who dat? contest.

(yo stee. i know
who dat?)


last game:

Hated 'Skins QB Jeff George.

first correct answer:

Tommy Witherspoon

and I was gently reminded ("...you suck") who won the last contest. the lovely
sarah campbell.


bi-coastal


So I just got this email at work:

There will be carolers around the building sometime between 1:00 and 3:00. They will not be intrusive, and will not be too long. Hopefully this will not interfere with anything, and will serve to bring you a few minutes of enjoyment in this season.

Thanks, Tom

I find that sad on so many levels. One. Yes, it's sad that they're hiring Carolers to walk around our shitty and depressed office building. The tree in the lobby, nice. Carolers, sad. Also, the sense of apologizing in the email is just extra pathetic. And then it's even sadder that, yes, they are probably going to be only viewed as annoyances and scary people to be run away from. Things are all mixed up, y'all.

So, now to look at the second announced awards. The New York Film Critics Circle:

BEST PICTURE: Traffic.
Wow. Okay, yeah, I've wanted to see this, as I said, but the Michael Douglas and the Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas-Whatever have turned me off. But I appreciate, if not love, most of Soderbergh's stuff, even if I think it's rather silly that he's now insisting on always operating his own camera.

BEST ACTOR: Tom Hanks. Castaway.
I'm very shocked. The circles usually go for more indie fare almost on purpose, so he must be really good in this. I love Tom Hanks. I don't want to and I think he's grown sort of smarmy and schlocky (sort of? you say,) but I do like him a lot. I wish he'd do Turner and Hooch 2. That's all I ask for.

BEST ACTRESS: Laura Linney. You Can Count On Me.
As I've said, I don't really even like Laura Linney - have always found her pinchy and boring - but man, she's so terrific in this movie. Quietly terrific. It's not a dying or a disease or a war role. It's a real human being. No gimmicks. And she fucking nails every moment.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Benicio Del Toro. Traffic.
Oh yeah? Huh. OK. Cool. He can be really good. He can also suck. But he's generally fun to watch. Plus, his name means Burrito of the Bull. I bet you didn't know that!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Marcia Gay Harden. Pollock.
Not only because she went to NYU, but my love for her work knows no limits. She's a real actress. I'm so glad for her. I had no desire to see Pollock before, but I guess I will if she's in it.

DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh. Traffic.

SCREENPLAY: Kenneth Lonergan. You Can Count On Me.
Yee-haw!

DOCUMENTARY: The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.

FOREIGN FILM: Yi-Yi.
Ooh, maybe they felt bad for other films too and so didn't pick Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for that reason.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Chicken Run.

BEST FIRST FILM: George Washington. (by David Gordon Green)

Oh boy, there's LA too:

BEST PICTURE: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Wow. A foreign film as best film. And this is LA, not NY. Weird shit. Fuck, I guess I have to go see it. And Wonder Boys was runner-up. How odd. I liked it, but didn't love it.

BEST ACTOR: Michael Douglas. Wonder Boys. (Javier Bardem. Before Night Falls, is runner-up.)
Again, I'm very shocked. Of course, this is the movie I can think of as being most negatively affected by its ad campaign, ever. Bums on the street were coming up to me and bitching about the poster of Michael Douglas looking like an old woman.

BEST ACTRESS: Julia Roberts. Erin Brockovich. (Laura Linney. Runner-up.)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Willem Dafoe. Shadow of the Vampire. (Bencio Del Toro runner-up.)
This looks fun. Dafoe looks fun, as usual, in it.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Frances McDormand. Wonder Boys and Almost Famous. (Runner-up Dragon's Zhang Ziyi.)
Man, in Almost Famous, she was so impressive, only having a couple scenes. I'd have no problem if she won. She's mind-blowingly good.

DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh. Traffic and Erin Brockovich. (Ang Lee, runner-up.)

SCREENPLAY: Kenneth Lonergan. You Can Count On Me.
Yee-haw, again.

DOCUMENTARY: Dark Days.
This I want to see. It's by a guy who went down for 2 years and lived with the mole people in the NYC subway system, filming their community.

FOREIGN FILM: Yi-Yi.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Chicken Run

NEW GENERATION AWARD: Mark Ruffalo. Actor. You Can Count On Me. (Kick ass.)

We'll skip Boston...

Hey. If you live in LA and you want to see some good theatre... well, you could go to my plays, (ask me and i'll give you the info), but I really wanted to recommend another show. It's one of the best things I've seen in LA, and it's at a small theatre. It's called The Night And Her Stars and it's about the Twenty-one scandal (same story as the film Quiz Show.) Anyway, it's at the tiny Alliance Theatre in the Valley and it's just brilliant. And, if you were a fan of Twin Peaks, you'll get to see Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs) who is just fantastic. Let me know if you need info. It's been extended through January.


My pick for topic of the day at Three Way Action:

It's movie award season.
Bitch here.

The Robert Downey Jr. Happy Song Corner

 
 
Well no one told me about her, the way she lied. Well no one told me about her, how many people cried. But it's too late to say you're sorry. How would I know, why should I care? Please don't bother tryin' to find her. She's not there. Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked. The way she'd act and the colour of her hair. Her voice was soft and cool. Her eyes were clear and bright. But she's not there. Well no one told me about her, what could I do? Well no one told me about her, though they all knew. But it's too late to say you're sorry. How would I know, why should I care? Please don't bother tryin' to find her. She's not there. Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked. The way she'd act and the colour of her hair. Her voice was soft and cool. Her eyes were clear and bright. But she's not there. But it's too late to say you're sorry. How would I know, why should I care? Please don't bother tryin' to find her. She's not there. Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked. The way she'd act and the colour of her hair. Her voice was soft and cool. Her eyes were clear and bright. But she's not there... speaking of which. I know. One minute we're doing a scene, and then the next minute: she's not there. Fainted. On the floor. I swear it wasn't my fault, this time. I swear.
 
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