the other birthday celebrant today turning just 30 years old. He first caught my eye when he appeared in one episode of Hawaii Five-0 last season, but caught my attention again when he appeared in one of the few pleasantly surprising films for me this year, Thor. He just had a bit part there as one of Thor's friends in battle. Despite that, he is probably more well-known now as playing Prince Charming on ABC's Once Upon A Time. While I was initially down on the show, Dallas' chemistry with Ginnifer Goodwin (who plays Snow White) and their respective and interwoven stories are my favorites parts and make me look forward to the show more and more each week.

And just in case, I didn't mention it and you were blind, both of these guys are ridiculous easy on the eyes, too, aren't they? Bastards.

Quick TV Thoughts

2011-12-18T13:18:00.004-05:00

No rankings this week since only about a handful of shows were actually on, so just a few quick reactions to each.

The Amazing Race - Didn't blog about this past season at all, but the team that I randomly picked to root for in the first episode ended up winning. Cindy/Ernie may not have been the most lovable team or even the most exciting and Cindy at times had a painfully holier-than-thou attitude, but they ran a good and consistent race and made all the right decisions in the final leg to win. I was especially glad they beat out Jeremy/Sandy who I couldn't believe actually made it that far. Props to Marcus/Amani for making it to the final three as well. Not the most exciting season. The casting was a bit bland and I've already forgotten what happened, but it's a show I will only stop watching when they stop airing it.

The Good Wife - This was the perfect episode to leave us until the show comes back in January. So many juicy things transpired and storylines I'm dying to get back to. First there's the beginnings of the thawing of the Great Cold War between Kalinda and Alicia after Alicia finally learned how Kalinda found Grace. The episode also gave us an "angry Alicia" scene, which I always love, when she threatened to sue Cary in some civil action suit if he didn't release Kalinda (arrested for harassing jurors). Speaking of angry, this was the first time I was impressed with Chris Noth's portrayal of Peter. The way he turned on the charm at the beginning only to delve back into his darker side towards the end was bone chilling. Finally, I loved the bombshell twist Wendy Scott Carr delivered Will. I already miss this show!

Once Upon A Time - I'm not exactly sure what I thought of this episode. It was a great showcase for Jamie Dornan of course, but the writers didn't really do anything new and exciting with the Hunstman story. First of all, my friends and I predicted he'd be the Hunstman from the first episode and were just a bit disappointed at how obvious it was. In any case, Graham remembering his fairy tale past after kissing Emma (just have her kiss the whole town!) was intriguing, but did they really have to kill him off? Is he really dead? I wished I cared more.

Terra Nova - When I saw this week's episode, I thought it was the season finale and when it ended I was ready to tear down the show for not only giving us a relatively disappointing season, but also for providing us with the worst/weakest finale ever. So when I saw the promo for next week's action-packed two-hour finale, I had to re-evaluate my feelings for the episode which in this new context wasn't terrible, but still a bit anti-climactic. From Skye's exposure as the mole to Taylor/Lucas' big reunion, it all felt rushed and a bit inconsequential. Despite my negative/neutral reviews this whole season, I am still rooting for this show. Hope it can end on a high note then have some time to tweak itself if it comes back.

Glee - Not the worst episode this season, because wow that bar has been set below sea level, and it actually helped that there really was no discernible plot marking this episode almost as a one-off. If you approached the episode as some weird gay Christmas dream that you can forget about the next day, it becomes tolerable. A few of the numbers were cute and I did miss the whole gang together again after the faux drama of splitting everyone up this season. The black-and-white show was cheesiness to the max that was equal parts cringe-worthy and fabulous. I'm also enjoying Sam's new-found levelheadedness and maturity which I'll just hope would be contagious in the new year for everyone else. I'm looking at you, Sue.

New Girl - I think the episode was good? I honestly wasn't paying attention, but it really wasn't the show's fault since I find myself multitasking with some of these shows I'm not fully invested in. Nick being involved with Jess and Paul's break-up was pretty funny, but I found Schmidt's sexy Santa thing only mildly amusing. Winston bonding with the boy, and also having scenes with Schmidt's boss, has potential. The end was supposed to be cute, I think, but I just found it forced and a bit annoying. Hm, I just described this show in one sentence didn't I?

The Year With Katie Couric - Basically it was two hours of Katie recapping what transpired during the year. It was on the background as I did other stuff. It was pretty much lots of people protesting, lots of people being obsessed with the Kardashians, lots of people affected by disasters, lots of people breaking through and loving Ryan Gosling or Adele or being obsessed with the royal wedding, and people like Liz Taylor and Amy Winehouse leaving us. Bring it 2012.

Video: 2011 Cinematic Joy

2011-12-17T10:56:00.002-05:00

Yet another end of year film montage, but the maker of this one was responsible for my favorite year-end montage last year. He does it again this year, of course, using U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" (featured on the trailers for Extremely Loud & Incredible Close) to score almost all of it until the very last few seconds where, like last year, he ends with the beautiful score by Michael Giachinno (Lost, Super 8).

The Holy Trinity of Acting Nominations

2011-12-16T16:44:00.004-05:00

When an actor has been nominated by the BFCA, SAG, and Golden Globes, aka the holy trinity of acting nominations (in terms of key precursors for the Oscars), it almost always means they are headed towards an Oscar nomination. You have the critics, the industry, and journalists all represented there. Now, there are definitely exceptions with Mila Kunis last year as a recent example of someone who was nominated for all three, but failing to garner an Oscar nomination. In any case, this year 13 actors find themselves in this position and all of them seem very likely, if not locked, for an Oscar nod.

You'd think they'd be a little happier?

Actor: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jean Dujardin, Leonardo DiCaprio

Actress: Michelle Williams, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Tilda Swinton

Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Kenneth Branagh

Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer, Berenice Bejo

If anyone is in a weak position, it's DiCaprio, but he's in a Clint Eastwood film, playing a famous person while wearing tons of prosthetic make-up, and is "due." Now, there are a few actors that just missed out on getting the holy trinity by just one organization. They all technically are still in the conversation for an Oscar nod, but some definitely have higher chances than others.

Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Charlize Theron, and Albert Brooks all missed out on SAG nominations, perhaps because their films aren't as accessible as other films. Though in the case of Gosling, he received three different nominations (two of them Golden Globes) for three different films which puts him in a more precarious position than others. The Descendant's Shailene Woodley also failed to register with the SAG, but her youth and the fact that she's nominated along with her ensemble makes it more understandable.

Glenn Close and her Albert Nobbs co-star Janet McTeer were both snubbed by the BFCA which seemed even more egregious since the organization nominates 6 per category. Jonah Hill also missed out with the BFCA. Finally, Nick Nolte and Melissa McCarthy failed Golden Globe nominations. Perhaps the HFPA didn't find either of them "Hollywood" enough?

In any case, all of them still have a good a chance as any other actor in the same or worse position they're finding themselves in now. The only almost sure bet with this group is for Albert Brooks to get nominated, but again who knows?

On the outside with realistic chances are actors such as Carey Mulligan, Vanessa Redgrave, Armie Hammer, Patton Oswalt, Elizabeth Olsen, Gary Oldman, and Michael Shannon.

Birthday Girl: Michelle Dockery

2011-12-15T23:43:00.002-05:00

Happy 30th Birthday Michelle Dockery!

Michelle who? Well, if you watch the Emmy winning (and more recently Golden Globe nominated) show Downton Abbey then you would know that she plays the oldest daughter Lady Mary Crawley. Mary is known for being tough as nail and downright abrasive on the outside, but her hidden depths and struggles make her one of the most complicated and interesting character on the show. Her rocky (and epic) romance with Matthew Crawley, played by the equally pretty and talented Dan Stevens, is one of my favorite elements on the show, but her character is fabulous all on her own as well.

Now I've only seen Dockery on this one show, unless you count her 1 or 2-minute scene in this year's Hanna playing Cate Blanchett's double who meets an untimely end in the hands of Saoirse Ronan, so I hope she starts appearing in more things soon. She did seem to impress Hanna director Joe Wright enough for her to appear in his next film Anna Karenina, but unfortunately she's not playing the lead role. Hollywood, give her something!

Golden Globes: Film Nominations

2011-12-15T19:36:00.001-05:00

The Artist solidifies its front-runner status as it nabbed a leading 6 nominations this morning followed closely by The Descendants and The Help at 5 nods each. The big winner today though was George Clooney's The Ides of March which notched four nominations after being largely ignored this awards season. Overall, no big shocks and some pleasant surprises. At the very least the Comedy/Musical nominations this year are light years better than they were last year.

Best Director

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Things are far from set in this category, but regardless Hazanavisius and Scorsese, two names that gave presenter Sofia Vergara the most trouble, should be set for Oscars, but the other spots are literally up for grabs with still many super famous names and critical favorites in line.

Best Motion Picture, Drama

The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse
The Descendants

The biggest snubs seem to be The Tree of Life and Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud, both of which were completely shut out today. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy also came up empty, but that was more expected. Apart from The Ides of March and possibly War Horse, the rest should garner Best Picture nods

Best Actor, Drama

George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

My, my what a certifiably fuckable list. I mean talented. Such a talented list. Clooney and Pitt are Oscar-bound yet again and possibly Leonardo DiCaprio as well with all three repeating their SAG nominations yesterday. Michael Shannon and Gary Oldman really needed to show up here and Ryan Gosling, doubly nominated this year, just has too many films people want to honor. More on that later.

Best Actress, Drama

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

This is fantastic for Rooney Mara and Glenn Close since the other three are assured Oscar nominations (Davis and Streep) or at least very close to it (Swinton). In Close's case, she went from DOA to true contender with a nod here to match her SAG nomination yesterday. Not so good news to Elizabeth Olsen and Charlize Theron.

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

I haven't seen The Artist, which again is the Oscar frontrunner, but wow what a line-up of films. This category always gives us some dubious nominees but not this year! I'm especially happy that 50/50 and Midnight in Paris are being recognized.

Best Actor, Comedy or Musical

Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Dujardin is probably the only one here who will be nominated for an Oscar, but like the category above, this is a great line-up (I would say it's equally fuckable as the Drama section, but I'm not really into Gleeson). I'm especially tickled at Gordon-Levitt and Wilson, the latter the best I've ever seen him in any film. Now about Ryan Gosling. Three nominations this week and all for three different films. People clearly love him (how could you not?) but his fans don't know where to focus the love for Oscars.

Best Actress, Comedy or Musical

Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Three Oscar winners, an Oscar nominee, and Kristen Wiig. Not bad at all. The biggest surprise here are the sudden appearance of the Carnage ladies and yet it's not THAT surprising. What other performances were there this year? I'm rooting for Michelle Williams here slightly especially since she's the only one here who seems to be heading to the Oscars this year.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

After the inexplicable SAG snub, Brooks is back in the game giving his film its one and only nomination. He is joined by Plummer and Branagh, all three look like good bets for the Oscars. Hill matches his SAG nod yesterday which means his chances of getting his first Oscar nomination just went up by a lot. Happy to see Mortensen recognized, but he has strong competition for Oscars. Patton Oswalt, Armie Hammer, and Nick Nolte just missed.

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain , The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Pretty shocking to see Melissa McCarthy miss out here after going on a tear the past week or so and especially by the evident love they have for her film. With that said, her SAG nomination still makes her likely to be nominated. Tough luck for Vanessa Redgrace and Carey Mulligan. There's always BAFTA, but the momentum is just not there for either one. Chastain or Spencer for the win here.

Best Animated Film

The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss In Boots
Rango

Everyone else chose to ignore Pixar this year, except I guess these people who missed the memo. They could've at least recognized Winnie the Pooh! In any case, this is between Tintin and Rango and both will similarly duke it out at the Oscars.

Best Foreign Language Film

The Flowers of War (China)
In The Land of Blood and Honey (USA)
The Kid WIth The Bike (Belgium)
A Separation (Iran)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)

A Separation continues its impressive run through awards season. It'll certainly get nominated, but Oscars don't follow the hype (even if deserved) here. Angelina's directorial debut film also makes it in, which duh.

Best Screenplay

The Artist
The Descendants
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball

The Ides of March is the only surprise here with the competition to win between The Descendants (Jim Rash!) and Moneyball. All look likely for an Oscar bid with Ides of March the possible weak link.

Best Score

The Artist
W.E.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse

Madonna's film makes it in which makes me think they just wanted her to walk the red carpet ala Angelina Jolie, but whatever. I have no clue who was in the running for this or who was snub, though I suppose this was the place I expected to see Harry Potter, whose star seems to be fading fast this awards season.

Best Song
"Lay Your Head Down," Albert Nobbs
"Hello Hello," Gnomeo and Juliet
"The Living Proof," The Help
"The Keeper," Machine Gun Preacher
"Masterpiece," W.E.

No Muppets? Lame. And I'm already tired writing about awards. The end.

Click here to see my thoughts on the TV nominations.

Golden Globes: TV Nominations

2011-12-15T18:32:00.002-05:00

After the woeful decisions the Screen Actors Guild made yesterday, there really was nowhere to go but up with these Golden Globe nominations. They aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but the Globes don't really take TV that seriously anyways. With that said, the list is full of new shows with Downton Abbey and Mildred Pierce sharing the honor of amassing the most nominations with 4 each.

Best Television Series, Drama

American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

Last year's winner Boardwalk Empire is the only returning show in this very premium cable-heavy line-up. That pretty much tells you the sad state of affairs broadcast TV is in. The Good Wife and Breaking Bad should be on here, but since I only watch one show here (Game of Thrones) I can't really say which show to take out.

Best Actor, Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

Rinse and repeat my comments up top. I've only seen Cranston's performance from the lot so there's not much to say, except to comment on Grammer's 9th Globe nomination. They really, really like him. No Michael C. Hall or Kyle Chandler which is a shame, but there's also nary a mention of Patrick J. Adams either.

Best Actress, Drama

Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

I have no idea who Callie Thorne is, but just for the fact that Stowe is included in this list makes this slightly better than the SAG nominees for me. Apparently Danes is really, really good on her show and will be tough to beat even by the good wife.

Best Television Series, Comedy

New Girl
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family

Meh. That's pretty much my reaction to these nominees. I like New Girl and Modern Family, but I don't love them and y'all know my feelings about Glee. And as I said yesterday, the omission of Parks & Recreation on these awards shows is simply laughable. Moving on.

Best Actor, Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

How do they not honor Steve Carrell's last season or Emmy winner Ty Burrell? I'm also very confused as to how Galecki, who is pleasant enough, made it over his co-star and last year's winner, Jim Parsons. Then again at least they held off in nominating Morrison again, so that's a point in their favor.

Best Actress, Comedy

Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Laura Linney, The Big C

This is definitely preferable from yesterday's SAG nods if only since they appropriately honored Poehler. I expected Melissa McCarthy to show up here as well after her Emmy win and awards season momentum, but seems like the HFPA didn't get her at all. Alas, Betty White was denied. Didn't know that was still possible.

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie

The Hour
Downton Abbey
Cinema Verite
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail

Was Sherlock not eligible? Let's just say yes and move on. I'm pretty okay with these nominations. I've seen The Hour, Downton Abbey, and Mildred Pierce and as I said before those latter two led in the nominations. This award is probably Downton Abbey's to lose.

Best Actor, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Bill Nigh, Page Eight
Dominic West, The Hour

Weird to see West nominated and not his co-star Ben Whishaw, but it does hilariously put him up against his old The Wire co-star Idris Elba. Usually the biggest star wins these awards. So that would be...?

Best Actress, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

What a lovely set of ladies. I'm of course happy for Kate Winslet who was double nominated today after getting a nod for her film Carnage as well, but I'm thrilled to see Romola Garai make it in. Winslet should come out on top though, as she should.

Best Supporting Actor

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Very happy to see Dinklage here, but I'm still shocked that Aaron Paul is not getting more dues like his Breaking Bad co-star. I'm also a bit surprised that Stonestreet makes it in despite a stronger year for the other actors in his show namely Ty Burrell. And his is of course the only broadcast TV nominations. Sorry Neil Patrick Harris or last year's winner Chris Colfer.

Best Supporting Actress

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

This is actually a pretty great list. A little disappointed that Archie Panjabi didn't make it in or even someone like Naya Rivera, but I wasn't expecting them to be. And while I'm not surprised to see Vergara nominated, I thought her co-star and Emmy winner Julie Bowen would show up here as well.

Click to see my thoughts on the film nominations.