• What will win: Slumdog Millionaire
  • (Probably a given…)
• What should win: Slumdog Millionaire
• Possible Surprise Winner: The Reader
  • (Good, but not worthy of a nomination)
• Shoulda Been Nominated: The Wrestler, Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor
===================

• Who will win: Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler”
• Who should win: Mickey Rourke – “The Wrestler”
• Possible Surprise Winner: None…seriously, it’s not even close
• Glad to see nominated: Richard Jenkins – “The Visitor”

Best Actress
===================

• Who will win: Kate Winslet – “The Reader”
  • (Boo…she was much better in “Revolutionary Road”)
• Who should win: Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”
• Possible Surprise Winner: None…Too much talk about Kate going on…
• Glad to see nominated: Angelina Jolie – “Changling”
  • (Damn good performance)

Best Supporting Actor
===================

• Who will win: Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”
• Who should win: Heath Ledger – “The Dark Knight”
  • (I’m usually against posthumous awards, but he deserves it)
• Possible Surprise Winner: None
  • (No chance)
• Glad to see nominated: Josh Brolin – “Milk”

Best Supporting Actress
===================

• Who will win: I honestly don’t know…seems like a toss up…
• Who should win: Roll the dice…they all did quite well
• Glad to see nominated: Penelope Cruz – “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
  • (glad that movie is getting some recognition)

Best Animated Feature
===================

• What will win: Wall-E
• What should win: Kung Fu Panda
  • (not that Wall-E was bad, but Panda was killer)

A group of participants travel around the world competing in mind and physical games. The prize: A continually building cash prize based on how many of those games are won. However, one of the participants is secretly working against the rest of the team. Enter The Mole. His/Her job: Sabotage….to keep as much money out of the group’s hands without being discovered.

If you’ve happen to have seen the celebrity version of the show, remove it from your mind. The original version of The Mole contained some of the most intelligent games and gameplay of any reality game show ever crafted. Both original seasons kept delivering episode after episode, and even included subtle clues for the viewer so they could play along to determine who was The Mole. I have to admit that I guessed wrong on both seasons…and I can’t wait to guess wrong again. :)

The new season starts on June 2nd. Hop on board and enjoy a summer of discovering who is The Mole!

Enter Natalie Portman: Gangsta Rapper:

(”I never claimed to be a role model”)

Check out the video!

My condolences to all the football fans that actually have to leave the stadium in order to find a real beer. I tip my bottle of La Chouffe to the lot of ya :)

Big props for Jei’s teams of the moment: USA, Netherlands (Big Orange!), Japan, and all the real underdogs (Go Trinidad and Tobago!)

Special consideration for ABC/ESPN for doing a better job this time with the commentating. (Still not up to Univision level, tho…)

Update [6/18/06]: In protest of Bud’s sponsorship of the games, a thousand Dutch fans came to a game with the logo of a Dutch brewery on their pants. The fans were forced to remove their trousers and watch the game in their underpants!

[GOOOOL!]

Surely someone’s heard that question by now. What exactly does a parent say to their seven year old when they become influenced by that damn Valtrex commercial?

In this procrastinated world of sexual teaching, where “Sometimes mummies & daddies like to do a special hug” baloney is the norm, I can only snort-heave at the possibilities. I know someone somewhere has ‘ratings for commercials’ on their to-do list somewhere.

But since I have no kids, I’ve got to be complaining about this for another reason, right? How about the truth: That in this day and age living with a disease can be more important (and profitable) that preventing it.

1) It’s perfectly acceptable for the big networks to show numerous Valtrex commercials that talk about helping people deal with genital herpes once they have it…

2) But these same networks won’t show ads for any sort of contraception that could help prevent getting the disease in the first damn place!

Religious zealots scare us into a tip-toe-through-the-demographics mentality….

And then the pharmactical industry gives us a pill (and a bill) to deal with the consequences…(no cure in sight….)

Ain’t that a blip…

(Still…at least the Valtrex commercials don’t have mascots like the Antonio Banderas bee or the henious Digger the Dermatophyte…)

Chronicles of Narnia Rap (Streaming Video)
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/141567/snl_chronicles_of_narnia_adventure/

Here’s some screencaps:
http://www.bettadont.com/2005/12/20/betta-do-chronicwhatcles-of-narnia/

You can also download the video from iTunes for *free* right now ^_^

“Mr Pibb + Red Vines = Crazy Delicious!”

[Props to BettaDont for the Screencap]

I’ve seen the press cover a number of horrible situations, but I’ve never seen so many, on both sides of the politicial spectrum, get so visibly upset on the air.

From CNN’s Anderson Cooper going off on Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu…

…to Geraldo Rivera damn near losing it while reporting on the convention center situation during Fox’s “The O’Reily Factor”…

…to NBC photojournalist Tony Zumbado giving a tortured first hand report about the lack of support, the numerous deaths about him and the horrid conditions at the superdome (look for the title “Convention Center Chaos“).

These people are mad as hell. (Welcome to the club)

They’ve thrown their softball questions away and have begun to ask those pipe-hittin’ questions that need to be pursued.

…about damn time!

Slate magazine’s Jack Shafer writes an excellent article which collects some prime examples of the television press finally “smelling the coffee”.

Also, in a stunning example of he-said-we-said, CNN gives a eye opening comparison on the government’s take on the situation versus CNN’s own “in the trenches” reporting.

To quote my gal, Soledad O’Brien, while interviewing FEMA director Michael Brown, “How is it possible that we’re getting better intel than you’re getting?”

How indeed…

Rock on, people and don’t let up for one second!

This truly is a new century! Who would have thought that television, the ‘Teacher, mother and secret lover’ of all of us for so many years would fail to present the best broadcast the Live 8 concerts?

The MTV/VH1 broadcast of Live 8 here in the states, while convering most of the bases, did so by cutting away from 95% of the performances, asking inane “What did you learn?” questions of the crowd, and conducting an over-laden commercial fest the likes of which I’d never seen before. It was quite disappointing and frankly insulting at times. They showed a lot more respect at the original Live Aid concert day.

But all is not lost. Run, don’t walk to http://www.aolmusic.com/

They have unedited performances of just about everyone, from almost all of the different venues (not just the over-indulgence of London and Philadelphia that was the MTV/VH1 broadcast). There were so many good acts that you’re bound to find something to fickle your fancy. (I’m listening to the Pet Shop Boys performing in Moscow right right now ^^)

Side Note: If for no other reason, check out the London feed to see the reunion of Pink Floyd. So fucking brilliant :)

The insertion of badly written comedic intros (for the most part) left the show with a taste right between the Grammys and the MTV movie awards. I fully expected to see Busta Rhymes and Martha Stewart show up next to present the Best Pimp Slap in a Musical or Revival award. Noone is interested in the comedy unless it’s written and delivered by the person speaking (i.e. Nathan Lane’s excellent bit….). Give up the pen and get back to giving awards.

What was most shocking was the unpredecented lack of professional mixing of the sound. This is something even the Busta-Award shows get right. Make all the appropriate level adjustments in rehearsal and be done with it. It’s not rocket science (or even 8th grade science). But after a full night of hearing so many vocals drowned out by the background music, I’m still left rather stunned. I did better mixing at the local dance recital last weekend…

And was it just my imagination or did Aretha actually sound bad last night? Something not right about her getting overpowered by Hugh Jackman…
(I would chalk that up to the mixing problem, but something tells me that wasn’t the case…)

Still…the show did have it’s moments….

• The great fall off the stage by Christina Applegate in homage to her real fall in Sweet Charity
• Hella-strong, high energy performance by the La Cage aux Folles ‘gals’
• Best of the night: Reverand Al Sharpton as the special guest speller in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (which is now on my definite must-see list)

And definitely appreciated that everything finished on time as usual (tho it didn’t give the Spamalot people enough time for their speech…)

Alright kiddies…remember what we talked about for next year.
Gotta get back to being as tight as Grape Nuts….