Live Blogging the Academy Awards February 25th, 2007

Hey there folks. It's Oscar time and I can't wait to win my Oscar pool with my brother. Because I love movies, the Academy Awards are like my Super Bowl. I watch it now with pizza and booze. My friend Lynette back home always hosted a kick-ass Oscar party with an awesome spread but alas, I am in TO and she's in Victoria and I miss those parties. Anyways.....

8:27pm: The road to the Oscar's just finished up. It's almost time for the big show. I am really hoping it doesn't go beyond 12:15am. If all goes well, it's supposed to end at 11:30pm. The reason why I want it to end before 12:15am is that I need to finish my taping of the new Marple mystery on CBC time shifting, This Marple mystery features Ruth Wilson. the wonderful actress that recently played Jane Eyre, in my favourite adaption of the story.

8:30pm: Here we go it's show time. It starts with a video about the nominees. Intereting but it doesn't really make sense. Okay maybe not so interesting, already I am feeling it is running too long. Where is Ellen?

8:34pm: I think we are getting somewhere, there is applause so maybe this is the end. Yes it is. Now they are showcasing the nominees. Ok, enough get to the show already.

8:36pm: Finally Ellen!!! No funny entrance, keeping it nice and simple. Nice! Applause should be had for the most international Oscars ever. Kudos. But so far Ellen not so funny.

8:39pm: I know its her schitk bur ramblings is a little annoying. If she was a bit funnier, it might be ok.

8:41pm Jennifer Hudson got rid of that spaceman jacket that was part of her dress. She said an Al Gore joke, thunderous applause ensues. Leo goes red. Steve Carrell perplexed at the diversity joke.

8:44pm: Ellen's celebration of the nominees. I think a little lame, please get to the first award, I like to know if I am going to kick my brother's ass not only in our family hockey's pool but the Oscar pool as well.

8:45pm: The first award, art direction -one of the six awards that bro and I differed. I do love Nicole Kidman's red dress and 007 is lovely too. The Winner is: Pan's Labyrinth. Score one for me!!!!!!!! Brother guessed Dreamgirls.

8:48pm: The scientific awards at this point. It's never this early but good to get it over with. You would think that Maggie Gyllenhall could sell her lines better.

8:49pm: Strange. People cartwheeling to form the Oscar statue

8:53pm: Will Ferell, guaranteed laughs. Singing about a comedian at the Oscar's. Jack Black!!! John C. Reilly now, singing about being in both Boogie and Talledega Nights. I am not exactly sure where this number is going. Like the line "Helen Mirren and the Oscar's coming home with me" and Jack Black saying Tivo that.

8:57pm: Make-up: doesn't matter who wins here. Bro and I chose the same. The Winner: Pan's Labyrinth. Take a swig of your drink Vanessa (every time I get a category right, I take a swig from my drink!)

8:59pm: Abigail Breslin and Jadyn Smith, my guess animated short film they are presenting. They are so cute together. Again bro and I gussed the same: The Little Match Girl. The Winner: The Danish Poet. We got that wrong but a Canadian won as it was a National Film Board movie, so I don't mind getting this one wrong. I thought about picking that but went with what Entertainment Weekly chose.

9:03pm: Live action short. Another category where me and bro differed. The Winner: West Bank Story. We both got that wrong, I guessed: Helmer and Son, he guessed Eramos Pocos. But those two kids are so cute.

Can we get to a major category please?

9:06pm: I like how they are presenting the best picture nominees, much better than having an actor read off the teleprompter about the film then show a clip, rather hear from the film makers or cast about it.

9:11pm: What?!?@!! Bill Conte is not conducting the Oscar orchestra!!!! The sound effects choir, interesting again but why? I want a major award darn it!!!! Are all those people really making those noises and if so they look stupid doing so. I don't get it.

9:13pm: Steve Carrell and Greg Kinnear. Sound Editing. Another category where Justin and I guessed the same: Pirates of the Caribbean. The Winner: Letters From Iwo Jima.

At the 9:16pm mark I am winning by one category. But don't get too excited. We pretty much guessed wrong on categories that we predicted the same and the other one that we predicted right, we picked the same film.

9:17pm James McAvoy, saw him on the Red Carpet and love his Scottish accent. It is so damn sexy. Category is Sound Mixing, Justin and I guessed Dreamgirls. The Winner: Dreamgirls.

9:20pm: A major award. The lovely Rachel Weisz and Justin's twin, she was born on the same day as him. We differed on Supporting Actor. He: Alan Arkin. Me: Eddie Murphy. The Winner: Alan Arkin. We are tied!!!

9:26pm: Great interperative dance of the nominated movies, just what we need! but it is actually interesting.

9:29pm: So far I am not impressed with Ellen. I had high hopes for her but so far disappointing.

9:30pm The first nominated song. Randy Newman again singing a song from a Pixar film. I think he should have won for the Toy Story 2 song: When She Loved Me, sung by Sarah McLaughlin and not for that Monster Inc. song. Anyways, Randy Newman is a great score composer and loved his score to Pleasantville in which the Notebook trailer sampled some of it.

9:31pm: Here is really hoping that the show ends on time. I really want to know who did it on that Marple mystery!!

The song was ok, a little sedate for me at least Randy Newman didn't sing. Now Melissa Etheridge singing her song from an Inconvenient Truth. I like Melissa Etheridge, love the rawness of her voice. Song is nice, she might win but I think that a Dreamgirls song will win but which one. The award show seems to clipping along at an interesting pace.

9:35pm: Leo and Gore. Interesting pair. He didn't announce whether or not to run for President. What do they mean that Oscar's have gone green? Oh! they are explaining it now. Funny, it looked like he was about to announce his intentions but the orchestra played him off. Nice.

9:42pm: Best Animated movie. Justin and I both guessed Cars. The Winner: Happy Feet. I thought about it but again listened to EW. This is awful, out of the eight categories announced I only got two right so far but the same can be said for Justin.

9:49pm: Adapted Screenplay. We both guessed The Departed. Loved Helen Mirren reading the screen directions, she somehow brought class to Borat. The Winner: The Departed. Three right and a swig.

9:55pm The first real laugh of the night courtesy of Tom Hanks. Wasn't paying attention of that Chris guy backstage until he was awkwardly in the way of Tom, Helen Mirren and the winner of the Adapted Screenplay award. But then he said something about fun and Tom chirped in.

9:59pm Best Costume, we both guessed Marie Antoinette. What the heck is Meryl Streep wearing, it looks like is going to some hippie party afterwards but did like her deadpan look. Presenting the costumes on stage, interesting. Cute dog. The Winner: Marie Antoinette and it is true everything does sound great with a British or Scottish accent. Sigh! James McAvoy!!!

10:05pm: We are at the humanitarian award, a nice award but it interupts the award show. I hope her speech is short.

10:11pm: Getting Steven Spielberg to take hers and Clint's photos was funny.

10:12pm: Best Cinematography presented by Apple's and Moses mom. Our guesses were Children of Men. The Winner: Pan's Labyrinth. Damn you EW, love you but damn you!!!

10:20pm: I think Naomi Watts' dress is awful, don't like those sleeves. Best Visual Effect, Justin and I both guessed Pirates of the Caribbean. The Winner: Pirates of The Caribbean. I think we are still tied, yes we are tied.

10:23pm: Has to be Best Foreign Language film but alas it is a look at 50 years of Best Foreign Language film. What is with my screen cutting off half of these titles. I need to get a flat widescreen TV.

10:30pm Now are we getting to the Foreign Language pick. My pick: The Lives of Other. Justin's: Pan's Labyrinth. I took a gamble on this category and this will break our tie. The Winner: The Lives of Others. Score one for me. I wouldn't have minded that Water won, would love to have another Canadian film win an Oscar. 7 out of 13 right so far out of Justin's 6 out of 13.

10:33pm: Pretty impressive the Snakes on a Plane. Now finally George Clooney to present Best Supporting Actress. We both guessed Jennifer Hudson. The Winner: Jennifer Hudson!!!!! Great for her, what an increndible story she has. American Idol reject to Oscar winner. She is officially the most succesful person from that show.

14 categories down, ten to go and about an hour and 25 minutes before where I left off of the Marple mystery comes on.

10:42pm: The documentary short. Me: The Blood of Yingzhou District Justin: Two Hands. The Winner: The Blood Of Yingzhou District. That was a wild card pick on my behalf. I was going to listen to EW but changed my mind after reading all the descriptions of the short and felt that this was a meatier Oscar-type documentary.

10:45pm Jerry Seinfeld presenting Best Documentary Feature. Justin and I both guessed Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth. Get to the damn award Seinfeld, I want to see my Marple mystery conclude. The Winner: An Inconvenient Truth.

10:50pm The Honorary Oscar to a film composer. Gotta love that. Ennio Morricone. I don't think I have any of his scores but he has done memeroable scores for such films as The Good, the Bad and The Ugly and the Mission. Movie scores are one of the music genres that I love. I have about a hundred movie score soundtracks. John Williams and Patrick Doyle I count as among my favourite composers. My Ipod is filled with their scores.

I love how they are letting his scores tell the tale of his career. There is always something so emotional when hearing a great score, I love it when it tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel certain emotions. Example: Rob Lane's recent score to Jane Eyre made me feel passion and love. I do have one of Ennio's score: I have Hamlet, the Mel Gibson version. Now Celine Dion is singing a song, I can only guessed composed by Ennio. I know a lot of people don't like her but I do. I think she is a great performer plus we haven't seen her at the Oscar's for a while. And besides the song is lovely. Give the man a standing ovation. Movies are never the same without the music.

11:03pm Come on Oscars, you've got 1 hour and 12 minutes to end before the Marple mystery. I think I am going to eat a Kit Kat and an Aero Bar right now, the new thin ones that are only 80 calories.

11:06pm. Best Original score. Always my category. Our picks: The Queen, Alexandre Desplat. The Winner: Babel. That guy won last year for Brokeback Mountain. This is one of my worst years in trying to predict the Oscars. It doesn't help that I haven't seen that many of the nominated movies. At least I am #1 in my hockey pool.

11:10pm love the speed-up version of the usually boring Academy president speech. But so far this is a ho-hum telecast. So far nothing that matched the smear Best Actress campaign from last year.

11:11pm: Peter Parker and Mary-Jane doing Original screenplay. We both picked: Little Miss Sunshine. The Winner: Little Miss Sunshine

11:20pm That was a stupid hi-def joke about J-Lo. Jennifer Hudson performing "I love you, I do" a great song from Dreamgirls. Beyonce singing Listen, which Justin and I think is going to win. Interesting that Jennifer Hudson and Beyonce are dueting as it is not the case in the film on both the songs so far. And why do I feel that their boobs are going to fall out. Keith Robinson is singing Eddie Murphy's part of Patience and is dueting with Anika Noni Rose and the other Dreamgirls on this one, as believe it is done in the film but I don't remember. That was nice but then again I love musicals.

11:27pm: John Travolta and Queen Latifah, soon to be seen in Hairspray, to present the Best Song award. The Winner: Melissa Etheridge for An Inconvenient Truth. I did say it might win after listening to her song.

So we still have Film Editing, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture. Five categories and 45 minutes to do it before my Marple mystery. And I've had enough about the promos of "On the lot"

11:36pm and the Oscars are already over by six minutes. Did they really think it was going to be only 3 hours? Yeah right. Get back to the awards already. I know Hollywood love to honours themselves but come on.

11:40pm Kate Winslet. Love her. Born 20 days before me. Best Film Editing. Me: Babel Justin: United 93. The Winner: The Departed

11:44pm: Jodie Foster I bet is doing the in memorium. I am right.

I have a solution to my Marple mystery problem, I have my mini TV that I will use to continue on watching the Oscars while taping the remaining of my Marple mystery!!!!!

11:50pm So far I still got only 10 right. This is really bad prognasticating on my part. But I now know that I won because even if I lose on Best Picture, I still got one more right than Justin!!!!!!

11:52pm: Phillip Seymour Hoffman presenting Best Actress. We both said Helen Mirren. The Winner: Helen Mirren. She better have won, I mean she won every single award. How awesome is she, great speech, eloquent and beautiful.

11:57pm This backstage guy is awful, just oozes cheese that is just rank!

12:01am: Reese Whitherspoon for Best Actor. We both said Forest Whitaker. The Winner: Forest Whitaker. For a great actor, Forest is a quiet man in real life. Sorry Peter O'Toole, my guess is the honorary Oscar is all you will get. And Ryan Gosling, you are one hot man!!!!

12:06am: Spielberg, Coppola and George Lucas presenting Best Director, nice touch to have these three directors present. Funny. Our picks: Martin Scorcese. The Winner: Martin Scorcese. Finally!!!!!

12:12pm Best Picture. My pick: Babel Justin: The Departed. Sorry no pithy comments it's getting late in the evening. The Winner: The Departed. That's all folks. The telecast itself was blah. But I won the Oscar Pool by one. Me: 14 Justin: 13. Another close one, like last year but I won the bet.

Until next year folks. Now back to my Marple mystery.

Amazing Race: All Stars February 18th

Happy Chinese New Year all in this year of the pig.

And what a way to start the new year with the Amazing Race: All Stars. When I heard there was going to be an All Star edition, I was excited looking forward to seeing what teams are going to be in it from its over 10 seasons. The one team I was looking forward to was the Bowling Moms. I was really disappointed to learn that they didn't make the cut.

But here are the teams that I am rooting for that did make the cut:
1. Dustin and Kandace: The strongest and most competitive all-female team I've ever seen on the race
2. Oswald and Danny: Loved them in season 2
3. Teri and Ian: Book it Teri! Loved them in Season 3
4. Kevin and Drew: Best part of season 1
5. Uchenna and Joyce. Good karma should still be on their side
6. Charla and Mirna: Still rooting for Charla, want her to succeed

Teams I am not rooting for: Rob and Amber -can't stand them., Their 15 minutes of fame should be over by now.
Joe and Bill: Never liked team Guido and still don't

The other teams I am indifferent towards.

So of course Romber would come in first. Typical. But glad that Ozzy and Danny came in second followed by Teri and Ian and sorry Justin, Ian didn't say book it!

Glad that my beauty queens came in sixth and got a little worried for Charla and Mirna but glad they tied for 8th with Kentucky, who I predicted would come in last because of their lies to the Beauty Queens thought karma would bite them in the butt.

Was really worried for Kevin and Drew but so happy that they overcame injury and a flat tire to come in 2nd to last.

As for John Vito and Jill, was indifferent towards them but a little sad to see them go because I kinda wanted to see if they did get back together, guess I'll find out when i watch the Finish Line tomorrow. But, it was their fault for driving to the wrong entrance. You know when Phil emphasizes something it is going to bite one or two teams as it did JV and Jill and the cousins.

As for the tasks, of course you do wrangle it, you got the guys to wrangle the horse for you. Never chose a needle in a haystack clue, what made Romber think it was better is beyond me. Maybe that can be their downfall chosing wrong detours.

It may look like next week the Intersection comes back as it does look like the cousins have to work with the Beauty Queens.

The race is just getting started and more excitement is bound to happen. As long as my top 6 teams are still in the running, I will be happy.

Until next week.