85th Annual Academy Award (Oscars) Winners

The following were the winners at the 85th annual Academy Awards when the Oscar ceremonies were held February 24, 2013.
Best Picture: Argo
Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Best Original Screenplay: Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Best Adapted Screenplay: Argo, Chris Terrio
Best Animated Feature: Brave
Best Cinematography: Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Best Costume Design: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short: Inocente
Best Film Editing: Argo, William Goldenberg
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour, Austria
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
Best Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Best Original Song: “Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
Best Production Design: Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
Best Animated Short: Paperman
Best Live Action Short: Curfew
Best Sound Editing: (TIE) Zero Dark Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson; Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Best Sound Mixing: Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Best Visual Effects: Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott

85th Annual Oscar Predictions

The following are my predictions for the 85th annual Academy Awards when the Oscar ceremonies are held February 24th 2013.

Best Picture:  Argo

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Best Actress:  Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actress:  Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Best Director: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Best Original Screenplay:  Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal

Best Adapted Screenplay:  Argo, Chris Terrio

Best Animated Feature:  Wreck-It Ralph

Best Cinematography:  Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda

Best Costume Design:  Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran

Best Documentary Feature: Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short:  Inocente

Best Film Editing:  Argo, William Goldenberg

Best Foreign Language Film:  Amour, Austria

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:  Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Best Original Score:  Life of Pi, Mychael Danna

Best Original Song:  “Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth

Best Production Design:  Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

Best Animated Short:  Paperman

Best Live Action Short:  Curfew

Best Sound Editing:  Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton

Best Sound Mixing:  Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes

Best Visual Effects:  Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott

Recipes for Disaster by Tess Rafferty

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (October 30, 2012)

I never thought that I could read a humorous book about food but that is what Tess Rafferty has written.  While trying to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, Rafferty started hosting dinner parties for friends.

The former writer for The Soup has recounted many of her dinner parties over the course of almost 300 pages including some of the worst kitchen disasters she has experienced.  Rafferty even sprinkles in tips and recipes throughout the book.

She tells her story with heart, honesty, and obviously, humor.  She unveils the lengths that she went through to please her house guests and there is not a person out there who has not experienced a similar story.

The next time you think about having a dinner party for friends, read Rafferty's book.  It's as if you are right there with her.

19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Winners

EW's Oscar writer Anthony Breznican stresses the following in his recap of tonight's SAG Awards:

We have another month for Academy voters to figure out whether amends have already been made for Affleck’s snub, or if it still galvanizes them to check off Argo on those final ballots.

19th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: ARGO (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Abraham Lincoln - "LINCOLN” (Touchstone Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Tiffany - “SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK” (The Weinstein Company)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: TOMMY LEE JONES / Thaddeus Stevens - “LINCOLN” (Touchstone Pictures)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: ANNE HATHAWAY / Fantine - “LES MISÉRABLES” (Universal Pictures)

PRIMETIME TELEVISION 
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: KEVIN COSTNER / “Devil Anse” Hatfield - “HATFIELDS & McCOYS” (History)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: JULIANNE MOORE / Sarah Palin - “GAME CHANGE” (HBO)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: CLAIRE DANES / Carrie Mathison - “HOMELAND” (Showtime)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - “30 ROCK” (NBC)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS) Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: 30 ROCK (NBC)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Dick Van Dyke

SAG AWARDS HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: SKYFALL (Columbia Pictures)
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: GAME OF THRONES (HBO)

Barack Obama's 2nd Inaugural Address

The full text of Barack Obama's 2nd Inaugural Address as prepared for delivery is below.

Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution.  We affirm the promise of our democracy.  We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names.  What makes us exceptional - what makes us American - is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Book Review: The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (January 15, 2013)

Beecher White is back!  Picking up two months after the events of The Inner Circle, we are in for another successful page-turning conspiracy thriller from Meltzer.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, Meltzer takes us on a twisty turn as he gets us to the conclusion of the novel.

This book moves at a fast pace, full of the classic Meltzer wit and some history facts thrown in as well.

In The Fifth Assassin, Beecher White is facing a serial killer that is out there recreating four presidential assassinations.

Beecher discovers the truth that all four assassins were working together.  He seeks to find out their purpose, who they are working for, and why they are trying to kill Orson Wallace.  In doing so, he's going to have an in-face meeting with the fifth assassin.

It's clear that Meltzer knows his presidential history and that he did his research on the assassins.  His research really shows in the page-turning action.

Brad is one of those authors that really knows what he is doing and he churns out at least one novel every other year.  I can't wait to see where Beecher White goes in the next piece of work.

From 7th grade onto maybe 2008, John Grisham was my favorite author.  Brad Meltzer has passed him up in my book.

The Manti Te'o Scandal

What the hell?!?

That is probably what everybody was thinking when Deadspin broke the scandal late Wednesday afternoon saying that Manti Teo's girlfriend didn't die of cancer because she never existed in the first place.  The same one that Pete Thamel wrote about in the 2012 season.

Notre Dame later responded through a university spokesperson rather than via the Athletic Department.  Later, Te'o himself issued a statement to the press.

As is the case with several in the sports media world, I'm not buying it.  Not for one minute.  Not when the university claims to have known since the end of December.  Not when Te'o was still answering questions about it during the BCS media days on January 3rd.

Q.  Manti, how have the football‑related commotion and excitement of the past year helped you get through the turmoil you've faced with your grandmother and girlfriend?  And how have the quiet periods been for you, given you more time to reflect?  Is that a good thing or double edged?
MANTI TE'O:  I think whenever you're in football, it takes your mind off a lot of things.  You know, this team is very special to me, and the guys on it have always been there for me, through the good times and the bad times.  I rarely have a quiet time to myself because I always have somebody calling me, asking, do you want to go to the movies.  Coach is always calling me asking me, "Are you okay?  Do you need anything?"  I have three roommates, Zeke, Carlo and Robby Toma, who are always yelling at each other, who's going to play Call of Duty.  I'm rarely by myself, and that's how I like it.  I'm always around my guys, always around my family.

He could have said that he didn't have a girlfriend but he didn't.

Reagan Mauia, an Arizona Cardinals fullback, tells ESPN that he met her.  At this point nobody even knows what the hell is going on right now.

Jack Swarbrick, the athletic director for Notre Dame, is willing to go as far as covering for any of the football team yet nobody at Notre Dame has even answered for the death of Lizzy Seeberg.  That's the real tragedy.  Players assaulted her and she was forced to remain silent because they were football players at Notre Dame.  Anywhere else, those players get kicked off the team.  Not at Notre Dame.  They are backed up by the coaches and administration.

Meanwhile, Pete Thamel goes to Alabama and Turkey to investigate Kentucky players but when it comes to a football player's girlfriend, he never even makes an attempt to meet the family.  This Slate article is a MUST READ!

At a Wednesday night press conference, the university claims that it was Te'o who was duped.  I disagree.  It was the American media and America that was punk'd in the process.

The latest on Jack Conway

Jack Conway was recently interviewed by the AP.  He's taking a serious look at running for Governor.

"To me, it's still awfully early," he said Friday. "But there's been a lot of jockeying. It seems the ink wasn't even dry on Steve Beshear's re-election and people were already talking about it." [...]

"There's still a lot of time," he said. "If I think I can be successful in accomplishing some things, then I will sit down and talk to my family about it, and we'll make a family decision. But I'm going to take a very, very serious look at it." [...]

"Crit and I talk regularly," Conway said. "I don't' think Crit and I will get ourselves in a position where we are trying to beat each other to the punch."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/01/14/2475536/ap-interview-conway-serious-about.html#storylink=rss?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy

 He would be in a good position in 2015.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/01/14/2475536/ap-interview-conway-serious-about.html#storylink=rss?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2013/01/14/2475536/ap-interview-conway-serious-about.html#storylink=rss?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy

Oh, Morsi...

What an idiot!

70th Golden Globe Awards Winners

Best Motion Picture — Drama
Argo

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Best Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical

Les Miserables

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Director — Motion Picture
Ben Affleck, Argo

Best Screenplay — Motion Picture

Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino

Best Original Score — Motion Picture
Life of Pi, Michael Danna

Best Original Song — Motion Picture
“Skyfall” (music and lyrics by Adel and Paul Epworth), Skyfall

Best Animated Film
Brave

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour

Best Television Series — Drama
Homeland

Best Television Series — Comedy Or Musical

Girls

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Damian Lewis, Homeland

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys


Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Julianne Moore, Game Change

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Ed Harris, Game Change

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series — Comedy Or Musical

Lena Dunham, Girls

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series — Comedy Or Musical

Don Cheadle, House of Lies

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Game Change

Cecil B. DeMille Award
Jodie Foster

70th Golden Globe Awards Predictions

I'm making predictions really quickly and not formatting headings or titles.  These predictions are not as much who I want to win as it is who I believe will win based on voting patterns of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Best Motion Picture — Drama: Lincoln
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical: Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Director — Motion Picture: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Best Screenplay — Motion Picture: Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Best Original Score — Motion Picture: Lincoln, John Williams
Best Original Song — Motion Picture: “Skyfall” (music and lyrics by Adel and Paul Epworth), Skyfall
Best Animated Film: Wreck-It Ralph
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour

Best Television Series — Drama: Homeland
Best Television Series — Comedy Or Musical: Modern Family
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama: Damian Lewis, Homeland
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Kevin Costner, Hatfields and McCoys
Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Julianne Moore, Game Change
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television: Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series — Comedy Or Musical: Amy Poehler, Parks And Recreation
Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series — Comedy Or Musical: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television" Game Change

Cecil B. DeMille Award
Jodie Foster

18th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards winners

While the Oscars were announced this morning, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards were announced tonight on the CW.

BEST PICTURE: Argo
BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
BEST ACTRESS: Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS: Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE: Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR: Ben Affleck – Argo
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Quentin Tarantino – Django Unchained
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Tony Kushner – Lincoln
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Life of Pi – Claudio Miranda
BEST ART DIRECTION: Anna Karenina – Sarah Greenwood/Production Designer, Katie Spencer/Set Decorator
BEST EDITING: Zero Dark Thirty – William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Anna Karenina – Jacqueline Durran
BEST MAKEUP: Cloud Atlas
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: Life of Pi
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Wreck-It Ralph
BEST ACTION MOVIE: Skyfall
BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE: Daniel Craig – Skyfall
BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE: Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games
BEST COMEDY: Silver Linings Playbook
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY: Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY: Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE: Looper
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Amour
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Searching for Sugar Man
BEST SONG: “Skyfall” – performed by Adele/written by Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth – Skyfall
BEST SCORE: Lincoln – John Williams

85th Annual Academy Awards Nominations

The following are nominated for the 85th annual Academy Awards when the Oscar ceremonies are held February 24th 2013.


Best Picture
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Argo
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director
Michael Haneke, Amour
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Original Screenplay
Amour, Michael Haneke
Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino
Flight, John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal


Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo, Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin,
Life of Pi, David Magee
Lincoln, Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell


Best Animated Feature:
Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Cinematography
Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda
Lincoln, Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall, Roger Deakins

Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables, Paco Delgado
Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman, Colleen Atwood

Best Documentary Feature
5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short
Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption

Best Film Editing
Argo, William Goldenberg
Life of Pi, Tim Squyres
Lincoln, Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty, Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour, Austria
Kon-Tiki, Norway
No, Chile
A Royal Affair, Denmark
War Witch, Canada

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Hitchcock, Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
Les Misérables, Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell

Best Original Score
Anna Karenina, Dario Marianelli
Argo, Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi, Mychael Danna
Lincoln, John Williams
Skyfall, Thomas Newman

Best Original Song
“Before My Time” from Chasing Ice, music and lyric by J. Ralph
“Everybody Needs A Best Friend” from Ted, music by Walter Murphy; lyric by Seth MacFarlane
“Pi’s Lullaby” from Life of Pi, music by Mychael Danna; lyric by Bombay Jayashri
“Skyfall” from Skyfall, music and lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” from Les Misérables, music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil

Best Production Design
Anna Karenina, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables, Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi, Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Lincoln, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Best Animated Short
Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head over Heels
Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”
Paperman

Best Live Action Short
Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow
Henry

Best Sound Editing
Argo, Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained, Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi, Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Skyfall, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Dark Thirty, Paul N.J. Ottosson

Best Sound Mixing
Argo, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Misérables, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi, Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln, Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

Best Visual Effects
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
Life of Pi, Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
The Avengers, Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus, Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman, Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Book Review: The Middlesteins

Hardcover: 288 pages (272 of main text)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (October 23, 2012)

The Middlesteins is the creation of Jami Attenberg.  To say that this is the story of a very dysfunctional Jewish family would be putting it lightly.

This is a story about Edie and Richard Middlestein, a married couple living in the Chicago suburbs.  Edie has a problem.  She cannot stop eating.  Because of this, Richard falls out of love with her and leaves.

This causes a problem.  Their daughter, Robin, is not the least bit happy about this and it changes her entire relationship with her father.  Their son, Benny, and daughter-in-law, Rachelle, try to do what they can to have a relationship with both and try and save Edie's life.

It isn't enough.  Regardless of that, Attenberg uses "pitch-perfect prose, huge compassion, and sly humor" to bring us only what can be described as "an epic story of marriage, family, and obsession."

While I enjoyed reading this book, it's that final chapter that really got to my emotions.  It isn't just the storytelling that got to me but the sympathy, too.

Fiscal Cliff

This recent Congressional term could not have ended sooner.

By far, this has been the least productive Congress that anyone can ever recall.

It gets worse.  The Republican Tea Party has sold their souls to Grover Norquist in order to prevent passage of anything that raises taxes for the wealthiest Americans.  In essence, by not voting against tax hikes for a few, they are supporting tax hikes for everyone without placing a single vote in the House of Representatives.

House Speaker John Boehner's legacy has been set today.  He will go down as one of the worst Speakers of the House.

The thing with the GOP is that they are putting the good of a few over the good of everybody in the country.  They are putting their egos before the country.  It's not right and shouldn't be.

This is a party that has shown they don't want to exist anymore.  The Republican Party, as we used to know it, is dead as can be.  They are never coming back into existence.  Maybe in the form of a third party but who knows.

Because of John Boehner's failure to lead, unemployment benefits will expire for 2 million Americans.  These Americans will likely be forced to file for bankruptcy, no doubt.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution has more details on the fiscal cliff deal. 

2012 in Film

While I am not a professional critic, I’m posting my awards for this year’s crop in film.  Like the past few years, any film that is released limited but does not open locally until after the new year is not eligible for this past year.  So, without any further adieu, I present the Solzy Awards for 2012.

Top 10 Films of 2012

Silver Linings Playbook
Lincoln
The Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises
Safety Not Guaranteed
Moonrise Kingdom
Ruby Sparks
Pitch Perfect
Argo
Django Unchained

Seven Bonus Films of 2012

Skyfall
The Sessions
Flight
Friends with Kids
The Hunger Games
The Campaign
Life of Pi

Best Drama: Lincoln
Best Comedy: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Animated Feature: Wreck-It Ralph
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln

Best Comic Book Movie: The Avengers
Best Musical Movie: Pitch Perfect

Drama

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Breakthrough Performance in Drama: Suraj Sharma, Life of Pi

Comedy

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Breakthrough Performance in Comedy: Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom

Surprising Performance in a Comedy from a Dramatic Actor: Channing Tatum, 21 Jump Street
Most Likely To Be In Every Movie This Year: Channing Tatum (Haywire, 21 Jump Street, The Vow, Magic Mike)

Favorite 10 Comedies of 2012

Silver Linings Playbook
Pitch Perfect
The Campaign
Friends with Kids
Hope Springs
Safety Not Guaranteed
Moonrise Kingdom
The Five-Year Engagement
This is 40
Ted

Some Bonus Comedies of 2012

21 Jump Street
Wanderlust
Ruby Sparks
American Reunion
Hit and Run
For a Good Time, Call...
The Guilt Trip

The next list consists only of the film(s) I saw this year and that's after reading the reviews!

Worst Movie of 2012
Fun Size

2012 Solzy Awards

I started tweeting these the other day but here are the 2012 Solzy Awards.

Best Basketball Book (Tie): 100 Things Wildcats Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die by Ryan Clark  and Joe Cox, The Last Great Game by Gene Wojciechowski, Dream Team by Jack McCallum

Best Baseball Book: One Last Strike by Tony La Russa

Best Comedic Book on Politics: America Again by Stephen Colbert

Best Political Memoir: A Nation of Wusses by Ed Rendell

Best Fiction Novel: Lunatics by Alan Zweibel and Dave Barry

Most Anticipated Book of 2013: The Fifth Assassin by Brad Meltzer

Best Album (tie): Safe Travels by Jukebox the Ghost, Wrecking Ball by Bruce Springsteen

Best Kentucky Sportswriter: Larry Vaught

Best National Basketball Writer: Mike DeCourcy

Best Group of Sports Bloggers: United Cardinal Bloggers

Best Kentucky Broadcaster (Tie): Tom Leach, Bob Valvano

Best New Television Comedy: Ben and Kate (FOX)

Best New Television Drama: Revolution (NBC)

Most Annoying Person on Television...Period: Skip Bayless (ESPN)

President Obama attends Newtown vigil

The president was in Newtown to attend a vigil to remember the victims.  While I link to the text of the full speech, here is an excerpt that shows that President Barack Obama means business.

I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no.  We’re not doing enough.  And we will have to change.

Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart by a mass shooting.  The fourth time we’ve hugged survivors.  The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of victims.  And in between, there have been an endless series of deadly shootings across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of them children, in small towns and big cities all across America -- victims whose -- much of the time, their only fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We can’t tolerate this anymore.  These tragedies must end.  And to end them, we must change.  We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true.  No single law -- no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society.

New York City and Boston Mayors Speak Out on Gun Control

The co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns have spoken out after Friday's shooting.

Michael Bloomberg:

With all the carnage from gun violence in our country, it's still almost impossible to believe that a mass shooting in a kindergarten class could happen. It has come to that. Not even kindergarteners learning their ABC's are safe. We heard after Columbine that it was too soon to talk about gun laws. We heard it after Virginia Tech. After Tucson and Aurora and Oak Creek. And now we are hearing it again. For every day we wait, 34 more people are murdered with guns. Today, many of them were five-year olds. President Obama rightly sent his heartfelt condolences to the families in Newtown. But the country needs him to send a bill to Congress to fix this problem. Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before. What we have not seen is leadership - not from the White House and not from Congress. That must end today. This is a national tragedy and it demands a national response. My deepest sympathies are with the families of all those affected, and my determination to stop this madness is stronger than ever.

Thomas Menino:

As a parent and grandparent, I am overcome with both grief and outrage by the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. This unspeakable act of violence will forever imprint this day in our hearts and minds. My heart goes out to the families impacted by this senseless tragedy and the many others we have recently witnessed across the United States. As a Mayor who has witnessed too many lives forever altered by gun violence, it is my responsibility to fight for action. Today's tragedy reminds us that now is the time for action. Innocent children will now never attend a prom, never play in a big game, never step foot on a college campus. Now is the time for a national policy on guns that takes the loopholes out of the laws, the automatic weapons out of our neighborhoods and the tragedies like today out of our future.

1775: A Good Year for Revolution

Hardcover: 656 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (November 27, 2012)

I'm a big history buff and that's what found me interested in reading 1775: A Good Year for Revolution by Kevin Phillips.  For most Americans, 1776 is seen as the biggest year for the Revolutionary War.  After all, it's the year that saw the adoption and signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Not so fast, argues Phillips.  The political and economic commentator decided "to write about a United States taking shape rather than losing headway."  Phillips goes on to explain why 1776 is not the "watershed year" and makes the argument that 1776 has been elevated by mythology because of "an unusual case of historical hype and confusion."

Phillips calls 1775 a critical year as it is the year when the American commitment to revolution took shape.  He goes on to focus on several events and confrontations, including the start of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.

This book offers some insights into our own times as well as the country that the USA became.