Keep a Look Out - Possibly Oscar Worthy

Every year I try to watch the Oscars and I really get irritated when I haven't seen the movies that have been nominated. In result I have decided to start researching early.

I found this website that gives a list of predictions. I've heard of almost all of these movies and plan to watch most of them, especially Milk, Revolutionary Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Body of Lies, Burning After Reading, Changeling, Blindness, Choke and the Soloist.

What do you think? Are there any movies missing?

http://baasecha1.blogspot.com/2008/03/2009-oscar-predictions-year-in-advance.html

2009 Oscar Predictions - Year in Advance

Best Picture:

1. Revolutionary Road
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Australia
4. Blindness
5. Milk
   
   Other Chances:
   Changeling
   The Reader
   Doubt
   Synecdoche, New York
   Brothers
   Frost/Nixon
   Defiance
   Body of Lies
   Appaloosa
   Burn After Reading
   

Best Director:

1. Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road
2. Baz Luhrman – Australia
3. David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Fernando Meirelles – Blindness
5. Gus Van Sant – Milk
   
   Other Chances:
   Clint Eastwood – Changeling
   Jim Sheridan – Brothers
   Stephen Daldry – The Reader
   John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
   Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
   Charlie Kaufman – Synecdoche, New York
   Joe Wright – The Soloist
   Ed Harris – Appaloosa
   Coen Brothers – Burn After Reading
   Ridley Scott – Body of Lies
   

Best Actor

1. Sean Penn – Milk
2. Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
3. Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
4. Benecio Del Toro – The Argentine
5. Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
   
   Other Chances:
   Hugh Jackman – Australia
   Ralph Fiennes – The Reader
   Eric Bana – The Time Traveller’s Wife
   Sam Rockwell – Choke
   Jamie Foxx – The Soloist
   Jake Gyllenhall – Brothers
   Leonardo DiCaprio – Body of Lies
   

Best Actress:

1. Kate Winslett – Revolutionary Road
2. Nicole Kidman – Australia
3. Julianne Moore – Blindness
4. Meryl Streep – Doubt
5. Rachel McAdams – The Time Traveller’s Wife
   

Other Choices:
Angelina Jolie – Changeling'

Keira Knightly – The Duchess

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Meryl Streep – Mama Mia
Natalie Portman – Brothers
Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria


Best Supporting Actress

1. Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Amy Adams - Doubt
3. Anjelica Houston – Choke
4. Kate Winslett – The Reader
5. Kathy Bates – Revolutionary Road
   
   Other Chances:
   Sandra Oh – Blindness
   Amy Ryan – Changeling
   Catherine Keener – The Soloist
   Tilda Swinton – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
   Catherine Keener – Synedoche, New York or Soloist
   Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
   Scarlett Johansson - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
   Samantha Morton - Synecdoche, New York
   Dianne Weist - Synecdoche, New York
   Raches Weisz – My Blueberry Nights
   

Best Supporting Actor

1. Josh Brolin – Milk
2. Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
3. Mark Ruffalo – Blindness
4. Emille Hirsch – Milk
5. Michael Sheen – Frost/Nixon
   
   Other Choices:
   Gael Garcia Bernal – Blindness
   Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
   James Franco – Milk
   David Strathairn – My Blueberry Nights
   Tobey Maguire – Brothers
   Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
   Russell Crow – Body of Lies
   Robert Downy Jr. – The Soloist
   
   

Vice Presidential Debate, October 2nd

The only VP debate for the 2008 Presidential election is going to be held on October 2, 2008. It has been rumored that this debate will get more views than the first Presidential debate which was held at the University of Mississippi over foreign policy. For those that are out of the loop, Joe Biden Sen. of Delaware is Barack Obama's VP pick and Sarah Palin Sen. of Alaska is John McCain's VP pick. Much of the viewers are still very worried about Sarah Palin's experience and what she could potentially bring to the table. American's are also worried about how Palin will be handling foreign policy matters when she recently just received a passport and officially visited another country. It is going to be interesting to hear what Biden has to say considering he has been out of the media post VP picks were announced. I'm almost positive that his comment on Obama's ad is going to be questioned. I guess we will see what happens tomorrow!

First 2008 Presidential Debate

On Friday September 26, 2008 Barak Obama and John McCain will debate over foreign policy issues. The debate will be held in Mississippi at the University of Mississippi. Some of the key underlying issues are going to be on nation building in foreign countries (like what is going on in Iraq and several other countries) and our relationship and dependence on China. It is going to be interesting to see the different policy plans that both candidates propose.

Personally, I am pretty fed up with both candidates. I really hope that these debates don't result in personal attacks but instead look towards how they are going to help the country get out of the horrible economic position that we find ourselves in. We are in a crisis and our focus should be on how we are going to help us prosper instead of who has a daughter having a child as a teenager or who might still be connected to the Muslim religion. So many Americans only look at the fact that one candidate is Republican and the other is Democrat. Being president is so much more than that. The U.S. needs a president that can work with the opposing party and get things DONE. I am relying on these debates to make my decision on who I think will help this country and myself. I hope neither candidate disappoints me.

Is the World Coming to an End Due to...

Next month the largest particle accelerator (LHC) will be turned on in Geneva, Switzerland. For those that are interested in physics and astronomy and are part of the scientific community, this is a huge opportunity to find more information about what happened seconds after the Big Bang.

The project cost 8 billion dollars and is operated by the International Physics Laboratory called CERN. The accelerator will be smashing subatomic particles together, creating energy that happened seconds after the Big Bang.

So why might the world come to an end? Well, this is what worries people about the machine and this is also why people are talking so much about this project. If the particles are being smashed together at such fast and powerful rates (very close to the speed of light) this possibly could create micro-black holes. If this is true it could 'in theory' destroy mankind and the Earth itself. The physicist and astronomers who are looking at possible micro-black holes developing are relying on Hawkings Radiation. Hawkings Radiation theory says that when 2 virtual particles appear they cancel each other out. However, if two virtual particles appear and one falls into the black hole there is one left over that can't be canceled out, therefore taking energy/mass away from the black hole. Keep in mind this is all 'in theory'.

Because there is some possibility of a black hole being created there have been many lawsuits trying to shutdown the particle accelerator. Although there is a very, very small chance a black hole will be created online blogs and discussion boards have been raving about this subject alone. However a CERN spokesman made a good point; "Earth is bathed with cosmic rays powerful enough to create black holes all the time, and the planet hasn't been destroyed yet"

The LHC project was not intended to prove that black holes can be developed by scientists or to see if the earth can in fact be destroyed. This IS an advancement in the Science community, to strengthen our knowledge on how the Universe was created and how it developed.

This is all pretty interesting. Here are some informational websites:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgLdIly2Xtw

http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/Research/Accelerator-en.html
http://www.livescience.com/environment/060919_black_holes.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/science/21cernw.html

Ike, can I shake your hand?

Ike, which was probably named after the South Park character, is now a Cat. 2 hurricane, anticipated to become a Cat. 3.

The National Hurricane Center calls it a "large tropical cyclone," which makes it sound WAY cooler than it really is.

Ikie is supposed to hit Texas on Saturday, leaving some Texans pissed with it's interference with the Arkansas game.

I say keep the game on schedule - and let it really filter out the real Horns fans from the fakes. Let's see how many chicks will still dress all cute just to sit in other people's designated seats, hoping the Megatron captures their good side. Grrr.

And I hope that the next hurricane that's abrewing will be named Kenny.

Real Clear Politics Shows McCain in the Lead

Although the 2008 presidential race is extremely close, most polls have shown Obama in the lead by around 5 points. This means +/- and this is why even with the polls any candidate could win. However I was reading today that McCain has actually taken the lead in the polls by an average of +/- 2.9 points. Although this is still a very close race it is still very interesting considering Obama has been in the lead thus far. Here are the polls.

General Election: McCain vs. Obama
RCP Electoral Map | Changes in Electoral Count | Map With No Toss Ups | No Toss Up Changes
Polling Data
Poll Date Sample McCain (R) Obama (D) Spread
RCP Average 09/05 - 09/07 -- 48.3 45.4 McCain +2.9
ABC News/Wash Post 09/05 - 09/07 LV 49 47 McCain +2
CBS News 09/05 - 09/07 655 RV 46 44 McCain +2
USA Today/Gallup 09/05 - 09/07 823 LV 54 44 McCain +10

CNN 09/05 - 09/07 942 RV 48 48 Tie
Rasmussen Tracking 09/05 - 09/07 3000 LV 48 47 McCain +1
Hotline/FD Tracking 09/05 - 09/07 924 RV 44 44 Tie
Gallup Tracking 09/05 - 09/07 2733 RV 49 44 McCain +5

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html

Russel Brand; Worst VMA Host Ever

I usually watch the VMA's every year and have been happy or satisfied with who MTV decides to pick to host the VMA's. However, this year is the exception. I didn't think Russel Brand did a good job hosting at all. I slightly giggled sometimes but other than that I didn't understand why he was chosen to host this event. Overall I thought the VMA's were good, way better than last year anyways but I wasn't feeling Russel Brand. What did y'all think?

An Embarrassment to Sarahs Everywhere

Educate yourself about Sarah Palin:
(from MoveOn.org )

• Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." ^{1, 2}
• Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" ³
• Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.⁴
• Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." ⁵
• Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. ⁶
• Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. ⁷
• Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. ⁸
• As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." ⁹
• She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." ¹⁰

Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-6374540-VbK.KZx&t=6

2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-6374540-VbK.KZx&t=7

3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-6374540-VbK.KZx&t=8

5. Ibid

6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

7. Ibid

8. Ibid.

9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-6374540-VbK.KZx&t=9

10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Chinese=Cheaters?

Right before the 2008 Olympic Qualifying round in gymnastics the U.S. team challenged that the Chinese girls were under the age of 16. If you are not familiar with the rules it is as fallows. You must be 16 or be turning 16 years of age the same year that the Olympics takes place. The Chinese reportedly showed the passports of all the girls and the FIG Board let them compete.

As I was watching the Olympics I too was wondering how old the girls on the Chinese team were. Some of the girls looked at least 13 years old. Well, today on the Celebrity Gossip Column Perez Hilton, there was a blog about how a hacker has found proof that one of the girls competing was only 14 years old. This is the same Chinese girl who was given the gold medal in the Individual Competition on bars when she tied with Nastia Liukin, and personally I thought they both deserved gold instead of giving Nastia the Silver medal.

Perez Hilton just reported that the Board is going to investigate the hackers evidence. Should the Chinese be stripped of their medals if they did cheat? I think they should and I also think that Nastia Liukin should be given the Gold on Bars! Clearly, looking at the scoring compared to the Chinese it seemed like the judges were giving the U.S. girls lower scores than they deserved. And, if the Chinese are guilty we will get what we deserve, more medals on the individual events and the Gold as a team.

Here is the Link to the blog:

Twilight News!

The Twilight premiere has been moved to 11/21/08 instead of the original date 12/12/08!

The Summer OLYMPICS Are Here!!!!

Today the opening Olympic ceremony is going to be held in Beijing, China. Although there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the location of the Olympics (due to both political and environmental problems) it is finally here!!!!! Personally I'm excited about a couple of sports including gymnastics and swimming but it looks like there is a sport for everyone.

List of Summer Olympic Sports:

Modern Pentathlon
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Boxing
BMX Racing
Canoing
Cycling
Diving
Equestrian
Diving
Fencing
Football
Gymnastics
Handball
Field Hockey
Judo
Rowing
Sailing
Shooting
Softball
Swimming
Synchronized Swimming
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Water Polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling

I know it is a long list!!! You should be able to catch most of the Olympics on television channels like ABC and NBC. I will post results as soon as possible for some of the popular sports.

GO TEAM USA!

Breaking Dawn Release!

At Midnight last night Breaking Dawn was released. Breaking Dawn is the 4th installment to the Twilight Saga! Personally, I'm very, very excited about this book coming out. The third book (Eclipse) left so many questions unanswered. So much is supposed to happen it is insane. If you haven't picked up the first three books you should! Just for some back information (I know Mel has covered a lot of this already), these books mostly surround Bella, who is an awkward speak when spoken to teenager, Edward Cullen a pale, gorgeous vampire and in later books Jacob Black, Bella's best friend. It's entertaining, wild, and the plots for each of the books are amazing. When you get done with one book you want to jump into the next one just to see what happens. SO!, go to the store and pick up the series, it is an easy read and a good way to kill some time!

Edward Cullen makes me want to become a Vampire.

So I'll be honest with you, a novel revolving around the romance between a weakly teenaged girl (Bella Swan) and an immortal loner vampire (Edward Cullen) doesn't sound like my cup of tea.

But give or take a week, I too fell under the Twilight spell.

The first book in the Twilight saga is from Bella's point-of-view: moving to the gloomy yet quaint little town of Forks, WA. Her self-conscious persona and lack of fine motor skills relates to the awkward teen in all of us. She's never dated, never saw herself as gorgeous or out of the ordinary, just a regular, talk-only-if you-initiate type of chick.

And then came Edward Cullen, who could not resist her. Which has a double meaning (read the book to figure that one out -wink-). And I must praise Ms. Meyer for creating such a heartthrob of a fictional character. I swear her character descriptions are right-on, and if your a teenaged girl like myself, your heart will grown a little attached to Edward's "golden eyes," gentleman-like mannerisms, and badass style. He's just hot. And I feel so pathetic writing this.

I guess it's because I picture Robert Pattinson (played Cedric Diggory in HP, and starrs as Edward Cullen in the upcoming Twilight flick) while reading. And he's just, well - gorgeous of course.

Anyways, Twilight is a super easy read. The size may be intimidating, but if it takes your more than 5 hours to read the book, I'm declaring you illterate.

So if you haven't got anything else to do, and are tired of those That 70's Show and Sex and the City re-runs, I suggest you sit yourself in the nearest Barnes and Noble and read this book along with the other teen girls, middle-aged moms and goths.

But seriously, Love + Suspense + Edward Cullen = a grand time for all.

600 Starbucks locations closing...

The Seattle based coffee chain will be laying off 12,000 of their employees, which is about 7% of their nationwide employment.

The popular chain will be closing 5% of shops because of "a wide-ranging effort to boost its bottom line and its stock price. The chain is accelerating international growth," according to The Seattle Times.

Watering it all down -the stores were losing money mainly because it would compete with other Starbucks, which were just around the corner. I don't know whose idea it was so literally saturate areas with Starbucks, but I'm sure that genius is now part of the 7% laid off.

Honestly, I don't really care if a shitload of Starbucks are closing... just as long as they keep the same recipe for a Java Chip frappucino. If they even decide to reevaluate it, I'm gonna have to smack some CEO bitches.

Same sex couples can officially hitch it in CA...

At 5pm Pacific time on Monday, same sex couples were legally allowed to wed among crowds of "cheers and jeers."

Last month's state court decision dropped two Cali laws that prohibited the unions. Now California is the second, yet the largest, state to legalize same sex unions. Massachusetts was the first, legalizing it in 2004.

I think it's a pretty sweet deal. I mean MA has the east side covered, and CA has the west side covered. Now all they need is a middle-man... maybe Kansas will go gay?

Tornadoes Everywhere

It seems like tornadoes have been touching down in Mid America 2-3 times a week. It also seems like this year tornadoes have been developing more than ever before. It is devastating to see the after math of these one of a kind site seeing storms. People have lost their family members, friends and/or property to these destroyers. However, the site of a cloud like that of a twister is unique and eye opening. You don't want to look away. When I lived in the Keys (Florida) water spouts would form and touch water but never touch land. For me, it nothing like I have seen before. Its frightening to know that something that has so much power can come at no warnings notice. Here are some pictures from this years storms.

Tim Russert dies at 58

Longtime host of Meet the Press and NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief and senior vice president, Tim Russert died Friday afternoon after collapsing, the cause of his death not yet known.


Russert's journalism career spanned over 17 years. He was known for his hard-hitting questions, and thorough interviews with political figures that left them squirming a bit.

Alba names her kid Honor...

... Honor Marie Warren. I'm hoping it's a girl.

Jessica and Cash then realized how stupid that name sounded and renamed their first born child Melanie Renee' Warren. It was fantastic.

Democratic Race for the Presidency

The Democratic race, unlike the Republican, has gone on for a very long while. While Barack Obama is said to have clinched the amount of delegates needed to have the official title of Democratic nominee, Hillary R. Clinton has not conceded.
It should be interesting to see if Clinton concedes in the next week. There are so many factors when there is a close race like this one. Not only are there delegates from the primary/caucus elections but there are also "Super Delegates" that need to be taken into account. Like points, Super Delegates are worth a lot more than earned delegates; the result of primary/caucuses. Some of the "Super Delegates" have not even officially decided who they are committed to yet. I guess we will have to just wait it out and see what happens.

Here is an article from a news sight (Breitbart.com) about the AP tally(also known as Associated Press; this is one of the most reliable sources for political news and political election results).

AP tally: Obama effectively clinches nomination

Jun 3 01:40 PM US/Eastern
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of Convention Delegates becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House. Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party. The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day. The 46-year-old first-term senator will face Sen. John McCain if Arizona in the fall campaign to become the 44th president. Clinton was ready to concede that her rival had amassed the delegates needed to triumph, according to officials in her campaign. These officials said the New York senator did not intend to suspend or end her candidacy in a speech Tuesday night in New York. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they had not been authorized to divulge her plans. Obama's triumph was fashioned on prodigious fundraising, meticulous organizing and his theme of change aimed at an electorate opposed to the Iraq war and worried about the economy—all harnessed to his own innate gifts as a campaigner. Clinton campaigned for months as the candidate of experience, a former first lady and second-term senator ready, she said, to take over on Day One. But after a year on the trail, Obama won the kickoff Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 3, and the freshman senator became something of an overnight political phenomenon. "We came together as Democrats, as Republicans and independents, to stand up and say we are one nation, we are one people and our time for change has come," he said that night in Des Moines. A video produced by Will I. Am and built around Obama's "Yes, we can" rallying cry quickly went viral. It drew its one millionth hit within a few days of being posted. As the strongest female presidential candidate in history, Clinton drew large, enthusiastic audiences. Yet Obama's were bigger still. One audience, in Dallas, famously cheered when he blew his nose on stage; a crowd of 75,000 turned out in Portland, Ore., the weekend before the state's May 20 primary. To read the full article click the link below

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D912O5FG0&show_article=1

False Action by Police?

So, the Texas Supreme Court ruled this week that the police officers in west Texas did not have enough evidence to take over 400 children from a polygamist ranch. All of the children were released and given back to their parents. The officers and Child Protective Services said that they were trying to end child abuse against the girls who were forced to have sex with older men.

I read a month or so ago that many of the children didn't know who their parents were because this "religious" way of living requires that every women be a mother to every child. The men in the ranch said that they were being wrongfully punished because of their religious beliefs. Do they have protection under the First Amendment to carry out polygamist actions?

The United States Supreme court has ruled on this type of case already. They ruled a similar case with Mormon's in West U.S. saying that these actions were not okay. It should be very interesting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court picks up this case. It would bring a whole new ruling to religious actions and child custody laws.

It seems to me that there is something wrong with this. I know we live in a free country but it is sick. There are a few men that sleep with several women and these women are as young as 14-16 years old. This alone should be looked at as violating the law (many religious groups feel they can go around laws because their religious freedoms. This is wrong!!!!). Then, all the women act as mothers to all the children. I don't know the full details of how this religion works but there should be religious boundaries. I am all for religious freedom...but some actions should be regulated. My philosophy is every person has their own beliefs. There are hundreds of different religions and then their are laws. Especially in a country like the U.S. every religion can't be pleased. It comes down to compromising and trying to be fair to the citizen of the United States. The government should be able to regulate religious actions as long as they are not interfering with religious beliefs. This is what it comes down to.

Thought?