Musings From A Nobody

PROJECT RUNWAY 2/28/08 WHO WILL WIN?

The second part of the Project Runway finale is next week, Wed (3/5) on Bravo.  There are three finalists left, (Rami, Christian and Jillian) showing their collections at Bryant Park for Fashion Week.  I believe out of the three, even though he is way too cocky and says,"fierce" too much, Christian will be deemed the winner of Project Runway 4.  His designs have been mostly fabulous and he has the outgoing, if sometimes, annoying personality to go far in the fashion world.  Jillian's fashion creations were fine, just not exceptional and sexy Rami is technically superb, but on the boring side with all of his draping.  Rami was only exciting this past week, when his neck was on the line.  Overall, a good season of Runway, even with the surprises - Jack's illness and departure from the show, Chris' ouster and welcomed return and Michael Kors' scary sixteen year old photo!  See if I'm right on Wednesday!  Will Christian be fierce then or will there be an upset to humble him?       

CELEBRITY APPRENTICE 2/28/08

This week, the celebrities have to create an ad for Dial soap in Redbook magazine. Carol Alt was Project Manager for Hydra and Tito Ortiz was the PM for Empresario.  Originally, Omarosa wanted to be PM, but when Trump reiterated that the PM assumed the responsibility of the task and could be fired, she quickly turned to Tito to become PM.  How manipulative of her!  She will do anything to not get fired!

Trace Adkins own song, Ladies Love Country Boys was featured in tonight's episode during the task.  Also, Trace appeared shirtless for the ad (but this photo was not used in the finished product) and Trump said something to the effect that, "a lot of women like to see that and some men too".  How old is Trace anyway?  Not bad for his age. 

During the presentations, the Dial and Redbook executives looked askance at some of the sexual imagery of Hydra's advertising.  But, Empresario's was sensual, but not overly so.  Though, Hydra's had a more consistent message than Empresario's.  BTW, Tito was not good at presenting.   

In the boardroom, Hydra won the challenge.  Empresario's team led by Tito was on the chopping block.  Omarosa was taken to task because she had the marketing experience, but did not step up to be Project Manager, passing the responsibility onto Tito.  Will Omarosa get fired again?  America and Piers Morgan salivated, waiting for the hopefully expected outcome.  Somehow, Omarosa got the focus off of her and got Trace and even Tito to defend her job on the task.  So, Tito being the PM, got fired.  I think George as Trump's right hand man is not fooled by Omarosa's shenanigans and would have fired her if he were in Trump's shoes.

Next week it's Piers vs. Omarosa as competing Project Managers.  Will Omarosa finally be canned

SURVIVOR:MICRONESIA 2/28/08

Eliza of the Favorites and Chet of the Fans had targets on their backs because of their weaken states.

Favorites won the Reward challenge, thanks to Ozzie's smart strategy of placing the coconuts up towards the front, so that they could be taken out of the cage easier (which was in the water) and deposited into a bin that was taken ashore to figure out a puzzle.  Got it?  Kathy of the Fans and Ozzie were sent to Exile Island to hopefully find the Hidden Immunity Idol and he did!  And taking a cue from Yauman of Fiji Island (who until last week was included in this edition as well), smart and sexy (what a combo!) Ozzie created a fake Idol to throw others off the track.  He is definitely my fave now!  Go Ozzie!

Eliza strategized with Parvati dissing Jonathan by calling him untrustworthy.  Parvati wasn't totally buying it.  Jonathan overheard Eliza's deviousness.  Will Eliza be safe if the fans go the Tribal Council?

Favorites also won the Immunity challenge.  Eliza is safe for another week!

Mikey B and Joel discussed taking out Chet or Kathy.  But, Tracy (of the weakest link group of the tribe along with Chet and Kathy) tried to manipulate Joel by saying that he needed to get rid of his biggest threat, Mikey and that they would help vote him off.  Which way did Joel vote?  Well, couldn't have two alpha males on this tribe, Joel went along with the weakest links and voted off Mikey B!  Good play, Tracy!

               

PROJECT RUNWAY 2/27/08

On the penultimate episode of the fourth season of Project Runway, the designers have to create twelve designs for Fashion Week and they have five months to do it!  Christian and Jillian have guaranteed spots for Fashion Week, but Rami and Chris were vying for the last coveted spot.  Rami and Chris will show the judges their best three pieces.

The show's highly likeable mentor, Tim Gunn visited each of the finalists to see if they would, "make it work".  A short bio of each contestants were shown as well.  Interesting to see cultured, refined Tim in Jillian's suburban Long Island parent's home!  Jillian and especially, Christian had small apartments in which they were working on their collections.  And Chris used actual human hair to trim some of his outfits!

The finalists all returned and were happily reunited.

On the runway, Rami and Chris showed their three strongest pieces.  In my opinion, Rami had all winners, but Chris only had two out of three winners.  Judges thought that Chris' outfits were well-crafted, but overly designed and too dark.  The judges liked Rami's design's, but also found them a little overdone and dark.  The judges also liked Rami's thinking out of the box and thought that Chris was very creative, but costumey.  But, in the end, Rami was, "in" and Chris was, "out", again! 

ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS) RATINGS 2008

The Nielsen Ratings are out and last Sunday's Oscar telecast was the lowest rated in history.  Only 32 million viewers bothered to tune in.  (That's only slightly more than a typical American Idol episode!) Speculation ran from the short marketing time between the end of the strike (2/12) to the telecast, few opportunities to promote the program during ABC's biggest hits such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and Dancing With the Stars (all of which were not aired due to the writer's strike or in-between seasons) and the general lack of interest in the films nominated for best picture this year.

Personally, I found the Oscar telecast to be one of the best that they had in years.  Jon Stewart as host was much better than his last time at bat, a couple of years ago (and most critics agreed with me).  For the most part the show was well-paced and ended almost fifteen minutes early!  There were a few surprise winners (Tilda Swinton for best supporting actress and especially Marion Cotillard for best actress).  And finally, I don't care if more popular movies were not nominated, the Oscars honor the best and for those who think otherwise, there is always the People Choice Awards!      

2008 ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCAR) PHOTOS

Here are photos from the 2008 Oscar Show: http://www.usatoday.com/life/gallery/2008/2008-awards-season/flash.htm?gid=349&aid=2083

BOX-OFFICE REPORT 2/24/08

The Dennis Quaid/Forest Whitaker/William Hurt starrer, Vantage Point was the big winner at the box-office this weekend, debuting at number one with $24m.  Last week's top finisher, Jumper, made just about 13m for the runnerup position.  The Spiderwick Chronicles collected 12.6m in its second week. Step Up 2 The Streets grossed 10m, while Fool's Gold banked 6m.  Oscar nominated fare Juno, There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men and Atonement continued to perform strongly leading up to the big night. (All figures based on studio estimates). 

Will Ferrell's Semi-Pro, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman as sisters in The Other Boleyn Girl and Christina Ricci in Penelope all debut this coming weekend.

Update: with No Country for Old Men winning Best Picture, Daniel-Day Lewis securing Best Actor and maybe Diablo Cody's Best Original Screenplay award for Juno, this trio of films may get a boost at next weekend's box-office and possibly beyond.    

2008 ACADEMY AWARDS WINNERS (OSCARS) ULTIMATE RECAP

Tonight the 80th Oscars presentation was televised despite the writer's strike cloud that hung over the festivities for the past few months.  Well, the writer's strike is over!  Let the games begin! The Golden Globes must be so jealous!  Jon Stewart hosted again and did a much better job with his opening monologue joking about last year's movies, the writer's strike and making appropriate political comments than his last time hosting a couple of years ago.

Now for the first award which was for costume design and it was won by Elizabeth the Golden Age.

Next award for Best Animated feature went unsurprisingly to the critically acclaimed box-office smash, Ratatouille.

Best Makeup went to La Vie en Rose.  Was this a consolation award, so that the same film's Marion Cotillard could be denied an Oscar later for Best Actress.  Stay tuned.  We're on a roll, three awards in the first half an hour, must mean lots of filler coming up.  Hook the audience early and they will stay with you all night.  Maybe.

Best Visual Effects went to the domestic box-office failure and Nicole Kidman's fiftiest flop in a row, The Golden Compass which duplicated its win it got a couple of weeks ago at the BAFTAS (British Oscars).

Best Art Direction went to Sweeney Todd.  So far, Oscar has spread the wealth, with no multiple winners yet.

First acting award was for Best Supporting Actor and to no one's surprise the winner was Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men.

The performance of best song nominee, Raise It Up from the Keri Russell film, August Rush was sung very well (including an eleven year old girl!) and was very inspirational.

Owen Wilson presented the Best Short Film Oscar and he showed no signs of his recent troubles which culminated with a suicide attempt last fall.  Good for him.  The winner was Le Mozartes Des Pickpockets from France.  Best Animated Short Film was Peter and the Wolf.

The most contested category of the evening was Best Supporting Actress and it was won with much suspense by Tilda Swinton of Michael Clayton.  A mild surprise.  She did win at the BAFTAS awards recently.  Now, Michael Clayton is not shutout.  It had the most Oscars nominations (seven) going into the program.

Best adapted screenplay went to No Country for Old Men.  First double winner of the night!

Broadway diva and Pushing Daises star, Kristin Chenoweth sang That's How She Knows from Enchanted.  What a voice!

The Bourne Ultimatum received the Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing awards.  The second double winner of the night.

Now for the first biggie: the Oscar for Best Actress went to Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose in one of the biggest upsets in recent Oscar history.  Away From Her's Julie Christie was the favorite. The BAFTAS has been a big player this year with duplicating wins for Swinton and now Cotillard.  BTW, this year has been truly an international affair with Cotillard (France) and Bardem's (Spain) wins in major categories. La Vie en Rose is the third double winner. 

Best film editing (which almost always corresponds with best picture) was won by The Bourne Ultimatum!  Not No Country for Old Men, looks like a possible best picture surprise.  The Bourne Ultimatum now leads the Oscar tally with three statuetees.

Ninety-eight years old, Robert Boyle won the honorary Oscar for his brilliant production design work.

Best Foreign Film Oscar went to Austria's The Counterfeiters.

Now it is time for Best Song.  Will the three Enchanted songs cancelled each other out a la last year's Dreamgirls.  But, Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are real popular with the Academy with many past Disney wins.  But, Falling Slowly from Once won.

Best Cinematography was won by There Will Be Blood.  No Country for Old Men loses again.  What's going on?

Best Original Score was won by Atonement which had finally won something!  Congrats!

Next Best Documentary Short Subject presented by our troops in Baghdad, Iraq and the winner was Freeheld which dealt with the discrimination of a lesbian couple.  Best Documentary Feature winner was Taxi to the Dark Side.

Next up, Best Original Screenplay award went to former stripper, Diablo Cody for Juno.

BTW, the social conservative contingent of this country must be having left and right coronaries with a former stripper, a documentary about lesbians and the religiously ambiguous The Golden Compass all winning awards.  It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

The regal Helen Mirren presented the award for Best Actor and the totally predictable winner was Daniel Day Lewis.  Like Julie Christie he was always the favorite, but unlike Christie, he was not denied his win despite recent criticism that his performance was a little on the hammy side. With Lewis' win, Europeans swept the acting categories.  A pair of Brits (Lewis and Swinton) a Spaniard (Bardem) and the French (Cotillard).  Americans need to get it together!

Last two awards, first Best Directing Oscar went to the Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men.  Three Oscars for Country!

Denzel Washington presented best picture and the Oscar goes to No Country for Old Men prevailed.  Four awards overall and the most of the night!   

An unusually well-paced and lean show, ending a little early (!) with a few surprises.   

 

    

2008 OSCAR RED CARPET COUNTDOWN

On this rainy Oscar Sunday evening in Los Angeles, Regis Philbin hosted the Red Carpet Pre-Oscar Show.  He last hosted in 1979, when the Red Carpet festivities began!  Regis is old!  Michael Clayton best actor nominee, George Clooney was interviewed first and was his usual self-deprecating and funny self.  Javier Bardem best supporting actor nominee, No Country for Old Men was mistakingly identified as the first Spaniard nominee.  Wasn't Bardem's fellow countryman, Penelope Cruz nominated for best actress for Volver, just last year?  Did they mean first Spaniard male?  No major fashion faux pas with Laura Linney, Helen Mirren and Amy Adams looking particularly gorgeous.  Only Cameron Diaz displayed dubious fashion taste with her wraparound dress attire. Okay on with the real show!   

LAW AND ORDER'S JESSE L. MARTIN LEAVING SHOW

Handsome actor, Jesse L. Martin (even more handsome in person) of Law and Order is now the one-hundredth cast member to leave the crime drama that has been on television for about a million seasons.  This accompanying article also states that Martin will star in the Marvin Gaye biopic entitled Sexual Healing. Will this big break do for Martin like the Ray Charles biopic Ray did for former T.V. star now movie star/Oscar winner, Jamie Foxx?  Only time will tell. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-02-20-martin-law-order_N.htm