Click images for desktop size: "The Wolfman" by Universal Studios Well my Oscar wishes (by proxy) and hopes and predictions were all routinely smashed last night.
I didn't watch them. Couldn't be bothered. Sad how things change.
I'm still vaguely stunned that "No Country For Old Men" won best picture. Its not very good. I can't imagine anyone remembering this in 5 years time. Maybe if everyone had gotten run over by a truck at the end or something. It was just unsettling a movie and not in any good way. Unsettling in that it kept promising but never delivered.
Tommy Lee Jones wand the killer were the best things in it. But it kept missing a core of something.
My figuring is that "Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood" split the best picture vote. All the SAG members probably wanted to reward Tommy Lee Jones and hence "No Country" slunk in.
The only thing that bothers me is that I can't for the life of me think of an American movie this year that I thought should win Best Picture.
That is depressing.
I guess "Underdog", "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Gone Baby Gone" were the ones I enjoyed the most . . . I'm serious. Every other movie was Asian or European. I count a lot more disappointments than hits . . .
At least Casey Affleck didn't get the award for Best Supporting. I don't think his performance was even worth a nomination. I have to admit I have a weird thing about siblings who follow their successful family members to Hollywood.
Its gone on forever and will continue. I think of Eric and Julia Roberts (most people forget that he splashed big in Star 80" and "Pope Of Greenwich Village"), Gary and Jake Busey, even Brittany Spears and whatever her sister's name is.
Oddly my senseless prejudice doesn't extend to Hollywood families and their children entering the business. Probably because I grew up with those kids. The cliche is right. Its hard to be prejudiced against something you know.
Brittney Spears has sure turned into a mess. I remember a buddy of mine commenting about her career, back when she first started out, that she'd be doing hardcore porn in 10 years. It hasn't fallen that hard but its uncomfortingly close.

Click images for desktop size: "Where Ever I May Go" by AnonymousCompared to Spears Christina Aguileria is merely a train wreck. Spears is like watching a drunk stagger down the street, trip and fall into oncoming traffic.
Its hard to figure Spears out. I mean Shirley Temple never went through this. If you look at Jackie Cooper it gets closer to the Spears fiasco, but the closest parallel I find is Annette Funicello. They both started on the same TV show.
Its pretty apt, Funicello was the big breakout star on the Mickey Mouse Club. She had her own following and for the most part that following was pretty carnal.
Funicello had a string of hit records (Jamaica Ska is pretty interesting) and did all those ultra cool Beach Party flics.
But she never turned her life into a carnival. Its seems naive to say those old stars were better behaved or better raised. It is too cynical to believe that the press was being kind or ignorant or unaware. Gossip mags were hotter sellers then than now really). And its seems foolishly optimistic to think that its all the prying eyes of the internet.
I can't even buy that as an excuse for Jennifer Lopez to score six million dollars for her baby pics.
Its a conundrum, for sure. What has changed? Celebrity is still the same monster, the world's changed but the people in it haven't changed that much, not that much at all.
I guess that's my reason for celebrity, something worthless to think about so I don't think about things like my little blind dog.
I was really afraid I was going to lose him last night. He had one of his attacks. Woke me at 1:25. The attack lasted until 2:15. It wasn't the worst he'd had recently but each of them make me worry whether his time has come.
Today he's gotten all perky and annoyingly nudgey.
I still worry.
I walked to the drug store and got my meds today.
I like listening to my music when I walk but the weather takes a lot of the pleasure out. I re-injured my hip flexor scrabbling around (BUT NOT FALLING) on all the ice. I have to play close attention to each step. Even when the sidewalk looks clear there are patches with my name on them.
I did get to study some of the better kept sidewalks and I think I've picked up on a little secret about scattering salt!
Who ever knew there were salt secrets!
I plan to try them out later today.
If you want to be worried about me, worry about this: I'm excited about trying out my new salt strategy!