Valley Dreamin'

XMAS XMAS XMAS

2011-12-24T12:24:00.004-05:00

For some reason, I just don't care. Well, for lots of reasons. Mainly the frustrating lack of snow. At least this exists. MERRY XMAS EV'RYBODY.

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part VI

2011-12-01T11:46:00.009-05:00

HAHAHAHA I KNOW IT'S EFFING DECEMBER! I KNOW. Would you rather I not ever do it? Although, who's reading this? Oh, whatever. I'm doing this for ME. I need to do that about something at some point. I don't know how to preface this further. Here are the previous parts of the list:

#21-#50 • #51-100

VD's Best Singles of 2010:
#1-#20

20. Hurts, "Stay"
Anderson/Hutchcraft.
I asked myself, when I first listened to his on Happiness, "Are they really trying to make an '80s power ballad right now?" Within a day, it was all I was listening to, and it completely sold me on the duo (even if it's not their best). It's so tender, and beautiful, and fun to sing along with. (And on a completely unrelated and subliminal note, the outro reminds me of parts of Hans Zimmer's score for The Prince of Egypt, which made me love it more.)

19. Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Round & Round"
Bolooki/Dobson/Halavacs/Kasher/Rudolf.
A truly amazing pop song from what was once an unlikely source. It's sly, sharp, a bit sexy, and even wonderfully thematic. I love that it's essentially a story song; the irritation of the heroine is so palpable and believable. I remember one review said this could usher her in as a mini-Kylie, which I really think is apt and a wonderful thing to say of her.

18. Robyn, "Indestructible"
Åhlund/Carlsson.
Was I worried that Åhlund was just going to add some beats to one of the most emotionally glorious songs I'd ever heard, like he did with "Hang with Me"? You bet your ASS I was! But somehow the final electronic product is about 90% as good, softening the emotion without actually taking away the impact. The synths are magically done, and even play very well with the remaining strings. All in all, such a highlight of a banner year for her.

17. Marina & the Diamonds, "Hollywood"
Diamandis.
Possibly the only song on The Family Jewels that isn't strictly about her - even if it seems to be about her one true obsession - which kinda gives it a nice diverting edge to its already incredibly amusing indictment of the toxicity of "the mess that's America". It's such a wonderfully produced, pleasurable satire, and a fair testament to her talents as a lyricist.

16. Scissor Sisters, "Invisible Light"
Hoffman/Lynch/Price/Sellards.
The first thing anyone heard of the Night Work era, and eternally the best. Did anyone expect them to come out with this sort of dark, sprawling electronica, and make it work? WITH A SPOKEN MIDDLE 8 BY IAN McKELLEN? There is not one subpar thing about this (even if it occasionally rips off Cut Copy). Bonus points: THAT VIDEO. Holy shit.

15. Freemasons feat. Wynter Gordon, "Believer"
Gordon/Hector/Horn/Small/Wiltshire.
There is no doubt that, as a rule, the Freemasons create the best dance music on earth, but they've just outdone themselves here. Their trademark use of disco strings is as energizing as ever and they DOMINATE the track. You know what sends this over the edge, though? Wynter. The girl is more or less a holy prodigy, and she needs to take over the world.

14. Cheryl Cole, "Promise This"
Hamilton/Jackson/Wilkins.
Evidently, after her incredibly muddled R&B debut, getting divorced and nearly dying, she realized what she needed to do: a fucking weird, hi-NRG love song that nonsensically uses a French nursery rhyme as its hook! The fact that it's even effective at all makes me believe it validates her non-Aloud career. Girl did well to listen to me and truly embrace what I so gracefully call 'FUCKYEAHDANCEPOP', especially to such a satisfying degree.

13. Florence + the Machine, "Cosmic Love"
Summers/Welch.
Paul Epworth's production, as he is known to do, is BREATHTAKING. Every single instrument is utilized to its most stunning potential, not least which, of course, Florence's voice. These are her most bombastic, most emotive, and possibly best vocals on the whole of Lungs. Its beauty is borderline existential, and then just to make sure we understand how good it is -- it has an extended harp outro. Thank you very much, Flo.

12. Kelis, "Acapella"
Guetta/Kouame/Riddick/Riesterer/Rogers.
Aside from "When Love Takes Over", I have no doubt this will remain the best thing Guetta has ever produced - and it's probably mostly Kelis' doing anyway! It hits every note like a bullseye, both as a praising of adoration for her newborn and as a dance anthem. Each second is a magically tribal, superb thing to behind.

11. Kylie Minogue, "Get Outta My Way"
Davidsen/Hansen/Secon/Sharpe/Wallevik.
Delicious, fun, immaculately produced dance-pop, with a biting, slightly whoreish wit. I wish pop music aspired to be like this much more often. It's totally tailor-made for Kylie and her personality as a performer, though, and she sells the hell out of it.

---------- Top ten, WHOO! ----------
10. Hurts, "Wonderful Life"
Anderson/Cross/Hutchcraft.
They're damn smart songwriters, and they know how to work with what they have in spades. As incredibly depressing as it is, it's never numbing, and it's quite hopeful, frankly. With those stunning synths and basslines, by the end, you can REALLY feel that this is special, and definitely a sign of brilliance.

09. Kelis, "4th of July (Fireworks)"
Burns/Fischer/Kouame/Leroy/Morris/Munson/Rogers/Scheven.
Like "Acapella" (and literally the rest of Flesh Tone), her lyrical intentions are as tangible as ever, but it's blatantly the song's soul. Its strength, however, is the swirling, ambitious, electro-house epic in which it's contained. Somehow it's never flat, or boring, or familiar, and for that it's pretty much the best song on the album.

08. Lady GaGa feat. Beyoncé, "Telephone"
Daniels/Franklin/Germanotta/Jerkins/Knowles.
It gets points for how obsessed I was when The Fame Monster leaked and when the video came out; it gets points for Darkchild doing some of the best production work of his career; it gets points for still being such an 'EVENT' moment in pop music; it gets points for the fact I'm not sick of it. Add them all up, and it's #8. For a song I was primarily interested in two years ago...well, you can see how obsessed I was.

07. Kylie Minogue, "All the Lovers"
Eliot/Stilwell.
There was my life before 2:29, and there is my life after it. Sums that up, don't it? Even beyond that, it's just...euphoria, al the way through. This was the moment I really started to care about her, and it's most assuredly one of her best. KYLIE, YOU ANGEL, I LOVE YOU.

06. Janelle Monáe, "Cold War"
Irvin III/Joseph II/Robinson.
Janelle is one of few active musicians I'd emphatically call a genius, and this is the best proof there is for that. I've tried to describe WHY, but it proves its own brilliance without me having to rationalize it.

---------- TOP FIVE TIIIIIIIIIIME! ----------
05. Armin van Buuren vs. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Not Giving Up on Love"
de Goeij/Ellis-Bextor/Nervo/Nervo/van Buuren.
I truly believe one of the smartest moves of Sophie's career has been teaming with Armin for this. She's done disco to death, and some other electronica, so it's not exactly odd that she'd try on this sort of full-on, euphoric trance - and it suits her unbelievably well. As fantastic and anthemic a love song as I've EVER heard, it absolutely reshaped and redefined the end of last summer for me - especially the extended version, which definitely gives more and more credit to van Buuren. It just truly makes me happy to be alive, to feel the euphoria, and the few songs that accomplish that are always closest to my heart.

04. Marina & the Diamonds, "I Am Not a Robot"
Diamandis.
Even though it first hit me hard in 2009 on The Crown Jewels EP, I'm so glad it was re-released, because it's only grown more and more beautiful with the passage of time. Marina is a stunning vocalist, and PERFECT lyricist, and this could be her crowing glory in both regards. My favorite part, though, may be the resonant duality of who it's directed at; the listener or the singer herself. I still cry.

03. Marina & the Diamonds, "Oh No!"
Diamandis/Kurstin.
For a long time, "I Am Not a Robot" and this were pretty neck-and-neck, and I was almost going to tie them. But one day, I realized it was as perfectly suited to Marina's personality and ambition as anything she might ever create, and it must be even just a tiny bit better. I mean, one of the reasons why I adore The Family Jewels so much is because of how well it works as a statement of who she is, what she wants and how she's gonna get it, and this - a track that had to be added on after the last minute - exemplifies that to the highest degree. And this is before we even consider Greg Kurstin being involved at all.

02. Robyn, "Dancing on My Own"
Berger/Carlsson.
Melodic, self-destructive torch songs are one of the major things to love about pop music, and no one alive is better at performing them than Robyn. Her formula of sweating (and sobbing) those time-tested feelings on the dance floor has proven especially fruitful: "With Every Heartbeat", "Be Mine!", "The Girl and the Robot", and this, what is, possibly, her crowning achievement. Berger's synths engulf the strobed heartache of the lyrics, creating a rare, almost transcendent convergence of elements into a FUCKING GOOD SONG.

Aaaaaaaaad nowwwwwwww...

*druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum*

*roooooooooooooooooooll*

*plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

*brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaappppppppppp*

...

...

...

01. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Bittersweet"
Ellis-Bextor/Robinson/Small/Stannard/Wiltshire.
My dominant favorite wasn't ever going to anything else but my dominant favorite. It's still the most-played song in my iTunes, and the cover is still my Twitter background a year and a half later. Icy, playful, absolutely thumping, even emotionally honest - and oh, sweet lord, how I love her accent. It was instant adoration, and constant adoration at all. This list has existed as a draft for quite a while now, and never once did I feel "Bittersweet" was anything less than my song of the year. Forever and ever. Amen.

Fin.
Even though no one's actually reading this, and it's all irrelevant anyway, I still like feeling validated. Just so you know. As I'm sure you do.

Look at This Amazing Photo of Nicola Roberts

2011-08-02T17:51:00.000-04:00

That is all.

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part V

2011-06-26T22:57:00.008-04:00

I don't really like being negative very often. I get that being bitchy sells more tickets, especially as a homo, but it just doesn't come as naturally for me as it does for others. I am not without vitriol, though. There are always worthy things to despise! And for the music of 2010, there was more than enough. So, finally continuing my best-of series with the complete obvious, LET'S LIST WHAT GAVE ME A CONNIPTION LAST YEAR! Hopefully y'all will agree with me. Also, most of this will probably be stream-of-consciousness, so be warned.

VD's Worst Singles of 2010
10. Timbaland feat. Katy Perry, "If We Ever Meet Again" US #37, UK #3
The major thought I always have is that this would work so much better as a campy '70s-style disco ballad. Instead, we get Timba not even trying to make something even worthy to be copyrighted (THE BEATBOX UNDERSCORING), and Perry wailing for no reason, all leading to nothing. Oh, and that fucking outro.

09. The Saturdays, "Missing You" UK #3
The autotune. The overbearing production. The fact that the song itself is very awkward and VERY psychotic. It's all just fucking ridiculous. I love them, but they really need to learn 'consistency'.

08. The Wanted, "Heart Vacancy" UK #2
"All Time Low" was very nearly going to be on the list, but I just don't hate it enough. This, on the other hand, is one of the most contemptible ballads anyone has ever created. Why do they exist? Who wants them to exist? None of them are even cute enough to justify being in a boy band - and that's before we even consider the reason I hate the song so much is because of their asinine vocals. Just, fuck off, boys.

07. Ke$ha, "We R Who We R" US #1, UK #1
Now, I like Ke$ha - I've said it before, I'll say it again. She has some good songs and an adequate amount of talent. But this is just an insulting mess. How dare you claim to have written this in solidarity with gay youth when ALL it is is a boring continuation of your typically slurred, party-whore manifesto, bitch? I have so much disgust for this.

06. Yolanda Be Cool vs. DCup, "We Speak No Americano" US #29, UK #1
Why, God, why?!

05. Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3, "Blah Blah Blah" US #7, UK #11 /
05. 3OH!3 feat. Ke$ha, "My First Kiss" US #9, UK #7
I'm merging them into one gross clump because, well, they are one gross clump. Without the guest spots from each other, they'd be horrible enough, but nooo, they decided to be a cyclical wheel of aural decay. I mostly blame 3OH!3, since at least K$ is capable of some kind of quality (and doesn't have a date rape-ish fratboy approach to music, ugh).

04. JLS, "The Club Is Alive" UK #1
The club is aliiiiiive, with the sound of muuuusic.
Who's that girl in the spotlight, ooh, cuz she turns me on.

Says it all, don't it.

03. Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg, "California Gurls" US #1, UK #1
Now, what do I hate most about this - Dr. Luke plagiarizing his own melody for "TiK ToK"? Its vapidness being able to swallow small planets like a black hole? That it's become a sort of standard for modern American dance-pop? Because Snoop Dogg actually makes it worse? All valid options, and they're all options that don't even mention Perry. If I start adding her to the equation, I could add at least fifty more, and then I'd have a stroke cuz this is one of the most successful songs of the last decade.

02. Usher feat. will.i.am, "OMG" US #1, UK #1
I am instantly filled with an enormous amount of despair whenever I even think of this song, so I just...can't blurb it out. Fetal position, etc. Excusez-moi. Besides, what I have to say next probably applies anyway...

*druuuuuuuum rollllllllllllllllllllll*

01. The Black Eyed Peas, "The Time (Dirty Bit)"
US #4, UK #1 (still cannot believe it didn't go #1 here - the only positive about it, at all)
That will.i.am is almost entirely responsible for my two least favorite tracks of the year is...really sort of a given, isn't it? He is the main nadir of the entire music industry, and that it follows him so blindly is so irritating and tiring. He's a monster, and this is perhaps his worst creation to date. Of course it starts with the sample. Now, I was born in 1993; the last thing I'd have for Dirty Dancing is respect, but, JESUS CHRIST, WHY? A terrible idea for the entire basis of a song made worse by its execution. Somehow, the sampled chorus ISN'T THE WORST PART. Once the empty house noises dominate it, going through the other random members of the group (WHAT IS THE POINT OF APL.DE.AP) doing random, worthless verses, the urge to jump out of the nearest high-rise window is completely blaring. And why, exactly, are Fergie's vocals so modified so much in every BEP song? I remember the first time I heard "Boom Boom Pow", I thought they had replaced her with some random bitch. But, nope. And it's still the same feeling.

This is the kind of shit that'll make people happy once dance music goes out of style again - it belittles an entire overlapping genre of music and all who like it, or even listen to it. Go to fucking hell, will.i.am.

-----
Yay, being negative is fun! (YEAH, I did eleven. Suck it.)

2011-06-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

We're Gonna Find Our Rhythm, Enjoy the View

2011-06-12T10:05:00.007-04:00

As many of you should know, I am an immense fan of many female pop musicians. (Pretty much all of them. Except Katy Perry.) Sometimes it's irritating, because fan wars come like breathing to pop addicts, and I don't want to necessarily choose a side between pop star A and pop star B, especially when I adore them both (o hai Britney/Gaga). I don't stan very well, or consistently. BUT, if I had to choose one for whom I would forsake all others, it would most definitely be Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She's a gorgeous, brilliant artist, and...well, she's become a bit of an underdog, hasn't she? As saddening as it is, I always love placing the bulk of my support behind someone very deserving who really needs it.

And she really needs it. So.

BUY HER ALBUM.

And if you're not in the UK, IMPORT THAT BITCH. I preordered! In April!

I know I'm not even done with 2010 (working on that, promise), but I can say with blind, fanboyish certainty, Make a Scene will probably be my dominant favorite of 2011. It has no low points, and it's exactly what I crave from a pop album. IT SHOULD BE EVERYTHING YOU CRAVE, TOO. The amount of joy I receive from it is stunning, and it basically gives me a reason to live. Sophie Ellis-Bextor gives me a reason to live.

And here's the newly-released video for the BRILLIANT single "Starlight" that proves my point about her needing as much help as she can get:

I LOVE YOU, SOPHIE. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

I'm starting to feel like a Christian, pre-Edict of Milan. But I mean, I'd gladly be eaten by a lion if it meant Sophie could have a hit. *shrugs*

Also, this all sounds so condescending, doesn't it! Oh well. x

Note: this really isn't meant to be condescending. Just nonsensical and whorey.

In Which I Turn 18

2011-03-09T18:30:00.001-05:00

I'm terrified of being an adult. I'm ~~self-medicating~~ consoling myself with this.

SAVE ME SOPHIE. (I AM a real tough girl.)

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part IV

2011-03-06T06:40:00.009-05:00

I'm still doing this! Yeah, I know.

This is the continuation of the singles list. It's only #50 through #21 because I want things to be dramatic, for...some purpose. I don't like doing things like this all at once, as I'm sure devotees (all 4 of you!) know. It's probably for attention reasons that I ultimately squander. There's a BONUS here, though: I've added blurbs. I KNOW! They're stream-of-consciousness-as-I-listen-to-the-songs, and generally unpolished - really, what of my writing ISN'T? - but they're enough. The ones for the top 20 might be meatier*, hopefully. Anyway, I'm really becoming proud of this. I, again, don't know why. I do know that I want READER INPUT.

Okay? Okay.

Let's restart this bitch!

VD's Best Singles of 2010:
#21-#50

50. Alcazar, "Headlines"
For being mindblowingly gay, and for incorporating those amazing strings.

49. Two Door Cinema Club, "Come Back Home"
Definitely my favorite song on their album. It's not exactly upbeat, but it's so cleverly put together. And it's always a miracle when I embrace something even THIS guitar-driven.

48. The Ting Tings, "Hands"
I'm sad that we're probably still far away from the record, because this is SO PROMISING. Almost progressive from their debut stuff, without losing their spirit.

47. Scissor Sisters, "Any Which Way"
Fun basically is the best way to describe it - and then Ana Matronic's solo bit even shoots that straight up. I love how it ends chaotically.

46. Kanye West feat. Dwele, "Power"
Sonically fucking masterful. The samples, content, his rapping, even and especially the mixing are all, well, EPIC.

45. Robyn, "Hang with Me"
It's not perfect (and it works better acoustically, and edited, and remixed), but Klas Åhlund's synthwork is never to be undervalued. It works if only because of that.

44. Miranda Lambert, "Only Prettier"
Miranda is a lyrical and vocal genius, and this is a prime example. Deliciously cheeky.

43. Example, "Won't Go Quietly"
I wish I knew about this before "Kickstarts" (#64) hit it big, since this is so much better; a brilliant little piece of electro house.

42. Ellie Goulding, "Starry Eyed"
It's so lightweight, and short, and not at all the best way to show off Ellie's talent, but MAN, can it induce endorphins or what?

41. Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith, "Not in Love"
OH LOOK I WANT HIPSTER CRED. But seriously, this was a great idea of a collaboration done as stunningly as it possibly could have been. Everyone legitimately wins.

40. Selena Gomez & the Scene, "A Year Without Rain"
My love of Selena Gomez in 2010 should be shameful. I mean, the Dr. Luke/"TiK Tok"/"California Gurls" middle-eight? AND YET, the rest is some frankly beautiful dance-pop.

39. Joe McElderry, "Ambitions"
"Is it because he's hot?" I ask myself sometimes. But no, this is genuinely good, especially considering it's a cover. (It's only partially because he's hot.)

38. Alexandra Burke, "All Night Long"
The single version with Pitbull is fine, but it's too hard-edged for my liking. The original album version is so smooth and satisfying, and her vocals are absolutely ace.

37. Róisín Murphy, "Momma's Place"
She's such a badass motherfucker, unf.

36. Rihanna, "Only Girl (In the World)"
I've loved her for years now and I NEVER expected something like this. It's almost anthemic, and THE PULSING SYNTHS ARE AS MAGNIFICENT AS IT GETS.

35. Kelly Rowland 'feat. David Guetta', "Commander"
Poor Kelly Rowland. She puts out an absolute monster like this and gets nothing in return. The extended version, in particular, is completely outstanding.

34. Goldfrapp, "Believer"
It's all about those synths, man (isn't it always?). The chorus is almost diabetic, it's so synth-sweet. It's like Alison tailored it JUST FOR ME. Nom.

33. Natasha Bedingfield, "Touch"
I've always loved her (even when against reason), but I never expected this to dominate my spring/early summer like it did. I also didn't expect the album its on to subsequently blow so hard, though that's neither here nor there.

32. Sky Ferreira, "One"
Bloodshy & Avant's production IS the song for all I care, it seems. It's so gobsmackingly breathtaking and sometimes even unbelievable. Despite that, I do hope great, great things for Sky. (DO MORE STUFF WITH B&A!)

31. Paloma Faith, "Smoke & Mirrors"
It was one of my immediate favorites of hers, so I'm glad that it was chosen as the random last single, if only so I rank it this highly. Very retro, and damn cathartic.

30. M.I.A., "XXXO"
It's almost odd that this is an M.I.A. song, but it's such a witty, amazingly put-together song that ultimately it makes sense, even in a nonsensical era for her.

29. Goldfrapp, "Rocket"
How is this not ACTUALLY a song from the '80s? Few songs on the list made me cream myself at first listen, and oh boy this is surely one of them. And, yes, IT'S BECAUSE OF THOSE LIFE-CHANGING SYNTHS. (They ARE the song, after all.)

28. Crookers feat. Róisín Murphy, "Royal T"
THIS IS MY FUCKING JAM. It's quite apparent that Ms. Murphy, without an album or perhaps even any effort, can basically be a dominatrix of awesome or something, isn't it? I'm STILL obsessed with this thing, and it just builds and builds to greater heights.

27. Groove Armada feat. Fenech-Soler & SaintSaviour, "Paper Romance"
So incredibly huge, with every second of it being spectacular.

26. Alphabeat, "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)"
I've already officially listed the single version as a remix, but whatever, this is for both. It's such a truly straightforward, fun gem of a pop song, the kind that just (almost) aren't created this well anymore.

25. Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
I first heard it when I was putting the list together, and somehow as I kept putting off finalizing it, it just kept rising, and fast. Adele is officially the love of my life, oh my god.

24. Marina & the Diamonds, "Shampain"
I loved it as a demo, but then she had to reshape it, with the magical help of Pascal Gabriel and Biffco (♥), into an electropop whirlwind that I ADORE. She's too much of a talent to handle. And trust me, I won't stop saying that.

23. Lady GaGa, "Alejandro"
Did the video being so overblown and without any reason deflate my opinion of the song? Not really, surprisingly. It's still an infectious piece of work. Plus, synths+strings, baby.

22. Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Naturally"
Way before it wonderfully became an international hit, it was hidden on a crappy pop rock album (of which Selena's learned to grow away from), and I'm pretty sure I found it first. But who's counting? LET'S JUST DANCE.

21. Take That, "The Flood"
I'm too young and/or American to know what Take That was before they teamed up with Stuart Price, so I was caught COMPLETELY off guard when this came out and blew my face off. Lush, stirring, epically beautiful - I'm still amazed by it.
Coming Soon: Promotional whoring, albums, and the rest of THIS shizz. Anyone wanna take a bet on how it unfolds? Or even thoughts on how it's been thus far? Or how your breakfast was? *crickets* Oh, shut it.

* - don't hold me to that.

An Immediate Reaction

2011-02-28T00:53:00.000-05:00

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YES.
(Even if I got the prediction wrong.)
I also liked how giddy Annie was the whole evening.

I have nothing else to say, really. Because I am a polite optimist*.

(* - I am not a polite optimist.)

VD's Final Oscar Winners Predictions

2011-02-26T19:58:00.001-05:00

LIKE IT OR NOT, we're here once again. There's still about 24 hours till showtime, and I couldn't ~~put this off~~ wait any longer. These aren't really going to change or anything; my thoughts are pretty cemented. I think it's a pretty good year overall, and I somehow managed to love the vast majority of the BP nominees, which impresses me. Shut up.

As is customary, I don't even try to do the short categories, so here are my predictions for the other twenty-one categories! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY.

Updated with Winners
14/21 - 66% correct
(I haven't done this badly since 2007's 12/21 score.)

Best Picture
Will Win: The King's Speech
Could Win: The Social Network
Should Win: Black Swan

It would be a rather beautiful miracle if TSN grabbed it back, but of course that's not gonna happen so, everyone, just live with it.

Best Director
Will Win: David Fincher, The Social Network
Could Win: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Should Win: Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan

The British biggies are always weaker with this, so Fincher really SHOULD PROBABLY WIN IT.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Will Win: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Could Win: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Should Win: James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Will Win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Could Win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Should Win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Yay redundancy!

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Could Win: Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Should Win: Christian Bale, The Fighter

To be honest I don't see Rush winning even if TKS won LITERALLY everything else. Bale is just too goddamn strong.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Could Win: Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Should Win: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

If Steinfeld wins this, I will fuck a girl, I swear to god. NOT HAPPENING.

Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: David Seidler, The King's Speech
Could Win: Christopher Nolan, Inception
Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Inception

British BPs, even if they lose Director, nearly always win for their writing. AMPAS don't care 'bout Chris Nolan anyway.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Could Win: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Should Win: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Sorkin losing this would be the single most scandalous snub in QUITE a while, considering he's won everything and undeniably deserves it.

Best Animated Feature Film
Will Win: Toy Story 3
Could Win: Toy Story 3
Should Win: Toy Story 3

*yawns*

Best Foreign Language Film
Will Win: In a Better World
Could Win: Incendies
Should Win: n/a

Outside the Law seems like it COULD be the Departures/Secrets of the year, but without a heavily known frontrunner or two for it to beat (Biutiful doesn't count - though it does tonally), I'm not sure treating it like that would work. Not a great theoretical year.

Best Documentary Feature Film
Will Win: Inside Job
Could Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Should Win: n/a

I don't care if I'm being too obvious; I also don't really care.

Best Art Direction
Will Win: Eve Stewart, The King's Speech
Could Win: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Inception
Should Win: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Inception
Actually Won: Robert Stromberg, Alice in Wonderland

I really wish the gay porn thing came out sooner, but it's not an undeserved win. Inception is so much FUNNER though.

Best Cinematography
Will Win: Roger Deakins, True Grit
Could Win: Wally Pfister, Inception
Should Win: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan

God help us if Deakins doesn't win. But I REALLY don't think he'll lose to TKS? That would be way too indulgent a win. Inception, backed with incredible work by a DP that THEY WON'T STOP NOMINATING, is more likely to steal it.

Best Costume Design
Will Win: Colleen Atwood, Alice in Wonderland
Could Win: Jenny Beavan, The King's Speech
Should Win: Mary Zophres, True Grit

Nathaniel's touting of the 'Atwood and Sandy Powell only win when the other is nominated' formula rings too true, tbh. It made a billion dollars, and she's AT LEAST never won for a Burton film. TKS isn't flashy or colorful or corset-y.

Best Film Editing
Will Win: Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter, The Social Network
Could Win: Tariq Anwar, The King's Speech
Should Win: Andrew Weisblum, Black Swan

I actually trust TSN winning this. But who knows.

Best Original Score
Will Win: Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
Could Win: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network
Should Win: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network

This would be one of the easier things for TKS to pick up in the event of a sweep; Desplat's overdue (but for this?). I hope Reznor/Ross can sneak this, though. That would be fucking amazing.

Best Original Song
Will Win: "If I Rise", 127 Hours
Could Win: "I See the Light", Tangled
Should Win: "I See the Light", Tangled
Actually Won: "We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

I REALLY HAVE NO CLUE. This is the lamest thing ever.

Best Make-Up
Will Win: The Way Back
Could Win: Barney's Version
Should Win: n/a
Actually Won: The Wolfman

Sorry, THIS is the lamest thing ever.

Best Sound Mixing
Will Win: True Grit
Could Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

I'm going with TG since it won the CAS. IDK.

Best Sound Editing
Will Win: Inception
Could Win: True Grit
Should Win: Inception

I guess.

Best Visual Effects
Will Win: Inception
Could Win: Inception
Should Win: Inception

Well this is a bit blatant, innit. Plus, it's been forty years since a Best Picture nominee nominated for its special effects has lost to a non-nominee. In case it qasn't clear enough that it's not gonna lose.

So, everyone's thoughts? Blah blah.

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part III

2011-02-04T15:31:00.008-05:00

This is probably the most uneventful portion of the countdown, but I felt it needed to be done anyway - for all the underdeveloped and mismanaged little tracks out there. Yup, I'm doing b-sides and bonus tracks now! FUN!!!

I love b-sides; I wish more artists actually did them, especially when they're more than worthy of their existence. And not just like, British people. Bonus tracks, as well, can just as easily be lazy and unnecessary (hence why they're 'bonus') as overwhelming brilliant (aka WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM/THE LABEL/GOD etc). I feel when they need to be heralded, that is exactly what should happen.

This is gonna be odd.

VD's Best B-Sides of 2010
10. Scissor Sisters, "Sex Exciter" ("Any Which Way")
It's basically an afterthought, but what a delicious little afterthought. That's co-written and contains backup vocals by Allison Goldfrapp. WIN.

09. Alex Gardner, "Superfree" ("I'm Not Mad")
His breathy vocals more or less make this. He's a ~~fucking sexy~~ talented lad, I wish fate would be kinder to him.

08. Delphic, "Sanctuary" ("Doubt")
I don't listen to Delphic enough. Somehow I can more easily recall this song more easily than a lot of the album. I'm not exactly sure what that MEANS but anyway.

07. The Saturdays, "Ready to Rise" ("Missing You")
Eons better than the A-side. That chorus is FIRE. Good lord the Sats are so inconsistent, it's stunning sometimes, really.

06. Hurts, "Confide in Me" ("Stay")
A live cover of Kylie's dark masterpiece, and they definitely do it justice. Completely stunning, and an interesting masculine version of it, too. (See also - I never would've expected them to be so into each other.)

05. Kylie Minogue, "Go Hard or Go Home" ("All the Lovers")
Basically simple cheese, but it's just blissfully Kylie.

04. Joe McElderry, "If You Love Me" ("Ambitions")
I understand why it's a b-side (it's a bit inconsequential, innit), but I wish the album had a few more full-out electropop rush spots like this.

03. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Sophia Loren" ("Bittersweet")
Odd that this was gonna be the still-unreleased album's lead single at one point. It's so disarmingly lightweight and CUTE. The synths are so bouncy, the lyrics so thematically clever and easy-to-swallow for a love song. Also, Cathy Dennis! DISCO DISCO ITALIANO.

02. Cheryl Cole, "Just Let Me Go" ("Parachute")
Possibly the single best moment of the 3 Words era, entirely because of how 'FUCK YEAH DANCE-POP' it is - a philosophy she fully embraced on her follow-up (which greater results). It's dark, and a bit emotional, albeit in its icy, dancefloor intoxicated form. Quite impressive.

*druuuuuuuuuuuuuuum roll plz*

01. Hurts, "Affair" ("Wonderful Life")
True story: I bought the CD single just to own this. Six and a half minutes of swirling, depressingly romantic, purely retro synthpop that makes my heart FLUTTER every time I hear it. So fucking beautiful.

----------

VD's Best Bonus Tracks of 2010
(aka an excuse to talk about the #1)
05. Savage Skulls & Douster feat. Robyn, "Bad Gal"
(from the iTunes version of Body Talk Pt. 2)
This is, as far as I can tell, the only place this track has officially shown up - which is odd, since there's a video now. It's a fantastically out-there track; Robyn is used expertly. I wish she'd do even more of these 'vocals for DJs/producers spinning gold' things. Cuz, I mean - my god, UH-OH.

03/04. Kylie Minogue, "Mighty Rivers" & "Heartstrings"
(from various and unconfirmable international versions of Aphrodite)
"Heartstrings" is probably better, but it seemed fair having them tied. They're both Xenomania-produced and they're both unfairly relegated. Sigh, they just haven't had a good run since Girls Aloud ~~disbanded~~ went on hiatus, even when they're putting out BEAUTIFUL work.

02. Alphabeat, "Telephone/Bad Romance"
(from the UK Amazon pre-order version of The Beat Is...)
The Beat Is... has four (!) bonus tracks overall, and this one is clearly the best, A wonderful mashup of two individually amazing GaGa songs (which assumedly only exists because they were The Monster Ball Tour's opening act for the UK leg). Stine's disturbingly crystal clear pronunciation of everything really makes it.

*anticlimactic rim shot*

01. Ellie Goulding, "Lights"
(from the iTunes version of Lights)
This is a perfect, perfect song, and I can't believe it WAS a bonus track. It blows everything else out of the water, and still does even after the re-release (Bright Lights) actually made the album better. I was debating whether to even classify it as a bonus track anymore, since it's the next single (to be released...at some point), which an AMAZING VIDEO and a not-terribly done remix (love the added drums) and those gloves. But it wasn't a single in 2010, WAS IT? Well it almost was. Either way, it counts. NOW BASK IN ITS BIFFCO-SANCTIFIED GLORY.

Note: I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up being my #1 of 2011.

-----
So, yeah. Another part down; next up should be MORE IF NOT ALL OF THE SINGLES LIST. Be sure to look out for that sometime before July!

A Small Note to, Evidently, Everyone

2011-01-30T22:17:00.000-05:00

These people are not harbingers of hatred, doom and/or the apocalypse.

Thank you.

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part II

2011-01-28T12:46:00.012-05:00

Yay, I'm finally doing this again!

Continuing on with VD's Best Music of 2010, this is my list of my favorite remixes of the year! As anyone would know from my twitter, I'm basically obsessed with remixes. I don't even know why, I'm probably just a whore in need of a dancefloor. BUT ANYWAY: I WROTE WRITE-UPS. They're small and weird and full of unnecessary caps, but that's me anyway. I'm also tired and not proofreading this, so it could really be any number of things! That's always fun.

Without further explanatory bullshit:

VD's Best Remixes of 2010
(WARNING: I say 'synth' a lot from here on. As it should be.)
25. Hurts, "Stay"
Remixed by Groove Armada
Entirely captivating and amazing, while, at the same time, entirely void of content. It makes little sense but it's fantastic.

24. Lady GaGa, "Alejandro"
Remixed by The Sound of Arrows
Drastically different and impressive. So smartly put together on TSoA's part. I love them, I wish they'd remix more. ♥

23. Ellie Goulding, "Starry Eyed"
Remixed by Russ Chimes
It basically IS disco. One of the best remixes on the list you can just DANCE to without having to think about it. The instrumentation is OUT OF CONTROL.

22. Kelis, "4th of July (Fireworks)"
Remixed by Richard X
The differences between them are STAGGERING - X created dark, swirling synthpop out of some of the most boisterous electro-house I've heard in forever. A GENIUS at work, people.

21. Hurts, "Better Than Love"
Remixed by Italoconnection
Only released on the Italian release, which is a shame, because it's absolutely SYNTHILICIOUS. (I love making up words.) It really goes even beyond what Hurts themselves do with the instrument, especially in terms of nostalgic creation. It's really very sexy.

20. Cheryl Cole, "Promise This"
Remixed by Almighty
To be quite honest, I'm not sure why I like this so much. Is it because it's Cheryl? Nah. Is it because the club mix is nine minutes long? Possibly. Is it because it's so gay? Probably. Is it because I imagine myself near a giant wind machine when I listen to it? Most likely. ...see also the gay thing.

19. Alphabeat, "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)"
Remixed by Ian Masterson
SYNTHS SYNTHS SWEET JESUS THOSE SYNTHS. /productive comment

18. Gabriella Cilmi, "On a Mission"
Remixed by Wideboys
I NEVER hear anything about this mix, even when people love the less interesting, non-Wideboys version! It grabs you and DOESN'T LET GO TILL THE END. Bonus points: the repetition of "I AM A WOMAN" - makes it.

17. The Saturdays, "Ego"
Remixed by Almighty
5:10. It entirely defines it and that is all I need to say. Oh, and that's the only one on this list that is exceptionally better than its original. Just FTR.

16. Goldfrapp, "Rocket"
Remixed by Richard X [Eight Four]
The magnificent Mr. X (new to twitter just today btw!) created two different remixes, the Eight Four and the One Zero (get it?). There's nothing wrong with the latter; I just like the former a loooot more. It sorta deprives the song a lot of its original power, but instead transforms it into something JUST as retro in an entirely different way, even making it dancier. Amazing.

15. Armin van Buuren vs. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Not Giving Up on Love"
Remixed by Dash Berlin
Ghostly and dark as hell, like a overbearing nightmare with these little flashes of pure light floating about. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHY IT'S AMAZING. The speeding up at the 4 minute mark leading into that instrumental bridge, ahhhhh. That's the kind of shit I live for.

14. Kylie Minogue, "Get Outta My Way"
Remixed by Kris Menace
Sometimes it plays out like an extended version (which is redundant), but it's mostly just brilliant. ESPECIALLY the use of those kickdrums.

13. Hurts, "Wonderful Life"
Remixed by Freemasons
Why don't more people worship THESE Freemasons? I mean, really. In their beautiful, magical fashion, they spice up the purposefully drab "WL" with this omnipresent synth beat that is absolutely suited for it. Couldn't be better.

12. Florence + the Machine, "Cosmic Love"
Remixed by Short Club
The constant acoustic guitar plucking atop the harps and synths being so playful together really signals how massive and stunning this is.

11. Ke$ha, "Your Love is My Drug"
Remixed by Dave Audé
ACTUAL euphoria. One would never expect a remix of a KE$HA song to be this lovely and brilliant, but thankfully there's always Audé to be awesome.

10. Marina & the Diamonds, "Oh No!"
Remixed by Grum
Grum can remix in his sleep, I'm convinced. There's always a new mix of his coming out! Somehow they're almost always great, this being the year's key example. Brief compared to other mixes on the list, but perhaps better because of that. It adds its own retro personality to a song already brimming with it and it works SO well.

09. Robyn, "Dancing on My Own"
Remixed by Fred Falke
Falke is pretty much the KING of remixes, isn't he? His 2010 was perhaps quieter than the year before, but this packs such a punch that it doesn't really matter. Full-out bass-driven disco, and I love every second.

08. Marina & the Diamonds, "Hollywood"
Remixed by Fenech-Soler
A very nice, very crazy rush of pulsations that I love getting high on. (I also adore how it turned me on to F-S, they're GREAT if you don't know.)

07. Alphabeat, "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)"
Remixed by Biffco
Biffco, and its genius Richard Stannard, are always underrated but vital as a pop production team, with this single mix being a primary example. Taking the already great "DJ" and dipping it in even more delirious synths while giving it a spankin' new subtitle? Fantastic work.

06. Robyn, "Dancing on My Own"
Remixed by Buzz Junkies
Successfully makes it absolutely upbeat and blissful without really losing the song's emotional weight. Frankly that's a win in and of itself. But then it's also listenable as fuck, which helps.

05. Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Naturally"
Remixed by Dave Audé
Probably (quite easily) the best remix of a Disney-manufactured song ever. And the scary part is, they completely embraced it! One of the more shocking musical events of the year was seeing Audé's name mentioned on the Disney Channel of all places. Crazy.

04. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Bittersweet"
Remixed by Freemasons
Taking what they've co-produced (as they did with Kylie's "The One") and spinning even more gold from it. Faster tempo, more crunching synths, just a racier vision of the candy-coated perfection of the original - and it's still enough to make you joyously explode.

03. Armin van Buuren vs. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, "Not Giving Up on Love"
Remixed by Jorn van Deynhoven
WHOAAAAAA. This is some BEAUTIFULLY EPIC shit right here. Somehow it makes me existential. While on an ungodly amount of the best acid ever created. And that middle section? TRANCE INFERNO.

02. Robyn, "Hang with Me"
Remixed by Starsmith
Following the release of the electronic version, I...felt a little underwhelmed, I'll admit. The production was awesome, but it felt a bit lifeless? And then, like magic, Starsmith slams it out of the park and creates my favorite version of the song IN GENERAL. It has the beats AND the emotion, AND that insanely awesome intro. I LOVE STARSMITH.

*druuuuuuuuuuuuuuum roll plz*

01. Marina & the Diamonds, "I Am Not a Robot"
Remixed by Clock Opera
Incandescently perfect. From the moment I first heard it, I don't think I ever had a different #1. It's sweeping and loaded with strings - the complete antithesis of a modern pop remix. It almost twists the song's emotive nature to that of despair (the vocal modulation with 'our love faded' - amazing), which is DAMN remarkable, only to turn it back around to the hopeful, shining brilliance with a BEAUTIFUL crescendo.

I LOVE IT SO MUCH I COULD JUST EXPLODE.

-----
So, yeah. Thoughts? Anything?

Chaos: A Minimalist Reaction

2011-01-25T12:32:00.000-05:00

*blinks*

Huh.

The hell?

Random.

Blah, I figured.

Yay!

Sad.

KINDA annoyed.

OMFG.

DEPRESSED.

ECSTATIC.

IS THIS REAL LIFE?!?!?!?!

Well good for you, Julia Roberts.

~~~fin~~~

VD's Final Oscar Nomination Predictions

2011-01-24T19:26:00.003-05:00

(Even though they're also my first, but whatever, who's counting!)

Blah blah blah let's get on with the trainwreck.

VD's Official/Final 2011 Oscar Nomination Predictions.

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
Alternate: The Town

It's down to those eleven, just like everyone thinks it is. I'm going with 127 Hours taking the edge over The Town, because, well, why the hell not. If anything, because it's Fox Searchlight and we all know they wouldn't lose the nom without a fight.

Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Christopher Nolan, Inception
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Alternate: Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit

Ladies and gentlemen, our five Best Picture nominees.

I don't see Hooper missing considering the massiveness of TKS, for better or for worse, even if it's far from being a director's film.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine
Alternate: Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

1) I'm predicting Williams and even though I haven't seen it yet (not my fault), Gosling and her in BV seem too symbiotic to have one miss. It's weird rationale but there it is. 2) If the 'industry support' is what'll help Bardem, why hasn't he been nominated for anything up to this point that makes it look like it's truly there, instead of just as Julia Roberts' conjecture? 3) I JUST DON'T SEE DUVALL HAPPENING. Get Low was released so long ago and did anyone even really care to begin with? I'm prepared to eat these words but I DON'T THINK I'LL HAVE TO. 4) I've had the weirdest feeling about Wahlberg for the last like month and a half; logic tells me it's not happening, BUT IF IT DOES I'M SHOOTING MYSELF IN THE LARYNX. 5.) Bridges isn't missing this.

But I don't actually know.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Alternate: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

I, like so many others I assume, have no fucking clue what to do with Steinfeld - she's the only thing that could throw a wrench in my predix here, I think. She could be Keisha Castle-Hughes, overcoming a marginally incorrect supporting campaign to be nominated in lead, or she could be Scarlett Johansson, being flip-flopped between the two categories for various organizations and missing out entirely. (OMG, look at me being so clever, using two examples from the same race seven years to illustrate my point.)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Alternate: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

As long as Andy's nominated, I couldn't give a crap who else is there.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Mila Kunis, Black Swan
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Alternate: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Continuing about Steinfeld: I loved her, but seriously, if she ends up here fraudulently and steals Weaver's place, I WILL HATE THE BITCH FOR LIFE. Even though this would be in no way her fault. I really just feel most comfortable not predicting her for anything right now. But sigh. The Academy's just gonna hurt me like in '08 with Sally Hawkins, aren't they. :(

Also, Barbara Hershey isn't happening, nor is she gonna siphon votes from Kunis, people.

Best Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
Alternate: Black Swan

Black Swan is about as much a writer's film as Moulin Rouge! was, but I can still see it happening. I'd just be shocked in a year where Mike Leigh has an actual contender that he isn't nominated. It'd just be so out-of-character for them! Blue Valentine could very well sneak in, too.

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Alternate: Rabbit Hole

This is guessing. It could Rabbit Hole, or The Town, and The Ghost Writer wouldn't surprise me though I can't seem to justify it.

Best Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon
Tangled
Toy Story 3
Alternate: Despicable Me

Despicable Me fits the Jimmy Neutron/Shark Tale/Surf's Up/Bolt profile, but it could only beat out Tangled, which would be odd. I don't think The Illusionist is meant to be.

Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful (Mexico)
Even the Rain (Spain)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Life Above All (South Africa)
Alternate: Dogtooth (Greece)
Whoops: Outside the Law (Algeria)

GUESSING! Something's telling me I should go with Dogtooth, tbh. They DID nominate The Milk of Sorrow last year, after all.

Best Documentary Feature Film
Exit through the Gift Shop
Inside Job
Precious Life
Restrepo
Waiting for 'Superman'
Alternate: The Tillman Story
Whoops: Gasland / Waste Land

???

Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
Shutter Island
Alternate: True Grit

They never nominate contemporary stuff, so hence the lack of Black Swan and its many thematically overbearing mirrors.

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network
True Grit
Alternate: 127 Hours

Because TKS has people creatively off-center sometimes and actually does more with the camera than you'd expect from it, they'll nominate it.

Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
Black Swan
Burlesque
The King's Speech
True Grit
Alternate: TRON: Legacy
Whoops: I Am Love / The Tempest

I don't know what I'm doing.

Best Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
127 Hours
The Social Network
Alternate: The King's Speech

??? Taking a total chance. 127 Hours just has SO much editing.

Best Original Score
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Alternate: How to Train Your Dragon

There's so much Alexandre Desplat this year! I don't see more than one being nominated, though.

Best Original Song
"I See the Light" - Tangled
"If I Rise" - 127 Hours
"Shine" - Waiting for 'Superman'
"We Belong Together" - Toy Story 3
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" - Burlesque
Alternate: ??????
Whoops: "Coming Home" - Country Strong

I wouldn't be surprised if the category doesn't exist this year. Not the best year for songs, innit.

Best Make-Up
Alice in Wonderland
True Grit
The Wolfman
Alternate: The Fighter
Whoops: Barney's Version / The Way Back

Best Sound Mixing
Black Swan
Inception
The Social Network
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Alternate: Shutter Island
Whoops: The King's Speech / Salt

Best Sound Editing
Black Swan
Inception
Iron Man 2
TRON: Legacy
True Grit
Alternate: The Social Network
Whoops: Toy Story 3 / Unstoppable

I...yeah.

Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Inception
Iron Man 2
TRON: Legacy
Alternate: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Whoops (on the Academy's part): Hereafter

Scott Pilgrim being nominated would be SO FUCKING AMAZING.

So, in summation, I'm a pothead. Your thoughts?

Relatively Apathetic Golden Globe Predictions

2011-01-16T18:01:00.004-05:00

Whoo.

Best Picture - Drama
The Social Network
Maybe? The King's Speech

TSN probably has this, just like every BP from here, locked. I wouldn't be entirely surprised by a TKS surprise, tho. They gave it to Atonement in the face of a lot of American pathos after all. Note: it's completely unlikely.

Best Picture - Musical/Comedy
The Kids Are All Right
Maybe? Alice in Wonderland

Alice could easily win since it's such a massive ~~pile of shit~~ grosser; TKAAR as a winner here seems kind of anticlimactic.

Best Director
David Fincher, The Social Network

Yeah.

Best Actor - Drama
Colin Firth, The King's Speech

This isn't not happening.

Best Actor - Musical/Comedy
Johnny Depp, Alice in Wonderland
Maybe? Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
(Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version)

KILL ME NOW. Really. This category is DISGUSTINGLY bad and uninteresting.

Best Actress - Drama
Natalie Portman, Black Swan

No way she's losing THIS at least.

Best Actress - Musical/Comedy
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Maybe? Emma Stone, Easy A

Bening's the only likely Oscar nominee in the line-up so she's winning. I WANT STONE TO STEAL IT THOUGH.

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Fighter
Maybe? Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Maybe? Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Logic has it being one of the Fighter girls, BUT MY STUPID HEART SCREAMS WEAVER UPSET. I want it. :(

Best Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Maybe? David Seidler, The King's Speech

Eh.

Best Animated Film
Toy Story 3

HMMMMMMM.

Best Foreign Language Film
In a Better World
Maybe? I Am Love

???????? I'm high.

ETA HOW DID I DO THIS HAHAHAHAHA LMAO LOL OMFG.

Best Original Score
Hans Zimmer, Inception
Maybe? Alexandre Desplat, The King's Speech
(Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, The Social Network)

Best Original Song
"You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" - Burlesque
Maybe? "I See the Light" - Tangled

LOL nothing else makes sense as a winner! And they probably feel guilty for not nominating Cher for Best Actress.

So, yeah. Y'all's thoughts?

VD's Best Music of 2010, Part I

2011-01-15T16:00:00.002-05:00

Oh, hi! Big gap of emptiness here, innit. Anyway.

Welcome to VD's Best Music of 2010 countdown! There'll hopefully be more than just singles and albums (basically enough to stall this long enough so I can actually do a decent albums list), with some legitimate effort put in! That should be fun. Or not.

I'm kicking it off with the bottom half of my miraculously accomplished singles list. It nearly killed me for a week, BUT IT'S DONE, and I quite like it, to be honest. I don't want to put it all out at once, though; I AM a glutton for attention, after all! I'm not gonna put any commentary, because that would've delayed this more than I've already been putting it off - that and I just don't want to explain some of these! (Esp. #96/#80.) Though I probably will if someone COMMENTS on a song or its placement or anything else. [/subliminal] Also, I hate my writing.

SO, without any further BS...

VD's Best Singles of 2010:
#51-#100

100. Frankmusik, "The Fear Inside"
99. Sabrina Washington, "OMG"
98. Kele, "Tenderoni"
97. Alexandra Burke, "Broken Heels"
96. Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream"
95. Ali Love, "Smoke & Mirrors"
94. P!nk, "Raise Your Glass"
93. Wynter Gordon, "Dirty Talk"
92. Two Door Cinema Club, "Undercover Martyn"
91. Ellie Goulding, "Guns and Horses"

90. Rihanna feat. Drake, "What's My Name?"
89. Girls Can't Catch, "Echo"
88. Drake, "Find Your Love"
87. Katie Melua, "The Flood"
86. Vampire Weekend, "Giving Up the Gun"
85. Blake Lewis, "Heartbreak on Vinyl"
84. Ellie Goulding, "Your Song"
83. Kelis, "Scream"
82. Starsmith, "Give Me a Break"
81. Alexandra Burke, "The Silence"

80. Ke$ha, "Your Love is My Drug"
79. M.I.A., "Born Free"
78. Alex Gardner, "I'm Not Mad"
77. Kanye West feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj, "Monster"
76. Kelly Rowland, "Forever and a Day"
75. Cee Lo Green, "Fuck You!"
74. Afrojack feat. Eva Simons, "Take Over Control"
73. Nicole Scherzinger, "Poison"
72. Goldfrapp, "Alive"
71. Rihanna, "Rude Boy"

70. Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. feat. Boy George & Andrew Wyatt, "Somebody to Love Me"
69. Hurts, "All I Want for Christmas is New Year's Day"
68. Fenech-Soler, "Lies"
67. Scissor Sisters, "Fire with Fire"
66. David Archuleta, "Something 'Bout Love"
65. Florence + the Machine, "Heavy in Your Arms"
64. Example, "Kickstarts"
63. David Guetta feat. Rihanna, "Who's That Chick?"
62. Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. feat. Q-Tip & MNDR, "Bang Bang Bang"
61. Ellie Goulding, "The Writer"

60. Miranda Lambert, "The House That Built Me"
59. Mini Viva, "One Touch"
58. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Skeletons"
57. Hurts, "Better Than Love"
56. Gabriella Cilmi, "On a Mission"
55. Janelle Monáe feat. Big Boi, "Tightrope"
54. Alphabeat, "Hole in My Heart"
53. Nadine, "Insatiable"
52. Sade, "Soldier of Love"
51. Hot Chip, "I Feel Better"
NOW WASN'T THAT FUN. More coming as soon as I get them done.

Random Thoughts

2010-11-03T03:06:00.001-04:00

Literally what the title sez.

• This is an amazing, amazing video, and a rather awesome edit of the song. I rarely actually say the word 'fierce' but it makes me want to scream it at Wynter Gordon. THE FREEMASONS CAN DO NO WRONG. (See also, also, also, ALSO, etc.)

• I am seriously so glad Carl Paladino isn't the governor of my state. So very, very glad. And this is concludes VD's Election Coverage '10.

• I've said it on twitter but I'll reiterate: I like Cheryl Cole's Messy Little Raindrops more than her previous 3 Words, even if, frankly, it's basically more of an uneven wreck. It's just MUCH more exciting, as well. And does 3 Words have ANY tracks like "Promise This" or "Yeah Yeah" (aka DANCE-POP of such infectiously high order)? No, no it does not. That said, both albums aren't that great by any stretch of the imagination.

• AAAAAAAAAH HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS FUCKING MOVIE.

• Rabbit of Seville is probably my favorite Looney Tunes cartoon ever. I don't even know why, I think my dad implanted it. But it's so fucking good isn't it?! I also don't why I spent all last Monday morning on YouTube going through different LT cartoons, in case anyone was wondering from the sidebar.

• The Nanny is as much of a masterpiece as any network sitcom has been in the last twenty years. I NEED NOT JUSTIFY THAT CLAIM. itiswutitis.

• I've had Moon from Netflix since February. Someone convince me to get on with that, yeah? Please?

• SEXY BOY IS SEXY. And talented. AND SEXY.

• There are less than two months left of the year, and I have thoroughly wasted it. Just, blah. I have a thing where I list out every film I see for the first time in a given year and assign the total to its corresponding day on a calendar (I know that doesn't make any sense as a sentence), and right now I'm only on AUGUST 21ST. I really can't deal with my incapability to like, keep my simplest goals and shit. Or even the thing that supposedly makes my life complete - WATCHING MOVIES. I'm so fucking useless.

• OOH SHINY THING *runs into wall*

• I also like fall. You know. Leaves. Cold. etc.

• GODDAMNIT, LINKING IT IN THE "BELIEVER" BLURB MADE ME LISTEN TO IT ON REPEAT AND NOW I HAVE TO POST IT ON ITS OWN.

KYLIE MINOGUE OWNS YOU ALL
I think I'm done. Any thoughts?

ETA: WAIT! I just wanted to post this picture and mention how much I adore it (and her, and everything about her, which I clearly have):

And now I have. Ahh.

In Which Florence Welch Conquers the World

2010-09-13T08:06:00.004-04:00

A stunning, magical moment for the international musical community. (And one that's much better than the clip that caused it, but I digress.)

Also seriously wondrous:

If it keeps, she'll probably have a Hot 100 placement and I may explode. It's taken too long to happen, BUT IT'S HAPPENING ALL AT ONCE.

Also, yay GaGa, etc. This has been my VMA coverage.

P.S. - check the date. I OWN YOU, REST OF AMERICA.

ETA 12:13 PM:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

ETA2 3:44 PM:

I am aneurysming. Sweet Jesus.

ETA3 9:45 AM 9/14:

ASKLL:K:AS:JK:LS:LWOALL;lLOKIWOUWAJM.

Speaking of Marina...

2010-06-28T10:15:00.002-04:00

Heh, I gush about her psychotically, and then her newest video comes out a few hours later. It's serendipity! This is "Oh No!," one of the best pop songs I've heard in forever.

The behind the scenes vid promised a bright, shiny, pseudo-'90s, neon explosion, AND THEY WEREN'T LYING. In terms of standing out and making its case in barely three minutes time, just like the song, it's very much a success, and surprisingly relevant TO the song itself! You can tell it could conceivably be what Marina was visualizing while writing it. Even, hopefully, things like this (OMG):

I mean, it's a bit more genius than I can handle right now, and I adore it immensely right off the bat (note: I'm probably biased and pre-judging). Does the video for "Hollywood" pale in comparison to this? A little bit, yeah. But again, BIASED OVER THE FACT THE SONG IS BRILLIANT. She's so beautiful, too... not that it's a difficult feat for her. Gah, I love her so much. Just in case I haven't made that clear enough! ♥

And yes, I do want that dress.

I Am Not a Robot...or Anything Else

2010-06-28T05:21:00.002-04:00

Since I started blogging in 2006, I've done it in certain specific waves, with varying degrees of success. I've had different blogs, different outlets, different forms of HTML capability, been part of different communities; but one thing remained constant: I was an adorable little fucking weirdo. I'm 17 now, though, and there's not a lot of time left for me to be an adorable little fucking weirdo before I just become a pathetic, immature shell of a disturbed young man. As a result of this dawning, I'm essentially in an identity crisis. What kind of person am I? Who do I want to become? Who WILL I be, despite what I want? etc.

I'm basically at a post-"Are You Satisfied?," "Mowgli's Road" stage now.

I'm not very READY for all the major changes one goes through at such a sensitive age; some people know the reasons why, but I'm not getting into them now. I am a very, very fragile person with many weaknesses, and I always have and I always will be. This I AM SURE of. My neuroses are as much 'J.D.' as anything physical, probably more so. Frankly, I love them, but they really are my greatest asset and most spectacular downfall in the making. They make me, ME, and also make me, me, you know?

Is this "Obsessions" now? Or "The Outsider," possibly, if we're bleak about it.

ANYWAY. All that esteem shit directly affects my output, as you can plainly see (and as I usually assert every time I remember I have a blog). I TRY, I really do, to write, well, anything. Films reviews never end well because they're always a paragraph long stream-of-consciousness brain leak that has zero validity and just makes me look like a moron. I can only orgasm about music, never deconstruct it down to reviewing it, because I don't actually know enough about music (which, I will admit, is not a problem for film). So all I end up posting about is random shit, YouTube vids and ME ME ME. I AM ENTIRELY AWARE ABOUT HOW MUCH I USE THE WORD 'I' WHEN WRITING, AND, YES, I KNOW IT'S A BAD TRAIT. And I (ack) know my vernacular is mostly too juvenile and 'precious' to ever be taken seriously. But I (ack) can't help it; it's just the way I (ack) write! Do you see why I (ack) don't do it all that often?

I want to be MORE THAN THAT. I want to be more than just the caricature I've become. My blogging standing has deteriorated SO much that there's almost no point, though, is there? I average 200-300 hits a week, which is utterly depressing for a blog that ONCE could do 1000 per week and have it stick. Once, very long ago... *sighs*

Vaguely rifting into "Rootless"-esque territory, with a tiny dash of "Numb."

I'm changing that. All of it. I am gonna post more if it kills me, and YOU ARE GONNA READ IT IF IT MAKES YOUR EYES EXPLODE. I know I fucking do this every time I make a post anymore, but GODDAMN IT, I am going to MAKE IT PERMANENT this time. I want to retread "Are You Satisfied?," for fuck's sake! I WANT TO RE-START THE ALBUM! And hopefully this time I won't freak out because "Oh No!"'s indictment of my life, and run back to the emo tracks. I am going to take CHARGE of my life, and my blogging, and GUESS WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

I forgot my point.

This was an intensely personal endorsement of Marina & the Diamonds, brought to you by my lack of sleep and addiction to her awesomeness. Dictated, not read. Thank you.

2 Years Older, -4 Years Wiser

2010-06-02T16:44:00.012-04:00

TODAY, Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010, is Valley Dreamin's second birthday!

Why the emphasis on 'today'? Because I thought the date I made my first post here was the 1st, and announced it as such on some places; it's also that I kinda slacked working on this post, big time. Or at least I FORMERLY did. If I HAD published it yesterday, IT WOULD'VE BEEN EARLY! SUCK IT, FATE. Anyway...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VD!!!!!!!!
I'm frankly very, very proud, and maybe a little confounded, that this special lil' thing is still actually alive. I neglect him so much, but yet, here he is! He's like a crack baby. MY crack baby. AND I LOVE HIM SO DEARLY.

Okay, enough with the creepy similes.

On this momentous occassion, I think it would be good to formally announce something a handful of you already know about: my expansion of The Valley Record. TVR, if you don't know, is my archive blog, hosting basically every film I've ever seen by year with my personal ratings for them. I've always known I could expand it, and obviously that's what I've done; so what HAVE I? OSCAR PAGES. Yes, HIGHLY STATISTIC, PATHETICALLY NERDY POSTS WITH EVERY SINGLE OSCAR NOMINEE I'VE SEEN IN A GIVEN CATEGORY'S HISTORY. Isn't that FANTASTIC? I've only done the majors and a couple randoms so far, but here they are:

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Story
Best Animated Feature Film
(the highest percentage! ^ no duh.)
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Art Direction
Go through 'em! BASK in the warm, comforting glow of my paralyzing adolescent OCD! *waits for you to return*

ETA: I tried to make this post as quickly as I could, so I forgot to mention WHY I actually did them; that goes straight to Nick of Nick's Flick Picks and his IMMENSE Best Actress completist project. HE HAS FOUR LEFT. FOUR. Needless to say, I got jealous. Of a lot of things. BLERG.

Sooooo, what do you think? Should I continue on like I hope to do in the future? Is this all just time-wasting nonsense which ironically prevents me from completing any of the goals I imply with these pages? Is this all essentially useless anyway, because the Mayans are gonna come back in 2012 with their death-ray spaceships and blow up the earth or whatever the hell will happen? Am I just an arrogant twit?

This is getting loopy. Let's just have some cake!!?

(OMFG I really want this cake, btw. SOMEONE GET IT FOR ME.)
Lol, but SERIOUSLY (for a second), I really am surprised VD has kept even as afloat as it is, though sometimes it might as well be drowning. I know I have my permanent friends and fans who would support me no matter what, and I couldn't be more happy and grateful to have them around me (just like it'd take a lot for this to get even sappier than it is now). I love you all, no matter how much you love me. MAZEL TOV. ♥

(P.S. I just don't know why I did Art Direction over any other tech. I know you're wondering that. I kinda still am!)

Note to All Americans

2010-06-01T20:06:00.003-04:00

It would be very wise to buy this on iTunes today. $1.29 isn't that much. If you need proof of its brilliance, please view the music video. You will not regret either action, but it's best for them to be in unison.

Thank you.

♥, J.D.

Overdue Social Networking

2010-05-10T02:37:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to do this post for like, two months, but whatever. For those of you who don't already know, Valley Dreamin' has a Facebook page now. So become a fan of it! And if you want to stalk me specifically, don't forget about my actual FB, Twitter and Last.fm! I like stalkers when they can up my followers count.

Now here's this as a mea culpa for not posting anything, ever.

I think that works everything out! Oh, wait, and:

To loop back to the Facebook page. I LIKE CYCLICISM. (Is that a word? W/e.)

They Shoot Robot Unicorns, Don't They?

2010-04-12T04:15:00.006-04:00

Rainbow synthpop and inexplicable dolphins. This has been my life for the last...oh, what, month, month ½? I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN ADDICTED TO IT. I have finally lost all sense of time and reality.

It's such an amazing game, though, while entirely being an evil bastard of a slave master. I knoooow I have a problem, and I need to STOP, not only for my sake; my robot unicorns KEEP DYING SUCH SENSELESS DEATHS. :(

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I shall continue playing it. Why? ...

AALLLLLWAAAAYYS, I wanna BEEEEEE with youuuuuu...

Hopefully, a Very Happy Ending for Everyone

2010-03-25T17:30:00.012-04:00

Hah. Puns.

I love Jean Simmons so, so much. There's no other way to preface this. I haven't seen a WHOLE lot with her; but of what I have seen (Hamlet, Guys and Dolls, Angel Face, Elmer Gantry, etc), I've been consistently impressed with her, some of it very much reaching brilliance. She was in even a Miyazaki dub!

But, very sadly, on January 22nd, she passed away at the age of 80. This affected me a lot. It's always sad when a classic actor or actress dies, but, being so young, I had never been overly familiar with anyone's actual work, before her. Especially when considering how underrated she is and will likely continue to be, it felt a tad more personal than it should have, lol. She was already one of my favorites. I've wanted to see all I could, really anything she's in, since then. Unfortunately, A LOT of her films are frustratingly unavailable, and one would have to carefully skim the TCM schedule to find 'em, I guess.

But don't worry; right now, I'm doing it for you.

Tonight, The Happy Ending, starring Simmons and directed by her then-husband Richard Brooks (who also made Elmer Gantry), airs at 2:00 AM EST on TCM (in the U.S./Canada, if this wasn't naturally implied). It was aired in January as part of an in memoriam marathon, where I saw it and immediately fell in love with it. I'm surprised it's on again so soon! I'm grateful, though, because for whatever reason, it has only received a VHS release--12 years ago. I just don't get how this is so universally unavailable? It's not a thematically inaccessible or uninteresting film, nor should it be obscure.

So, yeah, I'm basically asking you all to watch it. Probably record it, since it's on in the middle of the night, but watch it. If you don't have a DVR, call someone you know with one to record it for you, and then you both can WATCH IT! Simmons is at her absolute best here, and even got an Oscar nom for it (her first in 20 years, and her last). The rest of the cast (John Forsythe, Shirley Jones, Teresa Wright, etc) is great as well, and it features great music and cinematography by Michel Legrand and Conrad Hall, respectively. It's probably not a masterpiece, but it's such a lovely, emotionally honest film with a truly fantastic central performance, and I hope more people see it now and in the future. (Which would be great with a DVD release or something, but I'm digressing.)

So remember:
Friday, March 26th.
2:00 AM EST.
ranging to
Thursday, March 25th.
11:00 PM PST.
TCM.
DON'T FORGET THE TCM PART.
Record it if you have to.
&
WATCH IT!

How Can I Deny the Feeling?

2010-03-23T21:17:00.007-04:00

Sophie Ellis-Bextor is amazing and gorgeous and talented and ACCENTED. To anyone who knows her, this is redundant. But for anyone who doesn't, well, this might be a better introduction than most things.

This is her new single "Bittersweet," of which the (AMAZING) video was just released. It really speaks for itself. TAKE A LOOK, WHY DON'T YOU.

I know I shouldn't go
But something made me crave the heat
YOUR LOOOOVE IS BIIIIITTERSWEEEEEET
The fire in your touch
I always find so hard to beat
YOUR LOOOOVE IS BIIIIITTERSWEEEEEET
Song of the year? It. just. may. be. The Freemasons remix (who co-produced the song and are responsible for a LOT of amazingness over the last decade) is absolutely stunning, too. I love it all SO MUCH.

Wikipedia vaguely says it'll be released in the U.S. as well, which is AMAZING NEWS. It probably won't make any sort of impact, but that's beside the point. Just think of hearing this on the radio ever? (...)

Ugh, why aren't I British? For fuck's sake.

2010-03-23T18:34:00.001-04:00

In Which I (Kind of) Talk About Twilight

2010-03-11T14:39:00.001-05:00

The trailer for the third film that I don't give a shit about even more than the first two (!) came out today, but only one thing matters at all - and I mean at all. I'm not even going to provide a link. Just an image.

You're welcome, ~~ladies~~ gentlemen.

New Age, New Banner, New Mentality?

2010-03-09T13:34:00.008-05:00

Okay, that last part is never happening.

Hi! You're reading the words of a 17 year old near-adult. YES. I'm EXCITED by this, rather than spiteful of like, aging. I guess I'm starting to get used to growing up? And MATURING? And I'M WILLING TO ACCEPT IT ALL?! *gasps*

Anyway. I figured I needed a new banner. Why? 'Cuz it says my age of 16 and that just won't do any longer. I also thought (since it was of amazing musician Annie) it should be film-related again, as if to re-christen this place. I said last week that VD isn't a blog specific to one subject, and I stand by that, but an environment of cinema should help spur my returning to film writing. I decided on A Single Man, which has basically become my cinematic love for '09 (I'll talk more about why it's only 'basically' later). What do you think of the new, prettyprettypretty banner, then?

And WISH ME A HAPPY BIRTHDAY, plz. ♥

I'm not egocentric, btw.

VD's Final Oscar Winners Predictions

2010-03-06T09:47:00.019-05:00

This is the third year I've made one of these header collages, and I wonder if any of you have actually noticed them, lol? They suck up a lot of time to make, yo.
It's fucking here, folks! Thankfully, there's no real Slumdog (or, rather, something frustratingly dominating) this year to turn us into masochists. Though, one could argue Bullock and her film's representation of the public's addiction to toxic bilge (or Avatar as a behemoth in general) have proven to be, and I'd agree less than I would've thought. IT'S BEEN A ROLLERCOASTER FOR SURE, which is a nice change of pace. But frankly, I'd say Crazy Heart is the most annoying thing this year for me. How people think aspects besides Bridges and the music (HELLO, MAGGIE) are worthy or accolades, and for the film itself, is COMPLETELY BEYOND ME. That Fox Searchlight pulled the same "saved from direct-to-DVD" bullshit with it infuriates me even more this time around - at least Slumdog acts like a theatrical film and isn't a long series of lazy, tiring cliches.

ANYWAY. I've never done the short categories and probably won't for...ever (but go W&G!), so here are Valley Dreamin''s* Final Predictions for the winners of the 82nd Academy Awards in the other 21.

* - This is an entirely unfortunate contraction.

Updated with Winners
17/21 - 81% correct

Best Picture
Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar
Should Win: Inglourious Basterds
I couldn't say anything that hasn't already been said. Que sera, sera.

Best Director
Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Could Win: James Cameron, Avatar
Should Win: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
This, though, is happening absolutely.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Will Win: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Could Win: George Clooney, Up in the Air
Should Win: Colin Firth, A Single Man
As is this.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Will Win: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Could Win: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Should Win: Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
...and probably this. *sighs*

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Could Win: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Should Win: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
This has been a lock since June.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Will Win: Mo'Nique, Precious
Could Win: Mo'Nique, Precious
Should Win: Mo'Nique, Precious
April.

Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Could Win: Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Should Win: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
This...isn't so certain. It really seems like a consolation prize for Tarantino, doesn't it? And Boal would kind of just continue the line of pet projects from young and ambitious writers winning. But I do hope Quentin pulls this out in the end.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: Jason Reitman + Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Could Win: Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Should Win: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci + Tony Roche, In the Loop
This is a consolation prize for sure, anyway.

Best Animated Feature Film
Will Win: Up
Could Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Should Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Should've Been Fucking Nominated in the First Place: Ponyo
No doubt, really.

Best Foreign Language Film
Will Win: A Prophet
Could Win: The White Ribbon
Should Win: n/a (I've only seen The White Ribbon, which is amaaaze)
Actually Won: The Secret in Their Eyes
LOL, well, whoever wins, SPC wins. Even if it's The Secret in Their Eyes, because they have that, too. Though for whatever reason I could see Ajami pulling a sneak.

Btw, I LOVE THE U.S. POSTER FOR A PROPHET SO MUCH AND I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHY! It's just soooooo good. God, I want to see it.

Best Documentary Feature Film
Will Win: The Cove
Could Win: Burma VJ
Should Win: n/a
Lock.

Best Art Direction
Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Sherlock Holmes
Should Win: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Lock.

Best Cinematography
Will Win: Barry Ackroyd, The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Mauro Fiore, Avatar
Should Win: Robert Richardson, Inglourious Basterds
Anyone but HP6 could win, apparently; The White Ribbon has the guild, Avatar has the *PRETTY*/groundbreaking aspect, Basterds has the most respected DP of the line-up (probably). But Ackroyd seems like someone who'll win an Oscar eventually, so why not for a potential juggernaut?

Best Costume Design
Will Win: Sandy Powell, The Young Victoria
Could Win: ???
Should Win: Janet Patterson, Bright Star
Sandy Powell = God. 3rd Oscah.

Best Film Editing
Will Win: Chris Innis + Bob Murawski, The Hurt Locker
Could Win: John Refoua + Stephen E. Rivkin, Avatar
Should Win: Sally Menke, Inglourious Basterds
If THL loses this Avatar WILL win BP.

Best Original Score
Will Win: Michael Giacchino, Up
Could Win: James Horner, Avatar
Should Win: Michael Giacchino, Up
Lock.

Best Original Song
Will Win: "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart
Could Win: "Take It All," Nine
Should Win: "Take It All," Nine
First Globe winner to even be nominated in six years, and, if it won, would be one of three this decade which actually won. But, I don't see anything else winning. Blah.

Best Make-Up
Will Win: Star Trek
Could Win: The Young Victoria
Should Win: Star Trek
...I really don't know. Nothing seems obvious?

Best Sound Mixing
Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar
Should Win: The Hurt Locker
Avatar could easily win this, but the guild and BAFTA went with THL, so.

Best Sound Editing
Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Win: Inglourious Basterds
Duh.

Best Visual Effects
Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Avatar
Should Win: Avatar
DUH.

Thoughts? Comments? Criticisms? Your own predix?
(I need comments to sustain my blogging, you know.)
(Yes, I'm threatening. Mwaha, etc.)

This is Not a Music Blog

2010-03-02T10:31:00.003-05:00

I swear to god, it isn't. I know it basically seems like one, what with the Annie banner and the fact that most of what I post lately is music-related, BUT IT ISN'T. It's about whatever affects my psyche, basically, whether it be music or movies or television or my life or the weather or a detailed history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (hopefully coming by April). I don't want to limit myself even further by keeping to one subject. I wish it could be about more than music every once in a while, though.

But I'm just gonna talk about music s'more, okay?

This is just for my American readers.

'HANDS' CAME OUT IN THE U.S. TODAY OMFG.

About. Fucking. Time.

I've talked about Little Boots before, so you can't go "wtf" to this. The heights of my adoration for her have been, perhaps, the highest for anyone I've ever been obsessed with for any period of time. It's a perfect pop album - stunningly produced, absolutely enjoyable, and without a real low point? It starts out strong and ends as strongly (...if we don't count the hidden track "Hands." but it's hidden for a reason!). It's an amazing piece of work, and probably one of my favorite albums of all time at this point. I can't wait to ACTUALLY have it in my hands*. Ugh, seriously, whenever I think how long it takes amazing foreign things to get here (if they EVER do), it makes me want a New World Order already.

EVERYONE SHOULD JUST FUCKING OWN EVERYTHING ASAP.

Amazon
iTunes
iTunes (deluxe) (has bonus track "Catch 22" which is amaaazing)

My transitioning skills have not diminished, evidently.

While we're at it, GET EVERYTHING. The 'Illuminations' EP, with two brilliant tracks, "Not Now" and "Love Kills" (the outro of the latter makes my head explode); the Stonemasons remix of "Remedy," which has turned into one of my favorite mixes EVER; and the 'Arecibo' EP, with the original/extended/better version of "Stuck on Repeat."

And for preview purposes, all the specific songs I mentioned!

Not Now | Love Kills
Stuck on Repeat
Catch 22 | Remedy (Stonemasons)
AAAAH I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I mean, she makes me into a legal music whore. I've only ever done this with Britney. IT MUST BE TRUE LOVE. ♥

Also, she looks like Samantha Morton a lot. Just wanted to say that.

* - I DID NOT INTEND THIS PUN. LOL. I should proofread more.

Picture I Am Totally Obsessed with at the Moment

2010-02-17T14:13:00.000-05:00

I ♥ the lemon yellow. I ♥ the American flag bandana. I ♥ HER.

Stuck on Repeat Shuffle

2010-02-11T05:02:00.007-05:00

Ten songs, devotedly and accurately transcribed from my iTunes shuffle in chronological order. I could've skipped a few of these, BUT I DIDN'T, SO HAH. My lax opinions are fun to express sometimes. That and I'm glad to express anything at all?

01. Sugababes, "Conversation's Over"
Okay, Three is their best album, innit? Okay, maybe One Touch on a technical level, but Three is so MAGICAL. Though it has more contracted titles (like this) than I'd like. I do NOT know why that bothers me.

02. Alicia Keys, "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart"
Ugh. I still don't know if it makes me feel depressed or ecstatic, but I love it SO MUCH. It's the backing track, I know it. *drools*

03. A.R. Rahman & M.I.A., "O... Saya"
Well, it should've won of the nominees (not that that's a prideful accomplishment or anything), is probably the best aspect of the film.

And that's all I'm saying.

MOVING ON.

04. Goldfrapp, "Rocket (Richard X One Four Remix)"
I prefer the Eight Four remix (and the original), but this is nice. I'm glad I'm finally getting into them btw, lol. Dunno why it took me so long, but the fact that Head First should be totally up my alley forced my hand into hunting down their catalogue. So yay!

05. Green Day, "Last of the American Girls"
LOL. Story time.

2005-early/mid 2007, I was obsessed with American Idiot. It was the height of my emo phase and I'm not proud of it; the oldest of my readers might remember it. So when 21st Century Breakdown came out last year, I just didn't give a shit. At all. I only listened to it like two weeks ago, for nostalgia's sake, basically. I didn't even like it? Like, it all blended together into the same derivative, monotonous tone of faux revolutionary dissatisfaction. My 13 year old self cried a little, BUT HE GOT OVER IT. Quick.

06. Grizzly Bear, "While You Wait for the Others (BBC Maida Vale Session)"
Really good live version.

07. Alex Beaupain, "Brooklyn Bridge"
Beaupain himself performs it in Love Songs (for which he won two Chloes, LEST WE FORGET). It's beautiful, innit?

08. The Killers, "Under the Gun"
So brief and zany and ultimately a little confusing. God I love them.

09. Kate Bush, "Never Be Mine"
OKAY, yay, I was hoping Kate would actually show up. You could've picked something... not entirely devastating, though, shuffle. :(

10. Regina Spektor, "Dance Anthem of the 80's"
I'm still sad Far disappointed me as much as it did the first time I listened to it - I was worried she'd go further down the path Begin to Hope presented and become just another bland indie-pop quirkstress, and I felt she at least halfway did, though I've grown to like it more since. All the same, this was, and still is, a definite highlight.

Btw, if you want to, you can download all/any of the songs. DON'T TELL THE COPS.

Also, if you hadn't noticed, I've taken up using the word 'innit' more often. It's such a perfectly wonderful word, innit? ♥ ♥ ♥

The Bright Side (Kind of)

2010-02-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

I...guess.

Still.

YEAH.

VD's Oscar Nomination Predictions

2010-02-01T12:49:00.002-05:00

HI AGAIN.

I don't know how else to preface this but with the obvious: Bleh. Huge rule changes in at least three categories; anything could happen more than ever. I think most of this will be right, desperately hope I'm wrong for some things, am in denial for some others.

And wtfever Avatar counts as. BLEH.

[/digressing]

VD's Official/Final/Only (lol?) 2010 Oscar Predictions.

Best Picture
Avatar
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Alternates: (500) Days of Summer + The Hangover

I'm fairly confident with this. And I only mention The Hangover because IT'S SO FRUSTRATINGLY PLAUSIBLE.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
James Cameron, Avatar
Lee Daniels, Precious
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Alternate: Clint Eastwood, Invictus

AKA the five Best Picture nominees.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Alternate: Matt Damon, The Informant! (I guess?)

This seems fairly locked and done with, doesn't it?

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourney Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Alternate: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria

Four are basically irrefutable, and the fifth spot, obviously, runs a rough spot. The default pick is Mirren, but of course Blunt or Ronan (or Laurent or Cotillard, though they were probably fucked out of the race completely thanks to the category fluctuation - THANKS HARV) could make it in. Mirren seems pretty fun tho? So whatever.

Best Supporting Actor
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Alternate: Matt Damon, Invictus

McKay is my taking a chance/probably biased (since I loved him SO MUCH) pick, and I could see him easily missing out for Damon. I'm eh on Mackie or Molina making it in (though Mackie is probably likelier IMO with the love going around for his film).

Best Supporting Actress
Marion Cotillard, Nine
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Alternate: Samantha Morton, The Messenger

*rips hair out; jumps off bridge*

Fuck it, basically. Felt like going with Cotillard for no reason. I WOULD go for Morton if I thought her film could get O. Screenplay or Picture noms - which it definitely could, but I'm not predicting that to happen, I mean.

Best Original Screenplay
Jon Lucas + Scott Moore, The Hangover
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Joel + Ethan Coen, A Serious Man
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson + Thomas McCarthy, Up
Alternate: Scott Neustadter + Michael H. Weber, (500) Days of Summer

...My Big Fat Greek Wedding, anyone? Yeah.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Neill Blomkamp + Terri Tatchell, District 9
Nick Hornby, An Education
Anthony Peckham, Invictus
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
Jason Reitman + Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air
Alternate: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche + Ian Martin, In the Loop

Oh, how awesome it would be if In the Loop actually made it in.

*weeps for A Single Man*

Best Foreign Language Film
A Prophet (France)
The Secret of Her Eyes (Argentina)
The White Ribbon (Germany)
Winter in Wartime (The Netherlands)
The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner (Bulgaria)
Alternate: Samson and Delilah (Australia)

This seems too Eurocentric, I think. Oh whatever. Most of it is guessing!

Best Animated Feature Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Ponyo
The Princess and the Frog
Up
Alternate: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

This category is PROBABLY going to be the bane of my existence. Up, Fox and Coraline are probably locks. Frog is the forst 2D Disney in almost six years, and had a really good reception if only because of that. But Cloudy fits the less-than-artistic last minute surprise (Surf's Up, Shark Tale, Jimmy Neutron, Bolt, etc) - except for the fact it's not last minute. That gives me JUST ENOUGH reason to not predict it. Ponyo HAS missed precursors, but it's still HAYAO MOTHERFUCKING MIYAZAKI. THEY GAVE HIM A WIN. AND NOMINATED HIM FOR HOWL'S. I'm a denial-prone fanboy, sure, but I would imagine there would be some as well in the Academy.

Best Documentary Feature Film
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Valentino: The Last Emperor
Alternate: The Beaches of Agnès

I wanted to list The Cove five times?

From here on, it's more guessing than I'd care to admit (even though I just admitted, LOL. Oh, self). So, very little commentary.

Best Art Direction
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
A Serious Man
Alternate: Sherlock Holmes

Best Cinematography
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
The White Ribbon
Alternate: A Serious Man

*weeps for Bright Star*

Best Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
Inglourious Basterds
Nine
The Young Victoria
Alternate: An Education

I realize I'm probably underestimating Sherlock Holmes a bit here and in AD.

Best Film Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Up in the Air
Alternate: Precious

Best Original Score
James Horner, Avatar
Alexandre Desplat, Coco Before Chanel
Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant!
Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes
Michael Giacchino, Up
Alternate: Michael Giacchino, Star Trek

???????

Best Original Song
"Almost There" - The Princess and the Frog
"Cinema Italiano" - Nine
"(I Want to) Come Home" - Everybody's Fine
"Take It All" - Nine
"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart
Alternate: "All is Love" - Where the Wild Things Are

We have no idea how many nominees there will be, NOR IF THE CATEGORY WILL EVEN HAPPEN. So this may/probably will end up being entirely batshit.

Essentially, again: ???????

Best Make-Up
District 9
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Star Trek
Alternate: The Road

Best Sound Mixing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Up
Alternate: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Best Sound Editing
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Up
Alternate: District 9

???????

Best Visual Effects
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek
Alternate: 2012

Yeah.

Okay, I think that's it? Phew, I'm exhausted a little. (I never predict the short categories because I'm not THAT kind of insane.)

Your thoughts?

State of the Blog

2010-01-17T19:56:00.000-05:00

Today was the 4th annual Supporting Actress Blog-a-thon over at StinkyLulu - a celebration in the modern art of supporting actressing, if you don't know. I've done it the last three years, and as you may have noticed, there is no post today.

Why isn't there? Because I suck.

I couldn't come up with anything. I really couldn't. The most I could think of was Mélanie Laurent, but that seems like such an obvious pick? (I was right, evidently, if you check the post.) Even when I WAS going to do her, I had nothing. So I decided to abstain completely. This is really an important step in the course of this blog, because it's entirely indicative of my standing and my ability as a blogger. It's an unfortunate realization, but one that needs to be addressed.

HOPEFULLY, this changes soon though. I've been TRYYYYYING to get some shit done, and I've had some post ideas forming AND staying through that I might actually DO.

No guarantees, tho.

Now, seriously last minute Globe predix, just for the sake of posting something.

Best Picture, Drama:
Will Win: Inglourious Basterds
Might Win: Avatar
Should Win: Basterds

(This is me irrationally going for broke.)

Best Picture, Comedy/Musical
Will Win: Nine
Might Win: (500) Days of Summer
Should Win: (500) Days of Summer

Best Director:
Will Win: Bigelow
Might Win: Cameron
Should Win: Tarantino

Best Actor, Drama:
Will Win: Brides
Might Win: Clooney
Should Win: n/a (lol I've only seen Clooney!)

Best Actress, Drama:
Will Win: Mulligan
Might Win: Bullock
Should Win: Sidibe

(Again, irrationally going for broke. :\)

Best Actor, Comedy/Musical:
Will Win: Downey Jr.
Might Win: Gordon-Levitt
Should Win: Stuhlbarg

Best Actress, Comedy/Musical:
Will Win: Streep (J&J)
Might Win: Streep (J&J)
Should Win: irrelevant.

Best Supporting Actor:
Will Win: Waltz
Might Win: Waltz
Should Win: Waltz

Best Supporting Actress:
Will Win: Mo'
Might Win: Mo'
Should Win: Mo'

Best Screenplay:
Will Win: Basterds
Might Win: Up in the Air
Should Win: Basterds

Best Original Score:
Will Win: Up
Might Win: Avatar
Should Win: Where the Wild Things Are

Best Original Song:
Will Win: "The Weary Kind"
Might Win: "Cinema Italiano"
Should Win: "Cinema Italiano" (lol)

Best Animated Film:
Will Win: Up
Might Win: Up
Should Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Foreign Language Film:
Will Win: Broken Embraces
Might Win: The White Ribbon
Should Win: n/a

'Kay, these'll probably suck. BUT I POSTED SOMETHING.

Why the Aughts Are Ultimately WIN

2010-01-03T12:44:00.003-05:00

No other decade can claim they created this. Song AND video.

(So much Britney on the front page right now, innit.)

Aaaaaaand I'm hopefully back. More to come.

Well, That Was for Nothing

2009-10-07T23:03:00.001-04:00

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Even if it's Jay Sean.

Britney still needs to be #1 tho.

A Call to Action

2009-10-07T04:00:00.006-04:00

To all my American readers out there, I have a desperate humanitarian effort to combat an issue that NEEDS to cease immediately. For once, it actually affects you directly!

The Black Eyed Peas have tyrannically ruled out music charts for over six months now. Their rise to power was swift, unforeseeable and ruthless. There was never any sanity in it to begin with, so where are we NOW? We as a nation have not accomplished anything during their reign or seen any restfulness or peace, and it's arguable to say everything wrong that has happened in the last six months is because of Fergie's uncomfortable, random screaming. It's never been Obama. No president could possibly be effective in a land this ravaged.

But there could be a way to end it all. I know you're all skeptical and pessimistic. Taylor couldn't do it. Jay-Z couldn't do it. Miley couldn't do it. [insert random rapper/hip-hop artist who literally came out of nowhere and landed in the top five here] couldn't do it.

Maybe Britney can.

All you, my dear freedom-loving Americans, need to do is buy Britney Spears' "3" on iTunes for $1.29, and call your local radio stations and DEMAND them to play the song as much as it could legally be played. If enough people join our brigade for what is truly right, this plan of action could very well be the best chance we have to defeat the enemy.

Of course this could backfire. I swear the same campaign was implemented for Miley, and yet that didn't work. BEP's new single has been unleashed, and it could (and probably will) bound and replace it's predecessor. WE MUST NOT LET THAT HAPPEN THOUGH. That's part of the battle. EMBARGO. The interesting thing is I know barely anyone who even cares about them anymore. That and it hasn't charted at the top of any other Billboard chart for a while, so how is it still #1?

Whoops, sorry, we're gliding into my conspiracy theories! Silly. *zips folder*

My point is, we need to do all we can do change things, even if it could end fruitless. The power is in the trying. So, ~~friends, Romans, countrymen~~ PEOPLE, I implore you.

Make them realize we've had enough.

(Not really in any technical fashion, it seems, BUT IN SPIRIT!) Vote Britney for Hot 100 #1.
(and the radio station thing.)
Please help to end our long national nightmare. Thank you.

The Entirely Belated List of J.D.'s Best Films of 2008 + the Anticlimactic Completion of the Chloes

2009-09-28T19:31:00.004-04:00

Warning: this is extremely long. But not like a normal person's extremely long.

Well, here we are. I said Monday and I meant Monday and it's Monday. Unless you're east of the prime meridian, which is NOT my problem, so let's just get this over with. I'm doing a top fifteen because I've decided that's how I do things - five nominees from ten finalists, with five semi-finalists backing things up. It seems efficient enough.

Presented without much comment, and of the 105 films I apparently saw and count for 2008 (yay archive!), here are the 15 best of them IMFO.

...

THE SEMI-FINALISTS.

...

#15 The Class
Laurent Cantet
(SPC, December 19)

#14 A Christmas Tale
Arnaud Desplechin
(IFC, November 14)

#13 Australia
Baz Luhrmann
(Fox, November 26)
Ed. note: As most of you will recall from last year, I was completely obsessive about this movie months before it came out. I couldn't go five seconds without thinking/screaming aloud "OMG AUSTRALIA!" And it didn't disappoint me. It still hasn't. The problem was I was just too fanatical. I rolled with it's obvious flaws and claimed them as just adding to it's overall "masterful" existence. BUT I still think it's a great, thoroughly entertaining work of overly romantic awesomeness, and I probably like it more than most of the films on this list. So make of all that as you will.

#12 The Wrestler
Darren Aronofsky
(Fox Searchlight, December 17)

#11 Waltz with Bashir
Ari Folman
(SPC, December 25)

...

MY TOP TEN, + THE FINALISTS.

...

#10 The Fall
Tarsem
(Roadside, May 9)

#9 Reprise
Joachim Trier
(Miramax, May 16)

#8 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher
(Paramount/Warner, December 25)

#7 Love Songs
Christophe Honoré
(IFC, March 21)

#6 Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh
(Miramax, October 10)

...

Which obvies leads to MY NOMINEES FOR BEST PICTURE.

...

#5 The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan
(Warner, July 18)

#4 The Reader
Stephen Daldry
(TWC, December 10)

#3 WALL•E
Andrew Stanton
(Disney/Pixar, June 27)

#2 Paranoid Park
Gus Van Sant
(IFC, March 7)

...

*drum roll*

...

And now, fiiiiinally, MY BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR.

...

#1 Milk
Gus Van Sant
(Focus, November 26)
That noise you hear is of you and everybody else not being surprised. Of course it's Milk, it was never gonna be anything else. Though it's more of an emotionally linked rallying cry than a truly great film at this point, it still IS a truly great film, and one of the most important and affecting I've ever seen. ♥

Now:

THE CHLOES ARE DONE!!!!
Winners in gold, runners-up in silver and bronze. Yes, medals. I'm original. If there's anything you want me to comment on, then ask in the comments. I usually try to act like I have a descriptive brain in that box.

I need to announce tho that I revoked Waltz with Bashir's Documentary Feature nomination. It's so categorically in the gray - it's more like a personal History Channel special than a flat-out documentary - that I thought it kinda does a disservice to more determinable docs.

For reference, here are all the winners in readable text form:

Best Picture: Milk
Best Director: Gus Van Sant, Milk + Paranoid Park
Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay: François Bégaudeau + Robin Campillo + Laurent Cantet, The Class
Best Animated Feature Film: WALL•E
Best Foreign Language Film: Love Songs
Best Documentary Feature Film: American Teen
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Penélope Cruz, Elegy + Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Art Direction: Australia
Best Cinematography: Milk
Best Costume Design: Australia
Best Film Editing: Milk
Best Make-Up: The Dark Knight
Best Original Score: Love Songs
Best Mix-Tape Score: Waltz with Bashir
Best Original Song: "Au Parc", Love Songs
Best Sound Mixing: Paranoid Park
Best Sound Editing: WALL•E
Best Visual Effects: Speed Racer
Best Ensemble Acting: A Christmas Tale
Best Limited/Cameo Acting: Karina Fernandez, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Juvenile Acting: Catinca Untaru, The Fall
Best Voice-Over Acting: Tress MacNeille, Futurama: Bender's Game
Man, that looks weird put together. And gay. And adolescent. And ADD-riddled. And I need to stop starting my sentences with the word 'and'.

I really hope people care and comment/tell me what they think! *nervous laughter*

The Chloes ARE Still Happening, You Know

2009-09-23T11:49:00.008-04:00

I finally announced the complete nominees two weeks ago but I'm not sure anyone actually noticed that. If you didn't, HERE YOU GO, YOU ILLITERATE TWAT. Ahem. So, if anyone's wondering if I'll ever announce the winners, I decided on a date:

~~FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2009.~~

AKA in just two days. Mmhmm. Why the fuck not? I have everything more or less decided, and from there it's just a matter of not having a breakdown while applying repetitive HTML edits. (Fun, btw.)

One thing tho: I nominated Lena Olin in Limited/Cameo for The Reader, but with much contemplation - and the constant self-reminding that I nominated Redgrave last year and she possibly had less screen time than Olin - I've decided to move her up to legit supporting. Who'd she kick out, then? Chiara Mastroianni and her double nom of melancholic French amazingness. :(

Well, she still has her three total noms in Ensemble and Song, I guess.

SO. Does anyone still care or no?

ETA: Due to some unfortunate...lifeness, I can't finish them today. :(

I've decided to reschedule to:

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2009.

So no big sweat. :)

How Does It Hurt to Hear Your Songs on the Radio (Radio, Radiooooooooooo)?

2009-09-19T03:56:00.009-04:00

This has no point except for that it's audience interaction and I'm bored and I think I need to post something. Anyway, he's one of my literally classic music lyric guessing games, made of opening lyrics. And since I haven't done one since my "British expansion pack" musical renaissance (which is still raging beautifully) began, at least half of these are by British people I probably didn't know existed a year ago. Just saying. Use Google if ya want, I don't give a fuck. <3

01. "Easy living killed the young dudes in the high boots." Alphabeat, "Fascination" (Dave)

02. "Sometimes I get my head in a dilly, feeling so lost, ticking you off." VV Brown, "Shark in the Water" (Dave)

03. "He left no time to regret, kept his dick wet with his same old safe bet." Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black" (James)

04. "Saturday, stepping into the club, the music makes me wanna tell the DJ 'turn it up.'" Lindsay Lohan, "Rumors" (kimandr)

05. "There he goes, gone again. Same old story's gotta come to an end."

06. "You're moving in circles, looking for the love that I thought we made while I stand alone." Girls Aloud, "Turn to Stone" (Dave)

07. "I got my sights set on you and I'm ready to aim." Miley Cyrus, "See You Again" (James)

08. "Mission one: I'ma put this on, when he see me in the dress I'ma get me some." Beyoncé, "Get Me Bodied" (James)

09. "The motorway won't take a horse, the wanderer has found a course to follow." Patrick Wolf, "The Libertine" (Wayne)

10. "Do you think everything, everyone is going mental?" Lily Allen, "Everything's Just Wonderful" (Dave)

11. "No wonder I'm scared to look in your eyes, you've turned me away so many times." La Roux, "Cover My Eyes" (Trashlexis)

12. "They didn't have you where I come from, never knew the best was yet to come." Dixie Chicks, "Lullaby" (Wayne)

13. "Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleach blond tramp,
and she's probably getting frisky." Carrie Underwood, "Before He Cheats" (James)

14. "Look at this and look at us. We wonder, oh, we're wondering." Bat for Lashes, "Peace of Mind" (Dave)

15. "How can you see into my eyes, like open doors?" Evanescence, "Bring Me to Life" (Wayne)

16. "The problem of leisure, what to do for pleasure." Gang of Four, "Natural's Not in It" (Gehenna27)

17. "Well this stone that I have swallowed isn't going down so well."

18. "Fed up with your indigestion, swallow words one by one." The Ting Tings, "Great DJ" (Wayne)

19. "I hear him, before I go to sleep and focus on the day that's been." Kate Bush, "The Man with the Child in His Eyes" (Dave)

20. "Watching me like you never watched no one, don't tell me that you didn't try and check out my bum." Kate Nash, "Merry Happy" (kimandr)

Sooooooooooo?

2009-09-14T14:07:00.000-04:00

I've Got a Remedy (Oh, Oh-Oh, Oh-Oh)

2009-09-08T12:47:00.009-04:00

Btw, the song I'm quoting for the post title has nothing to do with the post itself. Which is Little Boots' "Remedy" of course. AKA a song that will no doubt be my absolute, mind-exploding favorite of 2009, and that if something actually does beat it that song would probably be legitimately the greatest thing ever made in the history of the world. But I digress.

My remedy = posting something substantial. SEE WHAT I DID THERE. What's it though? Well, I have a couple things to say that I owe to y'all.

Firstly, the Chloes are up. You are not imagining that.

All but Best Picture (hopefully doing something bigger for this, but don't quote me on that) are there in plagiarized pictorial table formatting. I actually found doing it even further from it's relevancy gave me a clearer view of everything, so that I could judge stuff without the "recent"-ness and by what actually stuck, you know? Also, SOMEONE REMIND ME WHENEVER I DO THEM NEXT YEAR NOT TO DO THE COMMENTARY BOXES THOUGH. They're kind of an unnecessary bitch and are what brought me down last year too. I finally learned my lesson.

And hopefully someone still cares.

Now, the second part.

Anyone who's a friend of mine on Facebook probably knows all this already because I announced it in a note. In fact, I'm just gonna repeat what I said in that:

This is a list I formed in January consisting of 100 films - some undisputed classics, some films I've been meaning to see forever - that I HAVE to see by the end of the year or else I have to jump off a bridge (I mean, if I don't actually finish the list I'm probably not going to do THAT but I am gonna be incredibly depressed in myself and the world for the rest of my life... well, moreso). I've been meaning to post this SOMEWHERE for some time, and since FB seems to be my hub as of late I might as well. Why? Maybe to provoke discussion of the films. Maybe to look like a self-aggrandizing whore. Maybe just for y'all to prod me into trying to actually do it, idk. Like, we're over two-thirds into the year and I've only seen 27 of them. WTFNESS.

That pretty much covers it! Especially the last part. I'VE ONLY SEEN 27 SO FAR FOR THE WHOLE FUCKING YEAR?!?! I need to freaking prioritize. And I'm secretly glad I can still sound that psychotic. GO ME.

So here's the list. I'll be updating it every time I see a movie off it, just like I do for my sidebar and my archive itself (which I'm more and more thinking is just for myself - who else actually uses it?). Comments and bitch slaps for not having seen any or all films are always appreciated.

This is the most I've written in over a month. Somebody hug me.

Happy 17th, Demi!

2009-08-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

Just add a year. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

This is Me, Three Hours Till Ponyo

2009-08-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO PONYO

Hey, what did you expect? Reasonableness?

2009-08-10T12:11:00.002-04:00

In Which I Completely Fall for Florence Welch

2009-08-05T04:30:00.011-04:00

I've been listening to Florence + the Machine for about a month, and I'll admit her album (Lungs) just keeps managing to grow exponentially in my mind. It's insane. In particular, though, I've been obsessed with "Drumming Song". Like, a legit, creepy obsession. IT'S SO GODDAMN EPIC.

But, in a recent trend of me becoming a slave to songs of British songstresses that magically become singles [in the UK where I don't live because God hates me] ... well you get what I meant by that. I really don't have any other information except for the music video, which was added to the Florence YouTube account yesterday.

Which is the whole point to this post. Becaaaauuse...

OMG THIS IS SO AMAZING
That orgasmic video now gives me the confidence to say I love her. I can't not love someone who can make that. And as many people as I can possibly force need to witness this amazingness. So, like, WATCH IT NOW. I WON'T STOP TALKING IN BOLD AND CAPS UNTIL YOU DO.

(P.S. I promise I will eventually stop just doing posts centered around videos and maybe talk about film. MAYBE. That really depends on if anyone like cares.)

HAVE YOU WATCHED IT YET?! Gah, you people are impossible. <3

BRIGHT STAR TRAILER OMG!

2009-07-22T03:14:00.011-04:00

I'm trying to post more. Here's a perfect attempt-hole!

Just... ignore the narration. Please.
I really hope good things come for Jane Campion's Bright Star. I really do. I don't know why though. I don't love The Piano as much as everyone else, apparently - and while I'm not saying it will, it does look like it could be a weird, poetic retread of places Becoming Jane already kinda unsuccessfully went (possibly just because they're both about 19th century writers + OMG PRETTY BRITISH ROMANTIC COSTUME DRAMA). But something just seems... very nice about it. Maybe it's Ben Whishaw. He's so attractive to me. Don't ask.

Anyway, I'm also holding out for Abbie Cornish. I REALLY don't know why there. I've only seen her in a couple things and... IDK how to describe it. She was really good in Somersault, but kinda in a "ooh, she has a fuckload of promise" way as opposed to her being legitimately great. And I had REALLY high expectations of her in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Like, Bess Throckmorton's life was so CHOCK FULL of workable bait. Yet most of the dramatic meat of her life that I was hoping for ended up not being in the film and/or being completely inaccurate and Elizabeth-focused. So that didn't end well. Bleh. I think I just naturally like her and don't know what to do about it. Ideally, she can just unequivocally prove herself with this and leave all my doubt to go fuck itself. 'Ideally' don't happen much tho.

Like, all I really know about this is that it's gonna be pretty as hell. Which is probably enough. So, what do YOU think?

OMFJCWTFHHINSTBOMGOMGOMG∞

2009-07-06T05:27:00.000-04:00

Otherwise known as "OH MY FUCKING JESUS CHRIST, WHAT THE FUCK - HOW HAVE I NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE?!?!?! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD *ad infinitum*"

If for no other reason than the song being NIRVANA INCARNATE.

Yes.

Things I've Been Doing Instead of Blogging

2009-07-04T08:20:00.002-04:00

Being utterly obsessed with Little Boots.

Watching a metric fuckton of movies.
I wish a lot of them were better, but eh, what ya gonna do.

Being intrinsically melancholy.
That is what came up first when I Google Image searched. It works.

Still being mind-numbingly obsessed with Little Boots.

Camwhoring.

Getting the new Seventh Seal Criterion Blu-Ray
AND (semi-related bonus point)
worrying people on the internet are going to die/are already dead.

Have I mentioned Little Boots yet?

...okay then.

So, what have YOU been doing while I haven't been blogging?

It's good to be back. Kinda. Hopefully?

Breathing the Fallout In (Out, In, Out, In...)

2009-05-31T22:53:00.009-04:00

That is both a Kate Bush double entendre, and me relating this place to a depressing, lost realm of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, devoid of all life and order. Oh, quit looking at me like that, you know it's the truth.

So, yeah, I'm sorry I've been so catatonic, everyone. Me even saying that is really sorta Glenn's fault, so yay him I guess?

I've just had, like, a lot of shit to deal with in mah brain. And not even like previous shit - it's actual shit that could define the course of my future, for all I know. Of course this happens right as I'm doing the Chloes, but I pretty much expected that, being an already professional cynic (and at my age, too!). My life is so sad.

Anyway. Speaking of the Chloes, I haven't been TOTALLY ignoring them. I've done nowhere near as much as I should be, granted, but I'm actually trying? Here's what I've done since the last update:

Best Animated Feature Film
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Costume Design
Best Original Song
Best Sound
Best Voice-Over Acting
Six! Six categories! EXCITING. Best Actor goes first of the acting categories because it's sure to be anticlimactic. Or will it be...? I mean, I finally re-watched The Wrestler and...

Just assume how I'd finish that sentence. [/MYSTERIOUS]

Yeahhhh. Chances are it'll be at least two weeks before they're all said and done - and I haven't even STARTED my top ten post(s?) - butI hope you're still here with me. Though you have no reason to be. It's a bit masochistic, no? You're just weird. Then again, weirdos rock. :)

Now enjoy this amazingness.

Kate Bush > you all.™

Why Glee is the Greatest Thing to Happen for Humanity in At Least 7,000 Years

2009-05-20T19:14:00.000-04:00

Also, Lea Michele needs to win an Emmy next year.

Short Thoughts on State of Play

2009-05-20T06:39:00.000-04:00

The McAvoy-ified version, anyway.

Produced by the BBC in 2003, in six episodes, and by all indications probably one of the most acclaimed television achievements of the decade. I finally watched it over the last few days after having it from Netflix for a month and a half 'cuz of the remake, which I probably won't see till DVD anyway.

It was really, really good. Not, like, AMAZING or something, but taut and intelligent and damn entertaining. I had some issues with the first couple episodes - which were really wonky - but overall it really is deserving of a lot of it's praise, I think. The writing and especially the plotting is usually intrinsically clever and rather brilliant. It's really jam-packed but it never loses where's it at. Well, mostly.

The obvious other strong point is the ensemble action going on. John Simm looks like Simon Pegg, David Morrissey was hammy but a good kind of ham, Kelly Macdonald is so TINY, I kind of wish Polly Walker would do more things, Marc Warren was AWESOME, Bill Nighy was... Bill Nighy, but he's so awesome at being Bill Nighy who cares? etc. And James McAvoy. Sigh.

I really don't WANT to focus on him, but, omg...

I know in context that means nothing, but... but... butt? Yes, butt. That's what it all rounds out to anyway in my mind. GAH. I'm such a teenager.

ANYWAY. As the series went on I really started to love it, but the odd sort of gearing-up malaise in the beginning limits that retrospectively, so I'm left with this:

VD Grade: ★★★½ (out of five)

And this review makes little sense, I know. I just wanted to say this stuff.

(Yeah, yeah, I'm working on Chloe shit.)

Stalling (aka the Car's Not Working and I Don't Have Enough Tools to Fix It Right Now)

2009-05-17T03:47:00.005-04:00

<-- Why use this pic? 'Cuz we're both brooding. And I like looking at him.

Some of you are probably wondering why the Chloes have seemed to come to a complete standstill already. Well, it's pretty much that ~~I suck~~ I still haven't seen something that, for all I know, could obliterate everything in a lot of categories, and I don't really know if I should do them and then possibly have to edit them later - which isn't very professional, damn it. BUT if everything goes as planned (and my paranoia about "mentioning stuff = they don't happen" doesn't get in the way because I obscured the film) I will be seeing it today, thus giving me no further excuse from doing them.

I PROMISE you all that we're going to see the end. (That sounds Revelations-y.) I AM NOT letting this get too far out of my hands so I don't end up finishing them like last year. I am stubborn. (EXCLAMATION).

In the mean time, I was able to do Art Direction and I, um, did it. I'll update the post if I do anything else between now and ~~the final solution~~ the next big wave of 'em. Don't forget to tell me what you think. :)

We now return you to our regularly scheduled week-long absence.

Aaaaaaaand, We're Off!

2009-05-13T08:33:00.002-04:00

Hey! Guess what!

THE CHLOES HAVE OFFICIALLY BEGUN.
Whee.

So, yeah. So far I've got Documentary Feature Film, Make-Up and Juvenile Acting up. Yeah, they're all disinteresting and easy categories, but hey, it's a start. Literally, it better be. If these go down even a quarter as well as I want them to, I'd categorize them as a success. The next two-three weeks will be weird as hell. But lets all hope for the best, okay?

I also want to re-post this antique graphic I made last year when I was still at JMC because it's amazing.

Amazing.

2009-05-12T07:09:00.002-04:00

ETA: Okay, tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T14:45:00.011-04:00

Seriously, take this day to show to your mom that you love her.

I mean, she's probably not perfect.

Maybe she's too overworked.

Or she's strangely lovingly bitter that you were born.

Or is willing to basically sell you.

(Or French.)

Sometimes she may inadvertently give you up because she's too stubborn.

Or wish to drive you into an alcohol-drenched early grave.

Or just generally forgets you exist because of her selfish, insane desire to be "happy" in a world that doesn't "get" her.

Or she just doesn't care anymore.

Maybe she's not even biologically related to you!

Or you really, really wish she wasn't.

But she'll always be there for you, no matter what.

Even if it's too late to do anything.

Or if it's just for your own survival.

And still after you're gone.

Possibly because she, um, killed you.

But that in itself was being there for you!

She still loves you. I think.

And sometimes one of your favorite cinematic mothers is played by an actress who looks weirdly like your actual mom.

Yay.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Hot Guy, Nickelodeon Tweens and the Sugababes?

2009-05-09T20:55:00.003-04:00

AKA welcome to Valley Dreamin'.

I know I haven't posted in a week (busy), but forgive me. You may not want to after you've find out I'm breaking this mini-hiatus with a post about iCarly, which you... just did. Whatever. I have my reasons.

Reason #1: HOT GUY OMG.

Tonight's new episode - which I'm watching right now and that's an hour long for some reason - revolves around Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) falling for this bad boy in typical wacky, quirky as fuck iCarly-type fashion. Obviously the bad boy was gonna be cute because it's a tween show and that's how they work, but GAH. HE WAS GORGEOUS. Apparently he was played by someone named Drew Roy who's pretty much done... this. But that's not important. LOOK AT HIM.

Just... *melts, evaporates, reforms, repeats*

It may be the bad boy-ness, it may be the way his clothes fit on him, it may be HIS WONDERFUL NEW YORK-ISH ACCENT [/swoon], but he's so fucking hot. Gah. I'm kind of drooling all over everything. I really can't explain it, and I know none of you watch the show so there's no point in even bringing this up. But it's good sometimes to remind yourself how much of a teenage girl you really are. It's nice.

Anyway. *collects self* Secondly...

I probably actually knew this before, but I don't remember ever knowing it so I'm not benefiting the doubt. I discovered tonight that a song Cosgrove recorded for the iCarly soundtrack and that was actually a single last year... was a Sugababes cover.

Of all people covering... well, of all people...

It's possibly the most random thing I've come across in a few weeks.

This post makes no sense. ♥

PONYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

2009-05-02T22:07:00.002-04:00

(it gets bigger. MUCH bigger, omg.)
Well, I was OBVIOUSLY gonna post it. And, as you can imagine, I had an orgasm when I saw it. Not because it's particularly outstanding or anything, but 'cuz it's PONYO. PONYOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

That is all.

Future Chloe Shock

2009-04-30T04:28:00.009-04:00

I realize it's almost May. But you knew this is about when I would start announcing Chloe shit, so shut up and take it.

But yes. It's almost time for me to finally get them over with. All I've got left to do is close off the most important blind spots I have and revisit some stuff. I doubt the prototypes I have for the nominees right now will be much different when I unveil them, but I like being thorough and sure.

Like, tonight I finally re-watched Rachel Getting Married (orig review), and loved it a bit more than before. Will it make my top ten? ... Am I really gonna tell you that? Jeez. I mean, I know I've blabbed a lot of what it and the awards will look like to a few people, but I ain't doin' that anymore! And am purposely wrench-throwing it up. So HAH.

Did I just mock no one and everyone at once? Ooh, I impressed myself.

In any case... I've decided to start them on Tuesday, May 12 (which should hopefully give me enough time get the viewings done and make sure I'm not making more mistakes than I need to) with a gradual top ten posting and the off-site stuff some may remember from my attempts last year.

<--- this may mean nothing. or everything. HMMMMMMM.

I honestly am trying to come out of left field, though not at the expense of my actual opinion, obviously. It's not gonna look like an AMPAS ballot, just trust that. It's also gonna be juvenile and emotionally-based (which you all should know from reading me for... however long you have, if you have).

I guess the entirety of what I'm saying is that I'm weird. And that I needed to post something more general and naturally comment-prone to counterbalance the niche-y stuff lately. Pfft, that sounds so studio!

So. May 12. REMEMBER THAT. In case I forget.

Listen, Julia...

2009-04-28T19:30:00.002-04:00

You know I love you, and always will, and I can guess why you chose to do it (IRONY!), but... gah. Not to say you weren't convincing and/or great in I Served the King of England as a spunky little Nazi - which is perhaps the weirdest part - but imagine it as I was... SOPHIE SCHOLL IS IMAGINING HITLER TO GET IN THE MOOD SO SHE CAN BECOME PREGNANT WITH A "FOUNDER OF THE NEW EUROPE."

*worried face*
That is also seriously messed up, thanks. Ugh.

You crazy German broad. Sigh. I love ya.

Delusions of Amazingness

2009-04-26T03:13:00.004-04:00

Damn it, Glenn. Of all the things on the internet, you get me addicted to fake DVD cover art? I'm kind of impressed.

Okay, so pretty much, over at The Auteurs - spin-off association thing of The Criterion Collection that has a forum - there's a thread where members put their photoshopping skills to work and create faux Criterion cover art for films ranging from the most obscure to the most... already widely-available. It's a mass delusion, pretty much. But an AMAZING delusion. I wish there were so I could waste more time staring at them.

Here are some of my faves of what has been made so far. [Which is what Glenn did. But whatever, originality is overrated.] They're purely based on how well designed or Criterion-y I think they are, because I've seen... three of these (if we're including Persona up there). Hm. MAYBE IF THEY WERE ON CRITERION they would be easier to see. *whistles nonchalantly*

Of course, all artwork were created by the people who created them, but I'm not sure they own them because they were already working with copyrighted images they have no legal control over, and since these are obviously not real and they therefore had no right to use those images, I shall not credit the specific clever photoshoppers, but I'll still echo them here, which is probably some sort of double infringement we mortals don't comprehend. It's all a circle of fraud!

...what?

I don't know, I'm tired. So, look. Now. And bask in the drool-worthiness.

ESPECIALLY THE JESSE JAMES ONE OMG. That is, like, perfect. Sigh.

And speaking of Casey Affleck (sorta, I guess)...

Oh. Em. Gee.
ME WANT.
ME WANT SO FUCKING HARD.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.
God, I'm pissed these don't actually exist.

But Just Saying It Could Even Make It Happen

2009-04-24T18:03:00.001-04:00

I'm not very sure how to start this, so I'll just say it: I finally came out to my mom today. Granted, I basically had already done that before, but I never said "I'm gay" or anything even similar. Aaaand today I did. Finally.

BUT, I'm more interested in that this majorly belated, sort of anti-climactic claim to life was caused by... Kate Bush. I was listening to my iPod (on shuffle) in my room, bundled up in the covers, and after Duffy's "Distant Dreamer" (my ANTHEM) finished, "Cloudbusting" played. I was paying oddly close attention to the lyrics, and for whatever reason the hook:

And every time it rains
You're here in my head
Like the sun coming out
(Like your son's coming out)
Ooh, I just know that something good is gonna happen
I don't know when
But just saying it could even make it happen

...seemed as if Kate was telling me to just get it over with. Odd, no? It just... IDK, worked so well as a weird rallying cry, and it gave me the power to muster as much courage as I had to finally DO IT. And I did it. And it... did not go anywhere near as bad as my stupid pessimistic brain said it would be. I mean, we hugged so much. *sniffles*

And thinking about it, "Hounds of Love" would also have worked, albeit in an even weirder way. So YAY KATE BUSH. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I am also really proud of myself for the first time in, like, ever, so yay me too. :)

Happy Birthday, Babe

2009-04-21T19:16:00.002-04:00

I don't care if you're 30 now, you still hump like a teenager. ♥

Audience: More pictures!! MORE!!!!!

I concur.

Keep in mind that's all mine, okay? Especially you, Anne-Marie. Ya bitch.

Notoriety. At Any Cost.

2009-04-21T04:29:00.004-04:00

That's right, the 2nd Annual LAMMYs (@ The Large Association of Movie Blogs) have come! This is my first year with VD, obviously, but not my first. Last year, I actually won one with JMC! I'd say my FYCing worked but I actually didn't FYC the category I won - Best Use of Technology (Alternative Media), LOL. So this year I'm bypassing the false modesty and reasonability and just completely going for broke. I'm already insane, why not? Presenting this year's LAMMY For Your Consideration ad for VD:

Notice how it doesn't even say it's an FYC ad? Nor that it ever specifically communicates what it's point is? So abstract. I'm a genius.

Also, for Best Review, I'm specifically pimping any and all of these:

Ashes of Time Redux (especially this)
The Constant Gardener
Fanny and Alexander
The Go-Getter
A Woman is a Woman

And the blog banner as well. I'm particularly proud of it because of it's simplicity and the in-referencing. I mean, it's the final shot of the very film that inspired this place. With initials edited over Japanese script. ♥

I almost included "Best Impression of J.D. Salinger" - for the infrequent posting bloggers who still manage to be prolific and shit - but Fletch decided to discontinue that award, I guess. Thinking about it, I wouldn't have wanted to anyway? I mean, I'm seriously trying NOT to imitate J.D. Salinger, THANKS. Even if we have the same name. Hm.

Ooh, and let's not forget the totally eligible Endings Blog-a-Thon.

Well, there's my stance, all LAMB members who read my blog at all ever. VOTE FOR ME PLEASE! I'll probably be spreading the wealth on my ballot as much as possible while still favoring blogs, so you should too! :)

LOOK AT THIS PUPPY. Who would vote against such an adorable Corgi?!

...silence...

Knew it. *huzzah.*

We Interrupt This Program of Nothingness...

2009-04-19T23:33:00.001-04:00

...to bring you more technical nothingness. But it comes with a note!

Allo, people who may be here.

This is J.D.'s subconscious - I hacked his account! Why? Because this place is sad. And sadness makes him feel sad, which makes ME feel sad. And I seriously don't like dealing with that shit from all sides.

He's basically been sleeping and listening to music (CLICK HERE) all the time due to the appendicitis stuff. He hasn't seen a movie in theatres in weeks, and it's pissing him off. Especially that he can't see Zac Efron be gratuitously beautiful. GAH that upsets ME too. Well, since I am him, it would, wouldn't it? And wouldn't the voice who blogs for him ALWAYS be his subconscious? Ugh, this is more confusing than it should be.

ANYWAY.

He doesn't know it but he wanted this place to start echoing with the sounds of patronage again. So I took it in my hands to help him. I really have nothing beyond that to say, besides -- don't drink Mountain Dew while listening to MGMT. You can get... hallucinating-y.

Now enjoy this still of Faye Wong in Wong Kar Wai's masterpiece Chungking Express, which we re-watched last week in BLU omg.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhmm.

--J.D.'s subconscious.

Trailer for Von Trier's Antichrist

2009-04-14T04:35:00.001-04:00

Can't comment. Mind too exploded-y.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

2009-04-12T03:49:00.001-04:00

Seriously, just because a rabbit may show up, that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. Does he even have a basket with eggs or whatever? I thought not.

Though Jakey has a nice basket.

*whistles nonchalantly, hops off down the ~~happy~~ bunny trail*
Also, something about Jesus, blah blah blah. Whatever.

The UK > America

2009-04-10T05:45:00.001-04:00

Why? Because their video for The Ting Tings' "That's Not My Name" is better than ours. [Random. Thank you!] Here they are:

I can't find an embeddable vid of the US version. LOL.

So, you watch both and compare them in your mind. And then get the song stuck in your mind, forcing you to get the album and being obsessed with them. *evil laugh*

I'm right, right?!

Now, I don't have any problems with the US version, tbh. It's stunningly composed and INSANE - two things I lurve - and it's so obviously in the same style as the VMA-nominated "Shut Up and Let Me Go" which probably isn't a bad idea. But the original UK clip is just better. I mean, it's what made me fall in love with them in the first place. The crazy simplicity, the spinning camera, the way the colors bounce out (especially the blue background), the frustration and passion and tiny moments of grace all rolled into four minutes of awesomeness.

Why even make multiple vids for multiple territories anyway? It's annoying.

Anyway, WHAT DO YOU THINK? Since this isn't about what I think. And I'm misguidedly self-centered. Even though it's my blog. And without what I'm thinking you wouldn't be thinking anything about this. What? Exactly.

ETA: I also see we just passed 20,000 visits here at VD. Sweet.