2011 Golden Globe Nominees

This is going to be an interesting Golden Globes.  Some great nominations (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50, Kristen Wiig).


I'm excited!

Best Motion Picture, Drama

The Descendants

The Help

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

War Horse

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
50/50

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Midnight in Paris

My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants

Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Jean DuJardin, The Artist

Brendon Gleeson, The Guard

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love

Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis, The Help

Rooney Mara, The Girl
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Jodie Foster, Carnage

Charlize Theron, Young Adult

Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids

Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive

Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help

Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer, The Help

Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Director

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March

Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxwon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
Steve Derian and Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

Best Foreign Language Film

The Flowers of War, China

In the Land of Blood and Honey, USA
The Kid With the Bike, Belgium

A Separation, Iran

The Skin I Live In, Spain

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin

Arthur Christmas
Cars 2

Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
"Hello, Hello," Elton John and Bernie Taupin; Gnomeo & Juliet

"The Keeper," Chris Cornell; Machine Gun Preacher
"Lay Your Head Down," Brian Byrne and Glenn Close; Albert Nobbs

"The Living Proof," Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr. and Damon Thomas, The Help

"Masterpiece," Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry; W.E.

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
The Artist, Ludovic Bource

W.E., Abel Korzeniowski

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Rezbir and Atticus Ross

Hugo, Howard Shore
7
War Horse, John Williams

Best TV Movie or Miniseries

Cinema Verite

Downton Abbey

The Hour

Mildred Pierce

Too Big to Fail

Best TV Series, Drama

American Horror Story

Boardwalk Empire

Boss

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Best TV Series, Comedy

Enlightened

Episodes

Glee

Modern Family

New Girl

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama

Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Kelsey Grammer, Boss

Jeremy Irons, The Borgias

Damian Lewis, Homeland

Best Actor, TV Series Comedy

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

David Duchovny, Californication

Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory

Thomas Jane, Hung

Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama

Claire Danes, Homeland

Mireille Enos, The Killing

Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife

Madeleine Stowe, Revenge

Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy

Laura Dern, Enlightened

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl

Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Laura Linney, The Big C

Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie

Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey

Idris Elba, Luther

William Hurt, Too Big to Fail

Bill Nighy, Page Eight

Dominic West, The Hour

Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie

Romala Garai, The Hour

Diane Lane, Cinema Verite

Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey

Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult

Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones

Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce

Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite

Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie

Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Kelly MacDonald, Boardwalk Empire

Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey

Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Cecile B. DeMille Award

Morgan Freeman

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Movie Poster: Prometheus

It's...beautiful.

/drool

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2011 SAG Award Nominees!

Some really interesting choices here.  We might have quite the fun Oscars this year!  Could Bridesmaids squeak out a Best Picture nomination??


FILM

Male Actor, Lead
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean DuJardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Male Actor, Supporting
Kenenth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Female Actor, Lead
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Female Actor, Supporting
Bérénce Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Cast in a Motion Picture
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

TV

Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
James Woods, Too Big to Fail

Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Maggie Smith, Downtown Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Betty White, The Lost Valentine
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Male Actor, Drama Series
Patrick J. Adams, Suits
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter

Female Actor, Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law
Glenn Close, Damages
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Julianna Marguiles, The Good Wife
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Male Actor, Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Steve Carell, The Office
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Female Actor, Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Ensemble, Comedy Series
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office

Ensemble, Drama
Boardwalk Empire
Breaking Bad
Dexter
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife

Lifetime Achievement Award
Mary Tyler Moore

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Wild Flag on David Letterman

If Wild Flag haven't won you over yet, give this a whirl.

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Neil Diamond CD WINNERS!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The winners of the 3 "The Very Best of Neil Diamond" CDs are...

Joseph Nield of Avon, IN

Jim Glass of Pekin, IL

Mike Smith of David City, NE

All 3 correctly answered the question:

"What are the 3 #1 hits that appear on this collection of songs?"

The answers are:

1) Cracklin' Rosie

2) Song Sung Blue

3) You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Enjoy!

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TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2011 by Marques Wayne

2011  wasn't necessarily a great year for music, and this is usually the hardest list for me to compile every year anyway.  I always have too much to choose from and trying to rank things is hard, or I'm not sure what came out when and have to do a lot of Googling to make sure I get it right.  


This time I had a hard time even thinking of 10 albums that I enjoyed all the way through.  I usually just do a top five, but there were about seven that were contenders so I decided to make it a nice round ten and include some that I didn't necessarily love, or have a chance to fall in love with yet, but still admired enough to recommend.  So, here it is (more or less in order) my  Top 10 Albums of 2011 and Top 20 Singles.  The singles were SUPER hard since I hate most music on the radio and most of what I listen to came out before the year 2000 so there is a lot of repetition.  Enjoy, comment, and PLEASE if you have suggestions of some other good music, give them!!


1.) 21_ Adele (An artistic leap forward from her promising debut.  Producer Rick Rubin helped her find her voice in more ways than one.  She dug deeper with her songwriting and pushed herself vocally and the results are remarkable.  Easily the album of the year.  Key Tracks: Someone Like You/Turning Tables/Set Fire to the Rain)

2.) Betty Wright: The Movie _ Betty Wright & The Roots (A welcome return from the R&B legend!  The Roots are the perfect match for the diva to pay tribute to the past and bring real soul music to the new generation.  A class act.  Key Tracks: Surrender/In The Middle of the Game/You and Me, Leroy)

3.) Torches _ Foster The People (A sublime debut from the funky California Alt-Rockers.  The songs are so catchy you can easily miss how sobering the topics are.  Teen mass murder anyone? Key Tracks: 'Helena Beat'/ 'Life on the Nickel'/ 'Call It What You Want')

4.) Born This Way_ Lady Gaga (Gaga lets out her inner rock Grrrl and continues to intrigue.  Say what you will about the Madonna sound-alike title track and even the not quite right, but danceable follow up Judas, but you can't deny the pop-rock euphoria of You and I and Edge of Glory.  Some of the best cuts on here so far haven't been released as singles and there are a plenty.  Key Tracks: Schiebe/Americano/Marry the Night)

5.) Katla_ Ida Maria (Before the election got too ridiculous for me and I stopped listening to NPR non-stop I was introduced to Ida Maria being interviewed when her album was being released.  The sassy, fun personality she displayed in the interview is evident on Katla which bubbles with wit and manages to be sexy and catchy without feeling false.  Key Tracks: Cherry Red/ I Eat Boys Like You For Breakfast/ Bad Karma)

6.) Hot Sauce Committee Part Two_ The Beastie Boys (This is classic Beasties and just the way I like them.  Rapping about random stuff to hard hip-hop beats and just being cool ass white boys.  It doesn't hurt having Nas and Santigold dropping by either.  Key Track: Don't Play No Game That I Can Win/Make Some Noise)

7.) Angles_ The Strokes (A return to form from my favorite scraggly New Yorkers.  After their last album that started with a bang and then whimped out, I was glad to have my Strokes back. Key Tracks: Call Me Back/Under the Cover of Darkness/Gratisfaction)

8.) El Camino_ The Black Keys (This album kinda just came out and I'm still learning it and falling in love with it, but it's The Black Keys so I'm sure I won't regret including it on this list. Key Tracks: Money Maker /Run Right Back/Lonely Boy)

9.) Watch The Throne_ Jay-Z & Kanye West (This was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and, though it's not perfect, Jay and Kanye are at their lyrical best.  I don't always enjoy Kanye and it says something that I can get through this whole album without cringing, excessive use of the "N" word notwithstanding.  Key Tracks: Otis/Lift Off/No Church in the Wild)

10.) Camp_ Childish Gambino (For someone who could be described as a cross between Drake and Kanye, two rappers I don't always enjoy, I manage to like this fresh debut from Childish Gambino.   The renaissance artist A.K.A. Donald Glover, a writer and also one of the stars of NBC's Community, keeps it real in a different way than most rappers; he raps about how not being a street hustler made him a hip-hop outsider.  Hopefully on his next album he'll drop the chip on his shoulder that's keeping his freak flag from flying as high as it could.  Key Tracks: All The Shine/Hold You Down)

Honorable Mentions: 


Lioness: Hidden Treasures_ Amy Winehouse (Amy, Amy, Amy, gone too soon and this album is a reminder of what might've been.  With its mis-mash of demos, early recordings and unreleased tracks it's not necessarily a new album and so I didn't include it on the list, but it's one of my favorites this year.)






Love After War_ Robin Thicke (Another cozy set of boudoir jams from the sexy lothario.  I took my first listen as I was compiling this list and it's too late to make the cut, but worth recommending.)

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Movie Trailer: Men In Black 3

I can't imagine this being any worse than the last one but the only laugh I had was the very end. Might not bode well.

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Game Of Thrones: Season 2 "Cold Winds" Tease

APRIL????

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Worth Revisiting: The Oceans Trilogy

It's been ten years since Danny Ocean and his crew hit theaters in Ocean's 11 and four years since their last outing but I think it might be worth your time to have another look at the classic cool of the Ocean's trilogy.

With Ocean's 11, we were introduced to a bumbling group of criminals lead by the ultra cool George Clooney and Brad Pitt as they plot to rob a seemingly unrobbable casino bank vault. The action goes international in the, admittedly weaker but still fun, Oceans 12 before coming back home to Vegas in the back to basics Ocean's 13.

Why revisit these movies? Aside from being a ton of classic fun, the films boast some of the best casts in recent memory and features some of Clooney and Pitt's best work.  I really do love these films and whenever either of them pops on the TV, I'm helpless and unable to turn the channel.  The charm and charisma of these movies are instantly captivating and pull me right back in.

There's another reason now is a great time to revisit this excellent series of films.  The entire Oceans Trilogy is on sale at Amazon for $19.99.  Yeah less than $10 bucks per movie.  Less than $7 bucks per movie for that matter.  This is a pretty amazing price for three rather great films.

I may be in the minority but I would love to see another flick with these characters.  I truly have a great time with these movies and definitely wouldn't mind another go around with Ocean's gang.

Hey, you might not be able to afford a trip to Vegas all the time but you can still visit with the Oceans Trilogy any time you want.

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