The weekend is a nice time to put all our worries aside. Put a pin in them, as the saying goes. Cut loose, let your hair down, Frankie Say Relax! I'm not trying to brag here, but I had a pretty awesome weekend full of improv, making an ass of myself, and the Oscars! Yay! Shiny!
Improv Jams are awesome, and the Lady Jam is even more awesome, for two main reasons--1. it's for ladies, and 2. DANCE PARTY! It's fun that it's for ladies because the idea of ladies supporting ladies is really important. It's not about excluding guys (in fact, there were several gentlemen there, a Front Row Dudes chant, and the host brought a guy up for one jam). It's about including and supporting your fellow women players. And of course, the dance party. It's just effing fun.
The other really fun part of jams is the party after the jam. All the cool kids head out to the same bar and enjoy a few drinks and some more good times. And that is where I am afforded the opportunity to make an ass of myself. I do it like this: experienced improviser whom I've watched for years introduces herself to me, I gush, she tries to get away, I feel foolish. Still though, I'd do it again!
I also had my Improv 101 Grad show this past weekend. That was also very fun. People actually come to watch! Like woah! We're not awesome, but we try, and expectations are low. We said words, we made characters, we performed scenes, and people laughed. Success!
After the show my friend Riley and I went on a search for a bar showing the Oscars. It was not that difficult. We sat and watched for a bit and tried to read lips since the bar didn't have the closed caption on. It was good times. Then I rushed home at a commercial break, missing Best Song and a few supporting roles, getting home just in time for the last three awards. My roommate said exactly what Meryl Streep said half of America said when her name was announced. I, however, feel this way about Meryl Streep:
Meryl Streep could play Batman and be the right choice from Kristian Møller Jørgensen on Vimeo.
I like the Oscars because they're shiny.
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oscars. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Oscar
I don't wake up early for Oscar nominations. It's not that I don't care, it's that it's really early and I'm never nominated! Also, the Oscars aren't known for recognizing comedies so it's always a little anti-climactic for me. I'm just as happy hearing about the noms hours after they happen, when people are already outraged by them.
I've mentioned before, probably about a year ago, how stupid I think the original song category is. I still think this. This year, only two songs were nominated. There's an article over on Slate that explains why. Frankly, I think it makes sense. I'm tired of crappy songs taking up so much of the attention that should be given to, well, things that aren't as crappy.
One of the two songs that is nominated though, is from one of my favorite movies of the year. Am I man, or am I a muppet? The eternal question. It has a 50% chance of winning--pretty good odds. Don't eff it up, Oscar voters.
I've mentioned before, probably about a year ago, how stupid I think the original song category is. I still think this. This year, only two songs were nominated. There's an article over on Slate that explains why. Frankly, I think it makes sense. I'm tired of crappy songs taking up so much of the attention that should be given to, well, things that aren't as crappy.
One of the two songs that is nominated though, is from one of my favorite movies of the year. Am I man, or am I a muppet? The eternal question. It has a 50% chance of winning--pretty good odds. Don't eff it up, Oscar voters.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Oscar Wrap Up
You know what, I'm going to go out on a limb here and declare that I really like James Franco. The internet is a cruel place, and definitely not a place where he could catch a break. So what if he was high? To me, he appeared to be acting like himself- his goofy, time-stopping, overachieving, high-on-life self. I liked watching him. Kudos James Franco. And I didn't mind Anne Hathaway either. I really liked their intro montage.
In general, I didn't think the broadcast was as horrible as I'm gathering most people did. Maybe I set my expectations too low. Maybe the rest of the internet community set their's too high. Melissa Leo's f-bomb was a polarizing moment. Some were endeared by it or thought it was really funny and honest. Others thought it entirely distasteful and predict she'll never be invited back to the Oscars. I was amused, though I love the f-word. Fuck. See? I fucking love the fucking f-word.
Apparently people really hated Alice in Wonderland and resented that it won any awards. Come on, it won for Art Direction and Costume Design. All the awards can't go to Inception just because you think it was the most original thing ever based on the fact you didn't really understand it and you graduated in the top 10% in your high school. I'm standing out in the middle of an empty field here claiming that I actually enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and find it deserving of the awards it won, and that I think Inception is overrated. I liked it when I saw it, but I didn't love it- the motivation seemed off and I didn't give a flying fuck about the dead wife, and I think all the attention was undeserved. Anyway, back to the actual Oscars.
The non-awards part of the show were hit and miss. I really enjoyed the auto-tunes portion; I think James Franco edited that himself. I thought for sure Celine Dion was severely injured or at least had the decency to never show her face in public again. The song itself, Smile, is a good song, though I couldn't hear it through all the blood clogging up my ear canals. Plus, it's not a great choice for the In Memoriam section. I'm surprised they didn't stick with their theme, and just play music from one of the Best Picture nominees over the entire montage. Maybe something from Toy Story 3. That would have been nice.
Clearly, the Oscars dole out speech time based on the prestige of the award. I was foolish in thinking an Oscar for Cinematography would be more prestigious. Apparently all that guy does is point the camera and tell some other guy to push the button, so he only gets 30 seconds worth of thanking. Whatevs, Academy. I get it- we give the most time to the actors because the actors are who the public pay to see, therefore sustain the industry.
Kirk Douglas is old. He's so old. I get that he's iconic, but as I texted to several friends last night, I don't think it's appropriate to let stroke victims present awards. Also, the way he was revered made me think maybe he cured AIDS and Cancer while walking on the moon. Nope, turns out he's just an actor. But again, it is a ceremony celebrating actors, so fine. I'm the asshole.
I would like to point out that my prediction for The King's Speech was correct, even though it was based on nothing. Also, it was super cool that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won for score. I'm actually listening to it right now. I'm guessing a lot of people are tearing apart Natalie Portman, but I actually liked her speech. Yes, it was a little long, and the award was not at all surprising, but I bet those AC guys never get thanked for anything. It was very nice of her to share that moment.
The most mind blowing moment of the night for me was the short category. I hadn't thought about it too much until I saw the nominees flash up on the screen and realized I had seen them before, and that indeed I had seen God of Love not too long ago at a film festival, and had met the director. It was a very Holy Shit moment for me. And then he actually won and I couldn't fucking believe it. God of Love was a thesis film for NYU. Amazing. I remember so clearly the screening and him talking afterwards; it was just a few months ago. And now he was on my TV, at the Oscars. Man, that's a guy I should have given my number to.
It ran long, like it always does. I don't know why they even give it an ending time slot anymore. They should assume it's going to take 5 hours, and then when it ends in three and a half, they win, and they can play Full House reruns, and we win (not really, that show sucks). In general I liked the broadcast, but I wouldn't watch it again. I would, however, hang out with James Franco any day of the week.
In general, I didn't think the broadcast was as horrible as I'm gathering most people did. Maybe I set my expectations too low. Maybe the rest of the internet community set their's too high. Melissa Leo's f-bomb was a polarizing moment. Some were endeared by it or thought it was really funny and honest. Others thought it entirely distasteful and predict she'll never be invited back to the Oscars. I was amused, though I love the f-word. Fuck. See? I fucking love the fucking f-word.
Apparently people really hated Alice in Wonderland and resented that it won any awards. Come on, it won for Art Direction and Costume Design. All the awards can't go to Inception just because you think it was the most original thing ever based on the fact you didn't really understand it and you graduated in the top 10% in your high school. I'm standing out in the middle of an empty field here claiming that I actually enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and find it deserving of the awards it won, and that I think Inception is overrated. I liked it when I saw it, but I didn't love it- the motivation seemed off and I didn't give a flying fuck about the dead wife, and I think all the attention was undeserved. Anyway, back to the actual Oscars.
The non-awards part of the show were hit and miss. I really enjoyed the auto-tunes portion; I think James Franco edited that himself. I thought for sure Celine Dion was severely injured or at least had the decency to never show her face in public again. The song itself, Smile, is a good song, though I couldn't hear it through all the blood clogging up my ear canals. Plus, it's not a great choice for the In Memoriam section. I'm surprised they didn't stick with their theme, and just play music from one of the Best Picture nominees over the entire montage. Maybe something from Toy Story 3. That would have been nice.
Clearly, the Oscars dole out speech time based on the prestige of the award. I was foolish in thinking an Oscar for Cinematography would be more prestigious. Apparently all that guy does is point the camera and tell some other guy to push the button, so he only gets 30 seconds worth of thanking. Whatevs, Academy. I get it- we give the most time to the actors because the actors are who the public pay to see, therefore sustain the industry.
Kirk Douglas is old. He's so old. I get that he's iconic, but as I texted to several friends last night, I don't think it's appropriate to let stroke victims present awards. Also, the way he was revered made me think maybe he cured AIDS and Cancer while walking on the moon. Nope, turns out he's just an actor. But again, it is a ceremony celebrating actors, so fine. I'm the asshole.
I would like to point out that my prediction for The King's Speech was correct, even though it was based on nothing. Also, it was super cool that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won for score. I'm actually listening to it right now. I'm guessing a lot of people are tearing apart Natalie Portman, but I actually liked her speech. Yes, it was a little long, and the award was not at all surprising, but I bet those AC guys never get thanked for anything. It was very nice of her to share that moment.
The most mind blowing moment of the night for me was the short category. I hadn't thought about it too much until I saw the nominees flash up on the screen and realized I had seen them before, and that indeed I had seen God of Love not too long ago at a film festival, and had met the director. It was a very Holy Shit moment for me. And then he actually won and I couldn't fucking believe it. God of Love was a thesis film for NYU. Amazing. I remember so clearly the screening and him talking afterwards; it was just a few months ago. And now he was on my TV, at the Oscars. Man, that's a guy I should have given my number to.
It ran long, like it always does. I don't know why they even give it an ending time slot anymore. They should assume it's going to take 5 hours, and then when it ends in three and a half, they win, and they can play Full House reruns, and we win (not really, that show sucks). In general I liked the broadcast, but I wouldn't watch it again. I would, however, hang out with James Franco any day of the week.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Oscars
My interest in the Oscars often wanes because my interest in film and other entertainment aligns with comedy, and the Academy rarely does. However, I have to admit, the closer the ceremony gets, the more excited I am.
Predicting the winners rarely means a lot. I'm not good at it, so maybe that's why. I tend to lose interest in things I'm not good at. Filling out friendly ballots is find, but I'll never put money on it. I like to wait till just before it's announced and yell the name of my favorite at the TV. Sometimes I yell the name of the hosts or comedians who weren't nominated. That happens in categories where I haven't seen any of the nominees. So, the foreign ones.
I'm looking forward to the show this year. I have a mini Oscar party planned- the party will be mini, the Oscars will be normal size. A lot of parties tend to be really fancy, with cover charges, red carpets, crab puffs, and champagne. For me, however, this is like the Super Bowl. My party involves chili, buffalo wings, and beer. It'll be the best party on the block. I am expecting one attendee.
I predict James Franco will be adorable and Anne Hathaway will awkwardly walk the line between princess and harlot. I think "The King's Speech" will win most of the awards it's nominated for mainly because it's British. I have no idea who will win anything else. Trent Reznor maybe. That'd be cool.
Predicting the winners rarely means a lot. I'm not good at it, so maybe that's why. I tend to lose interest in things I'm not good at. Filling out friendly ballots is find, but I'll never put money on it. I like to wait till just before it's announced and yell the name of my favorite at the TV. Sometimes I yell the name of the hosts or comedians who weren't nominated. That happens in categories where I haven't seen any of the nominees. So, the foreign ones.
I'm looking forward to the show this year. I have a mini Oscar party planned- the party will be mini, the Oscars will be normal size. A lot of parties tend to be really fancy, with cover charges, red carpets, crab puffs, and champagne. For me, however, this is like the Super Bowl. My party involves chili, buffalo wings, and beer. It'll be the best party on the block. I am expecting one attendee.
I predict James Franco will be adorable and Anne Hathaway will awkwardly walk the line between princess and harlot. I think "The King's Speech" will win most of the awards it's nominated for mainly because it's British. I have no idea who will win anything else. Trent Reznor maybe. That'd be cool.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Oscars
The nominations are in! I didn't get to watch them live on TV, mostly because I was at work. Luckily this is the type of thing you can find all over the internet. There's even a special Oscar page.
I'm not surprised by any of the nominations, really. There are a few folks who were apparently snubbed, and it's a bummer, but there really weren't any people who didn't deserve the nomination.
I like the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. I like them because really, who cares? Other than the people who are nominated, nobody really gives a crap. It's a nice category, for them. It's the type of work that largely goes unnoticed. Good sound editing and sound mixing enhance the film, but it does so in a way that it doesn't (or shouldn't) draw attention to itself. I'm sure all the films nominated had great sound editing and mixing. It's also a great category because it lets films like Tron:Legacy be nominated. It makes me chuckle to think of someone flipping through the discount DVD bin in 5 years and finding Tron:Legacy. They pick it up and read "Academy Award nominated*..." They react with "what the hell? Oh, sound editing. Sure." It's a real award, but also, it's kind of fake. People rarely remember who wins that one.
I do not like the Original Song category. It seems like it was created when there were a lot of musicals so it made sense to recognize the songs. Now I think they're grasping at straws. Randy Newman should win, because he's the only person nominated who deserves anything, and Toy Story 3 was great. The other songs are lame, even though I probably haven't heard them.
I like that Toy Story 3 was nominated for best picture, also. Pixar really knows how to tell a story. I don't really think it will, or even should, win, but it's nice to know a good story that is well told can earn a nomination- the fact that it's animated and a threequel didn't diminish its heart. The Academy should just give them the Oscar for best animated feature now.
I'm not surprised by any of the nominations, really. There are a few folks who were apparently snubbed, and it's a bummer, but there really weren't any people who didn't deserve the nomination.
I like the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing categories. I like them because really, who cares? Other than the people who are nominated, nobody really gives a crap. It's a nice category, for them. It's the type of work that largely goes unnoticed. Good sound editing and sound mixing enhance the film, but it does so in a way that it doesn't (or shouldn't) draw attention to itself. I'm sure all the films nominated had great sound editing and mixing. It's also a great category because it lets films like Tron:Legacy be nominated. It makes me chuckle to think of someone flipping through the discount DVD bin in 5 years and finding Tron:Legacy. They pick it up and read "Academy Award nominated*..." They react with "what the hell? Oh, sound editing. Sure." It's a real award, but also, it's kind of fake. People rarely remember who wins that one.
I do not like the Original Song category. It seems like it was created when there were a lot of musicals so it made sense to recognize the songs. Now I think they're grasping at straws. Randy Newman should win, because he's the only person nominated who deserves anything, and Toy Story 3 was great. The other songs are lame, even though I probably haven't heard them.
I like that Toy Story 3 was nominated for best picture, also. Pixar really knows how to tell a story. I don't really think it will, or even should, win, but it's nice to know a good story that is well told can earn a nomination- the fact that it's animated and a threequel didn't diminish its heart. The Academy should just give them the Oscar for best animated feature now.
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