YouTubesday - 2/9/10

Here's what happens when you try to play your webcast while webcasting.

If the opening for Lost was created in 1967.

Idiot gets annoyed by cleaning lady vacuuming, so he cuts the electrical cord.

AccuWeather guy for Baltimore can't control his emotions.

Some Russians jumping off a five story building into snow.

If filmmakers directed the Super Bowl.

Person puts butter on the floor while someone is taking a shower.

Well-made PSA for seat belts.

Side-by-side comparisons of the Oceanic 815 flight from season 1 and season 6.

Commercial for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Played during the Super Bowl.

Ask Cam the IT Guy - 2/8/10

I work in IT support and enjoy surfing the 'Computer & Internet' section of Yahoo! Answers every once in awhile and fielding some questions. I've seen my fair share of stupid questions from users and they've seen their fair share of smart-ass answers when they...

Ask Cam the IT Guy.

Question: what is the best web sight program? -taylor

Answer: Your eyes.


Question: how do you dis and reconnect to a wireless network on Vista? -darksun pro

Answer: Tell it that its mother is fat and then give it a hug.


Question: where ROM is located in computer and what it does? -ambreen q

Answer: ROMs are those tiny battery looking things that stick up from the motherboard. Feel free to pull those out and take a closer look.


Question: how to access restricted website? -pinku

Answer: With a user name and password.


Question: The sound in my laptop is higher than normal.How can i change it? -Sara L

Answer: Turn the volume down.


Question: How do I change my FaceBook picture into a jif? -Brack P

Answer: I don't know much about the peanut butter industry.


Question: When you PING somebody elses computer (from MS DOS prompt) what does it tell you? -froodles01

Answer: It tells you their favorite flavor of oatmeal and how many books it takes to start a library.


Question: How do you take pictures of your computer screen while skyping? -luckygirl1505

Answer: No, I will not cyber with you.


Question: Do you think the internet should be more strictly monitored and regulated? -Gizmo

Answer: I think there should be someone sitting next to me at all times watching what I do because my life is so interesting.


Question: How can I get horseshoes in farmville? -jth22321

Answer: Kill your neighbors' horses.


Question: triangle class in java? -luigiXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Answer: No. Triangle class in preschool.


Question: What happens to the deleted stuff on a PC? -KAIN

Answer: It gets... *GASP* ... deleted!


Question: why is my watching stuff on ebay in uk money now? -HaydenNathan

Answer: Because we got bought by the UK over the weekend. Now, if you would please excuse me. It's time for afternoon tea.

The White Ribbon Review

There are minor spoilers in this review.

PLOT: Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I.


THE GOOD: Michael Haneke. Austrian Michael Haneke writes and directs a compelling story about a small German town with The White Ribbon (or in German, Das weiße Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte). The story is so capturing and it draws you right in. It's a story that defines a generation. Haneke is known for making morally shocking films, but never has he made one so quiet. Bravo to him for making something so good and finally get nominated for an Academy Award.


Cinematography. Before watching this movie, I thought The Hurt Locker had the best cinematography of the year (read why here). My view has quickly changed after seeing the incredible work of Haneke and his cinematographer Christian Berger. There are a lot of stationary camera shots that let the scene, actors, and sounds speak for themselves. Many of the static shots could make great still pictures. Characters are framed or followed using horizontal pans to attract our attention towards their actions. In case you can't tell from the pictures, the movie is entirely in black and white. It was originally shot in color and later altered to black and white. I think it makes the movie look older and more authentic; something closer to the time period in the film. A colored version of this film would feel completely different and would ruin the moodiness of the movie. The film is also very dark to intentionally imply the darkness of the film. Haneke and Berger used Ingmar Bergman's films as inspiration for the setting up of scenes.

Acting. Every single actor in this movie is great. Some performances that really stood out for me were Burghart Klaußner, Christian Friedel, and Leonie Benesch. Klaußner plays the priest of the town and father of six children. He's a very self-righteous man who teaches his kids lessons in a poor way. Christian Friedel plays the town's school teacher who attempts to figure out who is behind the mysterious events. I swear they plucked that guy right out of the 1910s. The film is narrated by his character, but as an older man reflecting on memories. Leonie Benesch plays the school teacher's love interest, Eva. Her character is so natural. The narrator describes her as having a "mixture of shyness and almost childlike outspokenness." It's such an accurate description of her performance. She is shy when they meet for the first time. She nervously giggles at all the right times. She is confused when her father asks if she wants to marry. But, the real stars of this movie are the children. Their performances are good and they look the part. More than 7000 children were interviewed during the six-month-long casting period of the film.


Ending/message. Highlight to read major spoilers: I can see lots of people getting frustrated with the ending. I was, at first. The movie faded to black and I went "That's it!?" I reflected on it for a few days and I've had a chance to absorb the material. Perhaps a second viewing will change what I thought the movie was about, but here's what I got so far. I think I know who did it, but I'm not supposed to be sure. You can never be sure of anything that happens. Did Michael Jackson really molest children? Did O.J. Simpson really murder his wife and friend? Did Amanda Knox really murder her British housemate in Perugia, Italy? The evidence sure points in that direction, but how can I be completely sure? Everything in the movie convinces me of one guilty party responsible for the heinous acts that occur. But then I start thinking, "Well, it really could have been anyone." You can never be too sure. It's one of the interesting messages that I took away from the film. Haneke could have ended it with a clear guilty person, or persons, but now I'm glad he didn't. I don't want to know who did it. That's not the point. The point is to draw your own conclusion and interpret the movie however you want. Here is how I see it. After the beating of the retarded boy, a message is found on him that is a variation of Exodus 20:5 and Deuteronomy 5:9. In the movie, the message is translated into English as saying "For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sins of their parents' sins to the third and fourth generation." This is the major underlying theme of the movie. When I took this into account, I came to my conclusion that the kids did it all. Not just one of the kids, but all of them, led by the preist's oldest son and daughter. Whether some of them did it directly or indirectly does not matter. But why did they do it? Once again, I think the answer is in Exodus 20:5. Their parents exercise discipline, control, and accusation over them throughout the entire film. No compassion, no understanding, no listening. When the priest catches his children in a lie, he oppresses them, sends them to bed without dinner, and lets them stew over the fact that they will be receiving canings from him in the morning. This is the generation who will eventually become a part of Nazi Germany. How could anyone get to the point where these atrocious crimes can be considered or thoughts of genocide is conceivable? Well, kids who are treated like this. Kids who don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about their feelings. Kids who have no relationship with their father because they fear him too much. Kids who have no one to confide in and may never know how severe their reactions can be. Just as No Country for Old Men points out, the world is becoming a sicker and more disgusting place. Our kids are going to joke about things and see things that we can't even fathom. This change is going to happen because of the mistakes we make as adults. This applies to the busiest of urban cities to an early nineteenth century secluded small town like the one in this film. The only glimmers of hope you see is in the daughter of the steward and the youngest son of the priest. The steward's daughter admits to the teacher that she is worried about a "dream" she had in which the handicapped boy would be kidnapped and abused. She cries when authorities question her, showing a brief glimpse of guilt and regret. In another scene, the priest's youngest son asks his father if he can care for an injured bird that he has found. The priest shows his son some understanding and compassion and agrees to let the boy be responsible for the animal. Later, when he finds his own bird killed, the same son offers his to replace it. Everything that happens in the small town reflects what is going to happen in the two World Wars. In the movie, the doctor is severely injured when the horse he is riding trips on a strategically placed wire. In the real world, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria is attacked by a hand grenade thrown at his car and is later assassinated, which triggers World War I. Innocence will be punished. In the movie, two young boys are beaten, the priest's son is tied down, a house is burned down, and the doctor's daughter is sexually molested. In the real world, the innocent Jews were persecuted and killed. There are lots of parallels that one could make. I should stop here because I feel like I could go on forever. Heck, I could write an entire thesis on this movie, it's so deep. This is only what I take from the film, and it could change after a second viewing. Each person can have their own interpretation of the film and I love that it was made to be that way. I think this is a film that can lead to very deep conversations. If you'd like to discuss the movie with me, feel free to leave comments below.


THE BAD: Nothing.


THE END: For me, The White Ribbon is one of the best films of 2009. It would have certainly made my top ten list; maybe in the top six somewhere. It's an immediate classic that will be reflected on for years to come. The story sucks you right in and it's beautiful to watch unfold. Part of its charm is that it never fully unravels and lets the audience interpret the ending. The White Ribbon is the 2009 winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or; the highest prize awarded at the film festival. See it as soon as you can!


DISCUSS: What did you think of The White Ribbon? What did you think of the acting? What messages did you take away from the film? Who do you think did it? What did you think of the cinematography?

Edge of Darkness Review

There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: As homicide detective Thomas Craven investigates the death of his daughter, he uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate cover-up and government collusion that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.


THE GOOD: Mel Gibson and Ray Winstone. I know quite a few people who are not fans of Mel Gibson, but I like him as an actor and director, and I thought he did well in Edge of Darkness. I think people are biased because they think about his personal life, but you cannot deny that the man has talent. Lethal Weapon, Maverick, Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ; Gibson has made some of the best movies. Yes, he has his duds, but generally the guy does it right. Here, Gibson plays Thomas Craven, who is suffering from the loss of his daughter. I connected with his character a little bit since I have a daughter myself, but I certainly would not be able to compose myself as well as he did if something ever happened to her. The movie is adapted from the 1985 BBC television series of the same name. Ray Winstone replaces Joe Don Baker as a "consultant" named Darius Jedburgh sent to cover up the murder of Thomas' daughter, Emma. Robert De Niro had been cast to play Jedburgh, but dropped out due to creative differences. I think I prefer Winstone's character more than I would have if De Niro had done it. He is sometimes called "Britain's De Niro", but I think their styles are unique from one another. His character is so calm, intelligent, and for a lack of better words, cool. You can see Winstone again coming up in the first Percy Jackson movie as Ares, the God of war.


THE BAD: Martin Campbell. The film is directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Michael Wearing, who also directed and produced the series respectively. Campbell has worked on a few movies that I really enjoy, but he is generally hit or miss. The James Bond movies he directed, GoldenEye and Casino Royale, are my two favorite 007 films out of the whole bunch. But, Campbell is also responsible for the rubbish that is Vertical Limit and The Legend of Zorro. I have no doubt that the Edge of Darkness BBC series was good, but the director seems to fall short on the movie.

Liberal Hollywood. I wasn't surprised to see the evil Massachusetts senator in the movie have a giant "GOP" next to his name when he is being interviewed in the movie. But then I heard him referred to as a Democrat. What's going on here? Screenplay writer William Monahan told a Boston newspaper what I should have known: "Senator Pine was always a Democrat as written by me in the shooting script. In the TV interview in the film you can plainly hear him referred to as a Democrat. I was surprised myself to see that he’d grown an 'R' on the TV graphic in post-production." Ah, Hollywood, how I love you so. Well, I guess up until recently, it would be a preposterous notion to think that there would be a GOP senator in Mass.

Pacing. The movie was slow. There were also a few scenes that were totally pointless to the story. One in particular was added just to provide a little action in between some boring scenes.

No action. There's barely any action in the movie like the trailer and commercials want you to think. For such a slow movie, it really could have used it. You're better off watching Taken.


THE END: I had very low expectations going into Edge of Darkness and came out of the theatre with it having met them. Edge of Darkness is not a fantastic movie and will be forgotten in the same way Ransom, Payback, and Conspiracy Theory are forgettable. It is being compared to last year's Taken with Liam Neeson. Both movies feature a father going after their daughter, but Taken provided a lot more intense action sequences (as any Luc Besson movie should) and doesn't have as complex of a political corruption story to it. You can also compare the movie to The Lovely Bones which came out only a few weeks ago. However, Craven's perception of dealing with closure is a little different than what Lovely Bones might be trying to express. Still, Mel Gibson is entertaining to watch. It's a movie that makes more sense to stay as a mini-series since the plot seems deeper than it was. You can wait to watch this one on cable.


DISCUSS: What is your favorite Mel Gibson movie? What are some similar films to this one?

82nd Oscar Picks

The 82nd Academy Awards nominees came out today. Some expected nominations, and some let-downs. James Cameron's "Avatar" and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" share being nominated for nine Oscars a piece. While I don't think Avatar deserves that many nominations, I do agree that it should be in certain categories. A few of the highlights for me are Jeff Bridges being nominated for Best Actor, "District 9" being recognized in the Special Effects category, "It's Complicated" NOT getting nominated for anything, and "Capitalism: A Love Story" NOT getting nominated for Best Documentary (although, another docuganda picture I despise, "Food, Inc.", did). My biggest disappointment this year is that "500 Days of Summer" did not get nominated for anything. Nothing. Zero. Zilch. My favorite movie of the year was completely snubbed. I can't say I'm completely shocked, but it at least deserved an Editing nod, or an Original Screenplay nom. I haven't spoken to a single person that hated the film. "The Hangover" was also snubbed, but thankfully, the Academy Awards don't include a Best Comedy category. Sam Rockwell didn't get nominated for his great performance in "Moon". Oh, and I also think they should drop Steven Martin and Alec Baldwin as hosts and let Conan O'Brien host for 2010. Along with the list of nominees below are my opinions on who I think should win and who I think will win. I reserve the right to change any of my predictions before the Oscars begin. This is my fourth time doing this and my best score so far is 15 for 24 (62.5%). Here's to hoping I can at least match that this year.

Performance by an actor in a leading role:
Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney in "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth in "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman in "Invictus"
Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker"
Who I want to win:
I really wish Sam Rockwell was nominated for his performance in "Moon". However, after I saw "Crazy Heart" earlier this year, I immediately determined that Jeff Bridges had the best performance of 2009. I would love to see him finally take this award.
Who I think will win:
Last year, Mickey Rourke was snubbed by Sean Penn (which I had predicted). This year, we have a similar situation in the works. You have Jeff Bridges against Colin Firth. However, Bridges' performance was so good and he's long overdue for this award (he's been nominated for an Oscar five times now), I think the Academy is going to go with him.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:
Matt Damon in "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"
Who I want to win:
Ugh... Matt Damon? Okay, Academy, okay. I have not seen "Inglourious Basterds", so I can't comment too much on Waltz's performance. I've heard it's nothing short of amazing. I really liked Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones". He was totally creepy and awesome. I would enjoy watching him win.
Who I think will win:
Christoph Waltz is the favorite in this category, so I'll choose him.

Performance by an actress in a leading role:
Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"
Who I want to win:
I don't like any of the nominees this year. In fact, no real female leading performances stood out to me. The closest I can think of is Zooey Deschanel for "500 Days".
Who I think will win:
I really, really, really don't want Sandra Bullock to win, but I fear it's her time. I mean, did anyone see "All About Steve"? She's actually nominated for a Razzie this year! How can a woman who is nominated for a Razzie win an Oscar!? She shouldn't, but she probably will.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:
Penélope Cruz in "Nine"
Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air"
Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
Who I want to win:
I really want Anna Kendrick to win. I loved her character in "Up in the Air".
Who I think will win:
Mo'Nique is probably going to win for her performance as the scariest villain in 2009.

Best animated feature film of the year:
"Coraline" Henry Selick
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Wes Anderson
"The Princess and the Frog" John Musker and Ron Clements
"The Secret of Kells" Tomm Moore
"Up" Pete Docter
Who I want to win:
Really happy to see five movies actually picked for this category! Usually only see three or four. "The Princess and the Frog" is kind of a surprising choice, as well as "The Secret of Kells" which I've never even heard of. This section is missing "9", in my opinion. However, I think Pixar's "Up" is by far the best out of the bunch. Such a great film.
Who I think will win:
"Up" deserves the win and it would be the biggest surprise of the night if it doesn't.

Achievement in art direction:
"Avatar" Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
"Nine" Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
"Sherlock Holmes" Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Young Victoria" Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Who I want to win:
"Avatar".
Who I think will win:
This is sort of a tough one to figure out. You can't deny that "Avatar" has some wonderful art direction, but "The Imaginarium" has the Heath Ledger factor. The Academy has always fancied musicals like "Nine" and period pieces like "The Young Victoria". Also, this is the only category that "Sherlock Holmes" was nominated for, and since it did well in the box office (especially against "Avatar"), it could be recognized for this award. In the end, I think "The Hurt Locker" is going to receive more attention in the other categories, so maybe the Academy will go for "Avatar" this year.

Achievement in cinematography:
"Avatar" Mauro Fiore
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" Bruno Delbonnel
"The Hurt Locker" Barry Ackroyd
"Inglourious Basterds" Robert Richardson
"The White Ribbon" Christian Berger
Who I want to win:
What's "Harry Potter" doing in there? Don't get me wrong, I liked the cinematography, but not nearly as much as dozens of other films this year. So, originally I wanted "The Hurt Locker" to win this award. The cinematography is so good, you actually feel like you're on the ground with the bomb squad. But, I had yet to see "The White Ribbon". Well, now I have and I must say that the cinematography in it is superior. The black and white, dark, static camera, and simple movements make it all worth watching.
Who I think will win:
The Academy could very well pull out a wild card in this category, but I think it's safe to say that Barry Ackroyd will be recognized for this movie.

Achievement in costume design:
"Bright Star" Janet Patterson
"Coco before Chanel" Catherine Leterrier
"The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" Monique Prudhomme
"Nine" Colleen Atwood
"The Young Victoria" Sandy Powell
Who I want to win:
I don't care about this category this year. I'd probably choose "The Young Victoria".
Who I think will win:
The Academy love their period films, so they'll choose "The Young Victoria".

Achievement in directing:
"Avatar" James Cameron
"The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow
"Inglourious Basterds" Quentin Tarantino
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels
"Up in the Air" Jason Reitman
Who I want to win:
Ah, the second biggest award of the night. Kathryn Bigelow is only the fourth female director to be nominated for an Academy Award and she has a very good shot. She won Best Director at the DGA Awards and became the first woman to win. I would love to see her win an Oscar as well.
Who I think will win:
I think it'll be down to Cameron and Bigelow, and it could go either way. I'm going to go with my instincts and guess Bigelow for now.

Best documentary feature:
"Burma VJ" Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
"The Cove" Nominees to be determined
"Food, Inc." Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
"Which Way Home" Rebecca Cammisa
Who I want to win:
I'm not a fan of "documentaries" because directors can interpret their work however they want. I'll tell you what I don't want to win... "Food, Inc." Docuganda at its finest. Along the same lines of Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock, and Penn & Teller films and shows. To trust every "fact" presented in that movie would be foolish. It's manipulative and an almost complete work of fiction. And yes, I did watch it and chose not to review it because it would just be a whole bunch of me complaining about it and "documentaries" in general. Moving on, I feel the same way about most of the other "documentaries" nominated here, except for "Burma VJ". It was shot with only pocket-sized video cameras and follows the September 2007 uprisings against the military regime in Burma that headlined newspapers everywhere. It's the closest thing to an untouched documentary.
Who I think will win:
I'm not sure. I guess I'll go with The Cove since the Academy is very pro-environmentalist, but I don't know and I couldn't care less.

Best documentary short subject:
"China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner" Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
"The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant" Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
"Music by Prudence" Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
"Rabbit à la Berlin" Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra
Who I want to win:
Interesting to see that the documentary following the assisted suicide ballot initiative in Washington State got nominated. Notice how I said "interesting" and not "surprising". "Rabbit à la Berlin" has the most intriguing plot summary to me. It's about the wild rabbits which lived between the Berlin Walls. They had the perfect environment in there. When the walls came down, they had to start learning to live for themselves just like the citizens of Eastern Germany.
Who I think will win:
No idea. Maybe the cute bunnies will warm the hearts of the Academy and they'll pick "Rabbit à la Berlin".

Achievement in film editing:
"Avatar" Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
"District 9" Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" Sally Menke
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Joe Klotz
Who I want to win:
Besides the categories with films that I know nothing about, this is probably the hardest one for me. All of the movies are deserving of the award. Since I don't think "District 9" will be receiving too much love, I would nominate it.
Who I think will win:
I think "The Hurt Locker" will probably add to its total with this category.

Best foreign language film of the year:
"Ajami" Israel
"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" Argentina
"The Milk of Sorrow" Peru
"Un Prophète" France
"The White Ribbon" Germany
Who I want to win:
I haven't seen any of these films, except "The White Ribbon". I'd love to see it win.
Who I think will win:
"Un Prophète" seems like a close contender, but I think "The White Ribbon" has the best shot. It was also nominated for the cinematography award, and has won 13 other awards and 11 other nominations.

Achievement in makeup:
"Il Divo" Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
"Star Trek" Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
"The Young Victoria" Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore
Who I want to win:
Yay for Star Trek being nominated, but this is not the category I want them to win.
Who I think will win:
Don't know how the makeup looks in "Il Divo", but "The Young Victoria" will likely win this award.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):
"Avatar" James Horner
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Alexandre Desplat
"The Hurt Locker" Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
"Sherlock Holmes" Hans Zimmer
"Up" Michael Giacchino
Who I want to win:
Michael Giacchino's score for "Up" is the most memorable of the year for me. It made me feel so many things. Sad, excited, tense, happy, and the spirit of adventure.
Who I think will win:
I see no reason why Giacchino won't win.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from "Nine" Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Who I want to win:
I haven't heard "Loin de Paname" before, but I must say that "The Weary Kind" is a huge favorite of mine. Such a beautiful song. I don't even like country music. It should win.
Who I think will win:
Please, please, please don't let Randy Newman win. His music is terrible. I think the Academy will follow suit with the Golden Globes and go with "Crazy Heart".

Best motion picture of the year:
"Avatar" James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
"The Blind Side" Nominees to be determined
"District 9" Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
"An Education" Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
"The Hurt Locker" Nominees to be determined
"Inglourious Basterds" Lawrence Bender, Producer
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
"A Serious Man" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
"Up" Jonas Rivera, Producer
"Up in the Air" Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
Who I want to win:
Even though I rated "Up" higher on my top ten of 2009 than I did for "The Hurt Locker", I would still prefer seeing "The Hurt Locker" win Best Picture. Probably because it has the best shot to beat "Avatar". I liked "Avatar" and recognize it for its superiority in the box office, but I just don't think it's the movie of the year.
Who I think will win:
So, this is the first year that the Academy is doing the whole 10 nominations in the Best Picture category thing. It's nice because all of these movies deserve to be recognized in some form. None of them received rotten ratings from Rotten Tomatoes. There are a few that I would have switched out. For example, swap "The Blind Side" with "500 Days of Summer". Having 10 nominations could affect who comes out on top. Maybe people will go, "'The Hurt Locker' was my favorite movie, but since it'll probably receive a lot of votes anyway, I'll put my vote in for 'Up'." That's not my prediction though. I do think this is "The Hurt Locker"'s year. The Academy will either go for the record-breaking blockbuster, or the critically-praised art film. My prediction is based on the fact that only 6 times in 60 years has the DGA winner NOT won the Oscar for Best Picture, and I think the AMPAS is slightly smarter than the HFPA.

Best animated short film:
"French Roast" Fabrice O. Joubert
"Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty" Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
"The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)" Javier Recio Gracia
"Logorama" Nicolas Schmerkin
"A Matter of Loaf and Death" Nick Park
Who I want to win:
Thanks to /Film, this is a category I know a lot more about this year. Out of all the animated shorts I watched, I enjoyed "The Cat Piano" the most (you can watch it for free here). Great writing, narrative, shades of colors, and film noir. Shame it wasn't nominated. I'm a big fan of Wallace and Gromit, but "A Matter of Loaf and Death" just wasn't the same as the old shorts. It wasn't even as good as the movie. That being said, I don't think I want any of these to win. "The Cat Piano" blew all of these out of the water.
Who I think will win:
I think the Academy has a soft spot for Wallace and Gromit, so they'll probably choose that.

Best live action short film:
"The Door" Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
"Instead of Abracadabra" Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
"Kavi" Gregg Helvey
"Miracle Fish" Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
"The New Tenants" Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
Who I want to win:
I don't know a single thing about this category.
Who I think will win:
No idea. "Miracle Fish" because Brian would like the title.

Achievement in sound editing:
"Avatar" Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
"The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson
"Inglourious Basterds" Wylie Stateman
"Star Trek" Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
"Up" Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
Who I want to win:
I loved the sound design in "Star Trek".
Who I think will win:
I'm really hoping "Star Trek" takes this one. It will probably be "Avatar", but I'm predicting "Trek".

Achievement in sound mixing:
"Avatar" Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
"The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
"Inglourious Basterds" Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
"Star Trek" Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
Who I want to win:
Believe it or not, I want "Transformers" to win this category. The movie is so bad, but the sound mixing is fantastic.
Who I think will win:
I always get the sound design categories wrong, but I'm not changing my strategy. I think "The Hurt Locker" is going to win it here.

Achievement in visual effects:
"Avatar" Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
"District 9" Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
"Star Trek" Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton
Who I want to win:
"Avatar". No question. Deserves it 100%. Cool to see "District 9" on the list, and the movie did have good effects for such a small budget, but doesn't compare to the other two.
Who I think will win:
"Avatar" will win.

Adapted screenplay:
"District 9" Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
"An Education" Screenplay by Nick Hornby
"In the Loop" Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
"Up in the Air" Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Who I want to win:
I want "District 9" to win because it has such a captivating story.
Who I think will win:
I think Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air" will take this award since it won't really win anything else.

Original screenplay:
"The Hurt Locker" Written by Mark Boal
"Inglourious Basterds" Written by Quentin Tarantino
"The Messenger" Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
"A Serious Man" Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Up" Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Who I want to win:
I'd like to see "The Hurt Locker" win this category. Great original story written in a pretty fair way.
Who I think will win:
If Tarantino is going to win any award, I think it will be this one.

My reviews for movies that are nominated this year:
Up
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
District 9
Avatar
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Crazy Heart
The Princess and the Frog
Sherlock Holmes
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Coraline
The Lovely Bones

Once again, this list can change at any time between now and the big show, but once the show starts, these predictions stick. See you March 7th for ONL 4.

Past ONLs:
ONL 1
ONL 2
ONL 3

YouTubesday - 2/2/10

Happy Lost Day everyone!

I guess Apple forgot to Google the name "iPad" before they decided on the name. MADTV did this parody in 2005.

The guy who reviewed The Phantom Menace a few weeks ago reviews Avatar. He's hilarious. Watch Part II here.

Hitler's angry reaction to the iPad (another edit of The Downfall). Still not as good as the Billy Elliot one. And another good iPad video is the one that Pee-wee did.

What if the scrolling text from the Star Wars movies started attacking Earth? Pretty good special effects for a fan film.

A classic that I don't think I've ever put on here. Guy shows off his new pug to his parents.

Charlie Brooker shows us how to report the news. Some swearing.

Cool video that shows the plane crash in Lost in real time like it's 24.

How to clean the glass on a moving sidewalk.

Fisherman catches a shark and something else tries to grab it. Skip to 1 minute in to see the action.

Foto Friday - 1/29/10

This is my seventeenth Foto Friday post. It has been rainy the past couple weekends, so I didn't take very many photos. Full set with all pictures can be viewed here. And, as always, you can click to enlarge these pictures.

Polaroid shot of Julie in her new bed. More on that in a little bit.

Went to the SuperMall in Auburn. Walked through the food court... three times. I'm on a major diet and walking by all these restaurants was tough. Smelled the deliciousness of this Cinnabon and almost fainted.

The Johnny Rockets inside the SuperMall. The food is decent there, but the prices are too high for a burger joint.

Juliana and Tawnya riding on the carousel in the SuperMall.

Overexposed shot of the merry-go-round looks kinda cool.

The mall was quite empty for a Saturday afternoon. They haven't been doing too well lately. Lots of empty stores. I remember when this mall first opened. It was THE place to go.

Wrote my name in the air with a flashlight. I want to do more of these light experimentation pictures.

Bethany and Heather have been baking a lot. Here they are working on a superhero birthday cake for a client. Here's a better view of the detail.

Lots of different tips for creating frosting designs.

Spinning Bethany and Heather still working on the cake.

Here is Juliana's new bed. She made the transition from crib to bed incredibly well. She was super excited to sleep in it on the first night since it's a "big girl bed". So much so, that she wanted to go to bed early. She did not cry or complain at all. In fact, she was giggling about it. She loves it, and we love it.

Jelly laying down under the covers in her bed. To see more pictures of her bed, her room, and other random stuff, view the full set.

Groupon

I wanted to let you all know about a cool site that has been added to my Linx section called Groupon. It's a website that posts truly amazing deals for restaurants, stores, foods, and other services in a bunch of major cities in the U.S., Canada, and England (I'm sure they'll be expanding soon). It's kind of like Woot, except instead of buying items, you buy a deal. They've been featured on The Today Show, Forbes, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and more. There's stuff like $10 for $25 worth of pizza, $25 for $50 worth of organic groceries, $185 for a $600-valued teeth whitening, and much, much more. I know I sound like an infomercial, but this is seriously an awesome site.

Bethany and I are a part of the Groupon Seattle community and have already purchased a deal. A top 5 dental office in Western Washington offered a dental exam, x-rays, and teeth cleaning for only $62! Bethany does not have dental insurance, so we pulled the trigger on this one quickly. That's a $300 value for almost 80% off! Practically unheard of.

Signing up is completely free and easy. All they want is your name, e-mail address, and password. That's it! No credit card or mailing address is needed to join until you decide that you want to purchase a deal. Do it now so you don't miss out on some great deals!