83rd Academy Awards

This was the worst Academy Awards ceremony I’ve ever seen. I can’t blame the hosts; they were ill-prepared for what was to come. James Franco was preoccupied with school and Anne Hathaway lacks the range to control the stage by herself. She was the straight man to a funny man whose head was somewhere else. This loss is squarely on the producers. There was no flow to the show, bits were poorly written at best and excruciatingly awkward at worst. The one exception was when Billy Crystal came out to talk about Bob Hope. I wanted Crystal — and/or the projection of Hope — to stick around and try to salvage the show.

The awards didn’t help either since there was very little drama in the major categories. The only thing close to an upset was Tom Hooper beating David Fincher for Best Director.

For the second year in a row — though I don’t remember the first — my Oscar ballot was the best in my group (of three people). I got 15 correct out of the 24 categories. The full results are below.

My picks are in red, my personal preferences are in blue, the winners are in green. If my picks and preferences are the same they are in magenta. If my picks and the winners are the same they are in yellow. If my preferences and the winners are the same they are in cyan. If all three are the same they are in Oscar gold!

Movies I did not see are in italics. If I did not see any of the nominees in a category or did not like any of the nominees I did see then I did not have a preference. Here they are:

BEST PICTURE
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE KING’S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER’S BONE

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky — BLACK SWAN
David O. Russell — THE FIGHTER
Tom Hooper — THE KING’S SPEECH
David Fincher — THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen — TRUE GRIT

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem — BIUTIFUL
Jeff Bridges — TRUE GRIT
Jesse Eisenberg — THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Colin Firth — THE KING’S SPEECH
James Franco — 127 HOURS

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening — THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Nicole Kidman — RABBIT HOLE
Jennifer Lawrence — WINTER’S BONE
Natalie Portman — BLACK SWAN
Michelle Williams — BLUE VALENTINE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale — THE FIGHTER
John Hawkes — WINTER’S BONE
Jeremy Renner — THE TOWN
Mark Ruffalo — THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Geoffrey Rush — THE KING’S SPEECH

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams — THE FIGHTER
Helena Bonham Carter — THE KING’S SPEECH
Melissa Leo — THE FIGHTER
Hailee Steinfeld — TRUE GRIT
Jacki Weaver —  ANIMAL KINGDOM

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANOTHER YEAR
THE FIGHTER
INCEPTION
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
THE KING’S SPEECH

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TOY STORY 3
TRUE GRIT
WINTER’S BONE

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
THE ILLUSIONIST
TOY STORY 3

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BIUTIFUL
DOGTOOTH
IN A BETTER WORLD
INCENDIES
OUTSIDE THE LAW

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFTSHOP
GASLAND
INSIDE JOB
RESTREPO
WASTE LAND

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
DAY & NIGHT
THE GRUFFALO
LET’S POLLUTE
THE LOST THING
MADAGASCAR, CARNET DE VOYAGE

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
KILLING IN THE NAME
POSTER GIRL
STRANGERS NO MORE
SUN COME UP
THE WARRIORS OF QIUGANG

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
THE CONFESSION
THE CRUSH
GOD OF LOVE
NA WEWE
WISH 143

BEST ART DIRECTION
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
TRUE GRIT

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BLACK SWAN
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
I AM LOVE
THE KING’S SPEECH
THE TEMPEST
TRUE GRIT

BEST FILM EDITING
BLACK SWAN
THE FIGHTER
THE KING’S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
127 HOURS
THE SOCIAL NETWORK

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Coming Home” — COUNTRY STRONG
“I See the Light” — TANGLED
“If I Rise” — 127 HOURS
“We Belong Together” — TOY STORY 3

BEST MAKEUP
BARNEY’S VERSION
THE WAY BACK
THE WOLFMAN

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1
HEREAFTER
INCEPTION
IRON MAN 2

BEST SOUND EDITING
INCEPTION
TOY STORY 3
TRON: LEGACY
TRUE GRIT
UNSTOPPABLE

BEST SOUND MIXING
INCEPTION
THE KING’S SPEECH
SALT
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
TRUE GRIT

Vacation Day

Last year my employer gave each employee a floating holiday to be used any time throughout the year. I was only an employee for roughly half the year so I did not think I earned one. In January I received an email from HR informing me that I did and that they were giving me until the end of February to use it. On Thursday I used it. It was the first time I had ever used a vacation day. This is no great feat since my entire life has been a vacation except for a couple of years but it was still a strange feeling.

My vacation day adventure has two parts. Part 1 actually happened Wednesday night. My primary responsibility at work is as a compounding technician. Medications that need to be made in pharmacy are mostly made by me. After finishing my work Wednesday night I decided to get a head start on Thursday’s orders just to lighten the load a little for the rest of the staff. I prepared a Nystatin-based antifungal cream which is tedious to make and I reconstituted four bottles of the antiviral drug, Valcyte. In my subversive playfulness I decided to have a little fun with my co-workers by hiding these items around the pharmacy.

First, a little background.

This is the wallpaper I have on my computer at work. (Get it? A little background.) It is a photograph taken by the Hubble Telescope of “Mystic Mountain” in the Carina Nebula. Mine is the first computer one would see upon entering the main pharmacy so everyone in the pharmacy has seen this image and everyone knows it’s my computer.

Instead of telling my co-workers where the Nystatin cream was, I left a note which read, “To find the Nystatin compound one must look beyond the far reaches of Space.” Instead of telling them where the Valcyte solution was, I left a note which read, “The warmer you get, the colder you are.” When I left work Wednesday I expected this to be an amusing little detour for my co-workers. I totally was not expecting it to be a mind-bending distraction.

Part 2 of my vacation day adventure was the vacation day itself. In my quest to see every major category Oscar nominee, I honed in on two art house theaters in the City of Irvine. At Edwards Westpark 8 I saw the 1:00 show of BARNEY’S VERSION (nominated for Best Makeup) and theater-hopped my way to the 3:40 show of ANOTHER YEAR (nominated for Best Original Screenplay). A short drive away at Edwards University Town Center 6 were two films nominated for Best Actress. I saw the 7:20 show of BLUE VALENTINE and the 9:40 show of RABBIT HOLE.

I enjoyed the latter two movies but I would not recommend them to the casual moviegoer. The only movie that did not warrant its nomination in my opinion was ANOTHER YEAR.

Refreshed and recharged from my day off I returned to work today to witness the aftermath and conclusion of Part 1 of my vacation day adventure. My co-workers solved the Valcyte riddle easily. “The warmer you get, the colder you are” is a reference to the refrigerator. Valcyte solution has to be refrigerated anyway so I was limited there.

The Nystatin cream was another story. “Look beyond the far reaches of Space” meant behind my computer screen with the aforementioned Hubble wallpaper. My co-workers did not get this. It seems they scrutinized every square inch of the pharmacy except for my work station. It almost would have been less time-consuming for them to make it from scratch. Ultimately one pharmacist — and apparently the only one at work who pays attention to me — was able to find it immediately upon being let in on the riddle. There were many strong words and fist shakes in my direction today but I took them in stride. It’s not my fault they are terrible at riddles.

In the end I had fun and I understand that’s what vacation days are for.

____

Hubble Telescope wallpapers from HubbleSite.

Super Bowl XLV

Packers vs. Steelers. Two of the most popular franchises in football. Each team brings a winning tradition and a blue-collar work ethic to the table. The Steelers lead the NFL with six titles and the Packers have three. This game will be the Super Bowl of football.

I am rooting for the Packers. Aaron Rodgers is a Cal guy and he’s one of the most exciting players in the league to watch. I’m also rooting for a record number of movie trailers.

3:15 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
Not a lot of new footage but it does a good job establishing tone. If it turns out to be less like INDEPENDENCE DAY and more like BLACK HAWK DOWN (without the racism) then this could be a gem of the pre-summer movie season.

3:24 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** KUNG FU PANDA 2
Nothing special but it’s the kind of movie that sells itself. My favorite parts of the first one are the stuff not revolving around Jack Black.

3:36 Packers defense forces a three and out on the opening possession. Football!

3:45 Audi’s “Escape the Confines of Old Luxury” gets the first gold star of the day. Commercials!

3:56 Bud Light and Chevy go back-to-back with good ads. “Product Placement” and “Lassie Truck” respectively.

3:57 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** FAST FIVE
Dwayne Johnson. You know you’re struggling when you can’t extend your own subpar action franchise, you have to latch on to someone else’s.

4:00 Packers get on the board first. Aaron Rodgers lays one out perfectly to Jordy Nelson. 7-0, Pack.

4:01 Pepsi Max has a theme. Hit people in the face with soda cans as hard as possible.

4:04 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** COWBOYS & ALIENS
James Bond, Indiana Jones, and Olivia Wilde’s character from “House” together in a science fiction/Western. I really hope Jon Favreau has it in him to make this work.

4:07 First play following the touchdown. Howard Green gets his arm on Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder to disrupt the pass. Nick Collins intercepts and races 37 yards for another score. 14-0, Pack.

4:16 Bridgestone Tires makes a rare Super Bowl appearance and it’s a good one. What happens when you accidentally hit ‘reply all’? Frantic road trip.

4:23 Packers defense bends but doesn’t break. Steelers make it 14-3.

4:25 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** TRANSFORMERS 3: DARK OF THE MOON
Shia LaBeouf looks distressed. Heaps of scrap metal wrestle on major roadways and such.

4:32 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** THOR
I like Chris Hemsworth as Thor but if they want the movie to go anywhere they need to ramp up Natalie Portman as the love interest.

4:39 One of the three staples of advertising comedy: animals doing human things. Career Builder delivers with a chimp carpool. (The other two staples of advertising comedy are babies doing grown up things and men in cheap business suits getting hit in the groin.)

4:40 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** SUPER 8
This is the first actual footage we’ve seen and it has me very enthusiastic. The trailer evokes some of the great young people adventures of the 80s.

4:45 Packers convert another interception into seven points. Rodgers splits the defense and finds Greg Jennings. 21-3, Pack.

4:50 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** CAPTAIN AMERICA
Not the best cut teaser but it’s wonderful to finally see Chris Evans in character even for just a little bit. Emaciated Steve Rogers looks great and the suit looks great in action.

4:57 Steelers crack the goal line. Roethlisberger to Hines Ward who made a nice adjustment in the end zone to get to the ball. 21-10, Pack.

5:23 That was an above average halftime show. Though I have to admit I was watching Puppy Bowl highlights for almost all of it.

5:42 Rashard Mendenhall powers through the middle for a touchdown. 50 yard drive, all on the ground. 21-17, Pack.

5:43 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
A Jack Sparrow-centered plot is an improvement but none of the gags in any of the trailers have made me laugh.

5:53 Adrien Brody and Stella Artois, exactly what a Super Bowl audience is looking for.

5:55 Carmax comes through with a 50’s era gas station. Customer service indeed.

6:00 Shaun Suisham way left on a 52-yard field goal attempt.

6:02 Shrewd move by Chrysler to brand itself as Detroit’s revival. Best dramatic ad so far.

6:16 Clearly I don’t understand the rule for a completed pass. Brett Swain had possession and took two steps with the ball before losing it. Packers challenge and the call is upheld anyway. Another punt coming up.

6:25 First play of the 4th quarter. Clay Matthews forces a fumble by Mendenhall. Desmond Bishop recovers stemming the momentum for now. Three takeaways for Green Bay.

6:30 Greg Jennings touchdown in the near corner. Three touchdown passes for Rodgers. 21 points on the three Packers takeaways. 28-17, Pack.

6:32 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** RANGO
Exposing kids to as much irreverent humor as possible is a good thing.

6:35 **MOVIE TRAILER ALERT** RIO
Exposing kids to an ICE AGE clone not so much.

6:42 Roethlisberger floats one to Mike Wallace for a 25-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion, on an option no less, makes it 28-25 with 7:34 left.

6:51 Rodgers to Jennings in the slot on 3rd and 10.

6:53 Rodgers to Jones on the sideline inside the 10. Rodgers has muscled through most of the game but this drive has been more of the free-flowing Rodgers we’re used to.

6:55 Off Nelson’s fingertips in the end zone. 4th and goal.

6:56 The field goal only increases the lead to 6 with two minutes left, 31-25.

7:05 Packers defense ends the drama quickly. The Steelers turn it over on downs at their own 33 yard line after just one first down.

Congratulations, Green Bay Packers and congratulations, Aaron Rodgers. You now have as many Super Bowl rings as Brett Favre and one more Super Bowl MVP.

Fifty State Quarters

Today I completed the First State Quarters of the United States Collector’s Map. It was a long and arduous journey of looking at the tails-side of quarters. The last state quarter to be hammered into place was that of Oklahoma. Up next: commemorative quarters for D.C. and U.S. territories.