Best news of the week (to me, anyway)…there is going to be a 2nd X-Files movie! Instead of revisiting storylines and themes from the TV show and first film, the focus will be on the supernatural (which will be a welcome change from the little green men).
I heart Mulder & Scully. Always have, always will.
Bring. It. On.
I just returned from a weekend in Vegas for a Bachelorette Party. I am operating on very little sleep and have to fumigate my wardrobe, but it was worth it. Aside from the usual bride-to-be debauchery, there were a few star sightings…
At Tao last night (which I highly recommend if you can get in and have dancing/drinking endurance), we ran into M. Night Shyamalan (director of The Sixth Sense, Signs, etc.)…again. He was also at Body English on Friday night.
But the real highlight for me was meeting
Last night (well, early this morning really) there was also a strange appearance by P. Diddy’s Making the Band 3 girl group Danity Kane, who got up on stage, lip synced their song ‘Show Stopper’ and then danced on stage for a while to other hits by other artists.
So now I’m off to catch some zzz’s. Thanks for the good times, TS/RM/SZ/ME/LC!
Some quick post-Oscar thoughts…
Ellen
The Oscars are my Superbowl and Ellen was my MVP. I loved her from start to finish. I didn’t miss the mean-spirited pop culture references that hosts of old used to throw out there. She was true to form and made me laugh. Not her fault that the show ran long. I hope they ask her back next year. The ratings are up by about a million, which is a tribute to her talent and popularity.
One Giant Step Forward…
Last night signified a huge milestone both for the country and the entertainment industry; Ellen was only the second woman to host (after Whoopi) the Academy Awards, and certainly the first openly gay person to do so. I love that the camera focused on proud girlfriend Portia and proud mom Betty a few times; I certainly don’t recall ever seeing Billy Crystal’s wife during his stint as host. And although I’m sure there were folks who were less than thrilled with Ellen hosting and Melissa Etheridge’s smooch and speech combo…I don’t care. It was a momentous occasion for them and for the worldwide audience. I couldn’t stop smiling; it made my day that Melissa kissed and then thanked her wife. The woman won an Oscar, it was her moment, and she did what came naturally, just as all other winners do. A few months ago, Grey’s Anatomy actor T.R. Knight made a statement when he publicly came out: “I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me.” I believe that Ellen and Melissa would agree with that wholeheartedly.
Just a Thought…
I wonder who would win an arm-wrestling match, Jada Pinkett Smith or Jessica Biel?
“Original” Score?
I love the CD and the artist, but does anyone else find it odd that the main theme song from
Favorite Moments
Arkin’s win
Melissa Etheridge’s win & speech
Pilobolus (the dance troupe who formed the iconic movie images)
Scorsese’s win
The sound effects choir
Jack Black, John C. Reilly & Will Ferrell
And now, for more trivial observations…
Awkward Moment of the Night
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst presenting together. The animosity between them was visible…and entertaining. Rewind your TiVO and watch for her shoulder bump, followed by his stink-eye glance askew at her, and then her head turn/stink-eye at him right before they roll the nominees on screen. I know they were there to promote Spiderman 3 (as if that is even necessary), but these ex’s are clearly uncomfortable sharing the same few feet of space.
Of course it’s on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=fBkujAxCMs0
In Need Of a Hairbrush
Cameron Diaz
Robert Downey, Jr.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Attire Analysis
Bed,
Beyonce
Kirsten Dunst
JLo
Blue is the new Black (and I like it)
Emily Blunt
Portia de Rossi
Ellen Degeneres’ navy ensemble with vest
Melissa Etheridge’s tuxedo jacket
Jodie Foster
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Bow, Hell No!
Anne Hathaway
Nicole Kidman
Favorites
Cate Blanchett
Daniel Craig
Leonardo DiCaprio
Djimon Hounsou
Diane Keaton (no pantsuits or high collars!)
Queen Latifah
Helen Mirren
Kate Winslet
Reese Witherspoon
Memo: “Flesh is Not a Flattering Color”
Penelope Cruz
Gwyneth Paltrow
UGH
Jessica Biel
Abigail Breslin (regardless of her age, someone should have prevented her from wearing an Easter Basket)
Cameron Diaz
Eva Green
Jennifer Hudson’s sci-fi/tanning foil jacket
Quincy Jones
Anika Noni Rose
Kelly Preston
Naomi Watts
Rachel Weisz
Patricia Clarkson
James Gandolfini
Anthony Hopkins
Jude Law
Sean Penn
Mark Ruffalo
Kate Winslet
How on earth is a film starring this list of seriously talented actors so painful to watch? Based on the cast alone, last year I predicted it to be an Oscar contender come this Sunday.
Horrible
Director Steven Zallian should stick to screenwriting; he won an Academy Award for writing Schindler’s List, and earned two other nominations for Gangs of New York and Awakenings. He has also scripted The Falcon and the Snowman, Clear and Present Danger,Hannibal and The Interpreter, among others.
Of the many Producers on this film, one name stands out: Todd Phillips, who directed Old School and co-wrote Borat. Random.
Current Oscar nominee and comeback kid Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) has a small role in the movie as well. Not much else is at all notable.
Before I begin this week’s installment of overanalysis and conspiracy theories, I would like to state that last night’s episode ranks in my Top 5 Best Episodes of Lost Ever. Wow. It was unconventional and fantastic.
Just an FYI: some serious Lost fans reversed the audio during last week’s Clockwork Orange scene with Carl, and the phrase “Only fools are enslaved by time and space” is repeated. It’s creepy, and is not a hoax; clearly the Producers are aware of the tech savvy nature of their rabid fans and purposefully inserted that little Easter Egg.
As for last night’s episode…
Let’s start with the title, ‘Flashes Before Your Eyes.’ It’s not Flashes Before HIS Eyes, which makes me think that Desmond isn’t the only one who has time traveled on that island. Or does the title refer to the flashes that everyone on the island saw when Desmond turned that key beneath the hatch?
MOVIE HOMAGES
The scene where Desmond is talking to Pawn Shop Lady on the bench is quite similar to The Matrix Reloaded, right down to Neo talking with The Oracle on the bench and offering candy (Pawn Shop Lady offers Desmond some chestnuts).
When Desmond was with Pawn Shop Lady, they witnessed a man being crushed in an accident. Another Wizard of Oz shout out (remember that the witch was crushed beneath the house). And the dearly departed in last night’s episode was wearing red shoes just like Dorothy and her infamous ruby red slippers.
When Desmond woke up in the red paint and it looked like blood, I immediately remembered the scene in the Wachowski Brothers’ film Bound when Joe Pantoliano was shot on a floor full of spilled white paint [unfortunately, I could not find a screen capture of this online].
CHARLIE
Now that we know that Charlie is doomed, don’t be surprised if Sun finds out that Charlie was the one who assaulted her last season. Perhaps Jin plays a role in Charlie’s death…
When Sawyer returns to the beach after escaping Other
DESMOND
Did you notice that most of Desmond’s flashback was not accompanied by the usual Lost flashback sound effect? Right away, I knew were in store for something completely different.
It would be easy to say that none of what Desmond experienced actually happened, that it was a figment of his imagination while knocked out from the hatch explosion. It would also be too convenient to say that Pawn Shop Lady represented his subconscious. I prefer to think that the turning of that key and hatch implosion erased and/or froze an unspecified amount of time on the island; the results of which we will see unfold during the rest of this season. Remember, there is one fact that favors my theory – that Mittelos (the company that tried to recruit Juliet last week) is an anagram for Lost Time.
There are now at least three castaways that Desmond supposedly interacted with before the crash of Flight 815: Charlie (who was outside of Widmore Industries playing guitar for donations after Desmond’s interview), Jack (whom he ran into while jogging at a stadium), and Libby/Elizabeth (who gave him her boat for the race that ultimately brought him to the island). Is Desmond going to be the one who has connections to every last survivor from that plane?
It is not mere coincidence that Desmond woke up in the jungle disoriented in almost the exact same way that Lost began in the Pilot episode with Jack (in the same position lying in the jungle looking up). The focus was on Desmond’s eyes as he first came to, just as it was on Jack’s.
Just how far in the future can Desmond see? Will he continue trying to alter the fates of others (i.e. Charlie) on the island? Will this power last, or is it a temporary condition due to hatch explosion concussion? Will he be able to flash forward as well as back?
Will Desmond’s rescue of Claire lead to a new love triangle? She sure seemed interested in him after his heroic efforts. Oh, and she’s certainly had plenty of experience with psychics…
Love the appropriate use of Sarah McLachlan’s song ‘Building a Mystery’ after Desmond woke up in his apartment with Penny.
Back in Season One, Locke predicted rain before it occurred. Just like Desmond during his flashback last night in
Penny told Desmond she loved him because he was a ‘good man.’ Yet another reference to ‘good’ people, which the Others are quite interested in.
Locke, the island’s resident man of faith, will be thrilled – Pawn Shop Lady’s speech to Desmond was all about ‘the path of destiny’ and fate.
So if Desmond really visited his past, wouldn’t that mean that his friend Donovan from the pub would know about the island and then tell Penny about it when Desmond went missing? And since Donovan is a physicist, perhaps that’s why Penny knew to put together a team to search for an electromagnetic anomaly…
Last week Juliet revealed that she’d been on the island for just over three years. According to Desmond during his flashback, he was on the island for three years. That would place their arrivals around the same time, which would be an interesting twist. We know that Desmond supposedly washed up on shore after his boat crashed in a storm, but they have not yet explained just how Juliet wound up there…
MR. WIDMORE
Nice polar bear on the painting in Mr. Widmore’s office, which looked suspiciously like the mural on the original hatch wall. Oh, and the word ‘namaste’ (which is said at the end of each Orientation Film) is also painted backwards at the top of the painting. I’m starting to think that Widmore Industries funds all things Dharma and/or Hanso.
Widmore must also be an investor with Oceanic Airlines. Sawyer stole both a bottle of Widmore’s favorite expensive whiskey from the wreckage of Flight 815, and a Widmore Pregnancy Test (which Sun wound up using to confirm that she was with child).
Mr. Widmore is yet another manifestation of major Daddy issues. Sun’s dad was as mean to Jin as Widmore was to Desmond. Jack, Kate, Locke and Sawyer all had problems with their fathers too, not to mention Walt with Michael.
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All in all, I absolutely loved this episode. I simply do not understand those who have given up on Lost. As a true fan, I’ve never experienced a show that gets stronger with each season, let alone one that keeps me on the edge of my seat with such anticipation every week. It is very sad that the ratings have dropped, and I’m hoping that can be attributed to the large numbers of iTunes downloads and free ABC.com viewings rather than the loss of the Lost faithful.
Here are my thoughts about Oscar nominations in the main categories.
ACTOR
It might be the first time in my history that I have not seen any of the films that these men are nominated for. That being said, although it is great to see that the very talented and underrated Ryan Gosling has been recognized, my money is on
ACTRESS
Helen Mirren has all but walked off with the golden guy already for The Queen. I really enjoyed both Mirren and the movie, but my favorite performance of the entire year was Kate Winslet in Little Children. This is her record-breaking fifth nomination at only 31, so I have no doubt that a few of these statues will be on her mantle in the near future. As we all know, Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal) is a beloved and seemingly perennial Oscar contender, but even she can’t top the year of Queen Mirren. I have not seen Volver yet, and although I’ve never been on the Penélope Cruz bandwagon, I hear she is damn good in this role. As for Meryl Streep, who is now the most nominated female of all time (14!)…she was fantastic in The Devil Wears Prada, but the fact that the film was a popular comedy may hurt her chances. Her international counterparts all tackled darker material, which may be interpreted as more challenging.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Although I would love to see Alan Arkin win for Little Miss Sunshine, I believe he is the underdog in this category. I do not understand the logic behind the nomination of Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) over Matt Damon or Jack Nicholson. At all. His role was brief and memorable, but certainly not as meaty in terms of screen time and screenplay significance. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Eddie Murphy win for Dreamgirls, but I hope he conveys more surprise and joy and less indifference this time if he is indeed victorious (see: his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes). I was very disturbed by Jackie Earle Haley’s character in Little Children, but his nod is well-deserved considering that this film marked his return to the big screen 30 years after his big break with The Bad News Bears. Djimon Hounsou, who has already won several critics awards for his role in Blood Diamond, could be the one to steal the win out from under Murphy. Many were surprised that Hounsou didn’t win in 2004 for In America.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Similar to Arkin, I would be shocked if Abigail Breslin won for Little Miss Sunshine. But she certainly shined in the title role, and this was the perfect role to jumpstart a long career (she stars alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart in her next film, No Reservations). I already like her more than Dakota Fanning. But my vote is for Jennifer Hudson, who made her co-stars look like amateurs in Dreamgirls; an amazing feat considering this was her first acting role and she was discovered on a reality television show. Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi truly deserve their nominations for their work in Babel, but only Kikuchi poses a real threat to
DIRECTOR
Bill Condon won an Oscar for writing Gods and Monsters, which I loved. Then he wrote Chicago and Kinsey (which he also directed), so I added him to my short list of favorite screenwriters. But I was less than thrilled with Dreamgirls on the whole. I am not surprised that Condon was denied a nod in this category, nor do I mind that Dreamgirls was shut out of Best Picture contention. The Academy is quite fond of Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima), but my vote is for Scorsese (The Departed) or Iñárritu (
BEST PICTURE
Based upon last year’s unfortunate victor (Crash), I have a feeling that
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Little Children absolutely deserves to win. I’m frightened that Borat might, and frankly it would be a disappointment considering the amount of improvisation. My gut feeling is that Notes on a Scandal will prevail, but The Departed is as deserving.