The Oscars Part II: Who got screwed?

So, let's just cut to the chase. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a long history of screwing people over when it comes to the honor of being nominated. This year was no different than others. The following is short list of who got screwed.

Paul Giamatti (Sideways) - Tops the list this year. There is no one who deserves an Oscar nomination more than Paul Giamatti. In the role of Miles Raymond, a thirty something divorcee/struggling writer, Giamatti embodied the lost hope and confusion that most 30 something males feel.

James Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) - Jim is credited for doing the best portrayal of Jesus since Jeffrey Hunter in King of Kings. Passion of the Christ was one of last years most controversial movies it didn't get nominated for any major awards unless you count BEST MAKEUP, BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, and BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY as major.

Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ) - I actually feel for Mel on this one. The man put his heart and soul into this movie and what happens his anti-Semitic father comes out the wood work and says something smart.

Quentin Tarintino (Kill Bill Vol. 2) - QT got screwed big time in my opinion because Vol. 1 was just too violent and Vol. 2 was too wordy and too tongue and cheek for the academy's taste.

Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) - Walter Salles did a fantasic job and for the Academy not to notice is a crime. I've never seen a director use a continent as a character for a film.

The Ocsars Part I: The nominees

The Nominees for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences where announced Tuesday January 25, 2005. Here are the nominees.

BEST PICTURE

"The Aviator" - Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio's epic tale of the early days of Howard Hughes. This movie didn't really impress me too much but based on the scale, size and the execution it does deserve to be nominated.

"Finding Neverland" - I don't know why this movie is nominated. In this drama, we are told the story of how James M. Barrie came up with the play Peter Pan. Johnny Depp plays the role of author James M. Barrie.

"Million Dollar Baby" - I personally haven't seen this movie nor do I intend to. There is a ton of hype surrounding this movie. The plot is about a boxing trainer who's burnt out and a female boxer who needs someone to believe in her. To be blunt this is some white trash melodrama BS with Morgan Freeman thrown in as the magical negro who helps Eastwood and Swank figure it all out.

"Ray" - The story of Ray Charles. This is movie didn't make my list of the year's best, but this movie does deserve the nomination. Jamie Foxx plays the role of Ray Charles to perfection.

"Sideways" - A funny movie about two friends on a wine tasting road trip. Paul Giamatti got screwed by the Academy on this one, but I'll get to that later.


DIRECTOR

Martin Scorsese, "The Aviator" - They should just give it to him already. How many times has Scorsese been passed over. Just give it to him already.

Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby" - You sir are a relic. You have enough awards and you need to just take a break for a while.

Taylor Hackford, "Ray" - Good job sir. But you're in stiff competition.

Alexander Payne, "Sideways" - See what I said to Taylor Hackford. It goes double for you.

Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake" - Could you just lighten up? Seriously can you just make a f*cking comedy just once? For those of you who don't know Mike Leigh just see Leaving Las Vegas. Vera Drake is a story of a old woman who used to "help" women in "trouble" out. Basically she induced miscarrages in the days in where abortion was illegal. I guess Mike Leigh's job on the set was to pass out wire hangers.


ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Don Cheadle, "Hotel Rwanda" - Thanks Don you just canceled out Jamie Foxx. I'm sure you deserve this nomination but you just handicaped Foxx.

Johnny Depp, "Finding Neverland" - Weren't you nominated last year? What is it with you?

Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Aviator" - Good job Leo. For a minute when I was watching you play Howard Hughs I found myself feeling sorry for a millionare. Now that's some acting fo yo ass right there.

Clint Eastwood, "Million Dollar Baby" - Clint, what the fuck? Seriously you know that you're there only because the Academy didn't have the balls to nominate James Caviezel right? You're in Jesus's spot. I hope you can sleep well at night knowing that you're in Jesus's spot.

Jamie Foxx, "Ray" - Thanks Jamie you just handicaped Don Cheadle. Just kidding dawg. You'll probably get it for Colatteral. Smart move by the way. Just one question...Why are you going to be Tubbs in the Miami Vice movie?


ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening, "Being Julia" - Wow you got nominated for playing a washed up actress. The jokes just write themselves there don't they.

Catalina Sandino Moreno, "Maria Full of Grace" - You got nominated for playing drug "mule". Heh and they say there are no roles with integrity for women in Hollywood.

Imelda Staunton, "Vera Drake" - I'm so glad that the red states don't have a say in who gets nominated for an Oscar.

Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby" - Didn't you win already? Look if you win could you stop your husband from crying like a little bitch?

Kate Winslet, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - You're my favorite to win. How many times did you change your hair color during the shoot?


ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Alan Alda, "The Aviator" - Glad to see you working again Hawkeye.

Thomas Haden Church, "Sideways" - Weren't you on Wings? Damn boy you done come up. YOU BETTER THANK Paul Giamatti in your acceptance speech.

Jamie Foxx, "Collateral" - Good job. Don't do any cart wheels when you win ok?

Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar Baby" - Do you have any magical powers? You always seem to be playing the magical negro. Why is that?

Clive Owen, "Closer" - Just become the new James Bond already. JEEZ. By the way what do Natalie Portman's boobs look like?


ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, "The Aviator" - Good impression of Katharine Hepburn.

Laura Linney, "Kinsey" - Sorry I didn't get to see your movie.

Virginia Madsen, "Sideways" - Good luck. How much wine did you drink on the set?

Sophie Okendo, "Hotel Rwanda" - See what I said to Laura Linney.

Natalie Portman, "Closer" - Ahhh you played a lying stripper. What was that I said about good roles for women in Hollywood?


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

John Logan, "The Aviator" - Eh you did ok.

Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - Charlie you are a genius and everyone who shares this nomination with you is just riding your coat tails.

Keir Pearson and Terry George, "Hotel Rwanda" - You guys tried to tell a good story about a country no one in America actually cares about. There is something to be said for that, but I just don't know what it is.

Brad Bird, "The Incredibles" - Good stuff sir.

Mike Leigh, "Vera Drake" - CHEER UP JEEZ!


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Kim Krizan, "Before Sunset" - Rich, where have you been? I haven't seen you since Slackers.

David Magee, "Finding Neverland" - BOOO!

Paul Haggis, "Million Dollar Baby" - WHY? Seriously WHY?

José Rivera, "The Motorcycle Diaries" - Good stuff.

Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, "Sideways" - Good job guys I'm pulling for ya.


DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"Born Into Brothels" - Nice title.

"The Story of the Weeping Camel" - Bad title.

"Super Size Me" - You are my favorite to win.

"Tupac: Resurrection" - Dead men don't win Oscars. Sorry Pac.

"Twist of Faith" - Sorry didn't see your movie. A man confronts the trauma of past sexual abuse as a boy by a Catholic priest only to find his decision shatters his relationships with his family, community and faith. Damn no wonder the Academy didn't nominate the Passion of the Christ.

Tomorrow - The Oscars Part II: Who got screwed?

Hip Hop Wednesday 1-26-05

What ever happened to Lauryn Hill?

Remember Lauryn Hill? She won five out of ten grammys in one night. And followed that up by releasing an unplugged album that sounded like a therapy session.

Recently she's been working with Kanye West (Kanye's has been nominated for 10 grammy's this year)

It's good to see that she's finally gotten over herself and got her her butt back in the studio.

Jimi Izrael has an interesting take on Mr. West and Ms. Hill's place in the mainstream.

Next Week: What is the difference between a rapper and an MC?

My Interview with Sabina from Brazilian Girls

Brazilian Girls are a underground downtown group that's been stuggling for a while now. Recently they've been getting some serious exposure on iTunes. I recently just got a chance to sit down and chat with the internationally known Diva front woman of the group Sabina.

Brazilian Girls will be playing a tsunami benifit this Wednesday at Canal Room located at 295 West Broadway.

How would you describe your sound?:
-post-wave meta-electro glam

What instruments do you play?
-piano, laptop, very very little guitar

How long have you been singing?
-since i was three

The outfits you wear in concert are hot where do you shop?
-mostly it's put together from no-budget things, some stuff friends gave/made for me.

Lazy Lover who is that about? (you don't have to answer that one if you don't want to)
- about you!!and many others. about the american people right this moment.

How was the tour in Europe? Did you get to go back home?
- t'was lovely. yes, i visited my mom in germland and saw lots of friends in france and italy.

How many languages do you speak and sing in?
- 5.5 ( my portugues isn;t as fluent)

What was the last CD you bought in a store?
-tom waits : real gone

What was the last book your read?
-franz kafka's: amerika (******),
paul watzlawik's :' the situation is hopeless, but not serious -
the pursuit of unhappiness (*******)
and now bob dylans 'chronicles'. (*******) very very recommended

What are you plans for the future?
- make love, music and babys (as me'shell so appropriately would put it)

Do you plan to release previous recorded music (e.g. A thin line)?
- who knows, don;t really think so.

Fringe Thursday 1-20-05

C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia." is the next big thing this year.

I guess this is Disney's answer to Lord of the Rings.

The movie is based on a series of books by C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia (better known as The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe) tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, who are separated from their parents in London during the German air raids of World War II. They are sent to the country for safety and find a magic wardrobe that transports them to the mystical world of Narnia, a once peaceful land of talking beasts, dwarfs and giants. However, Narnia has been frozen by the evil White Witch, and the kids must help the lion Aslan break her spell.

Apple has a behind the scenes trailer here

Hip Hop Wednesday 1-19-05

The future = The Game


In last week's rant I talked about Who is Old School. This week I want to discuss the Future and Giving Props and Name Dropping. Which brings me to Compton's own The Game (aka Jayceon Taylor). In his album titled the Documentary he manages to give props to the likes of the late Eazy-E, (when's the last time you've heard Eazy-E mentioned on a record), Tupac (saw that one coming), and Bigge Smalls (showing love for the east coast).

Compton's own The Game got his name from his grandmother "because he was game for anything" as a kid but when he went to high school things changed.

"But once I got to high school that shit was out. My brothers were gangbangin and I just followed in their footsteps."

In 2001 he was shot seven times and left for dead while in the hospital he reevaluated his life and listened intently to music by N.W.A. and Kool G Rap and to classic hip-hop albums like Biggie Smalls's "Ready to Die," Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt," Snoop's "Doggystyle" and Tupac Shakur's "All Eyez on Me." And he taught himself to rap. Eventually he got on the mixtape circuit and built up an underground following. He was passed over by some of the top record companies in the industry (DefJam, Bad Boy, and The Inc.) Until he was discovered by Dr. Dre and Co. And the rest is history.

From what I've heard in his music and read in interviews about him he seems like he's had a troubled past. "It all started the day that my dad decided to molest my sisters, his own daughters.

His music tells the story of a troubled man trying to make sense of it all. The bottomline is that this album is good; the production is flawless but he does tend to sound like a cross between Kool G. Rap and Shyne from time to time. This shows that the 25 year old man has studied the greats. His delivery is the most clear out of any West Coast rapper to date.

I have to admit that I really didn't like him when I heard about his battles with Joe Budden and other rappers but you cannot deny talent. The Game is for real and his skill is just what the West Coast needs to be put back on the map. He's got a big mouth but he can back it up

Next week: What ever happened to Lauryn Hill?

Cosby in Detroit

America's favorite father is at it again folks.


Recently at while giving a speech in Detroit to a standing-room only crowd of about 1,800 people at Wayne County Community College District he urged parents to take responsibility for their children.

"And the poverty pimps and victim pimps keep telling the victims to stay where they are, 'You can't get up, you can't do this, you can't do that.' ...I'm telling you, you better get up."

Cosby is saying things that sound conservative but in reality what he's saying is quite afrocentric. Restoring pride is key in the uplift of a people I believe this wholeheartedly and it starts with the parents. Cosby's message is harsh and very controversial but his heart is in the right place.

Superman News

Who hasn't heard of Superman?


But who is this Brandon Routh?


Brandon Routh is Warner Bros. next Man of Steel. Routh was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up in nearby Norwalk. I guess they really grow those types out there.

Don't worry they've casted people we do know.

Fringe Thursday 1-13-05

First some side notes:

• Spider Man 3 has a new writer
• They are apparently remaking Tron.
  

Keanu Reeves as John Constantine?

I hope it works. Check out the trailer here.

Hip Hop Wednesday 1-12-05

• Panama Jackson goes off on Nelly.
• Andre Harrell is planning on producing HBO Drama On Hip-Hop
• The Game is on his way and MTV.com has a preview of one of the most anticipated albums of the year.

Today's rant: "Who is Old School?"

Well that depends on who you ask. If you ask a 30 year old chances are they will say, Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and Rakim. If you ask a 15 year old chances are they'll say Bigge Smalls (Notorious B.I.G.), Tupac, NWA and maybe they'll say A Tribe Called Quest or Public Enemy.

Notice something strange there? There's a generation gap in Hip-Hop. You have kids coming up who don't know who Kool G Rap, DJ Quik, Too Short, Scarface, Nice and Smooth or Boogie Down Productions are. You got kids out there thinking that Busta Rhymes started out as a solo artist, when in truth he did two albums with a group by the name of Leaders of the New School.

Perspective is key in this discussion. Before Nelly, Ludacris and Masta P were talking about how the South was so "dirty", there was Luke and 2 Live Crew, and Geto Boyz. Before Mobb Deep was grimey there was Das EFX, Redman, EPMD, and Onyx.

In order to appreciate how far this genre has come the young fans need to do some research. To gain some kind of perspective. How can you appreciate Snoop without listening to NWA? Trust me you will look at Dr. Dre a little differently if you listen to his early work with NWA.

This reminds me of the 80's when people thought G N'R was the greatest rock group of all time without listening to one Led Zep CD.

Next week: The Future - Giving Props and Name Dropping

In defense of Armstrong

Fallguy?

First off I have never been one to agree with Armstrong Williams. But this is one time in where I feel like he's getting the shaft.

"In 2003 Ketchum Communications contacted a small PR firm that I own, Graham Williams Group, to buy ad space on a television show that I own and host. The ad was to promote The Department of Education’s “No Child Left Behind” plan. I have long felt that school vouchers hold the greatest promise of ending the racial education gap in this country."

So let me get this right? You took money to air an ad on a show you own? To support a agenda that you already agree with? Doesn't sound like a problem to me. Here's where he made a "mistake in judgement"

"I now realize that I exercised poor judgment in continuing to write about a topic which my PR firm was being paid to promote."

Yeah you did Armstrong. But some how I feel a lot of people do what you did but they just don't get caught. If this was Pat Buchanan I don't think this would have happened.

Armstrong's mistake started when he took the money to back an agenda that he already agreed with. He should have done what the big boys do in Washington, and use the favor system. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about I'll explain:

Armstrong does the job (for free) but cashes in on that favor on a later date. It almost worked for Rudy Giuliani's boy Bernard Kerik.

As a result of this scandal certain papers have nixed his column. And he could lose his TV show.

Meanwhile the White House has declared that this is an isolated incident.

It looks like Mother Nature is a little angry with us these days. Wouldn't ya say?

79 year old man charged with murder

You can get away with murder but only for so long. 40 years to be exact.

A Mississippi man was arrested for murder Thursday in connection to the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers (Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman) whose bodies were buried in an earthen dam outside the town of Philadelphia -- killings that spurred national support for the civil rights movement.

Edgar Ray Killen was charged with the being one of the many men who took part in the 1964 abduction and killing of three voter-registration volunteers by nightriders on a lonely rural road in Mississippi.

I can't express how much bulls*it this is. If you call yourself an American you should be just as outraged as I am. This guy is going to be 80 years old in jail and getting free health care all on the state's dime. So is this how justice works? You kill a man and then you get away with it for 40 years and then you get sent to jail when you're 79? So I guess we get the last few years when he's old and pitiful?

Sorry my fellow Americans but that is not justice. This is just the best law enforcement can do. And that is pretty damn sad.

And top it off the guy has the nerve to plead not guilty. Well I guess in his mind he saw these men as subhuman. Maybe that was his logic. I guess that's what my problem is with this guy and people like him. People like him feel that anyone who isn't white isn't really a human being therefore they are not entitled to the same rights as he is. Last time I checked my calender it was 2004 it's amazing that it took 40 years to bring this man to justice.

It upsets me even more that this is what we settle for as justice.

Here are some plugs

This one goes out to my friend Bob and his wife Simone.

If you're looking for affordable gift baskets try going to A Token of my Affection.com

This one goes out to my friend Josh. MacAdept is a company that provides its clients with cost-effective creative solutions for your PC or Mac problems. I've used his services on several occasions and I must say that he's efficient and professional.

Fringe Thursday 1/6/05

Let's start things off with a shameless plug for my friend Angry Dan. Nothingface is a new graphic novel from digital webbing. Digital Webbing is a good outlet for up can coming artists who are interested in getting into the comic business.

From what I gather it's about a guy named Jon Novak, who can morph himself into whomever he comes into contact with. But there are three catches: One, it hurts him, two, he may absorb more then just the appearance of his template through the transformation, and three… if he isn’t morphed into someone then he looks like a jack-o-lantern.

You can read a review of it here.

V for Vendetta


V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate future in which Germany wins WWII and Britain becomes a fascist state. A vigilante named "V" stalks the streets of London trying to free England of its ideological chains. This is probably one of Alan Moore's more popular graphic novels.

The Wachowski brothers and Joel Silver are bringing Alan Moore's V for Vendetta to the big screen. James McTeigue (First time director) will be at the helm. Natalie Portman has been signed on to star in the flim as a woman who formerly worked for the secret police but decides to help "V".

I hope they don't f*ck this one up. It's usually hit or miss when Hollywood trys to adapt Moore's work. From Hell was good but LXG was just awful. If Joel Silver is apart of this, you can bet your arse that sjit will be blowing up left and right.

The Wachowskis wrote the screenplay so that might not be bad but then again these guys need a hit as bad as Ricky Martin. There are still people out there who haven't forgiven them for last two Matrix movies.

Good luck guys maybe you can make it up to us and not screw the pooch on this one okay?

The Doctor is In!

So gald to be back. Sorry for not posting in so long but I've been kinda busy repairing my liver. Anyway, Playboy has some ideas for the iPod. Porn on the iPod. What will they think of next?

I know it's supposed to be Hip Hop Wednesday but I really don't have much to report outside of ODB's new album. I haven't picked up yet but I intend to.

And Star and Buc Wild are returning to morning radio starting Jan. 17.

This has nothing to do with hip hop but I'm sure it will piss off some rednecks just the same. Heidi Klum and Seal who knew?

PS. On an unrelated note: RIP Shirley Chisholm. Thank you for your years of service.