Oscar!

It's been two days since my favorite annual television indulgence. And I have to say, this year produced some nice moments. Below are a few of my favorites in no particular order (and lets see if my attempts to embed video work!):

• seeing someone I've worked with before in the background on the red carpet (try to guess which one it is - not that I'd tell you, anyway.)
  
• Jon Stewart seemed much more at ease this time around than last
• A) that "Falling Slowly," from Once, a song that has haunted me for months, won for best song, despite how much I bloody loved "That's How You Know" from Enchanted; B) that Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova seemed truly excited and humbled; C) that Jon Stewart is such an awesome guy, he worked it out so that Marketa could come out and deliver her full acceptance speech after the commercial break (that moment reminded me how much I liked the movie, want to get to know The Frames better, and that I really want to spend more than just a long weekend in Ireland sometime.)

• seeing Amy Adams sing live. I've really liked her since Junebug, and she's growing on me. Maybe I've just got a girl-crush on her because Honey does. I think I really respect an actor more who is well-rounded. She's not just a pretty face in Hollywood. She's multi-talented.
• that a girlfriend I called after the best supporting actor award wanted me to translate the last few phrases of Javier Bardem's speech.
• that Cate Blanchett was visibly excited when Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard beat her out in the actress categories. My screen goddess Cate was nominated for both supporting and lead and got neither. But if you watched her reactions on the nominee cam, she was the only nom who was visibly excited that her competitors beat her out. I love that because it shows me she is an actor who realizes what she does is art, not ego.
• that Tilda Swinton (who I've had a crush on since Orlando) was whomperjawed when she won. And that Marion Cotillard, despite being the only good thing about La Vie en Rose (hell, she MADE that movie), and despite mopping up every award along the way, was still humbled and overwhelmed that she won.

• that Diablo Cody won for best original screenplay. AY-MEN! I can't even begin to describe how much I loved Juno. Plus, I love the Cinderella story of the blogger turned overnight sensation screenwriter. (Yes, Honey, I have plotted out a short to write and I will write it soon.) I loved that she wore a cheetah-print dress; that she was caught off-guard by her win; that it looked like she felt so undeserving of the success; that she choked up when thanking her family. I just really liked that moment.
• The Coen sweep. I love the Coen brothers. I've probably mentioned it before. Of their library, there's only one movie of theirs I've not liked. Though to be fair, I still haven't seen Ladykillers. Nonetheless, I think No Country for Old Men may be their dark masterpiece. It was flawless. About as flawless a movie as I've seen in quite a while. For as much as I loved Juno and really wanted it to win, it had a speedbump or two. No Country was smooth, eerie as hell sailing from lights down to lights up.
  
• Better transitions and presentations this year than last. John Travolta waltzing across the stage with dancers from the "So Close" number to the podium; Jon Stewart and Jamia Nash playing Wii tennis when the commercial break was over; Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen selling the scripted banter about Halle Berry vs. Dame Judi Dench a lot better than virtually any of the pro-duos do; Armed Service members in Iraq presenting best documentary short via satellite. I enjoyed when Ellen hosted (was that last year or '05), but I think the transitions this year were better.
• watching the loved ones of the No Country crowd when the Coens would go up for awards. Something I love is when a cast and crew really gel; you can tell they love each other when their people win. Though McAvoy and Ronan were the only Atonement cast (that I saw) in attendance, they thrilled at the awards their film got and you could see it in the way they strained to touch their winners on their way to the podium. When No Country was announced best picture, the cast all stood and hugged each other. It reminded me of the Crash cast from two years past. That cast practically had a cuddle party in the seats. But what I loved most was that the camera, when not on the brothers themselves, was trained on Frances McDormand, Oscar-winning wife of Joel (and another goddess in my cine-pantheon). Her face was red, her eyes moist and you could tell she was sitting on a gusher. She's been making movies with her husband for about 25 years, and to see her face, you can tell that she's his greatest cheerleader. I like them as a couple: shy director, fierce bad-ass actress. Plus, the one Hollywood experience I've had to date involved them, and she was so bloody nice and approachable. Hell, when I was quietly reading my book on set, she brought her husband over to me to meet me. I've never forgotten her kindness to me that summer, so I'm always happy when she and her husband do well.
• lastly: that none of the performance award winners were American. Not that I pay that much attention to that, but I know VA Gal does. And each year she likes to rant about the xenophobia of the bald, gold statuette. (Despite recent memory wins by Helen Mirren, Rachel Weisz, Cate Blanchett, Roberto Benigni, Geoffery Rush, Russel Crowe, Jim Broadbent, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Juliet Binoche, Judi Dench and Catherine Zeta-Jones to name a few.) So the fact that Europeans took home the gold in each of the four acting categories made me think: ha, ha, Virginia Gal! Where's your soapbox now? ;)
  

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Before I get into this, I wanted to fulfill the meme that lovely Mommanator tagged me for a few weeks ago.

Here are the rules:
Pick up the nearest book
(of at least 123 pages).

Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.

The nearest book is what I'm reading, Orson Scott Card's Enchantment. Actually, I just passed page 123 last night.

"His was the only face the water could have shown her, for what other living person was linked to her by blood and love? My Itzak, my Vanya, what is happening to you?
He was dressed in the robe of a medieval monk, and behind him loomed the figure of an old man in priest's garb."

I'll tag, to do the meme next, Darla, Devinoni and if they're still reading my lazy posting-self, Koji's Kitchen, Pearl and Joe. And Virginia Gal, because I'm sure she's onto like her 6th book since reaching Denmark.

I'm still holding out hope that 2008 will be my year. It started out great, but I faced an upsetting hurdle Tuesday afternoon.

I had a minor day surgery scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. It was to last roughly half an hour. In and out, minimal invasion; I can resume my life tomorrow morning with no effects. HA! After I had been under for 45 minutes, Honey began to get suspicious. When the med student who introduced himself to us as the observer came out to retrieve Honey closer to the operation room, he knew something was wrong. Honey met with the doctor. Oops! Clearly, I'm conscious and fine now, but basically, the knock on wood, 2% chance that something would go wrong in this simple day surgery did. And the doctor ended up having to re-open the incision in my belly from my emergency surgery in December. I'm all sewn up and healing now. And my energy level is better than it was two days after my last surgery - maybe because it was just different, even though it's the same incision.

But, boy am I mad. I don't really fault the doctor. I understand what happened and why this had to get invasive. But the one thing that I've been looking forward to most has now been delayed from me for a while. When I came to, I remember asking the nurses like three or four times if it was Tuesday. They told me it was. Then one, making sure I knew when I was said, "And George Bush is still president." I groaned. "Can I go back to sleep? Can you just wake me up in January?" The laughed. I give myself mad props for being able to make coherent jokes mere moments out of anesthesia, while still groggy and confused as hell. Then the doctor then entered my line of sight. "Molly, I'm sorry, you're going to have to stay overnight. And you're not going to get to go to rehearsal tomorrow night." I immediately started bawling. The nurses were worried that I was in pain and surrounded me checking on me, asking if I wanted drugs. I didn't care about the pain. Heck, it only felt like world's worst ab workout. I couldn't go to rehearsal!!

When the doctor's office told me when they wanted to schedule this - the day before rehearsals for my show began again - I checked with him that I should be able to go to rehearsal the next night. Like each time I talked to him, I checked. As long as it's not too strenuous - major dancing, etc - I should be fine. And so long as this was a 1/2 hour day surgery, that would've been the case. Luckily, he felt completely awful about it. I think he knows I'm more traumatized by that than by the need for and execution of the surgery itself. So, I missed last night's rehearsal and will probably have to miss the first show next week; maybe also the second. It kind of depends on my doctor's orders and how well and quickly I'm healing.

If possible, I'm going to sit in on next week's rehearsals, and be in the audience for opening night. I'm emailing work to have them send me phone numbers for calls I've been needing to make, but for which work keeps getting in the way. Don't worry, though. I won't spend more than an hour on it. And if it requires me getting out of bed, I probably won't do it at all! This week, I'm basically not going to leave the house, cook, do laundry or anything. I want as full a recovery as I can have in 7 days. I want to win over my body this year. I'm tired of losing!

Still No Lap Top; still split on the Dems

As you see from the post title, I still have no personal laptop at my disposal. Blah. I haven't been cruising blogs a lot in the last two weeks mainly because driving someone else's machine makes me a little self-conscious. I can't really cruise at work. I can from here, but it just feels foreign going to familiar sites on this other machine. It's a mental block. I'll get over it. I'll have to.

In other ramblings ...



I'm still split on Obama versus Clinton. It really chafes me that Edwards dropped out. I think he brought the best of both. I didn't know how much I liked him until he left. It's like a boyfriend that you thought you were luke warm on until he moved away and you realize the dating pond just got scummier without him. I want to want Clinton, but my aversion to serial political dynasty just won't allow me to. I want to want Obama, but I just don't know enough about him yet, and my aversion to liking things I'm told to like gets in the way. (See #4.) I'm mad at Clinton for voting for the Iraq war and like the fact that Obama (even though he wasn't in the Senate at the time) was publicly against it from the get-go. But damnit, Barack. Could you not please just complete a full term for me, so I can see how you run?

One thing is certain: whichever candidate gets the Democratic nomination will have a hell of an uphill slog to the White House. That's true of any Democratic nominee. Presidential campaign politics have always been crude and nasty, but the neo-cons have made a sadistic, fear-mongering art out of it. Add to the fact that the nominee will be either a woman (an opinionated woman at that - the GREATEST sin of all) or a black man, and I guarantee you, the right will do all they can to crucify the Democratic nominee. And as fear has a stronger tug on people than faith - witness the whole of the middle east and their theocracies; witness my own lame attempts to avoid panic attacks in the London Tube a few weeks after the bombings - they very well could succeed. (Heck, the neo-cons canibalized John McCain; they won't be above preying on prejudices for Hillary and Barack.)

As a minister, my dad gets lots of email from folks who assume because he is a Christian, he will agree with their narrow viewpoints. (Heck, as a Christian, I sometimes get these emails.) Most of these, I think, are sent him from a contingent of old college friends who, from stories I've heard, used to engage in passionate genuine discussion back in the day, but have settled into right-wing thinking - assuming that Jesus is a Republican. (As if he'd get behind any party.) I haven't heard many people worry about Barack Obama's past, though I know the grumblings are out there: Went to a Muslim school! Middle name is Hussein! (Um, who chooses their middle name?) With that in mind - and I'm sure he won't mind - below, please find a brief essay my dad wrote the other day about Barack Obama which he sent out to get ahead of the inevitable mean-ball that will follow this summer and fall.

I have never carried water for anybody but my high school football team and the church of Jesus Christ, and I do not intend to start now. Least of all can any political party or candidate count on me to stake my reputation on them. Like everyone else, I try to choose and support the party or candidate that will best serve the needs of our country and our world, but that does not mean I give up the right to oppose their actions or words when needed.

That first paragraph is to say that the following paragraphs should not be taken as my endorsement of Barack Obama. It is just my meager effort to silence some of the misguided, if not intentionally unfair attacks on him. There may be plenty of good reasons to vote for someone besides Obama, but many of the objections that I (and you?) have been receiving by email and hearing from the windbags on the radio are not good reasons.

We might hope that American voters have had enough of the absurd accusations hurled against candidates for public service. Did you get the email four years ago that said John Kerry would give the Southwestern U.S. back to Mexico? In the 1980s, there were some claiming that Ronald Wilson Reagan was the Beast spoken of in Revelation because there were six letters in each of his three names. Thank God that was before email could be used to spread such nonsense.

As a Christian minister, I am most troubled by some of my colleagues who question Obama’s Christianity. The very idea of one person passing judgment on another’s confession of faith should give us pause, but basing that judgment on the background of his parents or a distorted view of his church (as does an email I received) is inexcusable.

Obama was not raised in the church and then baptized or confirmed in his adolescence as many of us were. Rather, he confessed Christ as a young adult and clearly understands his public service as a way of living out his discipleship. Christians should rejoice in that, not disparage it.

Of course, the fact that Obama is a devout Christian does not mean he should be president. There are many wonderful Christians who would be total failures as president. We all need to examine what the man says and does and make our decisions with clear, rational minds guided by faith, hope, and love rather than by a barrage of unsubstantiated, irrational fears.

Here’s hoping we will do so in this noisy election year.

Laptop Withdrawal

I love my husband. He's such a details nerd.

He's online looking at a road construction plan for a big freeway "to do" that's been going on in our city. He's reading the plans and specs aloud and marveling at how much more efficient it will be. As he has been feeling like death warmed over for the last few days - enough so that he will not be accompanying me to a play tonight and that we had to disinvite friends from a Superbowl get-together tomorrow night - I am satisfied that he is content to geek out over publicly available engineering details.

In the meantime, I have been going through laptop withdrawal. My endearing iBook that I've had for 3 years and some change, suddenly, and without warning, went kaput about a week ago. Thankfully - and amazingly - it was mere moments after I had finished some work for my office and emailed it to myself there. It needs a new harddrive, but right now it's looking like we'll just buy a refurbished (more recent) model. Since we were probably going to buy a whole new one next year, we may as well get one with a few months under the hood this year - especially since the cost of a new harddrive would be half the cost of a refurbished one with a warranty.

All this is to say: this is why I haven't posted, surfed blogs or sent you the delicious bananas foster recipe I promised. (Okay, I've promised none of you any such thing, but it's the comedy rule of three. I needed a punchline.) I've been leeching off of my computer at work to do my personal email, and it's been weird to come home and not go check out the sites I wouldn't dare check at work. (None of them dirty, just ... you know. Not cool for workies to see.)

I leave you with two non-sequitirs:

1) Now that Edwards has dropped out, I'm unsure who to support. Not that I've been bursting at the seams for anyone, really. My gut says Obama, but it's really hard for me to get past his lack of Washington experience. Even Edwards had a solid term under his belt. Nonetheless, I feel he can do a better job of bringing people together than Hillary. As much as I admire her, on many levels, and as popular as she is among the base, the sad truth is, come November, it's not the base that will be voting for her. The electorate will include myriad of people who despise her specifically because she is unapologetic about being a powerful woman. (She shouldn't be, of course, but that's neither here nor there.) There will be myriad voters who despise her for myriad other reasons; many petty, some legitimate. It's hard for me to throw my support behind someone who is essentially a lightning rod; we can't have divisive folks anymore, even if - counter to what Shrub insisted, I fully believe he intended to divide - you go in wanting, with all your heart, to bring two sides together. ... all that, and frankly, I find it hard to support her because I've been watching her since 2000, and until she began her campaign, I don't think she put enough distance between herself and some critical Bush policies. ... so that's what's on my mind as our primary nears.

2) Below is a link to a video of a performance group I love. I think they really challenge us to think about what art is, what performance is, what social experiment is and what the role of the audience is. Enjoy Improv Everywhere's recent "mission." ... oh, and it reminded me of a similar art blog that RocketBoom did a few months ago. (But IE's was cooler!) (PS. It may be sacrosanct in the nerd world, but I like RocketBoom' Joanne Colan a lot better than her predecessor, Amanda Congdon. The former is much more natural than the latter.)

Now, off to see a play!

PS. If anyone can tell me how I embed Youtube/Brightcove/MilkandCookies/etc, etc, videos here, I'd appreciate it. I feel like such a dork just posting links.