LOST Live Blog

Guess who is home this Wednesday night in time for LOST? Let's do this.

7:59 - An attendance tonight: Dan, myself and a sleeping Bron-Bron.

8:00 - Jack wakes up on the island. I think I've seen this one before.

8:02 - The part they didn't show you is when Hurley let Leonardo DiCaprio sink just a moment beforehand.

8:03 - Can I just say I like flash-forwards better than I like flashbacks? It's like seeing something on the horizon and getting to walk to it.

8:05 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - I have a small bone of contention. So out of all of the people Ben was trying to recruit to come back to the island, he went to Jack, Sayid and Hurley. Then the only person who actually went with Ben was Jack while Sun is in this weird showdown and Desmond Hume more or less just showed up. How was Ben the leader of The Others for so long? I mean, wouldn't it be necessary to win people over to your side at least once?

8:09 - "Is he telling the truth?" One of those things that if you need to ask...

8:10 - "Okay, guys there are all of these 'pockets' and one of them is a tropical island." "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say we should try to find the one which is a tropical island."

8:12 - See what I mean about having something to work towards?

8:13 - Err, Desmond. I think it's been obvious for a while that Ben is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

8:14 - Or land in Guam.

8:15 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Is anyone else really fired up for "Watchmen"? It's getting so close they're running the short commercials now.

8:18 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - By George, Dennis Leary will sell Smallz a truck with a step if they have to mail it to him.

8:19 - Have we established whether Locke's legs work yet?

8:20 - A very good summation about watching the rest of this show.

8:24 - Okay, who's that guy?

8:22 - Ben: Dropping some knowledge on Jack.

8:25 - Oddly enough her name WAS Freckles.

8:28 - Kiss 'er. Kiss 'er.

8:29 - YES!

8:30 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Doctor or God? Wasn't there an Alec Baldwin movie about that?

8:33 - Ah, yes. The venerable Coffee of Shame.

8:35 - You know when you think the bully from your school was the BAAAADDDEST dude around and then you see him get beat up? Yeah.

8:37 - I mean, it's obvious Locke's legs don't work now when he's dead.

8:38 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - So I got a new phone today. It has a QWERTY board and everything. If you think I sent a lot of text messages before... Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha!

8:41 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Would you actually hold a friend to a "... I'll marry a goat." I mean, there needs to be an acceptable substitute like a slug in the arm. But to make him actually marry a goat?

8:44 - Hurley! Buying up the plane like Daddy Warbucks. Anyone remember that part in "Annie"? Anyone?

8:46 - "What will happen to the other people?" "Who cares?" Ben!

8:49 - Doesn't Frank LaPetis sound like the type of name you'd write down on the attendance sheet when there was substitute?

8:51 - And how exactly does a surgeon get to know an airline pilot very well? Doesn't that seem unlikely?

8:52 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Having Dan here pays off. Frank is apparently the helicopter pilot. Again, I ask...

8:54 - COMMERCIAL BREAK - How nice is it to see Nathan Fillion getting cast in other stuff? I mean, even meaningless mid-season replacements.

8:55 - Do you think the LOST writers just sit around and think up one-liners for Ben to zing Jack with?

8:56 - Well, now that you put it that way...

8:59 - Ah, yes. It's not where you are, it's when.

LOST Live Blog

I didn't watch LOST from the beginning. I tried to catch up a couple of times but each time obfuscation frustrated me. But I am giving the the series another chance since it's ending and one of my favorite comic book writers, Brian K Vaughn (Y: The Last Man, Runaways), is the headwriter. He's very good at bringing his stories to a conclusion so I'm getting on for the rest of the ride. In celebration, I'm going to do a live blog of the season premiere of LOST tonight. Tune in back here as I update this post with my thoughts.

8:00 pm - Okay, I'm "caught up" on the show thanks to that primer show that was just on. Up next is the real deal. Who else is ready?

8:02 pm - I have no idea what's going on.

8:05 pm - I have no idea what's going on.

8:06 pm - Jeremy Davies!

8:10 pm - I have no idea what's going on.

8:11 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Okay, it's a joke. I kinda get what's going on. So far it's a lot of hinting at time travel which is the other reason I'm giving LOST another chance. I love time travel movies and stories. If this is going in that direction and will cross into true sci-fi, I'll see it through.

8:15 pm - Spoiler Alert - Tom Cruise's cousin is in this one.

8:16 pm - "Why did you jump off that boat?" "So I'd have another chance to take off my shirt."

8:18 pm - One complaint I have about this show is when the characters stop and have a conversation purely for plot exposition. If it's important, show it to me and I'll figure it out. LOST has a smart audience.

8:21 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - So what I've heard is this first half hour is supposed to be mind-blowing. As of yet I've been a little disappointed. It seems to be a lot of reveals but not a lot of revelations.

8:23 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - One of the most disorienting things about living in Chicago the last two years is when I came home and I didn't recognize any of the local newscasters. I don't know who any of the KSTP people are save for Dave Dahl. He's like a beacon in the darkness.

8:27 pm - So, if this show is going in a time-travel direction, is there any chance Hiro Nakamura shows up?

8:30 pm - OWWWWWWWW-IE!

8:33 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Is anyone else weirded out by Dakota Fanning? Not anything specific. Just y'know in general.

8:35 pm - Gosh, I really love Jeremy Davies. He's one of those guys who should've had a much better career. I mean, he was in "Saving Private Ryan."

8:38 pm - Here's another complaint. Why can't the show just have characters show up without having their face obscured?

8:41 pm - Is that the triceratops poo from "Jurassic Park"?

8:42 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - One of the things I'm doing during the commercial breaks is making plays on Lexulous (nee Scrabulous). I mention it because there's a really interesting article about Scrabble and its online versions in this week's New Yorker. It's not online but you should check it out, especially if you're a fan of the game.

8:48 pm - Minute forty-eight and Sawyer is still shirtless.

8:49 pm - Ah, yes. The "blood out of the nose" trick. Is it cliche or archetype? You decide.

8:53 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Uhhhhh, nothing to say here. As you were.

8:59 pm - This is what I was hoping for. Let the characters talk amongst themselves and the audience will pick it up.

9:01 pm - Michelle Rodriguez!

9:04 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Okay, wtf is with the pig in the mall? It's memorable but still I don't know if it makes me want to buy their product. I do have to admit they put a pretty good button on it to remind you what the product is and therefore it's actually a good effort.

9:07 pm - And Sawyer finds a shirt.

9:10 pm - I think I see a very successful "Weekend at Sayid's" franchise spin-off with potential.

9:15 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Okay, so Sayid was calling Locke "Bentham". And anyone who appreciates the very wierd knows Jeremy Bentham asked in his will to be preserved and placed on display at either Oxford or Cambridge. Now Ben is a little dodgy about whether "Bentham" is really dead. Hmmmmm...

9:18 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - I was completely off-base. It's University College London.

9:22 pm - "It's like 'The Godfather.' They smother you with pillows and make it look like an accident."

9:24 pm - Mmmmm, mangoes. I love mangoes and could eat the shet out of one right now.

9:25 pm - Ah, the "headache" trick. Is it cliche or archetype? I'd like to see someone just once move through time and come out on the other side with a lot of ear wax.

9:26 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Okay, so I'm doing well in one of the two games I'm playing against my ex-roommate Brian and just getting slaughtered in the other. I'm really good at getting at least 20 points each turn and Brian is really good at getting at least 20 points each turn AND bingo at least once a game.

9:33 pm - "Everything is going to make sense. I promise." It better.

9:35 pm - "You mean 'Take care of her?' take-care-of-her?"

9:38 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - Is it okay I find those Comcast Triple Play commercials annoying but like the Of Montreal song at the end? I know Kevin Barnes gets a lot of crap for licensing his songs out for commercials. But they are good songs.

9:43 pm - Yes! More characters talking between themselves. I'm not feeling as frustrated by all of this.

9:45 pm - Thank God for mothers. What kind of mother wouldn't believe her son in that situation? If I told my mom everything Hurley just said, she'd believe me even if she was the only person who believed me. Yay Hurley's mom!

9:48 pm - COMMERCIAL BREAK - There are a few movies coming up which I should be superbly pumped to see. I'm pretty sure "Watchmen" is going to be good. I'm waiting to see about "Terminator: Salvation." But what to think about this new "Friday the 13th" movie? I mean, I saw the recent "Halloween" movie and it didn't set a good precedent.

9:52 pm - "Hoooooooooot Pockets"

9:55 pm - Bigger badass: Locke or Chuck Norris? I think it's a toss-up.

9:57 pm - What the ...? Who is that lady?

9:58 pm - I have no idea what's going on.

I Am Still Here

Sorry for the brief absence. I'm writing a post which melts down a lot of the personal feelings I'm experiencing. It's been my nemesis for about a week and a half now for one simple reason. I don't like to talk about me unless it's in a frank manner to someone close to me. Thus I'm having difficulty talking about it in a general manner to anyone who wants to know. I'll be working on it the rest of the night and hopefully will have it up by tomorrow morning.

Update

Gah, fuck it. I can't do it. Can't get over the hump and into the backside of the argument. Please instead watch this clip from "Waking Life" which encompasses about half of what I wanted to say.

A Week At Home - Day 1

Yesterday was my first day back home for nine days in Minnesota and, since my ten year high school reunion next weekend was cancelled for lack of interest, the motivating factor in coming home right now. My friends Don and Sarah lived in Boston until recently and they got married there this March. The three people in attendance were Don, Sarah and the priest. So they decided to have the reception today in a park in St. Paul. Thus I was in a cab and on my way to O'Hare at 8:00 am yesterday morning for my 10:50 flight.

The actual reception was very chilled out. It was just a summer barbeque except at one point two of the people cut a cake together. I saw Don and Sarah for the first time in two years or so and I also saw other people I hadn't seen in almost as long like Holly, Marcos and Jamie. It was also good to get a little time with Patrick and Morgan Mae as we were riding in the car to the park. It's good to get back on radar back here in Minneapolis.

The highlight of the day was The Viking game. No, I'm not talking about the professional football team who play their home games at the Metrodome. This game involved sticks, blocks and a metaphorical viking. If your interest is piqued, here are the rules.

Set four posts to set the boundaries of the field. You can set the posts wide or close together based upon your skill level. These posts were about ten feet apart at the ends and fifteen to twenty feet apart lengthwise.

Along the end lines set five to seven woodblocks again based upon your level of skill. It will be your goal to knock down these woodblocks from the opposite end line. To knock them down you use six closet dowel rod sections about six inches long.

Finally set a much more sturdy wood block in the middle. This is The Viking and in the game I played it was an old coffee table leg. This serves as the metaphorical eight ball in that once you've knocked down the rest of the wood blocks your objective is to knock over The Viking. The catch is you have to do it facing backwards and through your legs.

You start by throwing the dowels at the blocks from your end line. All the throws have to be underhand and end-over-end. No overhand, no sidearm, no bowling it, etc. I was accused of (and may've done) a few of those manuevers so I know they're out. Once you knock over a block, the other team throws it to your side on their next turn. They then have to knock over that block as well as the rest of your original blocks.

Here's the catch. If they don't knock over the newly set block, you can advance as far forward as that block to make your throws. So there is a mix of strategy between throwing it close enough that they can hit it easily on their turn throwing dowels (which follows the block tossing) and not so close that you're too close throwing dowels at their blocks. The extra wrinkle is that if you throw a block and it strikes another block, those two blocks are stacked and easier to tip over.

So it's a game a little like bocce ball except more complex. We played a whole game and it took us an hour. But unlike bocce ball there were teams and therefore it wasn't every man for himself.

There were two times that I was the person lined up to knock down The Viking and both times I missed. The first time I was the last person in our rotation and just missed it high. The second time I was the next to last person, I overcompensated, skipped it about two or three feet behind me and missed even more egregiously.

Up stepped Holly. Despite wearing a skirt and having to throw between her legs, she was a dead aim on her first try. She clipped the top of The Viking and our team won the game. Everyone cheered. I was kind of bummed because I'd had two chances to win the game and blown it each time.

Sarah's mom Karen had the best words of consolation. I told her, "Man, I could've won the game twice and I missed both times." She told me, "And wasn't it gracious of you to leave that honor for Holly." Touche, Karen. Touche.

After the sun went down all of the kids went to Merlin's Rest in the Longfellow neighborhood where we had drinks outside and enjoyed the wonderful night air. My brother, Hillary and Charlie all came by and joined the party too. After the 11:00 curfew on outdoor food and beverages, Dan, Hillary and I came back here to Dan's place and played a quick game of Scrabble. I may've scored the least points but I'd like to think I also did the best work for expanding the board.

Day 1 down, 8 more to go.

Update: My friend Kate says The Viking game is also called Kubb. Here's the Wikipedia link.

Lollapalooza 2008

Since Lollapalooza starts midday tomorrow (Half Day At Work!) and goes into the night I won't have time to update until maybe Monday. But if I do, it will be right here on this post.

For those of you going to the show, look for me at these band's sets which I will not miss for the world.

Friday
2:15-3:15 - The Go Team
4:15-5:15 - Gogol Bordello
5:15-6:15 - Mates of State
7:15-8:00 - Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks (Sorry CSS)
8:00-10:00 - Radiohead

Saturday
1:30-2:30 - Mason Jennings
3:30-4:30 - DeVotchKa
4:30-5:30 - Explosions In the Sky
6:30-7:30 - Broken Social Scene
8:30-10:00 - Wilco (Sorry reunited Rage Against the Machine)
11:00-??? - Broken Social Scene - Afterparty at The Metro

Sunday
3:00pm - Roll out of bed
5:15-6:15 - Flogging Molly
6:30-7:30 - Girl Talk (Sorry Gnarls Barkley)
8:15-10:00 - Nine Inch Nails unless I really want to see Kanye West

Otherwise I'll be bouncing around from set-to-set trying to catch as much as possible.

Update (12:22 am Saturday): I knew the moment of the night was probably going to come during the Radiohead set and it did. The band was playing at the southmost stage with the backdrop of the South Loop and the Field Museum behind them. There was a glow from Soldier's Field where, I know now, the Bears were holding a fan family night and I commented on it between songs.

At the end of the family night, there was a fireworks display. Radiohead kicked into "Fake Plastic Trees" from The Bends and I watched as the colors exploded in the sky and how they reflected off the building. It wasn't intentional and you'd have to be several degrees beyond stoned to believe the song and display synced up. Still it was a really beautiful moment and one which I'll treasure forever.

Alright, I'm too tired from the sweltering heat to stay awake much longer. Tomorrow is going to be a long day including an afterparty. I'll update at the end of the day if I'm still awake enough to be coherent.

Update (9:10 am Sunday) Sometimes in life you have to take the good with the bad, the better with the bitter. So when you take a frisbee to the face at Lollapalooza, try to remember it was at Lollapalooza that you blocked a frisbee with your face. Call the guy a fucking asshole and move one with it.

There are too many bands to see to waste your time on some piece of human trash (Seriously, this guy was a total dick. No "Sorry"s, just laughing.) and you were on your way to see Broken Social Scene. Which Dan and I did see. For the first of two times. As the sun was setting behind the Chicago skyline. Which was awesome.

The second time was later that evening at the Metro. After an ordeal with the doors not opening until when the opening band Yeasayer was supposed to be on stage, BSS hit the stage around 12:30 in the morning and played straight until 2:15. There wasn't a lot of duplication between their set earlier in the day and they actually played my favorite song, "Lovers Spit." Dan and I caught a cab home after the show and climbed into bed at 3 am.

Update (10:39 am Monday)

I'm back at work today and, despite having the worst dry-mouth ever last night, I woke this morning without Lil Wayne voice. I'll have to try even harder next year.

My brother wasn't able to stay for yesterday's festivities. All of the bands he wanted to see started after 5:00 and he had a 7 hour drive back to Minnesota to tackle. We went to brunch out in Bucktown with one of his friends, we said our goodbyes (all the way until this upcoming Saturday) and he drove home.

He does get a million points at life though because he figured out a way to take off his wrist band and get it onto my other friend's wrist. Since he has a big wrist and her wrist is small, he cut his band close to the clasp and then she and I stitched it onto her wrist with a needle and thread. We tightened the clasp so it covered the stitches and it looked like it had been on her wrist all along.

While there we saw three different acts and all three were an absolute jam. Flogging Molly is always great, Girl Talk was off-the-hook and then Mr. Kanye West brought his manic energy to the people. Overall Lollapalooza was great and I'm glad my bro was there to share it with me.

P.S. The new Ghostface and Raekwon?

Hope and Despair

With San Antonio closing out New Orleans last night, the NBA's final four were set and I regret to inform that two of the four teams are the Lakers and the Spurs and the other two are the Celtics and the Pistons. Let me summarize each of the possible Finals match-ups as follows

San Antonio - Detroit OH GOD ...

San Antonio - Boston ... MY EYES ...

Los Angeles Lakers - Boston ... ARE BLEEDING.



Los Angeles Lakers - Detroit This is the only series I could possibly care about and it's the one least likely to occur. You never know with Boston's propensity for making things interesting and seven games long. But without a 100 % healthy Chauncey Billups the Pistons will need to capitalize on the Celtics mistakes more than they will be able to play their own game. If this Finals happens, I'll watch every game. Otherwise I'm turn my complete concentration to...

THE NBA DRAFT!!!

Chances are I've spent 80% of my basketball thoughts in the last month thinking about the draft with 18% going to the playoffs and 2% to Mike D'Antoni first coming to Chicago and then going to New York. When you cheer for a team like Minnesota who finished so far out of contention, you could even argue a quarter of my in-season thoughts were about who the Timberwolves were going to draft this off-season. In fact, if you stop by my desk at work you'll find pictures of two basketball players. One is Al Jefferson. The other is Derrick Rose. El Jefe went up second.

It is perhaps premature to post an entry about the NBA Draft before the draft lottery has even taken place. As of tonight we'll know whether the Timberwolves have the fourth pick in a three man draft or if their franchise good luck will blossom. Despite our team's history of having the X+1 pick in a draft where there are X elite players, I have to feel hopeful.



The truth is I don't feel like we're going to drop into the top three for any rational reason. It's just this feeling in my gut that feels like hope. Either that or, hopefully, sensing when it's about to rain.

Update: It looks like my choice of a Christian Laettner picture was prescient because like 1992 the T'wolves ended up with the 3rd pick in an draft where the first two guys were obvious picks. On the whole, I feel good about the way the lottery played out.

The Bulls got the top pick and, if I have a second team, it's Chicago. They've had a rough patch this season because of injuries to their top three guys after being picked by a lot of experts to be a championship contender. Adding Michael Beasley to their line-up means they'll be pretty formidable.

Theoretically they could start Kirk Heinrich at PG, Luol Deng at SG, Tyrus Thomas at SF, Beasley at PF and Susie's second favorite player Joakim Noah at C. This does mean the incompetent John Paxson gets to keep his job. But the Bulls will have some pieces for the next coach to put together into something.

The Heat got the second pick and at first I was cursing the luck of the Wolves. Miami pretty clearly tanked the end of the season by shutting down Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion and playing NBDL players for the last quarter of the season. Karma should've smote them and given them the fourth pick for good measure.

Then I remembered they play in the East, they'll have Wade and Marion healthy for the whole season next year, they'll be drafting Derrick Rose (who is perfect for them and vice versa) and if they make the playoffs Minnesota gets their first round pick next year. So the Wolves could have two first round picks next year. Go Heat!



As I said, I was disappointed the Wolves only got the third pick. I like the choice Minnesota has though. We have two glaring needs on the roster and it's the same glaring needs everyone seems to have, a point guard and/or a center. Now we do have internal options like re-signing Sebastian Telfair to play PG or moving Jefe to C. But there are also talented guys at #3 we can pick to fill those holes instead of just patching over them. It's just a decision of which one you'd like to address.

The pick seems to be between OJ Mayo, Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless and maybe Kevin Love which makes me wish I'd seen more Pac-10 basketball this season. I prefer OJ Mayo since I think he's more adaptable to the NBA game and could create a good mix on offense with Foye and Al while playing good defense next to Brewer. The truth is the T'Wolves have changed a lot since this time last summer and yet it's not as though the future is bleak. In fact, I'm still feeling good about it.

We Were Inverted At the Time

I wish I could find the clip from Wayne's World 2 where Del Preston is finishing a story as Wayne and Garth walk up and says, "... and that's why Keith Richards cannot be killed by conventional weaponry." Because that's exactly how I feel right now. Because early this morning just north of Milwaukee, Scott and I walked away from a car accident completely unscathed.

Susie is back in Minnesota for an extended weekend visiting her family and attending our friends' wedding. I couldn't afford the extra days off and I stayed behind in Illinois. I didn't want to spend the entire weekend in my apartment though. So with a little coaxing and the promise we could be back in Chicago before his 8:00 am shift Saturday (this) morning, Scott and I drove up to Green Bay after work yesterday. It was a good time and we saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a long while. On the way home, I kicked the seat back and slept.

The next thing I remember was a lot of swearing, the car spinning and then flipping over onto its roof. I asked Scott what happened, he said he'd flipped the car and my classic response is just to say "Shit." He later told me that during the crash he'd thrown his arm across me because he didn't want me bouncing around the cabin. It's kind of sweet in a way. I undid my belt and, as I did, really hoped we were off to the side of the road or somewhere out of the way. My fear was to be exiting the vehicle as another vehicle struck ours. My door was stuck and thus I followed Scott out the driver-side door. Our car was on its top in the mud on the side of the road.

Scott took it pretty hard. I won't go into it too much because I don't want to embarrass him. But he was pretty shook up because there had been another person (me) in the car with him at the time of the accident. I had to remember to remind him since I was okay and he was okay the rest of it was just being inconvenienced. The truth is he was going to have to try harder in the future if he wanted to kill me.

After getting checked out by the ambulance and giving our deposition of what happened, the cops gave us a ride up to the Brueggers Bagels and we had some breakfast. Scott's parents came to get us and they gave us a ride home. An original version of the plan had me staying in Milwaukee while Scott drove on to work but that got cancelled. I just got into bed and took a nap. Sleep may be the cousin of death. But it's not the same thing.

The Oscars

Since the Oscars are on tonight, I thought I'd throw up some quick predictions before the show and then update with some reactions later.

I have a pretty simple lithmus test for the Oscars. I believe that Oscars should stick out. Either because it was a touchstone role or because that actor's oeuvre stands out amongst their piers. Basically the Oscars should be celebrating the best movies have to offer. My updated notes are in italics.

Best Picture - No Country For Old Men

This was the best reviewed movie of the year hands down and the consensus seemed to settle on this being the best picture of the year. "There Will Be Blood" was the sort of movie a lot of people felt very strongly about (including me) and that probably pushed its profile up a bit. "Juno" had a dark horse chance in the same way "Little Miss Sunshine" did last year. But ultimately it was No Country for Old Men's award to lose and it didn't.

Best Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis

I read an article recently that Daniel Day Lewis has done only 9 movies since winning his first Oscar in 1989 and has garnered Best Actor noms for three of them. That means he is Academy nominated in 40% of his movies and has won an Oscar 1 in 5 times he's appeared onscreen in the last ten years.

So I'm sorry for Johnny Depp and that years from now he'll be "can you believe he's never won?" discussions. He ran into (successively) Sean Penn in "Mystic River", Jamie Foxx in "Ray" and Daniel Day Lewis in "There Will Be Blood."

Best Actress - Laura Linney

I like Laura Linney and I was hoping for a "lifetime achievement" award for her. I mean, since 1996, she's only been in "Primal Fear", "The Truman Show", "You Can Count On Me", "Mystic River", "Love Actually", "Kinsey", "The Squid and the Whale" and "Breach". I'm not mad Oscars. (Unlike last year when Jennifer Hudson won.) I'm just disappointed.

Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem

I can't really argue with this one. I think Phillip Seymour Hoffman was awesome in "Charlie Wilson's War." But Bardem has been excellent in movies like "Before Night Falls" so I can't argue this win will stick out years from now. He really does deserve the award.

Best Supporting Actress - Cate Blanchett

I wanted Cate Blanchett to win for the first of the two criteria I listed above. Her role as "Don't Look Back"-era Dylan was exactly the kind of boundary-stretching which actors should aspire to and recognized for instead of the typical Oscar-bait. That said Tilda Swinton has an Oscar-worthy oeuvre and "Michael Clayton" was one of my favorite movies of the last year (which is another post entirely).

Best Director - The Coen Brothers

My heart does swell with a little civic pride when Minnesota-born directors Joel and Ethan Coen take home the gold. I want Paul Thomas Anderson to win an Oscar one day since I've pretty much enjoyed every movie the guy has made. Then again, considering he keeps getting nominations, he either will eventually or become his generation's Scorsese. And even Marty won eventually.

Best Adapted Screenplay - The Coen Brothers

Okay, a rehash of what I said about best reviewed movie and civic pride before now. Can I let you in on a secret? I still haven't seen this movie. Since my regular movie viewing partner is squemish when it comes to violence, I never got out to this one. I'll see it eventually and I'm sure I'll really like it. I just haven't yet.

Best Original Screenplay - Diablo Cody

Again, more civic pride eventhough Ms. Cody is really from Chicago. She lives in Minneapolis and I've read her book and in CityPages for years. I even remember the posts on her blog about the movie coming together. So, in a way, it's kind of like following the rise of someone from your high school into stardom.

See you after the show... Any predictions for next year? Best Picture to "Semi-Pro"?