On The Oscars

Yawn. Year after year, the Academy Awards Show continues to bore. Seems like the producers should be able to deliver a simple ceremony where nominees are honored and awards are presented. I don't know what the Academy should do except stop doing what they're doing, it's not working. I'd offer another solution but I don't have one.

Thank heaven for Helen Mirren's gracious tribute to HRH:


"For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty, and her hairstyle. And I thank her because if it wasn't for her, I most, most certainly would not be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Queen!"

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Gary Hershorn

On Cool Hand Luke

It's Oscar day and I was sitting here sorting thru a stack of mail while half-watching (for the zillionth time) Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke. One in a string of very cool Newman films, this one delivers that all-time classic line:

"What we've got he'ah is(a) fail-yah to communicate!"

Cool Hand Luke boasts a stellar chain gang: Harry Dean Stanton, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Wayne Rogers, Dennis Hopper, James Gammon, Ralph Waites, Anthony Zerbe, and Joe Don Baker. The late great award-winning actress Jo Van Fleet plays Luke's mother.

I can remember my own mother talking about Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward's romance and subsequent marriage around 1958 because I paid attention to conversations about movies and movie stars. So, I'm happy that Newman's still around and has received recognition in recent years for his contribution to film and for his "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good" with Newman's Own. Enjoy watching the trailer from Cool Hand Luke:

On Peter Pan Peanut Butter

Since I grew up on Peter Pan Peanut Butter and the magic of Peter Pan, I feel a sense of responsibility to blog on this particular peanut butter lover alert for the many great dreamers out there:

There's a health contamination problem with Peter Pan Peanut Butter on the market since May 2006 and manufactured out of a ConAgra plant in Sylvester, Georgia. According to the FDA,the company voluntarily recalled all varieties of Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Great Value Peanut Butter beginning with product code 2111 as well as individual packets of Peter Pan Peanut Butter found in foodservice venues. Subsequent information released says that the products which may be contaminated include 3/4 ounce and 1.1 ounce single serving packs of Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Consumers with questions or concerns about the recall can call the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 866-344-6970. For more information, please visit: www.conagrafoods.com/brands/peter_pan/index.jsp.

On Oscar Night - 79th Academy Awards

What a night for great dreams! And what a pleasure to see several amazing stories brought to our attention this year! A few favorites include Little Miss Sunshine, a small independent film with a large heart, fabulous cast, and a refreshing look at dysfunction. Several favorite films weave a common thread through them about what it means to stay together as a family today.

Babel left the theatre with me, four stories across four continents in 24 hours, snapshots of people trying to live their lives in a complex world. Screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga said that he'd "been obsessed through all my life with what is the particular day, the special day that makes you different, (so) that you will never be the same from that point." Babel captures "the last day of innocence," "the last day of a sense of loss," "the last day of substitution," and "the last day of resentment." Babel manages to bring our microcosms together, at the end of the day, each story reveals it's about communication.

I reviewed The Queen months ago, mostly about Helen Mirren's performance. Peter Morgan should win for his exceptional original The Queen screenplay. Forest Whitaker has had my attention for years. Best supporting actor category proves a bit tougher, it could go to Wahlberg or Murphy. I'll pick one and be happy with either. Best supporting actress nominees share really good performances though Jennifer Hudson deserves this year's statue.

Here's my Oscar picks in a few categories:

Best Picture:

Best Actor:




Best Supporting Actor:
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls (I'd be happy with Mark Wahlberg)

Best Director:
Alejandro González Iñárritu - Babel

Best Original Screenplay:
Peter Morgan - The Queen

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Best Animated Feature:
Happy Feet (It will probably go to Cars)

Best Foreign Film:
The Lives of Others

Best Documentary:
An Inconvenient Truth (will win whether it should or not)

On Women's Spacewalk Record

As millions of Americans sit watching the first half of Super Bowl Sunday, Suni Williams just completed more than 7 hours walking outside the International NASA Space Station to fix the cooling system. Williams now holds a world record as the first woman with the most time spacewalking.

Very cool for a young woman who had originally dreamed of becoming a veterinarian rather than helicopter pilot and astronaut.

Photo Credit: NASA

On Molly Ivins - Part 2

A look at two feisty Americans who enjoyed Texas and loved this country. The late great Ann Richards speaking about her pal Molly Ivins and a Democracy Now interview clip with Molly from July 2004:





Molly Ivins on U. S. Citizens: