What Dreams May Come

Last night I had a dream about a guy. And as my dreams about men go, it was fucked up! Thursday night, in the midst of my delusion, I sent Paul Walker a tweet. Then last night, I had a dream that featured him and Vin Diesel. We happen to meet at a swanky party. Conversation was awesome and it felt like Paul and I connected. Next thing I know, he and Vin are walking away. In a moment of panic, I yell out "Paul, where are you going?!" He doesn't look back. I yell out again, "Wait for me!" I start to ran after him. At this point, he has somehow changed into his swimming trunks. He then tells me, "Look, I'm off to the beach. If you want to join me, you'll have to take care of my cat as I surf." A couple of things run through my mind. First, AWESOME! Paul is taking me to his apartment! Second, wait, um, I'm scared of pets; especially cats. But what is a girl to do when her crush is right in front of her. I decide to come clean. I start to tell him I'm scared but out comes the cat. Or so I thought. Paul's pet is a raccoon - if I want to spend time with him, I need to take care of the raccoon. But I want Paul, I want Paul sooo bad. I bend down to pick up the raccoon and BOOM, I wake up!

Now, I know this dream probably means I'm pursuing a difficult goal. But reality is, Paul never replied to my tweet, the hunky-blue-eyed-make-me-wanna-do-something-real-bad-to-you is not checking for me. Lastly, Fast Five is the closest I'm getting owning those lips.

Sidenote: thank you little brother for the 3am texts about the movie. My lack of sleep sure does appreciate it!

Is Britney Officially Back?

I have a confession, I liked Britney Spears Blackout cd; Circus was kryptonite to me. I was not really excited about her new cd, Femme Fatale after all, I'm not much of a fan. I just loved her choreography. I heard she was performing at Rain nightclub in Las Vegas last night. I woke up this morning and decided to see what youtube has. I am impressed by her performance of 'Til The World Ends; are you?

RIP Nate Dogg - King of Hooks

What a sad day in hip hop it is today. Nate Dogg has died at the age of 41 after suffering two previous strokes. When I heard Dr. Dre's Kush, I remember thinking how nice it would have been if Nate could have been featured more on the track instead of Akon. I want to share with you some of his collaborations that I really love. They are many but these I always loved. Don't expect to find Regulate, Area Codes or The Next Episode on this list. I love some of his work that was not necessarily mainstream. Thank you for leaving behind such a great soundtrack.

Robert Downey Jr. Can Get It!

Confession time. I don't watch American Idol; never have and never will. However, I have seen very few performances posted on youtube e.g. Adam Lambert's take on Tracks of My Tears It was thus a great pleasure to see this next delight. In my opinion, Robert Downey Jr. is so cool and smooth in this. Jack Black although dramatic, has the moves down! I knew he can sing but I had no idea RDJ has some ballet and tap dance in his background. I'm loving this guy more and more. This clip is from from American Idol finale in 2008. I told you I don't watch that show!

2011 Academy Award Predictions

It's 6pm, the evening before the 2011 Oscars, and I'm finally done watching all the Oscar nominated films & docs (except 4 of the 5 foreign films). I wish I could get an invite to become a member of the Academy and vote. It's sad to know that many who can vote don't even watch all the films before voting. Before I give you my picks, do you know how the best film is chosen? Ok, let me try to explain.

So, after the whole The Dark Knight-not-getting-a-nomination debacle, something had to be done. That something resulted to 10 film best feature film nominations in the proceeding years. However, It's no longer who get's the most votes but rather who is higher on everyone's preference.

So, let's say 10 of us vote. Each person lists the best picture in order of preference. For me it's

The Social Network
The Fighter
Inception
Black Swan
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Kids Are Alright
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Now, for a film to win, it has to garner 50% of the votes. So if the Social Network is not voted by 5 out of 10 of us, one film that ranks at the bottom needs to get the boot. So if Winter's Bone is ranked lowest on most of the 10 ballots, it get's booted and its votes redistributed based on popularity. So, if The Social Network, Inception and The Fighter was ranked highly amongst the remaining 9 ballots, then they'll get most of the redistributed votes. This continues until we arrive at the final film. So, it's possible that although I rank the Social Network highly on my ballot, it may get surpassed in number of votes if the other ballots don't rank it as highly. So, you can find the King's Speech or Inception beating it come Oscar night. Hope that makes sense.

As for the rest of my picks, they are as follows:

Best Director:
It's hard to pick which way the Academy will go. Tom Hooper won the Director's Guild Award for directing The King's Speech. However, The Social Network is also a strong contender thus so is David Fincher. I'm going with Tom Hooper.

Best Actress:
Natalie Portman in Black Swan. I love Annette Bening. However, Natalie owns the role and you just get lost in her. Unless the Academy wishes to overlook this and award Annette for losing to Hilary Swank twice, it's Natalie Portman's statuette to lose.

Best Actor:
This was tough for me. Jesse Eisenberg truly annoyed the sh*t out of me as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. James Franco also made 127 Hours truly riveting to watch as the only cast member for most of the film. However, Colin Firth in The King's Speech has the edge this year. And I dare ANYONE to say otherwise!

Best Supporting Actress:
This is hard. It really can go either way between Melissa Leo in The Fighter or Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. The Academy does love kid actors and first time nominees in best supporting female categories tend to win. See Ana Paquin, Tatum O'neil, Jennifer Hudson and Marlee Matlin to name a few. But, despite history, I give this one to Melissa Leo.

Best Supporting Actor:
There's no competition here - Christian Bale in The Fighter - moving on.

Animated Feature Film:
This is a tie between Toy Story 3 and The Illusionist. The Academy loves Pixar film and Sylvain Chomet (the Illusionist) won this category the last time he was nominated for The Triplets of Belleville (I loved it!). But I'm going with Toy Story 3.

Best Documentary:
I've only watched 4 out of the 5 due to availability. My sister and I truly feel Restrepo should win. However, I think the Academy will go with Exit Through The Gift Shop.

Adapted Screenplay:
The Social Network will edge out Toy Story 3

Original Screenplay:
Inception should and will win.

What are your picks? Make sure you tune in to ABC come Oscar night, Sunday February 27th at 8pm EST.

The Oscars Are Coming!

Ah, what a wonderful way to get back to this blog. The Oscars were announced this morning and if you ask me, yes you did!, The Town and Ben Affleck were ROBBED! Here's a few of the nominations

Best Picture
127 Hours
Inception
Winter's Bone
Black Swan
The Fighter - Yay Mark Wahlberg!!!!!!
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3 - Overrated in my opinion
True Grit

Best Actor
James Franco - 127 Hrs
Javier Bardem - Biutiful - I knew it! I just knew it! There was no way he would be left out.
Jeff Bridges - True Grit - Oscar loves to invite winners back
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network - Still have no desire to watch this film....don't know why
Colin Firth - The King's Speech - Swoon!

Best Supporting Actor
Jeremy Renner - The Town - much deserved
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are Alright
Geoffrey Rush -The King's Speech
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Christian Bale - The Fighter - this could be his year unless Oscar remembers previous winner Mr. Rush

Best Actress
Annette Bening - The Kids Are Alright - can she finally get her Oscar. Natalie Portman may be her Hilary Swank this year...But no Julianne Moore...my bff
Natalie Portman - The Swan
Nicole Kidman- Rabbit Hole - The face moved...it moved!!!
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine -Yay! This makes up for Ryan Gosling
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

Best Supporting Actress
Melissa Leo - The Fighter - welcome back!
Amy Adams - The Fighter - welcome back!
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom - apparently, I need to watch this movie
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

Best Animated Feature Film
Toy Story 3 - I say if you are in Best picture, you cannot be in this category!
How To Train Your Dragon - I don't get it
The Illusionist - must have taken the place of DESPICABLE ME!!!!!

Best Director
Black Swan - Darren Aronofsky
True Grit - Joel and Ethan Coen - took the place of Christopher Nolan for Inception.
The King's Speech - Tom Hooper
The Social Network - David Fincher
The Fighter - David O. Russell

Best Documentary
Restrepo - My fave...just heart breaking!
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Inside Job
Gasland
Waste Land

Best Foreign Language Film
Biutiful - Mexico
Incedies - Yah Canuck! (That's Canada eh)
In a Better World - Denmark
Dogtooth - Greece
Outside the Law - Yay Algeria!

Best Original Screenplay
The King's Speech
Inception
The Kid's Are Alright
Another Year
The Fighter

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

Fun tidbit - Dido can now be known as an Oscar Nominee - Best Original Song for 127 Hours!

You can view the remaining categories here. Tune in to ABC on Sunday February 27th at 8pm EST. Good luck to all the nominees!

Every Little Step I Take

Funny or Die is filled with comedic gold moments. The sites latest offering just brightened my day. Wow Mike, dancing is not your strong suit but I gotta love him for being such a sport. Wayne Brady should do more comedy; rare episodes of How I Met Your Mother is not enough. Make sure to check the sites Hall of Fame section on the right. Enjoy!

Every Little Step with Mike Tyson & Wayne Brady from Mike Tyson

An Ode to Ben

You are not back. To be back means that you must have left at some point. You never did. I read your recent article on Entertainment Weekly. You hoped that people do not view you as a one-hit wonder. NEVER! Yes, Hollywood is a fickle town. You are only as good as your last hit. Ben, you are a great actor, director and writer. Your Oscar for Good Will Hunting was not a fluke either. Yes, both movies you've directed were based on your home town of Boston (I loved seeing so many places I visit weekly). But, Martin Scorcese and Woody Allen based most of their films in their city of New York. Does that negate their great work? I am truly proud of the work I saw on the screen Saturday night. It was funny, engaging, moving, heart pounding and against better judgement, I was rooting for the bad guys. So Ben, stay grounded, keep marching on and keep up the excellent work.

P.S. I would love to work on production of one of your films :-)

Congratulations Mrs. Bardem!

Just as I deduced, Penelope Cruz is pregnant. Her Spanish agency finally put all the speculations to rest. The actress married fellow actor Javier Bardem back in July without any fanfare. She is currently filming Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Johnny Depp in Hawaii. She is four months pregnant. Congratulations Penelope! I am always happy to see one of my favorite people receive such blessings.

There Is No Emmy god

As we all know, you can't always get what you want and at this years Emmys, I sure walked away with a lot less than I wanted. However, I was pleased to see a lot of newcomers get recognized this year. The show also made me think that I may finally have to watch Breaking Bad on AMC. Really?! Three times in a row for Bryan Cranston?! But there are so many tv shows on my plate! Ricky Gervais should host every awards show on tv. I love that guy! The non-alcoholic beer was a great touch! Then again, I am biased when it comes to the British.


I have to get something off my chest though; well a few things. First, we are in a recession but I don't think the Emmys, or better yet, AMPAS got that memo. Wow, everything was just...shiny...for lack of a better word. All I could think of was "That's $50,000 spent on showing full size shots of the nominees, on tv screens, on stage. I could use that to send my siblings to college." I sure hope many folks were employed.

Lastly, every year I gripe about this, and I know next year, I'll be back at it again. Why are some great tv personalities omitted every year from the farewell tribute? Some are such glaring omissions you can't use the usual "not enough time in the program/in error" excuse. David Mills and Alaina Reed Hall. How do you miss these two? For The Wire alone, David Mills should have been included. He also produced/wrote for The Corner and NYPD Blue, to name a few more. Who did not watch Sesame Street growing up? How do you not include Alaina Reed Hall. She was great in 227 as Rose.

Check out the full list of winners here.

Committed

So I finally got around watching Why Did I Get Married Too? The film is now available on dvd. I was eager to see how this sequel would hold up to the original and I was pleasantly surprised; but not that much. For one, all the main actors from the first movie were on board for the sequel. It has been a few years since we last saw them and they’ve all gone through changes. Tyler Perry and Sharon Leal’s characters now have kids and seem happier. Jill Scott and Lamman Rucker’s characters have relocated to Georgia with a baby. Malik Yoba and Janet Jackson’s characters are still married but body language says a lot. Tasha Smith and Michael J. White’s characters are still as dysfunctional and loud as ever. However, White’s character now has a steady job as a sportscaster.

Much like the previous Tyler Perry films without Madea, everyone is not leading the life they want their friends to see; they all have something to hide. Their annual couple’s retreat has a crasher; Richard T. Jones, who now realizes he let go of a great woman (Jill Scott’s character) and wants her back. Why now? That’s revealed much later in the film.
I felt that these couples were handed too many obstacles. Does everyone’s marriage have to be falling apart? Isn’t there one couple actually happy? A few performances stood out to me. Angela (Tasha Smith) brought on all the laughs but unlike the first film, she went way overboard with her over-the-top antics. Sidenote: The actress has a body to die for!

Patricia (Janet Jackson) really moved me. Much of this is to be credited to Janet Jackson. Her breakdown scenes alone are worth the admission price to this film. For the first time I actually saw Janet Jackson as an actress. I also couldn’t help but wonder if she taped the scenes before or after her famous brother’s death. Patricia, in my opinion, went through too much in one lifetime. The loss of a child, now a divorce and the surprise ending that I don’t want to spoil for anyone who hasn’t watched the film. This is definitely one of Perry’s stronger films.

DWTS Cast Announced

The new Dancing With The Stars cast has been revealed. I think each year they just stoop lower than the year before.

Audrina Patridge - Reality star from The Hills
Bristol Palin - And they say her baby daddy is the one looking for stardom..tsk!
Brandy - Singer Brandy...yeah, I don't know what to say about this one
David Hasselhoff - You've come a long way down since Baywatch
Florence Henderson - The token old lady
Jennifer Grey - I wonder if her role as "Baby" in Dirty Dancing will help her
Kurt Warner - Who? I'm guessing he's another sportsman
Kyle Massey - Who? I'm guessing he's the token young kid on the block
Rick Fox - Former NBA player whose been acting lately. This is a bad move for you! You were slowly moving up the hollywood ladder until this...SIGH.
The Situation - SERIOUSLY?! Well, I'm sure all his dances will be shirt-less
Michael Bolton - I have no words for this one.
Margaret Cho - The token comedian. It will probably help her new cd move wood (that's selling an abysmal number of cds)

You can learn more about the contestants here

Happy Birthday Michael Jackson

Today is the King of Pop's 52 birthday. Happy birthday MJ!


Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal


Sidenote: All three kids, Sean Lennon, Kellie Parker and Brandon Adams have remained in show business.

Throwback

Do you remember that Joe Lawrence used to sing? Do you remember it was actually a hit song? Whoa! I bet that tidbit skipped your mind. In Celebration of his new ABC Family sitcom premiering on August 17th, Melissa & Joey, enjoy Nothin' my love can't fix.

Fantasia Overdoses

A few years ago, I was watching some random program. I remember a character saying "If a man tells his separated from his wife; he is still as good as married." There's always a risk that he's 1. lying about his status or 2. he could at any time try to "work things out" with his wife. In my not-so-important-in-the-cyber-universe opinion, do not get involved! That's why it saddened me last year when I heard that Fantasia's new boyfriend, former college football player Antwaun Cook, was a married man and had his last name tattooed on her shoulder. I know finding a good single and straight man is hard but if he left her for you, chances are he'll leave you for someone else *side-eye A. Keys* Yeah, yeah, yeah, Swizz Beatz just married Alicia but do you remember how Mr. Beatz met the former Mrs. Beatz (Mashonda)? I didn't think so.

Unfortunately, I had the above paragraph all written until I saw the news when I got home this evening. Fantasia's manager has confirmed that the former American Idol winner attempted suicide last night! She overdosed on sleeping pills and aspirin after reading the suit filed against her by her beau's soon-to-be ex-wife; accusing her of carrying on a year-long affair with Mr. Cook. Part of the statement released by her manager reads:

Yesterday, she was totally overwhelmed by the lawsuit and the media attention. Last night, Fantasia was hospitalized. She took an overdose of aspirin and a sleep aid. Her injuries are not life threatening. She was dehydrated and exhausted at the time. Fantasia is stable now. She will be released from the hospital soon. Fantasia is a fighter and a survivor. This is not the hardest thing Fantasia has endured. Fantasia will be stronger, smarter, and better for it. Her work has always inspired her and served as a source of strength. Her new album, "Back To Me," will be released on August 24th. The lyrics to "I’m Here" say it best:
 
"I Believe I Have Inside Of Me
Everything That I Need To Live A Bountiful Life
With All The Love Inside Of Me
I’ll Stand As Tall As The Tallest Tree
And I’m Thankful For Each Day That I’m Given
Both The Easy And The Hard Ones I’m Livin’
But Most Of All
Yes, I’m Thankful For Lovin’ Who I Really Am"

Get well soon Tasia!

Dreams and Reality

I think my love for tv, movies and all things entertainment is getting out of control. For one, I’m freaking out now that Lost is over I’ll have to leave my room. Not one of the crop of new shows available this fall is catching my attention…NOT ONE! And that has never happened to me! Secondly, I somehow dream about movie stars in the oddest ways. Allow me to share my dream with you.

As a kid, I shared a room with my two siblings. There was a bunk-bed and a twin bed in one room. If we had visitors, my siblings would share the bottom bunk while I would sleep on the top and the guest would have the twin bed. But in my dream, I had the twin bed, Will Ferrell had the bottom bunk-bed while Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes were sleeping downstairs in the living room. The movement of furniture downstairs wakes me. The first thing that pops in my mind, because I suspect I’m a pervert, is that Mark and Eva are getting it on! Will also can’t sleep and fells uneasy because his wife and friend are both sleeping downstairs.

I am then transported to the set of their new movie, The Other Guys. Mark gets injured and Eva runs to him leaving Will very hurt. Now, instead of me thinking what a horrible wife she is, I notice she’s wearing panties that are too small under her shorts. Plus, she has a wedgie. All I could wonder is why would a Calvin Klein underwear model not invest in a thong, or even panties in her size? And with that thought, I woke up. I wonder why Dwayne Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson did not feature in this dream. 

2010 Emmy Nominations

Today morning, the 2010 Emmy nominations were announced. The show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will air on Sunday August 29th at 8pm EST. You can view the full list here.

Thoughts on the nominations:

• Didn't know there was a category for Outstanding Choreography. Go ahead with your bad self Derek Hough!
• Nothing Suits Me Like a Suit from How I Met Your Mother was nominated. LOVE IT!
• So happy that Matthew Fox finally got nominated. He definitely put in his best work during the last season of Lost. The complete collection is $150 (Amazon) and available on August 24th; you can pre-order now. Yeah, I'm saving up for that one!
• Maybe it's time I start watching Friday Night Lights....ah, who am I kidding...can't be bothered.
• Would have been a shame if Michael Sheen didn't get nominated for playing Tony Blair...again. But he's safe.
• Community was ROBBED!!! It should have replaced Modern Family. I have watched the first three episode of Modern Family and I just couldn't get into it.
• Jon Cryer is awesome in Two and a Half Men. So glad he got nominated and I hope he repeats a win like last year.
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama series looks real tough this year. But Martin Short stands out to me. He was brilliant in Damages. But then there's Michael Emerson as Ben Linus on Lost. I just can't decide. 
• Kristin Chenoweth, the Tony's may have forgotten you but the Emmys have you covered.
• Please let Lost win for Outstanding Drama!
• Yay! True Blood was nominated for Outstanding Drama!!
• And the best revenge for Conan O'Brien; get nominated for an Emmy while Jay Leno gets zilch...SWEET!

Good luck to all the nominees!

Lindsay Going To Jail

I know, I know, I shouldn't revel in this but it's about time that the law caught up with these starlets. Lindsay Lohan; that cute faced child actor from The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Mean Girls; now better known for falling outside clubs all over the world has been sentenced to jail. Lindsay, I wish you could get yourself together before you fall further into this hole you are in. You are throwing away opportunities that so many, especially me, could kill for. May be tough consequences will get you to see the severity of your stupid actions. Then again, 90 days may turn into 2 hours thus nothing learned.

Hair Line, Where Art Thou?

Man, am I glad I stopped wearing weaves! I saw a picture of Naomi Campbell on the daily mail today and I was super shocked. Naomi, even though you have a weave, why is your hair so nappy? Especially your kitchen! Plus, she's very rich. She can afford a lace front at least...Not a good look Naomi, not a good look. To read the story, click here

Lust, Yeah, This Is Lust

For the past few years, I've had a hard time finding a male black celebrity to take over the teenage crush I had on Larenz Tate. Then I happened upon a little movie called Glory Road and the search was over for Mehcad Brooks. Just look at the photo below and you'll know there's no more that I need to say...

For more photos, pick the July issue of GQ. Yeah, I'm buying GQ for the first time in my LIFE!