Joan Baez Concert

It was such a pleasure to listen to a strong, clear voice singing new and older songs last night at the Joan Baez concert. As Robert Plant said about Alison Krauss when they accepted one of their Grammy Awards, it's refreshing to hear someone sing straight songs instead of all that twirly stuff. I agree! That's one of my problems with American Idol. They sing all twirly and alike.

Joan's new album was produced by Steve Earle who wrote some of the songs she recorded on it and that she sang last night - "God is God" (which she said Earle said was a recovery phrase) and "I Am A Wanderer." Steven Mirkin wrote in his review in Variety:

A celebration of a five decade career -- from "Silver Dagger," the opening track on her debut album, to nearly half of "Day After Tomorrow," last year's Steve Earle-produced collection of a socially conscious ballads -- the set list concentrated on songs of family and relationships.

There were songs of love that survives over time, even beyond the grave: the 19th century folk song "Lily of the West," (she joked that early in her career, every song she sang ended with a death), Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett's mournful "Scarlet Tide," Dylan's "Farewell, Angelina." In a personal touch, she performed "Diamonds and Rust," her unsparing look back at her affair with Dylan, filled with nostalgia bitterness ("you were so good with words," she sneers) and might cut too close to the bone. She pointedly followed it with "Long Black Veil," another song about love and murder, and Dylan's lacerating "Love is Just a Four Letter Word," in which she launched into a very funny imitation of Bob for one verse.

No matter what the provenance of the song, her voice has lost its strident purity and turned warm and maternal (she even dedicated "Honest Lullaby" to her son, Gabriel Harris, who plays percussion). It's still a stunning instrument, but without her astonishing, youthful high end. It's lower and more giving; it pulls in the listener and envelops with a hug. It takes the sharp edges off Earle's "Christmas In Washington," brings a modesty to his "God is God," and turns the "white gospel" of the Carter Family's "Gospel Ship," into a call for tolerance.

Gabriel Harris performs and teaches African drums and accompanied his mother last night. This is not from last night but similar to the way it looked.


Her son Gabriel is a couple of months younger than my son Brian. He's also married and has a daughter. Joan Baez was pregnant when she performed at Woodstock in 1969. When they hugged after she sang "Honest Lullaby," it made me think about how much Brian means to me and what warm, loving feelings I have seeing him be such a wonderful father and husband.

This is Joan and her son performing. This is his website.


It was sort of a low-key night with the audience giving recognition applause with a minimum of interruption of their rapt attention to every song. The talking between songs included reminiscences, jokes, personal family stories, and one brief political reference.She told us about her mother who is 95 and had a date that night. Good genes! I love this photo of them.


It was a wonderful night. We ate at PF Changs before the concert and had a delicious meal and then the pleasure of music we totally enjoyed! The two encore songs were "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Diamonds and Rust."

I wish this for all of us! :-)

Lunch

Paige, Carl, and I went to lunch at Papa Boudreaux's Cajun Café today. Carl had gumbo, Paige shrimp creole, and I had garlic shrimp and cheezy grits. (that's how they spelled it) We all enjoyed our meal and tasted what each other had. They both said they were going to order what I had the next time. I think I will, too. It was delicious! Here's the site.

Oh (again)

I kept saying I thought I was a self-discoverer, and when I was on the phone with Linda while ago, we were looking at the questions on that quiz and discussing the choices. As we went over them, I realized I misread one of the questions. It was the one that asked which of the following did I most have an issue with. I didn't read carefully and thought it asked which I agree with, so I answered it wrong. Then when I clicked to see what it said about me, it came out the way I thought of myself. I don't mind being an agnostic because I don't know what happens and don't know if there's a God. I do believe in reincarnation and that there is an ultimate perfection, like an Over-Soul, that our souls strive to achieve in all these lifetimes. Hmm, maybe I'm a Transcendentalist. So this is a more accurate description. As I've said, the word I've used most often is "oh" and here I go again!

You are a Self-Discoverer

You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality. Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine. You are distrusting of all forms of organized religion. You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

Thistle Farms

Some of you probably knew about this, but I just learned about a worthwhile business in Nashville that helps women and has good products. How wonderful to have a way to give these women a fresh start and better life. So here's their website and their home page description. There is a list of stores that carry their bath and beauty products on the site.

Thistle Farms is a non-profit business operated by the women of Magdalene. By hand, the women create natural bath and body products that are as kind to the environment as they are to the body. All sales proceeds go back into the program.

Through Thistle Farms, the women of Magdalene gain much needed job skills, and learn responsibility and cooperation. Into every product goes the belief that freedom starts with healing, and love can change lives. Our dream is that people will come to see Thistle Farms as a humble but powerful business synonymous with women’s freedom.

Why the Thistle?

Considered a weed, thistles grow on the streets and alleys where the women of Magdalene walked. But, thistles have a deep tap root that can shoot through thick concrete and survive drought. And in spite of their prickly appearance, their royal and soft purple center makes the thistle a mysterious and gorgeous flower.

I lied

I was too sleepy last night to make sense of a post and then slept late this morning. Now I'm off to lunch with friends. Report as soon as I can on the concert! It was so much fun! Joan looks great and sounds so good!

Can you believe that Daylight Savings Time comes back next weekend already? It seems as if it just left! Of course, they've shortened the length we get to have regular time.

Concert

I'm getting ready to go meet Linda for dinner and then on to the Joan Baez concert at TPAC. Full details tonight when I get home! I'm excited! I'll buy her new album since I have everything else she's recorded. This is her website.

Two-thousand-and-eight is a landmark year for Joan Baez marking 50 years since she began her legendary residency at Boston's famed Club 47. She remains a musical force of nature whose influence is incalculable-marching on the front line of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, inspiring Vaclav Havel in his fight for a Czech Republic, singing on the first Amnesty International tour and just this year, standing alongside Nelson Mandela when the world celebrated his 90th birthday in London's Hyde Park. She brought the Free Speech Movement into the spotlight, took to the fields with Cesar Chavez, organized resistance to the war in Southeast Asia, then forty years later saluted the Dixie Chicks for their courage to protest war. Her earliest recordings fed a host of traditional ballads into the rock vernacular before she unselfconsciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963 and focused awareness on songwriters ranging from Woody Guthrie, Dylan, Phil Ochs, Richard Fariña, and Tim Hardin, to Kris Kristofferson and Mickey Newbury, Dar Williams, Richard Shindell, Steve Earle and many more. If ever a new collection of songs reflects the momentous times in which Joan finds herself these days, and in her own words, "speaks to the essence of who I am in the same way as the songs that have been the enduring backbone of my repertoire for the past 50 years," Day After Tomorrow is that record, her first new studio album in five years (released September 9, 2008).

Baez is touring behind her new recording, "Day After Tomorrow", which has received a 2009 Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Contemporary Folk/American album.

NY Post Cartoon

I got this email today and added my name to the protest at this site which is included in the email. It has the despicable cartoon on it if you haven't seen it. Be sure to read the last few paragraphs about Rupert Murdock. He did apologize, but it was one of those "sorry if this offended anyone" kind of apologies.

Dear Friend, Yesterday, the day after President Obama signed his stimulus bill into law, the NY Post ran a cartoon depicting the bill's "author" as a dead monkey, covered in blood after being shot by police. You can see the image by clicking on the link below. In the face of intense criticism, the Post's editor is standing by the cartoon, claiming that it's not about Obama, has no racial undertones, and that it was simply referencing a recent incident when police shot a pet chimpanzee. But it's impossible to believe that any newspaper editor could be ignorant enough to not understand how this cartoon evokes a history of racist symbolism, or how frightening this image feels at a time when death threats against President Obama have been on the rise. Please join me and other ColorOfChange.org members in demanding that the Post apologize publicly and fire the editor who allowed this cartoon to go to print: http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=2443-876690 The Post would have us believe that the cartoon is not about Obama. But on the page just before the cartoon appears, there's a big picture of Obama signing the stimulus bill. A reader paging through the Post would see Obama putting pen to paper, then turn the page to see this violent cartoon. The imagery is chilling. There is a clear history in our country of racist symbolism that depicts Black people as apes or monkeys, and it came up multiple times during the presidential campaign. We're also in a time of increased race-based violence. In the months following President Obama's election there has been a nationwide surge in hate crimes ranging from vandalism to assaults to arson on Black churches. There has been an unprecedented number of threats against President Obama since he was elected, with hate-based groups fantasizing about the killing of the president. Just a week ago, a man drove from Louisiana to the Capitol with a rifle, telling the police who stopped him that he had a "delivery" for the president. There is no excuse for the Post to have allowed this cartoon to be printed, and even less for Editor Col Allan's outright dismissal of legitimate concerns. But let's be clear who's behind the Post: Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch, the Post's owner, is the man behind FOX News Channel. FOX has continually attacked and denigrated Black people, politicians, institutions at every opportunity, and ColorOfChange has run several campaigns to make clear how FOX poisons public debate. I don't expect much from Murdoch. However, with enough public pressure, we can set the stage for advertisers and subscribers to think long and hard before patronizing outlets like the Post that refuse to be held accountable. You can help, by making clear that the Post's behavior is unacceptable, and by asking your friends and family to do the same. Please join me: http://www.colorofchange.org/nypost/?id=2443-876690 Thanks.

Album Cover

Another fun thing I got on Facebook. This one from Debi. Here's my band name and album cover and title. What kind of band and album do you think mine is? Jazz? Whatever it is, the album cover is pretty, and the band name is intriguing. I like the title, too.

Let me know if you do one and how yours turns out.



My Album Cover

Here's what you do if you too want to play:

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album. (make sure you hit the new random quotations button at the bottom)

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use photoshop, Gimp, or similar to put it all together (http://www.picnik.com/) works well, online.

Geeks in the Family

I love having a daughter-in-law who says, "Hey! Your avatar had a haircut!"

She also wrote a lullaby using the Fibonacci Sequence. I told her thanks a lot because now I'll have to sing that with Brendan and can only go to 21 without having to think too much. I printed it out, so I'll be prepared because he'll learn it by the time he spends the night again. Check it out if you want down there on the right in Perky Skeptic. We did some problem-solving activities using Fibonacci numbers when I taught in the gifted program that were fun. No, really!


The above cartoon (Amend 2005) shows an unconventional sports application of the Fibonacci numbers (left two panels). (The right panel instead applies the Perrin sequence).

I have no clue what the Perrin sequence is.

In the Fibonacci number sequence, the first number of the sequence is 0, the second number is 1, and each subsequent number is equal to the sum of the previous two numbers of the sequence itself, yielding the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, etc. This way: 0 + 1 = 1, 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, etc.

This sequence is found in nature (pine cones, sunflowers, bees) and relates to the Golden Ratio and Pascal's Triangle. Don't even ask! I sort of knew this at one time, but just remembering the sequence is all I can do now.

Hootie Hoo on NPR

"This American Life" had an interview with Carla this afternoon on NPR. I didn't get to hear it all, but Carla was gracious and composed. She said things fell apart when one of the sauces for her first course didn't work out and then she felt rushed and made some decisions she'd change if she could do it over. Carla also said that she didn't blame Casey and took full responsibility for everything. The interviewer mentioned how popular she was. Several callers echoed that and one asked if she were going to publish a cookbook. She said she was going to concentrate on her catering business and have a showcase kitchen for classes she'll teach with a chef's table up front. Those of you in the DC area can go there.

Top Chef has lots of fans. Now I wonder what will happen with Project Runway and hope that is settled soon.

Top Chef

WHAT?

There will be some discussions about this one!

I love this!

I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. ~ Albert Einstein

Avatar Mania

Yes, I've been obsessed again with making avatars, so be prepared for various looks. I over-accessorized with the barrettes, look like a puppy in the one with the tiara, have hair that's too short in another one (although not today after my hair cut), and had fun making a Rasta Babe in one. Back to the drawing board! Here is the site.
As you can see, it's addictive!

That first one isn't supposed to be me. I just did it for fun. I make them that look like my children, grandchildren, friends, and others. I tried to make one that looked like Sarah Palin and will go on to others eventually, I'm sure.

Zoom In

Hey! Look at this! It's a photo of the inauguration I got in an email with this message.

What a surveillance tool this is! This picture was taken with a robotic camera and weighs in at 1,474 megapixel. (295 times the standard 5 megapixel camera) It was a Canon that pulled together over 200 individual shots.

Each zoom in takes a second to focus ...and then you can see some amazing reactions. It's really neat to zoom in on various people and check them out.

Bonus points if you find Yo-Yo Ma .... taking a picture with his iPhone.

I found Aretha and her hat. Check out the hat Poppy Bush has on. Is that a Maine hat, Charlie? I'll be spending time looking at all kinds of people on there. It also brings up Michelle Obama's clothes. Everybody else has on winter coats and were all bundled up. I like to think that the designer insulated her coat with whatever mountain climbers use in their clothes. She doesn't even look cold and should have been freezing in what she had on.

Tweetless on Twitter

I have had a Twitter account for a while now but have no clue about how to use it. I don't get it at all.


Aha! I just heard Keith Olbermann say that he'd signed up for it and couldn't figure out how to use it. This makes me feel better. We're in good company, Pseu!

President Obama

I just love writing and saying President Obama! It's so refreshing to hear him speak and watch him interact with humor and grace. I watched his speech tonight and smiled. Zachary Coile wrote, "President Obama, in his first speech to Congress, acted as the nation's scolder-in-chief: He scolded unscrupulous lenders who took advantage of borrowers. He scolded borrowers for buying homes they couldn't afford. He scolded students who drop out of high school. And he scolded policymakers for refusing to make hard choices."


Reactions to his speech were extremely positive from both Democrats and Republicans. Polls have shown that people believe that Obama is trying to work with the Reps but that they are not cooperating with him because of politics instead of disagreeing with him so much. They are not putting themselves in a favorable position ::cough:: Gov. Jindal.

Labor Movement

Northland Posters

The Good Fight!

I am a huge Molly Ivins fan! Wish she were still with us.

by Ricardo Levins Morales here

Anita Bryant

After watching Milk, some of us discussed our memories of that time period and of Anita Bryant. We remembered when she was Miss America and then later on made commercials for orange juice but then recalled her hate-mongering against gays. For those of you too young to remember her, she was the Marilyn Musgrave of her day. You can find videos of her speeches and the pie in the face on YouTube. Here's one of them that's really short.

I totally cannot understand these people who claim to be Christians but are intolerant of everyone who isn't like they are. I googled her and found this but can't remember where I got it.

Bryant gave a candid interview to Playboy magazine, printed in May 1978 where she admitted that she knew of homosexuals in show business but was unaware of the "nitty gritty" of their sexual behavior until her husband described them to her. She professed being most astonished that they ate each others' sperm, and equated the act with the immorality of destroying the Seed of Life. Bryant also claimed never to have heard of Alfred Kinsey's study that estimated one out of five males had had some sexual contact with another male; or any information about homosexual behavior in animals. The interviewer, Ken Kelley, wrote a companion piece to the interview, stating that she was impossible to "pigeonhole" due to her deliberate enigmatic persona: "She is a confection of contradictions: pristine nun and gamy tease. Old pro who's paid her dues and wide-eyed waif who's still seeking the jackpot. Guilt-wracked sinner who's terrified of hell and perfervid white knight who's determined to lead mankind on a forced march into paradise. Independent spirit, cowering wife. Chaplain one minute, warden the next. She is a demonstrably intelligent woman who stays steadfastly ignorant." For months Bryant called Kelley just to talk, even though she knew she would not be portrayed favorably in the magazine. Kelley and a few others concluded that Bryant was simply very lonely.

The gay community were not the only people adversely affected by the Save Our Children campaign. Bryant and Bob Green were divorced in May 1979, in a dispute made public through newspapers. Bryant moved to Alabama and gave a candid interview to Ladies Home Journal in 1980 where she told the details of her marriage during the campaign. She claimed she had been "married for the wrong reasons" and that she and Green had fought regularly, often considering divorce. Green became her manager and she claimed exhaustion due to being booked for every event available, making $700,000 in 1976. She had checked herself into a Christian psychiatric facility in 1973, and regularly saw psychiatrists and marriage counselors. Her anxiety manifested itself in chest pains, tremors, difficulty swallowing food, and a bout with 24-hour paralysis during a trip to Israel with the Falwell family. Bryant revealed she had received severe criticism from Christians following her divorce. One Canadian pastor expressed doubt to her that she had "ever met the Lord", to her humiliation. As a result of the backlash she received from Christians, Bryant had softened her stances on gay rights: "The church needs to be more loving, unconditionally, and willing to see these people as human beings, to minister to them and try to understand. If I had it to do over, I'd do it again, but not in the same way," and feminism: "The church needs to wake up and find some way to cope with divorce and women's problems that are based on Biblical principles. I believe in the long run God will vindicate me. I've about given up on the fundamentalists, who have become so legalistic and letter-bound to the Bible."

Bryant's career did not recover. She attempted to stage comebacks in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in 1992, Branson, Missouri in 1994 ("People who come to my performances are hungry for the truth. They thank me for reminding them of the importance of God and country."), and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee in 1997. However, at each venue her audiences dwindled and investors were non-existent. By 2002, Bryant and her second husband Charlie Dry had claimed bankruptcy in three states. As of 2006 Bryant was living in Oklahoma City.

In 2007 Bob Green counted the campaign and its aftermath as factors in strengthening his faith. The breakdown of the marriage he attributes on the pressures put on Bryant, and blames gays and lesbians for his emotional devastation after the divorce: "Their goal was to put (Bryant) out of business and destroy her career. And that's what they did. It's unfair.” However, Green said he would not do it again if he had to: "It just wasn't worth it... The trauma, the battling we all got caught up in. I don't want to ever go back to that."

Who is Janet Porter, and what is this crap in an article titled "Anita Bryant Was Right"? I don't want to copy and paste any of that hate message.

For some reason, I'm on the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival emailing list. I don't live there but get to hear about some interesting new movies. I'm a member of the Nashville Independent Film Festival but don't know if that's how I got on their mailing list or not. Here's a trailer for their festival you might enjoy.

Interesting Quiz

You are Agnostic

You're not sure if God exists, and you don't care. For you, there's no true way to figure out the divine. You'd rather focus on what you can control - your own life. And you tend to resent when others "sell" religion to you.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

As I mentioned on some of your blogs about this quiz, I thought mine might be Self Discoverer, too, since that applied to me for so long. It's been a progression from growing up Methodist to questioning to questing to deciding that I don't know. I wouldn't live my life any differently if there were a God or not, an afterlife, reincarnation, or whatever. I strive to be honest, have integrity, treat others with dignity, take responsibility for my actions, accept consequences, and have a world-view.

I also have to go for the joke eventually because we can't take everything too seriously all the time. I tend to think like a stand-up comedian and like them care deeply about many things while also seeing the humor and absurdity in life.

This description accurately describes how I am now.

Oscar Recap

For an outstanding recap of the Oscars and the fashions, please check out Bob's blog I Should Be Laughing. He outdid himself with this wonderful post! This is what I was thinking all the way through it and wish I'd written!

I need to channel my inner gay man when I write recaps since the best one I did was for David Dust when he asked me to be a guest blogger for him about Shut Up and Dance. I haven't equaled that again. David wrote a must-read recap about the Oscars, too, and he doesn't even like awards shows! When you got it, you got it! And Bob and David do! :-)

Oscar Night

I'm typing as I watch but am not going to recap the whole show because it lasts for hours.

Hugh Jackman's opening number included tribute's the movies through song and dance. He's so talented and great to look at!

The lead-in to supporting actress has a vignette of past winners and some snippets of their acceptance speeches. Neat! Eva Marie Saint (Viola Davis), Whoopi Goldberg (Amy Adams), Tilda Swinton (Marisa Tomei), Goldie Hawn (Taraji P. Henson), and Anjelica Huston (Penelope Cruz) each talked about one of the five nominees and her role! I really like this. It adds a personal touch. Penelope Cruz won and has been winning this award all over the place this year and did it again. I didn't see that movie but guess she must have done well in the role. Did any of you see it?

Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the Oscar for orginal screenplay and were hilarious (of course). Then I cried when Dustin Lance Black accepted his award for Milk. Wow! How touching. Best speech of the night!



The camera panned to Angelina Jolie laughing at their schtick when Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black presented the Oscar for animation. That's all. What did they think would happen?

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick were there together, which I hope means their marriage is still going on. Some of us thought he looked uncomf0rtable. She didn't.

I'm doing pretty well with the ones I thought would win and should have placed some bets. I probably wouldn't have won much since the odds were accurate. I spoke too soon. Should have gone with the period piece for costumes.

Everyone is doing an impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix. Tonight Ben Stiller did it. I don't know who that was on the Independent Spirit Awards. Is Joaquin serious about this or is it an act? This routine didn't work.

Previous supporting actor winners Alan Arkin (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Joel Grey (Josh Brolin), Kevin Kline (Heath Ledger), Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Robert Downey, Jr.), and Christopher Walkin (Michael Shannon) introduced the nominees in parentheses. The award was presented to Heath Ledger's family (parents and sister) who made such a beautiful speech and accepted the award for his daughter Matilda. I cried again and so did the audience. It was touching and just right.

Bill Maher presented the award for documentary since he made Religulous which I plan to see now that it's on DVD. The Frenchman who walked between the Twin Towers on a tightwire balanced the Oscar on his chin and did some magic. He was on Studio 360 this morning on NPR talking about when he did that.

During the In Memory part, there are always some I didn't realize who had died during the year. It's sad to see those who left us too soon and some we hoped would stay with us forever.

How does Sophia Loren look so glamorous? Shirley MacLaine (Anne Hathaway), Halle Berry (Melissa Leo), Sophia Loren (Meryl Streep), Marion Cotilliard (Kate Winslet), and Nicole Kidman (Angelina Jolie) all gave wonderfully touching and supportive introductions of the nominees for best actress.

The past winners Robert DeNiro (Sean Penn), Sir Ben Kingsley (Mickey Rourke), Adrian Brody (Richard Jenkins), Anthony Hopkins (Brad Pitt), and Michael Douglas (Frank Langella) introduced the nominees with compassion, sincerity, and humor. Sean Penn gave a gracious speech. How about that? He won!



This has been the best Oscar show I can remember. That was partly because it's the first time I've seen most of the movies in quite a few years, but it really seemed better than it has for a while. It was entertaining, touching, funny, glamorous, and fun.

Anything you want to see, click here. It's the official Oscar website and has backstage interviews, thank-you speeches, and all kinds of things.

And the Oscar Does Go To ...

The winners are!

*BEST PICTURE*
*Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST DIRECTOR*
*Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST ACTOR*
Sean Penn, Milk
*Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST ACTRESS*
Meryl Streep, Doubt I keep being undecided about this.
*Kate Winslet, The Reader
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR*
*Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS*
Viola Davis, Doubt
Amy Adams, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
*Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

*BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY*
*Milk, Dustin Lance Black
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

*BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY*
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
*Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy
The Reader, David Hare
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
*WALL-E

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
*Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
*Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
*Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
*Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
*The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
*Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Down to Earth," WALL-E
"Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya," Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Independent Spirit Awards

There are some interesting awards here, aren't they?

Best Supporting Male - James Franco for Milk (Is he gay?)
Best First Screenplay - Dustin Lance Black for Milk (moving acceptance speech)
Best First Feature - Synecdoche, New York - directed by Charlie Kaufman
Best Supporting Female - Penelope Cruz for Vicky Christina Barcelona
John Cassavetes Award(Given to the best feature made for under $500,000) In Search of a Midnight Kiss - Alex Holdridge
Best Documentary - Man on Wire
Best Female Lead - Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Someone to Watch Award - Lynn Shelton (It's a grant.)
Piaget Producers Award - Heather Rae for Frozen River
Lacoste Truer Than Fiction Award - Margaret Brown (documentary)
Best Screenplay - Woody Allen for Vicky Christina Barcelona
Best Foreign Film - The Class
Best Cinematography - Maryse Alberti for The Wrestler
Robert Altman Award - Charlie Kaufman and cast for Synecdoche, New York
Best Male Lead - Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (a long OMG acceptance speech of sincere profanity - if he wins the Oscar, I hope he censors himself or it will all be bleeped)
Best Director - Tom McCarthy for The Visitor
Best Feature - The Wrestler

Now I need to see The Visitor, Frozen River, Synecdoche New York, Wendy and Lucy, Ballast, and Rachel Getting Married because I liked what I saw about them.

And the Oscar Goes To? (Revised)

I put the nominees in order that I like best and want to win in *the first eight categories* and an asterisk by the ones I think will win. I'll repost this Sunday night and highlight the winners. I saw most of the movies but not all of them and didn't have an opinion about a few. I can't decide between Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet and keep changing my mind. Supporting actress is close for me, too, but Viola Davis's performance was powerful, and she held her own with Meryl Streep. Of all the movies I saw, I can't forget her character.

There are some great movies this year and some amazing performances. Some of the categories I don't pay attention to and don't really know much about them. I saw only one of the original screen play movies, so I don't know about that. Did any of you see more of them than Milk, the one I watched? I liked Bruce Springsteen's song for The Wrestler and wish it had been nominated. I don't know the title but it had a line about a one-trick pony in it.

There are articles saying that Melissa Leo might win for Best Actress. I haven't seen Frozen River and don't know, but this article lists several reasons it might happen. Politics plays a part in the Oscars just like it does in everything. As we all know, you can never tell how people will vote!

*BEST PICTURE*
*Slumdog Millionaire
Milk
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST DIRECTOR*
*Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST ACTOR*
Sean Penn, Milk
*Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

*BEST ACTRESS*
Meryl Streep, Doubt I keep being undecided about this.
*Kate Winslet, The Reader
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR*
*Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS*
Viola Davis, Doubt
Amy Adams, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
*Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

*BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY*
*Milk, Dustin Lance Black
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky, Mike Leigh
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

*BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY*
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
*Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy
The Reader, David Hare
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
*WALL-E

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory — Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
*Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
*Revolutionary Road

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
*Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306

BEST EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
*Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
*The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST MAKEUP
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
*Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Down to Earth," WALL-E
"Jai Ho," Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya," Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

NOLA Hootie Hoo!!

Yea!! Carla made it to the finals of Top Chef! Hootie Hoo! She's originally from Nashville, which creates a bond. I didn't realize she graduated from Howard University and studied accounting but hated it and was a model in Europe before going to culinary school. I miss a lot. I hope Carla wins.

It was sad to see Fabio go.

Speaking of New Orleans, I'd love to go to the Louisiana Roadfood Festival in April. I thought of you, Miss Ginger! Check this out. They're making the longest po' boy.



The festival is free, so it's the cost of the hotel and getting there. Here's part of an email I got from Roadfood:

If you are planning to come to New Orleans for the First Annual Louisiana Roadfood Festival (www.louisianaroadfoodfestival.com) April 4th and 5th and have not yet made hotel reservations, now is the time to do it. Our special-rate deal with Hotel Monteleone Hotel expires March 4th. Until then, you can book a room for $169 per night – a big bargain for a AAA Four Diamond Hotel in the French Quarter, and in the midst of the weekend's eating action. (http://louisianaroadfoodfestival.com/Accommodations/)

Milk

Milk brought back a lot of memories about the time it all happened, but for someone gay, it must have brought up a lifetime of emotion. I have said before that if I were gay and/or black, I'd be angry all the time. I don't know what it takes not to be, but many I know have risen above that to realize it's the bigot's problem. If it were just opinions, it would be bad enough, but it has gotten and still becomes violent. So I'm in awe of those of you who manage to take the high road and have positive attitudes the way Harvey Milk did. Anger, hate, and resentment cause damage to the one who feels them, but I just want to give a shout out for those who are the target of the ignorant and don't let it affect them negatively. We all owe so much to Harvey Milk for everything he did, especially gays but also the rest of us, too.

I used this photo because I wanted him to get back together with Scottie. That last guy Jack was too needy and neurotic. I choose to think Harvey and Scottie remained in love with each other and missed being together, but the political life was too big a strain on their relationship.

The movie about him was historically accurate from what I've read. Cleve Jones was a consultant on the movie and was there during the campaigns in the Castro section of San Francisco. Sean Penn was remarkable in this role, which is not unusual for him. It was a powerful movie about an energetic, dedicated activist. I cried at the end of it during the candle vigil. That scene was breathtaking.

Here's what Roger Ebert wrote in his review:

Milk didn't enter politics as much as he was pushed in by the evidence of his own eyes. He ran for the Board of Supervisors three times before being elected in 1977. He campaigned for a gay rights ordinance. He organized. He acquired a personal bullhorn and stood on a box labeled "SOAP." He forged an alliance including liberals, unions, longshoremen, teachers, Latinos, blacks and others with common cause. He developed a flair for publicity. He became a fiery orator. Already known as the Mayor of Castro Street, he won public office. It was a bully pulpit from which to challenge rabble rousers like the gay-hating Anita Bryant.

Milk, from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, tells the story of its hero's rise from disaffected middle-aged hippie to national symbol. Interlaced are his romantic adventures. He remained friendly with Scott Smith after they drifted apart because of his immersion in politics. He had a weakness for befriending wet puppies: at first, Cleve Jones (Emile Hirsch), who became another community organizer. Then Jack Lira (Diego Luna), a Mexican American who became neurotically jealous of Milk's political life. The prudent thing would have been to cut ties with Lira, but Milk was almost compulsively supportive.

His most fateful relationship was with Dan White, a seemingly straight member of the Board of Supervisors, a Catholic who said homosexuality was a sin and campaigned with his wife, kids and the American flag. An awkward alliance formed between Milk and White, who was probably gay and used their areas of political agreement as a beard. "I think he's one of us," Milk confided. The only gay supervisor, Milk was the only supervisor invited to the baptism of White's new baby. White was an alcoholic who all but revealed his sexuality to Milk during a drunken tirade, became unbalanced, resigned his position and on Nov. 27, 1978, walked into City Hall and assassinated Milk and Mayor George Moscone.

Milk tells Harvey Milk's story as one of a transformed life, a victory for individual freedom over state persecution, and a political and social cause. There is a remarkable shot near the end, showing a candlelight march reaching as far as the eyes can see. This is actual footage. It is emotionally devastating. And it comes as the result of one man's decisions in life.

Sean Penn never tries to show Harvey Milk as a hero, and never needs to. He shows him as an ordinary man, kind, funny, flawed, shrewd, idealistic, yearning for a better world. He shows what such an ordinary man can achieve. Milk was the right person in the right place at the right time, and he rose to the occasion. So was Rosa Parks. Sometimes, at a precise moment in history, all it takes is for one person to stand up. Or sit down.

Mural by John Baden of Harvey Milk at 575 Castro Street, the former site of Milk's store, Castro Camera. Emerging from the gun at left is a quote from Milk: "If a bullet should enter my brain, let the bullet destroy every closet door."

Doubt

Doubt was accurately titled because that's what we're left with all through it. The cast was excellent. Meryl Streep plays Sister Aloysius, principal of a Catholic elementary school, with stern, scary demeanor. Father Flynn is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Sister James by Amy Adams. The premise of the movie is all about doubt. Linda, Paige, and I discussed our thoughts and feelings over dinner with differing views on parts of it. We all remember that period and the changes that were beginning to take place. We saw Milk first and then Doubt, and both brought up so many memories and emotions from the interesting times during which we live.

Instead of analyzing it, I'm going to quote Roger Ebert and Cathleen Falsani.

From Roger Ebert's review:

Doubt is not intended as a docudrama about possible sexual abuse. Directed by John Patrick Shanley from his Pulitzer- and Tony-winning play, it is about the title word, doubt, in a world of certainty. For Aloysius, Flynn is certainly guilty. That the priest seems innocent, that Sister James comes to believe she was mistaken in her suspicions, means nothing. Flynn knows a breath of scandal would destroy his career. And that is the three-way standoff we watch unfolding with precision and tension.

Something else happens. The real world enters this sealed, parochial battlefield. Donald's mother (Viola Davis) fears her son will be expelled from the school. He has been accused of drinking the altar wine. Worse, of being given it by Father Flynn. She appeals directly to Sister Aloysius, in a scene as good as any I've seen this year. It lasts about 10 minutes, but it is the emotional heart and soul of Doubt, and if Viola Davis isn't nominated by the Academy, an injustice will have been done. She goes face to face with the pre-eminent film actress of this generation, and it is a confrontation of two equals that generates terrifying power.

Doubt. It is the subject of the sermon Father Flynn opens the film with. Doubt was coming into the church and the United States in 1964. Would you still go to hell if you ate meat on Friday? After the assassination of Kennedy and the beginnings of Vietnam, doubt had undermined American certainty in general. What could you be sure of? What were the circumstances? The motives? The conflict between Aloysius and Flynn is the conflict between old and new, between status and change, between infallibility and uncertainty. And Shanley leaves us doubting. I know people who are absolutely certain what conclusion they should draw from this film. They disagree. Doubt has exact and merciless writing, powerful performances and timeless relevance. It causes us to start thinking with the first shot, and we never stop. Think how rare that is in a film.

This is from an article by Cathleen Falsani titled "Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt."

Doubt doesn't give any easy answers. Filmgoers will leave with more doubts, I suspect, than when they arrived. We don't know for sure who's right and who's wrong. That is part of its immense power.

The film is dedicated to Sister Margaret McEntee, a Sister of Charity nun who was Shanley's first-grade teacher and who served as a technical adviser for the movie. She is the real-life Sister James.

"She looked a lot like Amy Adams. She even had the same color red hair," Shanley said. "To me, she is the most obviously sympathetic person ... she's the identification of last resort. Some people strongly identify with Sister Aloysius. And some people identify with Father Flynn. And the rest identify with Sister James."

Doubt is a forceful spiritual commentary, but not one intended to be a commentary on clergy sex abuse.

"I wasn't interested particularly in writing about the church scandals, and I wasn't really interested in writing a whodunit. I'm more interested in people becoming more accepting and comfortable with living with doubt because I think that's one of the big problems we've had in this country in the last decade," Shanley said. "There's been this evaporation of doubt as a hallmark of wisdom. ... Everyone is very entrenched. And true discourse is nowhere to be found. And we're desperate for it."

Without a doubt.

Cathleen Falsani is religion columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times and author of the new book, Sin Boldly: A Field Guide for Grace. A spiritual profile of playwright John Patrick Shanley is included in her 2006 book, The God Factor: Inside the Spiritual Lives of Public People.

Various Quotes

It's not a matter of whether or not someone's watching over you. It's just a question of their intentions.
- Randy K. Milholland

When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.
- Marquis de la Grange

We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.
- Tom Stoppard

Trivia

Statistically speaking, UFO sightings are at their greatest number when Mars is closest to Earth.

Confused

Well, I guess I need to let this go about Femin Susan. She might be Vermin Susan who is an enterprising, parasitic person making money from the creations of others. There are ads on all those blogs. As Miss Ginger Grant pointed out, she does seem to be a teenager in school in India. At least that's the impression from one of her blogs. That made me wonder if she knew what she was doing.

When I first left a comment, I said that she might not realize that she needed to give credit to the artists who created what she posted on her blog and gave her the benefit of the doubt. But then she deleted that comment as well as the nice one the pencil artist left saying that she didn't mind that she posted photos of her work and asked her to please give her credit for it. FS also deleted that comment. She did give Jennifer credit that is buried in one of the comments, but it should be on the home page where everyone can see it.

Now I wonder more about her (or him?) since I noticed all those ads on the blogs. She's making money from them. After seeing Slumdog Millionaire, I'm not sure what to think about what she's doing.

Hey, Dan!

It's not that easy to find the place to send copyright infringement notifications as I thought it might be. I got to this page and wonder how to let them know online. I found a place the person who's been plagiarized can send an actual letter. Anyone?

Femin Susan is a Liar and a Thief

Plagiarism Alert!!!

Pencil Magic that Femin Susan takes credit for is actually created by Jennifer Maestre. This is Jennifer's website with her amazing creations on it. Femin Susan left another comment on my blog and several others I read. She plagiarized all those blogs on her list, but I didn't find all of the original sources. Jennifer Maestre left a comment on FS's blog asking her to give her credit for her work, but FS removed the comment. I wish there were a big internet bulletin board where I could post this, but instead I'll continue to blog about her in case anyone googles her and gets here. I'm on a mission!

I just googled her and this was 6th on the list. Let's keep it going!

More Movie Reviews to Come

Linda, Paige, and I saw Milk and Doubt this afternoon. I'll post reviews as soon as I can. Both were excellent! I hope Sean Penn gets the Oscar for his performance.

Valentine Meal at House Blend

Holly and Jeremy Spencer did it again. They prepared a wonderful meal last night at House Blend. Our group made our reservations as soon as we heard about it and all agreed that it was our favorite one so far. That is saying something because "Jolly" or "Hollemy" (my preference) serve meals that are not found in Dickson and in only a few places in Nashville. They are always delicious, perfectly prepared, and memorable.

I had the shrimp cocktail, which was roasted with garlic. Matthew had the pork, Paige and Tina had the bisque, and I got some later to take home and will have it for lunch. We all ordered the goat cheese salad and loved it. Paige and Matthew had the ravioli, and Tina and I had the beef for our entree. It was wonderful! Everyone loved what we had.

Tina and her son Matthew shared a piece of cheesecake, and Paige had the ice cream. I couldn't eat another bite even though I wish I could have since I love desserts and all of them looked great.

I managed to scan the menu and didn't have to type it this time. It's small, but you can click to embiggen.

What would you have ordered?




We really wish Hollemy would have these events every month the way they did in the summer and fall. Many of us have brought this up and know it is a lot of work for them, but we look forward to these fabulous meals in a friendly atmosphere with people we like being around. Our other option is to get a group together and have a catered meal. I'm so glad they did this and had a great evening at our Splendid Table!

Pogo

Friday the 13th is on Friday this month! How about that! I doubt that any of you are old enough to remember the comic strip Pogo, which was created by Walt Kelly and set in the Okefenokee Swamp. Even though I didn't understand all of the references and political satire, I enjoyed the humor, puns, and characters. Churchy LaFemme would say, "Friday the 13th is on Tuesday this month," or whatever day it fell on. I used to say that periodically, and unless people read Pogo, they just thought I was being my usual weird self.

This is Churchill "Churchy" LaFemme. Yes, his name was based on the French phrase Cherchez la femme.
You might be familiar with this saying.


(A 1971 Earth Day poster written and illustrated by Walt Kelly, featuring Pogo and Porkypine, as well as the first ever occurence of the phrase, "We have met the enemy and he is us." {{fairuse}})

Many of us Pogo fans sing this one during Christmas. :-) Aren't you glad you don't live near me?

The Actor

This interview with Mickey Rourke on The Charlie Rose Show blew me away. It's insightful and inspiring in its own way. He's a good actor, but I never liked him and can understand now what it was that turned me off. He explains how devastating his divorce was for him and how he messed up his acting career and life. He was washed up as a boxer and lived in a dump. Mickey Rourke said although his life was hopeless, he still had hope. Unlike the main character in The Wrestler, he could change and did. After years of therapy, he said he worked hard and had learned the tools now that he didn't have back then. He fully accepts messing things up professionally and personally mostly because of his attitude which was made worse by the drugs and alcohol. I'm not defending him but just reporting what an outstanding performance he gave and how much I enjoyed this interview. I wouldn't want to spend time with him. Those complicated, screwed-up bad boys aren't for me.

If you have time to watch it, you'll see what I mean.

It gave me quite a bit to think about. This winter has been hard for me for some reason and definitely a winter of my discontent. It's difficult to describe right now, but I am ready for a change. It just feels too overwhelming.

David said something in a comment that I understand all too well. When I tell people I want to lose weight, feel better, get my house organized, and enjoy my life, it's not that I don't know how to do all of that. Hell, I could write books about it and conduct seminars! I KNOW what to do. That's not the problem, not at all. It's just doing it. I also know what that takes - doing it a step at a time until I feel better doing it and make it a habit. Concern, help, support, and encouragement help for sure, and I appreciate that tremendously. Without Sally, 2/7 of my house would still be in chaos. Knowing something intellectually and actually making a commitment to make changes aren't the same thing. So no matter how much well-meaning friends and family give us advice we already know, ultimately we have to make that decision and choice ourselves and overcome our weapons of self-destruction. (I got that term from Robin Williams, who should know.)

Movie Marathon

I saw five movies in three days Saturday, Sunday and Monday! I'm including parts of reviews by Roger Ebert after mine.


Slumdog Millionaire deserves all the awards it's been getting. The premise is engaging and interesting. By learning how Jamal knew the answers to questions on So You Want to be a Millionaire, we learn about his life. The young actors who played Jamal and Latika were amazing. The poverty there is beyond anything I could have imagined, and the living conditions were horrifying. That this character could have survived with his sanity, much less with hope and compassion is miraculous after all he went through. I loved this movie and highly recommend it. (based on Q & A: A Novel by Vikas Swarup)


The Wrestler is Mickey Rourke, and I can't imagine anyone else playing that part. I enjoyed the scenes backstage when the wrestlers planned their choreography before their matches. It showed their camaraderie and friendship and then how they competed before the crowds. The injuries, steroids, isolation, and life have taken their toll on Rourke's character Ram and the others. He expressed so much with his eyes, body language, and expressions. Rourke's performance was haunting and stays with me. He tries to connect with Cassidy, a stripper played by Marisa Tomei, and to reunite with his daughter. What happens is heartbreaking but believable and inevitable. It was also well-written, performed, and directed.

Roger Ebert wrote: I cared as deeply about Randy the Ram as any movie character I've seen this year. I cared about Mickey Rourke, too. The way this role and this film unfold, that almost amounts to the same thing. Rourke may not win the Oscar for best actor. But it would make me feel good to see him up there. It really would.

The Reader has the perfect title. I didn't read the novel by Bernhard Schlink so didn't know what to expect. Michael Berg is played by David Kross as a teenager and young man. Ralph Fiennes plays him twenty years later. Kate Winslet has won a Golden Globe and BAFTA for her portrayal of Hanna Schmitz from thirty-something until in her sixties. She is the Meryl Streep of her generation and managed to play someone much less intelligent than she is believably and impressively.

Roger Ebert: I believe the movie may be demonstrating a fact of human nature: Most people, most of the time, all over the world, choose to go along. We vote with the tribe. What would we have done during the rise of Hitler? If we had been Jews, we would have fled or been killed. But what if we were one of the rest of the Germans? Can we guess what we would have done, on the basis of how many white Americans, north and south, knew about racial discrimination but didn't risk themselves to oppose it? Philip Roth's great novel The Plot Against America imagines a Nazi takeover here. It is painfully thought-provoking, and probably not unfair. The Reader suggests that many people are like Michael and Hanna, and possess secrets that we would do shameful things to conceal.

There are enormous pressures in all human societies to go along. Many figures involved in the recent Wall Street meltdown have used the excuse, "I was only doing my job. I didn't know what was going on." President Bush led us into war on mistaken premises, and now says he was betrayed by faulty intelligence. U.S. military personnel became torturers because they were ordered to. Detroit says it was only giving us the cars we wanted. The Soviet Union functioned for years because people went along. China still does.

Is The Reader a "Holocaust movie?" No. In terms of its two central characters, it is a movie about lacking the courage to speak when we should. That's something I think we can all identify with.

Revolutionary Road is another novel I haven't read. I was a child and teenager during the 50's and under its influence long enough to understand how it was. This movie presents an accurate account of that time when men's and women's roles were clearly defined, and it was a straight white male world - no deviations. All those men in suits and hats boarding commuter trains, walking on the sidewalk to work, and sitting in cubicles was effective. Kate Winslet's character was trapped in a life and place that stifled and suffocated her, and she wanted more for her husband and herself. It all worked.

Right after this movie, Linda and I looked at each other and didn't talk for a while. Then we said it made us feel blah. We talked about it Sunday when we met for lunch before more movies and said it dredged up a lot of bad feelings about the 50's, which led to the changes during the 60's that were in reaction to it. A moment of preaching: Liberation for one group frees other groups, everyone. Empowering minorities doesn't take away from the dominant culture but liberates everyone to be who and what they want to be and are. OK, off the soapbox now.

Ebert: Frank and April are played by DiCaprio and Winslet as the sad ending to the romance in Titanic, and all other romances that are founded on nothing more than ... romance. They are so good, they stop being actors and become the people I grew up around. Don't think they smoke too much in this movie. In the 1950s everybody smoked everywhere all the time. Life was a disease, and smoking held it temporarily in remission. And drinking? Every ad executive in the neighborhood would head for the Wrigley Bar at lunchtime to prove the maxim: One martini is just right, two are too many, three are not enough.

The direction is by Sam Mendes, who dissected suburban desperation in American Beauty, a film that after this one seems merciful. The screenplay by Justin Haythe is drawn from the famous 1961 novel by Richard Yates, who has been called the voice of the postwar Age of Anxiety. This film is so good it is devastating. A lot of people believe their parents didn't understand them. What if they didn't understand themselves?

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was very loosely based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I had some problems with it and kept trying to figure out how old his body was and how old he was inside. Cate Blanchett did her usual excellent acting and made it better by being in it. Brad Pitt did a good job, too, but not Oscar-worthy. It gave an interesting slant on historic events and times but was more about the character's age and how he responded to others and what he experienced. It was my least favorite, and I agree with this observation by Roger Ebert:

Given the resources and talent here, quite a movie might have resulted. But it's so hard to care about this story. There is no lesson to be learned. No catharsis is possible. In Fitzgerald's version, even Benjamin himself fails to comprehend his fate. He's born as a man with a waist-length beard who can read the encyclopedia, but in childhood, plays with toys and throws temper tantrums, has to be spanked and then disappears into a wordless reverie. "Benjamin" rejects these logical consequences because, I suspect, an audience wouldn't sit still for them.

According to the oddsmakers at MovieCityNews, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is third among the top five favorites for best picture. It may very well win. It expends Oscar-worthy talents on an off-putting gimmick. I can't imagine many people wanting to see the movie twice. There was another film this year that isn't in the "top five," or listed among the front-runners at all, and it's a profound consideration of the process of living and aging. That's Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. It will be viewed and valued decades from now. You mark my words.