Television & Art: I'm Really Arty

I had some spare time this week so I decided to enter a contest I found for the Flight of the Conchords. It's a poster contest, and although I can't beat Jemaine's first poster, I gave it a go. please checkout the Wiki Website for the contest and encourage Bret and Jemaine to pick mine. I had some difficulties uploading the image so it's not the best quality, but hopefully it will just encourage those who see it to want to see more.

Movies: Oscar Picks 2009

Everyone and their mother is announcing their picks for this weekend's Oscars airing Sunday. For the most part it seems pretty cut and dry what the majority's favorites are, but I still have some thoughts before the academy officially announces their winners.

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire will win for best picture. I only saw 2 of the films nominated but I think I choose well. I though Danny Boyle's Slumdog was just a very beautifully told story that people could get excited about and celebrate as a great film. The actors, the music, the direction, the screenplay just combined into something magical and isn't that what cinema is supposed to be? Plus, it was the only film to end with a Bollywood dance number, and I think that might be a first for an Oscar Best Picture Winner.

Best Director
Behind every great piece of art there's the mastermind who made it what it is. Give it to Danny Boyle who made something fresh, new and exciting and not just another story told really well. There's a balancing act happening in this film and without the right director, it might never have been. Who would have though the Trainspotting director would be the fan favorite at the Oscars only a decade later.

Best Actor
This is one of the few categories that raises a difference of opinion. It seems to be between Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler and Sean Penn for Milk. My pick goes to Mickey Rourke. I had a dream last night that I was Mickey Rourke's personal assistant. As bizarre as this dream was the one job that I had in the dream was to find him a new dog since he just lost his 18 year old dog. Call this pick for personal reasons seeing as how I feel for him having recently lost an old dog recently as well. Nevertheless, this was a right film for him to come back with.

Best Actress
I loved cringing along with Anne Hathway in Rachel Getting Married, but it is undoubtably Kate Winslet's turn to win. She's been nominated 6 times! Throw the girl a bone. I have always been a big Kate Winslet fan going all the way back to Titanic and am so excited for her this year. I haven't seen The Reader, yet, but if it's any good as people say it is I may be missing something worthwhile. Ricky Gervais told Kate Winslet in and episode of Extras (amazing show) something along the lines of "If you do a Holocaust film you'll get an Oscar." As if I didn't have enough reasons to love Ricky already, I think he's psychic.

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger gave an inspired performance in The Dark Knight that will be remembered in cinema for a long time. This Oscar will make his star shine even brighter.

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz stole the show in Vicky Christina Barcelona. She was crazy yet loveable. I loved every moment of her onscreen time which is why I pick her. However, the Oscar may go to one of the other women who are lesser known but with standout roles like Viola Davis for Doubt or Taraji P. Hensen for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. But Penelope plays so well the crazy ex you never want to meet because you're afraid she'll kill you in your sleep or poison your coffee, but she'll always smile at you.

There are a million more categories I could ponder, but these are the ones I'm most interested in. I know Wall-E will win Best Animated Feature, and the short before Wall-E called Presto will win best animated short. I hope The Class which is a French film will win best Foreign film. Slumdog should win for best adapted screenplay and just maybe Wall-E will win for original screenplay. And if The Dark Knight gets recognized for Cinematography, the night will be a success (that movie deserved more recognition).
However, the Oscars aren't just about the winners. There's a lot to look forward to. For example High Jackman hosting, the fashion should be fabulous and the secret presenters will be revealed. It could be great, it could bomb. Robert Pattinson is supposedly presenting, that's enough of a reason for me to turn in.