All Is Said and Done

Well, there goes another Academy Award season, and I would have to say it was a pretty decent show! They confused me at first, mixing up the award order (Supporting winners first, etc...) and I was surprised by how much Hugo took home. Good for them! Except for Best Cinematography because The Tree of Life- no matter how much you hated or loved it- is the epitome of that category. However, Hugo was still magnificent in its own ways, so kudos to everybody!  All of the Best Picture nominees were fantastic and the showcase of edits of all the films they showed before the BIG award really made me want to see them all again!

Best parts of the night (besides basking in the Oscar glamour and glory!):
Justin Bieber appearance in the Midnight in Paris skit. So unexpected!
Seeing all the beautiful actresses dressed up- a list too long to include- especially the resilience of Berenice Bejo, Michelle Williams, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jessica Chastain, and Emma Stone, to name a slight few.

Flops:
Zach Galifianakis & Will Farrell's forced cymbal skit. Little potential but still too much.
Jennifer Lopez & Cameron Diaz showing off their asses. This was just weird. Wait, I just read that Cameron Diaz is Latina...WHAT?! And why is J. Lo there in the first place? Just more drama (see nip slip).
The worst of all: Tom Cruise presenting Best Picture. That's the best you've got Academy??? I can understand if Tom Hooper couldn't make it (filming for Les Miserables perhaps), but what about any of the other impeccable nominees last year: David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky, or Lee Unkrich?

Here are the winners for the 84th Academy Awards:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/27/oscar-winners-list-2012-academy-awards_n_1303169.html

And more importantly, here is my ballot:

I didn't do as well this year, but I also didn't see all of the short films like I have in previous years. However, I didn't look at any predictions page throughout the season, so being based solely on my viewings, I think I did pretty well!

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For a light and refreshing smoothie after a night of cocktails, sweets and carb loading, try this:
1 cup yogurt (Go Greek for extra protein and nutrients!)
1/2 cup each of fresh (or frozen) strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and banana
Add ice, water or milk, and honey to thicken

Nothing like a simple yet tasty smoothie. Enjoy!

More Oscar Predictions and Analyses

ONLY 5 MORE DAYS! While it seems I may be out of touch with the Academy and my blog this season, I really have just been extremely busy with school and watching the final Oscar nominees. This past week I saw: Moneyball, The Help, Pina, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (for the second time). The previous 2 weeks, well I'd be listing movies for 3 lines so I won't list them ALL. I have enjoyed most of them and to say Sunday's winners will be predictable is completely false. For example, both Meryl Streep and Glenn Close deserve 1/2 an Oscar for winner because they were both superb. However, Meryl is not only slated to win, but her performance just narrowly inches out Close's.

The Best Actor slot could go a few ways but will most likely go to Dujardin in his dramatic, theater-defining role in The Artist. Gary Oldman was just as impressive in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but the Academy will go for the more emotionally exhaustive role.

I'm not going to mess with Best Picture/Director. Terrence Malick/Tree of Life deserve it, end of story. But no doubt it will go to Michel Hazanavicius/Artist.

I finally saw The Help this past weekend and it was great! The book, like always, is still better but the movie incorporated many of the emotions I had hoped to find. Like Minny making the shit pie. =D I was surprised at how crucial Minny was in the film, known in the real world as Octavia Spencer. She seems like such a down-to-Earth person and true that I would love to meet her! No, I'm not saying she should be a maid, but I am saying that her role was flawless.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the Best Original Score. Nothing will top last year's nominees: Social Network, King's Speech, Inception, and How to Train Your Dragon. Black Swan was amazing, too. I'll get back to you on this.

Best Visual Effects. Harry Potter hands down. If this does not get 100% votes from the Academy I would be ashamed. Ok, Hugo does deserve a few because the train scenes made me flinch. Wow, I just realized that it was a modern day take on Arrival of a Train gone bad. Go Melies/Scorsese!

Best Cinematography: Hands down The Tree of Life, but I have a feeling that my love is going to be snubbed all night. Not only are the shots beautiful but the compositions and transcendental elements are so creative. However, The Artist may grab this one as well. Great use of black and white in the modern era deserves to be recognized (noir aspect or not), especially when referencing the origins of cinema.

I hope these nominee categories helped your thought process for Sunday! And I haven't peeked at any of the poll sites (except for Best Picture) so these are all original ideas.

Due to the lack of an Academy authorized printable ballot, here is one sponsored by Moviefone:
http://www.moviefone.com/oscars-academy-awards/nominee-winner/printable-ballot

I'll be sure to post my final ballot before and after the awards so you can all see how it should have played out!
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For a decadent night, enjoy this

Decadent Tiramisu Smoothie (scaled to 2 servings)

• 
  
• ¼ cup wisconsin mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup vanilla ice cream
• ½ tablespoon milk
• ¾ cup chocolate ice cream
• ¼ cup brewed espresso or ¼ cup strong coffee , chilled
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
• 1 biscotti

Directions:

1. 1
   Place Mascarpone, vanilla ice cream and milk in blender container. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into bowl or pitcher; set aside.
2. 2
   Place chocolate ice cream and espresso in blender container. Blend until smooth.
3. 3
   Divide chocolate mixture evenly among 4 glasses. Top chocolate mixture with Mascarpone mixture.
4. 4
   In small bowl, combine cocoa powder and confectioners’ sugar. Sift mixture evenly over each glass and garnish with a biscotti. Serve immediately.

http://www.food.com/recipe/decadent-tiramisu-smoothie-423856