Culture Cat: BalletMet's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Tonight I saw BalletMet's Valentine-themed program at the Riffe's Center's Capitol Theater. The double bill featured former Artistic Director David Nixon's one act adaptation of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", as well as a premiere by choreographer Ma Cong, entitled "Temporal." As usual, the program was technically brilliant and artistically superb, which is what I have come to expect from BalletMet. 

"Temporal" featured 10 dancers--five pairs of men and women. Choreographer Cong, named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch", notes that the piece was inspired by Mediterranean life and culture, and is a "study of love and spirituality and speaks sensually about he human condition." Set to vocals and electric jazz, the piece showcases the both the athletic and sensitive sides of dance.

Adrienne Benz (also one of Dance's "25 to watch") and David Tlaiye were the number's featured couple--their elegant pas de deux formed the center of the piece, which was made up of five segments. Since Benz's beautiful performance as Juliet two seasons ago, I have greatly enjoyed watching her dance. She brings a rare combination of strength, athleticism and sensitivity to her dancing, which was showcased to great effect here. Benz seems to have a spotlight on her whenever she's onstage. Tlaiye partnered her perfectly, showing her off to her best advantage. As a partner and a soloist, he shines. (In fact, all of BalletMet's male dancers are uncommonly good. We're spoiled.) The two of them seemed very comfortable dancing together, which made their duets a pleasure to watch. 

Other notable dancers in "Temporal" were Jackson Sarver and Adam Hundt, who partnered Annie Mallonee and Courtney Muscroft, respectively.

Bottom and Titania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" 

The second act was Nixon's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", a streamlined version of Shakespeare's play that focuses on Oberon and Titania and the two pairs of crossed human lovers, Demetrius and Helena and Lysander and Hermia. Hermia's father is forcing her to marry Demetrius, but she's in love with Lysander. Helena is in love with Demetrius, who only has eyes for Hermia. When Oberon sends his sprite servant Puck into the woods with the nectar of love, hilarity ensues.  Puck also puts the spell on Titania, Oberon's wife and Queen of the Fairies, so she falls in love with the first person she sees upon awakening--in this case, the actor Bottom, who has been transformed into a donkey. 

Emily Gotschall was a radiant Titania; petulant and teasing in the beginning, when she refuses to share her changeling child with her husband, she falls head over heels in love with Bottom midway through the piece. After Oberon poitns out her mistake, she apologizes, presents the changeling to her husband, and all is well again. I had not seen Gotschall in a major role before, and she danced Titania wonderfully, with grace and spirit.  Her husband was danced by Bryan Jenkins, whose commanding presence and scheming ways are a delight to watch. He doesn't have much to do after the beginning--he mostly watches the antics of the lovers from a suspended swing--but his final pas with Gotschall were technically sound and artistically sensitive. Both of them are fine actors, as well as excellent dancers. 

Dustin James, as Puck, provided a lot of laughs with his athletic and comedic dancing. You could tell he loved getting to play this part. With elf-like ears and glitter in his hair, he was truly spritely as he pranced about the stage wreaking havoc. 

Most of the havoc is felt by poor Helena, danced by Emily Ramirez. A brilliant actress and comedienne, she plays the love lorn Helena to perfection. At first, all she wants is Demetrius to pay attention to her (David Tlaiye, in his second major role of the night), but he continually (and hysterically) rebuffs her. She goes from having no suitors, to having two, when Puck accidentally puts the nectar on Lysander's (Adam Hundt's) and Demetrius' eyes--now she has two suitors, who literally toss and pull her back and forth as if she's a rope in a tug of war. 

Her more refined counterpart, Hermia (Annie Mallonee), wants nothing but Lysander's love, and early on, she seems to have it. In fact, she has to rebuff his too amorous advances during their pas de deux. But after a brief sleep, she awakens to find that both men are in love with her best friend, making her furious. An amusing, hair-puling fight between the two women ensues as the men look for weapons with which to duel. 

In the midst of all this, Titania and her fairies (Peaseblossom [Jessica Brown], Mustarseed [Carrie West], Cobweb  [Emma Misner] and Moth [Olivia Clark]) are doting on Bottom (Andrew Notarile). When Titania announces her new love to her fairies, their expressions range from pure shock (Brown's hysterical Peaseblossom) to shrugs of acceptance (West's Mustarseed). Soon they are bedecking him with flowers, and placing him in Titania's bower. 

Oberon finally straightens out the mismatched lovers, and all is well. With Titania and Oberon reunited, the Royal Couple heads to Titania's bower, as Puck brings down the curtain.

The dancing is not just technically involved (as is usual with Nixon's ballets), but requires superb acting ability from every dancer. This challenge is well met with this cast. The facial expressions and choreography convey the comedy splendidly. 

"Midsummer" also featured the company's trainees as Titania's Fairies. Monica Giragosian, Kerri Riccardi and Emily Loscocco were in tonight's cast (they were joined by Company member Courtney Muscroft), and all performed admirably. You couldn't tell the seasoned members from the trainees in this case. The Academy was also represented, with student Connie Yuan playing Titania's Changeling Child. Bottom's theatrical comrades were well danced by Austin Finley and Emilio Lugo (also a trainee). It's great to see so much comedic talent in the company. Technically sound dancers are great to have, and provide the strong foundation. But artistry, timing, interpretation and comedy are skills that cannot be taught. These intangibles BalletMet has in abundance. Passion, laughter and love make this a Valentine's Day program to remember. 

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" runs through Sunday at the Capitol Theater in the Riffe Center. The next two programs for BalletMet are "Carmina Burana", opening March 5, and "American Legends", which opens in late April. Go to www.balletmet.org for ticket information. 

All photos: Will Shively 

And a random neat note: This program didn't require all the Company dancers to be involved. But I still saw dancer Andres Estevez and his wife, dancer Zoica Tovar, in attendance. Unfortunately I forgot to ask them to sign my program!

Seven Quick Takes Friday Vol. XXIII

(I'm going to try to be like Margaret and see if I can do this in 20 minutes!)

I. 

I am not a Saints fan--I am a Steelers fan. 

That said, the Saints might just have become my favorite NFC. I love Drew Brees and his adorable child. That picture post-game? Priceless. 

II. 

Snow, snow and more snow--and now icicles. At least now I am beginning to see more pavement in my parking lot, and even a few parking spot lines! So this is progress. Slush is better than snow, which is better than ice. There is hierarchy here.

III.

Weekend plans (for the long weekend--Monday off!): BalletMet's A Midsummer Night's Dream Tonight, at the Riffe Center; tomorrow, dentist in the AM and stuff with Tiffany; Sunday, Lay Dominicans after Noon Mass, and Monday? Just hanging out. Whew. 

IV. 

I'm back to blogging at CPG. I sort of neglected it while I tried to do 30 posts in 30 days over here, during  the month of January (check the archives--totally achieved that goal!).  With Lent starting next week (can you BELIEVE it?), that will be the place for all things Lent. 

V. 

Books of 2010 update: Death On a Friday Afternoon, Brava, Valentine, Lucia, Lucia. 

VI.

Blog housekeeping: Noticed those tabs up above? I really love them. They will be evolving, so keep an eye out. If you have any comments/suggestions/questions, click the contact me tab and shoot me an email, or just leave one in the com box. I do read (and respond to!) every email and comment from the blog. 

VII. 

I do not have a Valentine this year; I did, however, send my godson an e-card. And Nigella Lawson's Feast has a recipe for a single Valentine's Day meal. I'll be making that tomorrow (or Sunday) and posting the results here. Probably making it Sunday--on actual Valentine's Day.

(And my godson? He lives in Pittsburgh, and hasn't had school all week. I bet my Aunt is going stir crazy with two teenage (well, almost teenage, in Ryan's case) boys around all week. 

(7 minutes! I rule!) 

Check out more quick takes over at Jen's!

Popcorn: Oscar Special--Top 20 Best Picture Nominees

From the ones that didn’t win, my favorites:

1. The Wizard of Oz: This doesn’t need explanation, does it?
2. Roman Holiday(1953): Audrey Hepburn’s first starring role as a foreign princess. Beautiful.
3. The 10 Commandments (1956): Perhaps Charlton Heston’s most iconic role. “Behold His mighty hand!” Yul Brynner also makes a great pharaoh.
4. The Diary of Anne Frank (1959): Love the play, love the movie.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): Pitch perfect, from the opening credits onward. Robert Duvall’s first film role.
6. Children of a Lesser God (1986): Love the sign language, the Maine setting, and the tension between the lovers.
7. Beauty and the Beast (1991): My favorite Disney movie. The animation is brilliant. Early use of CGI, as well.
8. A Few Good Men (1992): Some of the best dialogue ever in a film.
9. Sense and Sensibility (1995): It’s Jane with Kate Winslet! Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant and Greg Wise play the tempest-tossed suitors.
10. As Good As It Gets (1997): James L. Brooks at his comedic best.
11. Life Is Beautiful (1998): Pathos, baby. Pathos.
12. The Green Mile (1999): Disturbing and touching.
13. Chocolat (2000): Beautiful food, beautiful clothes, great characters. And a fantastic score by Rachel Portman.
14. The Hours (2002): My second favorite movie of all time. There is no such thing as an ordinary day. Nicole Kidman is brilliant.
15. Master and Commander (2003): high seas adventure with great actors.
16. Mystic River (2003): A punch to the gut. Sean Penn in the performance of his career.
17. Finding Neverland (2004): A gentle film about friendship and writing.
18. Juno (2006): laugh out loud funny. Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner play off each other so well.
19. Michael Clayton (2006): A legal thriller with razor-sharp acting.
20. The Reader (2008): Kate Winslet finally wins an Oscar, and Ralph Fiennes isn’t a psychopath! Two reasons to see it.

Popcorn Oscar Edition: The Hurt Locker

The Best Picture Nominees for 2010 are: Up, Up in the Air, Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Precious, Inglorious Basterds, District 9, A Serious Man, An Education and The Blind Side. I'm trying to see as many of the nominees as I can before the awards are announced on March 7th. 

The Hurt Locker is the second Best Picture nominee I've seen since the list was a nnounced a few weeks ago. At that time, I had no clear Best Picture winner in mind, although I was thinking Up In The Air might beat out Avatar.

I was wrong. The clear winner in this race is The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow's stunning film about a three-man IED detonating team in Iraq.

The film is real, immediate, and vivid. I had to check the case several times to make sure this wasn't a documentary. Screenwriter Mark Boal was an embed with an IED unit in Iraq; that's why the dialogue and the situations are so realistic. Shot in Jordan, the film follows Army  Sergeant William James (a brilliant Jeremy Renner)and his team as they move through the final days of thier deployment with Bravo Company at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Their mission--to find IEDs and disarm them before they disarm and kill anyone else.

The premise is simple, the acting crystal-clear. It may be one of the most perfect movies I have ever seen, except that you keep forgetting it's a movie. There's no Hollywood touches--no glam costumes, no artful battle scenes. During one particularly long stand-off sequence, sand accumulates on the men and flies settle on their bodies. The camera zooms in on the eyes, the lashes coated in sand, but still intent on their target across the desert.

This is a movie you experience. You live every second with these men. Jeremy Renner is a shoe-in for Best Actor. No one can touch his performance in this film (sorry George. Maybe next year.). He's pitch perfect as the Staff Sergeant who's a bit unconventional, but the best at what he does. Ralph Fiennes makes a brief appearance as a British force leader.

After seeing this movie, I can't believe that something like Avatar, which exists primarily on special effects, is even in the same contest. While it tells the story of fantasy world of the future, The Hurt Locker is a gripping look at the here and now, yet it also transcends the time and place of its setting. There is no slant, and no agenda--there are just three men, doing their jobs, knowing that any second, their lives could be over. When it's over, you can almost feel the sand on your face and the sun on your back.

Yes, this is only the second Best Picture nominee I've seen, and I've got at least one (Inglorious Basterds) lined up for the weekend. But I can't imagine how any other movie can touch the brilliance and deep-seated reality of The Hurt Locker. 

What I learned from the Super Bowl

Ben R. > Peyton M.
Even if the Steelers were down 14 points, Ben would've gotten a TD with that last drive. Heck, he would've run it in himself.
So I do not want to hear anymore "Peyton is better than Ben" crap.
That is all.

Nature Kicks My Butt

So, I was going to Mass today. The snow didn't look that bad, and the plows had even cleared the main thruway of the apartment complex. So I was going out.
Um...not.
I should've known it would be hard when I could walk on the snow. My car's front was pretty buried, as was the back wheel on the right side. And this was hard, packed snow. It wasn't going anywhere without a shovel. Kicking so did not work.
I tried brushing/scraping off the car. For the windows I had to chip it off in large chunks. The end result is the sides of my car, and the hood, are somewhat visible. The windshield, back window, and top are not. The snow was like salt crust on a fish. It was not going anywhere.
And, about 5 minutes in, my herart was racing. So I came back in, checked my sats with my little monitor. My sats were fine--97--but my heart rate was 150. So, yeah. I'm not going anywhere today. My dad and brother will attempt to free my car (they have shovels, I do not--need to fix that) later today.
So Mass will be here, with my LOH, and Magnificat. Sigh.

Second Day of Great Snow

The tally:

• Music: Brahms for Book Lovers, Beethoven for your Beloved, Bach for Breakfast. (I'm just about done with the "B" section...)
• Books: Little Town on the Prairie, The Amish Cook's Baking Book, Sailing the Wine Dark Sea (FINALLY done!), began The Winter's Tale (which I think is very appropriate)
• Movies: Oliver Twist, the beginning of Sleeping Beauty
• Food: Cowgirl Cornbread, pasta, and PIE! I am so excited about the pie. I will post pics tomorrow. 

Snow Day Pie

I have made my first pie--successfully!
The filing I wasn't too worried about. It was the crust. I used a pat-a-pan crust recipe, where you actually mix the dough in the pie plate, then pour in the appropriate filing. It can't be used for double-crust pies (like peach or apple), but I'm not there yet anyway.
The pie was fantastic. It's like a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie--so rich I only had one piece. With cold milk, it's divine.

So, here's the recipe, from The Amish Cook's Baking Book

Snow Day Pie
For the crust: 
Pat-A-Pan pie crust
makes one single 9-inch crust (no overhang)

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp. cold milk

Place the flour, sugar and salt in a 9" pie pan and mix with your fingertips until evenly blended. In a measuring cup, combine the oil and milk and beat until creamy. Pour all over the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until the flour mixture is completed moistened. Pat the dough with your fingers, first at the sides of the plate then across the bottom. Flute the edges.

The shell is now ready to be filled. (If you are preparing a shell to fill later, or your recipe requires a pre-baked crust, preheat over to 425 degrees. Prick the surface of the pastry with a fork and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Check often and prick more if needed.)

Chocolate Chip Pie

• Pat-a-pan pie crust (above)
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c. melted butter
• 1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour; stir in eggs and butter until the batter is well-blended and smooth. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract; mix until smooth and the chips are evenly distributed. Pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Cool on wire rack or windowsill until pie is firm, about 45 minutes. Store any leftovers in a sealed cake safe. The pie will keep for about five days. 

Enjoy with a glass of cold milk. 

Susie's Cowgirl Cornbread

(From Bon Appetit, January 2008)
As we know, today is Susie's first birthday. As we also know, it is a snowy mess in Ohio (although a plow has come through my complex several times, yay!). So I thought that I would make a "birthday dinner" for Susie, and a nice dinner for myself, since I'm snowbound.
The first dish is what I'm calling "Susie's Cowgirl Cornbread." It's actual title is "Texas Buttermilk Cornbread", which is what made me think of making it. But I like my title better.
Rounding out the meal will be pasta in marinara, and...chocolate chip pie. Yes. I am going to attempt pie making. That recipe will be posted once I try the pie!

But first, here's the cornbread that any cowgirl will appreciate.

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 2 c. yellow cornmeal
• 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/3 c. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400. Brush an 8X8X2 baking dish with two tablespoons of the melted butter. Place dish in oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add buttermilk and remaining butter. Stir batter until evenly moistened--do not over blend.

Transfer cornbread batter to hot dish and spread evenly. Bake cornmeal until crusty on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cornbread cool at least 10 minutes. Serve warm. 

Happy birthday, Susie! (part II)

Dear Suze,
I cannot believe that you are a year old today! You are an adorable little girl, full of fun and cuddliness (if we can catch you!). I wish I could be with you to celebrate, especially since you're walking now!
Have a wonderful birthday, and many, many more.
Love,
Your Cousin, Emily

I made that blanket for Susie! The other side has girl and boy rubber duckies. 

Susie's first trip to Galveston--and a beach, period

Susie and her parents. Aren't they a good looking family? 

Me and Suze at the Houston Museum of Natural Science's butterfly exhibit. 

In Pittsburgh over Christmas. 

The First Day of the Great Snow

Brought:

• Books: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Molto Mario, The Olive and the Caper, Jesus, Teach Us to Pray. 
• Music: Bach for Book Lovers, Beethoven for Book Lovers
• Exercise: Seated yoga poses (whoa did I need those)
• Movies: A wee bit of Oliver Twist
• Food: Made Pampered Chef Fiesta Party dip (yum!)

The snow is over thus far--more is coming. So staying in. 

The Saturday Evening (blog) post--Vol. 2 (for me)

IT's that time again! On the first Saturday of the Month, Elizabeth Esther hosts The Saturday Evening Blog Post over at her blog. Pick your favorite post of the previous month, and join in! Rules and linkage instructions are on her website. 

I chose this one. 

Happy Birthday, Susie!

The night before her first birthday, Di's daughter Susie took her first steps!

SEven Quick Takes Friday Vol. XXII

I. 

OK, going to start w/ the complaints and then move on. PLEASE, in snow, with low visibility, put on your lights, and don't tailgate! Also use your turn signal! 

II. 

OK, done with that. Whew. The snow, thus far, is very big (one of my co-workers said the snowflakes were as 'big as potato chips'), and very fluffy and wet. So it isn't really packed down. I hear this will change as it gets colder. The weather guy, at this moment, is saying 5-8", which isn't as bad as a foot, or the THIRTY INCHES DC is predicted to get. Yowzers.

III.

So, from now until Sunday AM, I am not leaving my house. That means--books, food, and movies. Not necessarily in that order.

IV. 

I exercised THREE days this week so far! And the snow will not deter me--I have a pilates DVD and a Shape workout DVD (which is insanely hard, but...oh well). 

V. 

On the movie front, I have a ton to watch. (500) Days of Summer, Oliver Twist, Season 4 of House...I'm well prepared. I also have my biblical studies lectures to keep me busy. The next one is on the books of Chronicles. 

VI. 

Books of 2010: Into Thin Air and The Olive and the Caper, a Greek cookbook. It is a GREAT cookbook to curl up with and read, and provides lots of great recipes and menus. 

 I also started Jesus, Teach Us to Pray. Lent is upon us soon, so I think it's time to dive into some Lenten reading. I'll have more books on that when we get closer. 

VII. 

Still nothing on Titanic. But in voice I'm working on some Linda Eder pieces, including her arrangement of the classic "I'll Be Seeing You". It's a lot of fun. 

For more quick takes, head over to Jen's. 

Stay warm!

A Clouded Constellation

The Corner has this to say about the Obama Administration's proposed canceling of the Constellation space shuttle program. This is one of the things in the budget I'm a little disappointed about. 

 For one thing, space is cool. I loved studying space and astronomy as a kid, and really, it's one of the few places where I could see clear (and AWESOME) applications for higher math. I'm an Ohioan, so flight and space are big--we have the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, and NASA Glenn research center in Cleveland. 

Over the summer, I visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston. It was a world-class museum, offering something for everyone at rock-bottom ticket prices. I got to touch a moon rock, visit Historic Mission Control, see the Saturn V rocket, and learn that we've figured out how humans could survive on the Moon. It was so neat. If I was a kid, this might have motivated me to work harder in math and science!

Growing plants on the Moon

Space is part of the national consciousness. Star Wars, Star Trek, Apollo 13, and the Challenger explosion are easy examples of space-themed things in our culture. My Tempurpedic bed is (supposedly) based on NASA science. 

Sure, it's a government agency, so it's bloated and inefficient. But it does need consistent funding if we're going to reach the Moon again, or Mars. I've been reading Man and the Moon, by Andrew Chakin, about the space program. These moon trips were complicated research missions-- a lot of science was involved, as was the taking of samples and other experiments. It wasn't just, "hey, let's beat the Russians to the Moon." 

I don't think exploration can come with set standards. Christopher Columbus wanted to find China; he found Hispanola instead. Alexander the Great wept when he saw there was no more to conquer. Magellean found the way through the treacherous strait that bears his name. Every terrestrial has added to our knowledge about this planet, her people, and her life. (Let's save the arguments about why it wasn't so great for another time.) Why can't extraterrestrial exploration do the same thing? Astronauts are today's Columbuses and Magelleans. They give us license to dream. 

Popcorn: Oscar Nominees Edition

I love the Oscars. Since 1998 I’ve watched them eagerly and even participated in a few Oscar pools in college. To me, 1998-2004 were great years for American cinema. The last few? Not so much. Movies like Crash dampened my Oscar love, and even last year’s awards, which gave us the uneven Slumdog Millionaire against Milk, The Reader The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Frost/Nixon.
But hope springs eternal—or so I thought. 
This year was the first year the Academy nominated 10 films for Best Picture. To me, this is about five too many.  Look at the list for 2008, for example (listed above). This list could’ve been about two shorter—Frost/Nixon and Benjamin Button could easily have been eliminated. Over the past ten years, the only years where I think all five slots were deserved were 2003 and 2002. These were fantastic years for cinema. The others usually have one or two head-scratchers. (like 1998’s The Thin Red Line. I only made it through about 15 minutes of that one.)
Here’s this year’s list (an asterisk indicates I’ve seen it):

• Avatar
• The Blind Side
• District 9
• An Education
• The Hurt Locker
• Inglorious Basterds
• Precious
• A Serious Man
• Up *
• Up In The Air

Now, I want to see: Up In the Air,  An Education, The Blind Side, the Hurt Locker, and Precious. Inglorious Basterds I could care about less. My brother owns it, though, so I’ll probably watch it. District 9 wasn’t even on my radar. My Hurt Locker interest was piqued by how well its been doing at awards shows lately. A Serious Man? Eh. 
I’m glad Up was nominated, but I don’t think it will win. More on that in a minute. 
So, without having seen 9/10 of the movies, I can say that at least one—District 9—is on my “highly specious” list.
Best Actor:

• J. Bridges, Crazy Heart
• G. Clooney, Up In the Air
• C. Firth (whee!), A Single Man
• M. Freeman, Invictus
• J. Renner, The Hurt Locker

These all seem legit to me. I am dying to see A Single Man because, as we all know, I love Colin Firth. I would love to see him win. Jeff Bridges won the Golden Globe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing will happen here. Morgan Freeman, after many “supporting actor” nominations (and one win, for Million Dollar Baby) has moved up to the lead actor category.  George Clooney has been nominated several times over the past few years. He has won an Oscar (best supporting actor for. He has won an Oscar (best supporting actor for Syriana a few years back), so I don’t know how that handicaps him for the race. He was previously nominated in this category for Michael Clayton (which is just a fantastic film).
Best Actress:

• S. Bullock, The Blind Side
• H. Mirren, The Last Station
• C. Mulligan, An Education
• G. Sidibe, Precious
• M. Streep, Julie and Julia (*)

I’m not sure Meryl Streep should be in this category. I thought she did good work in Julie and Julia, but I didn’t think it was Oscar worthy. It was a nice turn. I’m deploring this sort of “everything she does we shall nominate her for” thing. Julia Child was no Miranda Priestly or Clarissa Vaughn.
Helen Mirren just won a few years ago for The Queen, so I don’t think she’ll win again. 
The nomination for Sandra Bullock definitely piques my interest in The Blind Side. 
Of the two younger actresses—Mulligan and Sidibe—I like Mulligan. I just saw her in the BBC’s production of Bleak House (staring Alun Armstrong and Gillian Anderson), where she played Ada Clare. She was exquisite. I haven’t seen Precious, but, like my friend Richelle said earlier, I think it’s sort of presumptuous to give the best actress award to someone in her first role.  Richelle compared this to Jennifer Hudson’s win, and I agree. (And yes, I did see Dreamgirls.) Now maybe I’ll see the movie and be blown away. But…
Best Supporting Actor:

• M. Damon, Invictus
• W. Harrelson, The Messenger
• C. Plummer, The Last Station
• S. Tucci, The Lovely Bones
• C. Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

The money on this one appears to be on Waltz. I think the Tucci nomination is sort of odd, since the movie was pretty roundly panned, although critics did make mention of his good performance. I like Tucci as an actor, but I don’t know if this role will win his Oscar.
Best Supporting Actress:

• P. Cruz, Nine
• V. Farmiga, Up In The Air
• M. Gyllenhall, Crazy Heart
• A. Kendrick, Up In the Air
• Mo’Nique, Precious

Right now, I would say Mo’Nique is pretty much a slam dunk. 
And—it is nice to see Anna Kendrick in this category. Most people know her as Jessica in the Twilight films. I’m glad to see her stretching her chops and getting some critical notice. Bravo.
Best Director: I don’t follow this award anymore, because ever since 1998, when it stopped being an essentially automatic predictor for Best Picture, it’s just sort of there. So—I’ve got nothing for you here.
Best Animated Film:

• Coraline
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Princess and the Frog
• Secret of Kells
• Up *

(Side note: Wasn’t Coraline out like forever ago?) This could be interesting. Pixar has almost totally dominated this category since its inception, but with Up also being nominated for best picture, I’m not sure how the votes will go. The Fantastic Mr. Fox got great reviews and could give Up a serious run for its money. Coraline was dark and moody, and I’ve never heard of Secret. I think this is probably a two way race between Fox and Up.
I have a lot of viewing cut out for me, and I’ll be revisiting this topic as the awards draw closer.

The Simple Woman's Daybook--February 1, 2010

I am so glad it's February! January seemed to last forever!

Outside My Window::

Very clear, not too cold--in the mid 30s. No ice, so I'm happy!

I am wearing ::
J. Crew chinos (gray), a Banana Republic cashmere argyle sweater

I am Thankful For::

My Parade experience

I am Reading:

Mediterranean Summer (I keep re-reading this. It’s such a good winter book.)

From the Kitchen::

A chocolate mascarpone cake from Giada’s Kitchen; pasta; chicken dishes that have yet to be decided on.

I am Thinking:
about how fortunate I am.

I am Creating::
ORDER. (see below)

On my iPod::

My gym soundtrack

Towards Rhythm and Beauty:
I have a gym log and a food log. I figure if I write everything down, that will be incredibly helpful. I used to keep a workout log, but I finished it, and I’m glad I finally have a new one. It’s a great way to track what I do in the gym. I’ve never used a food diary, so this will be a  new experience.

To Live the Liturgy:

Mass tomorrow for Candlemas (I love this feast, I love the name, love it all), LOH, Rosary, magnificat

I am Hoping and Praying:
For Leah Y., who is currently in labor with her first child—a boy! She was induced yesterday so I hope by now the babe has appeared.

Around the House:

Always--the kitchen table.  Taking out the trash, vacuuming.

One of My Favorite Things:

Symphony Concerts

A Few Plans for the Rest of the Week:

Tonight: Dinner with Karen and Paige

T and W: Session

Th: Voice

   A Picture Thought  I'm Sharing:

From the Parade archives: 

Last dress rehearsal, before the opening of Act I