Yesterday I got carded buying a thing of Robitussin and a pack of DayQuil. Do I really look 14?

Also, 'The Office' is an amazing TV show (American version, thanks).

Also, 'Little Miss Sunshine' winning the WGA is saddening. Good thing all those sitcom writers aren't in AMPAS members.

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Ebert and I disagree.

Ebert's Oscar picks are now up. I must say, I generally respect his opinion on movies. He definitely knows what he's talking about (obviously more-so than me, which is why he is famous and I'm only slightly less famous), but his Oscar predictions, other than predicting a few random upsets (i.e. 'Crash') are usually off.

The short version, here is what he says:

Best Actor - Prediction: Forest Whitaker, Preference: Peter O'Toole
Supporting Actor - Prediction: Eddie Murphy, Preference: Eddie Murphy
Best Actress - Prediction: Helen Mirren, Preference: Helen Mirren
Supporting Actress - Prediction: Jennifer Hudson, Preference: Jennifer Hudson

Foreign Film - Prediction: "Pan's Labyrinth", Preference: "Pan's Labyrinth"
Animated Film - Prediction: "Cars", Preference: "Monster House"
Original Screenplay - Prediction: "Babel", Preference: "Babel"
Adapted Screenplay - left out...
Best Director - Prediction: Martin Scorsese, Preference: "For reasons of tact, I prefer not to reveal my preference."
Best Picture - Prediction: "Babel", Preference: "Babel"

Babel? BABEL?! The only way I see this happening is if it wins the WGA tonight, which is pretty unlikely since its competition is Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen. If the former wins, it has a good shot at Picture, if the latter wins, it'll for sure win screenplay, and has a better shot at Picture as well (and pretty much knocks LMS out). Can Babel even win screenplay? If Babel doesn't win Screenplay, the only potential wins at the Oscars are Editing (which I don't think it will win either), and then Picture. And I honestly don't see it taking home the big prize with only two awards. Actually, I can imagine it, and it makes me pretty mad, and since the Academy likes to throw a few curve balls I almost expect this kind of joke. Why do I get so into this?

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Because I really, really don't want to read T.S. Eliot right now...

Oscar gibberish.

Ok, this is still very early, but here's the update:

Best Pic: Should win - 'The Departed.' Will win - 'The Departed.' Wouldn't mind winning - 'The Queen.' Would vomit if won - 'Little Miss Sunshine' or 'Babel'

Best Director: Should win - Scorsese. Will win - Scorsese.

Best Actor: Should win - Leo DiCaprio for 'The Departed.' (I know) Will win - Forest Whitaker for 'The Last King of Scotland.' I really need to see 'Half Nelson,' though.

Best Actress: Should win - Helen Mirren for 'The Queen.' Will win - Helen Mirren. Very unlikely upset: Meryl Streep

Supporting Actor: Should win - Mark Wahlberg for 'The Departed.' Will win - Eddie Murphy for 'Dreamgirls.' Possible upset - Alan Arkin.

I say Wahlberg, and I feel I need to justify myself. First off, the only other nominee in a Best Pic movie is Alan Arkin. Also, Wahlberg was easily the biggest scene stealer in 'The Departed,' and that's an amazing thing when you're in a movie with Leo, Matt Damon, and the amazing Jack Nicholson. Sure, a lot of it is tributed to Will Monahan's script, but still. Whereas Eddie Murphy broke his typical mold, he's far from the main attraction of 'Dreamgirls,' which was thoroughly snubbed by the Academy. Sadly, I don't think Wahlberg will pull much support though.

Supporting Actress: Should win - Cate Blanchett for 'Notes on a Scandal.' Will win - Jennifer Hudson for 'Dreamgirls.' Possible upset - Abigail Breslin for 'Little Miss Sunshine.'

If little Abigail throws Jennifer Hudson off her damn pedestal I'd be happy, except that would mean 'Sunshine' has a huge shot at Best Pic, which I don't want. Seriously, I would put all the other four nominees ahead of Hudson. Cate Blanchett has the most talent out of any of the nominees, but she already got her gold for 'The Aviator,' so I doubt she'll win again so soon. Sad.

Adapted Screenplay: Should win - 'The Departed.' Will win - 'The Departed.'

Original Screenplay: Should win - 'The Queen.' Will win - 'The Queen.'

The WGA awards are soon, and if for some reason 'Sunshine' wins that, I may change my prediction, but 'The Queen' seems like a solid lock now, which makes me happy.

Ok, back to this damn poetry...

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So who's seen the original 'King Kong,' 1933 version? Oh well, this kind of works if you've only seen the new 2005 version.

A ways into the movie Kong camptures Ann Darrow (Fay Wray, or Naomi Watts), and then the group of people are following the ape, trying to rescue her. At some point in the old movie, Kong crosses a big river, temporarily losing the group that was trailing him. But then one of the guys has the bright idea to build a raft. Yes, assembling a raft to get across the river, brilliant! It even shows the men going off to collect supplies. A bit of a stretch, but I can buy it.

But then later, remember when Kong gets knocked unconscious by the grenade(s) and passes out, right before he's brought back to America? Well, in the new version, I think it just cuts and shows them in New York, ignoring the logistical question of how the F to get the ape on the boat. In the 1933 version, guess what they decide to do? Hell yes, they build another raft! (Though they don't actually show it, they just say they're going to do it.)

So, I'd like to know where they managed to find these hundreds of long, round pieces of wood so they could assemble a raft to put the 50 foot tall ape on their boat, or how they would even move him. I also think it's pretty hilarious that the universal solution to any problem involving water transportation is to build a raft. Not use a boat, or use a pre-made raft, or anything, but to actually build the raft on the spot. So great.

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Yesterday I was at a lazer tag place, and there's a playground there, inside by the waiting area. There was this kid, probably about ten years-old, and he stood on top of some platform and yelled, "I'm the king of the world!" with his arms out.

I looked for his parents, who are smiling, then I shook my head. First, I'm surprised he's seen that movie, since it's PG-13, and came out probably the same year he was born. Secondly, because kids are annoying in general.

But then I thought about it, and looked at it this way. If I'm so disapproving of kids yelling out movie quotes from before their time like they know what they're talking about, I wonder what the generation before me thinks when I quote 'The Godfather' or 'Annie Hall' or any other of the hundreds of movies I've seen that were popular before I was born.

My general conclusion, though, was that I've had time to watch these movies and know what they're about and understand them, while this kid probably has no idea how significant a movie like 'Titanic' is, and just watched it because that was the only way his parents would let him stay up past his bedtime. I win.

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A couple days ago I was at Target and I saw the special edition of 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' for $19.99. Now, as we all know, that movie is easily one of the best films ever made. Normally the SE is ~$23, so I picked it up.

At the register for check-out, the DVD came up to be $10.00. And it rang up as the right movie. I think those little pleasant surprises are the things that get me through everyday life. Unexpectedly saving ten dollars is amazing.

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Ok. I love the Silver Surfer. Seriously, one of my favorite comic book characters when I was growing up. And he looks pretty cool and all, but a cure for cancer and AIDS will be invented before I see this movie.

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Here's a few statistics:

Since 1990, no film from the bottom two of the five nominated best pictures, in Box Office numbers, has won. The only 3rd place one was American Beauty.

There has only been (I think) 3 instances where a film has won without a Best Director nomination, the last one being in 1989 for Driving Miss Daisy.

There has NEVER been two consecutive years with a Director/Picture split, and since there was one last year...

So far, DOMESTIC BO:

The Departed: $121 million
Little Miss Sunshine: $59 million
The Queen: $36 million
Babel: $24 million
Letters from Iwo Jima: $2 million

Also, Departed has about $255 overseas.

So, theoretically it's a 'Departed' vs. 'The Queen' race. I like it.

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I have this really bad habit where I push certain buttons on my keyboard or mouse excessively, even though they don't do anything (well, they do something, but I don't need them, but I keep clicking them anyway).

So last night, the scroll wheel on my mouse broke. I think I pushed it in so much that it busted its track, or whatever holds it in place, so now it won't scroll or click anything. This is so frustrating, since now I have to scroll with either the arrow keys or by dragging the bar on the side. Also, now I can't use that button to open a link in a new window.

This is the most tragic thing that's happened to me recently. I don't want to have to spend $40 on a new mouse. But, this is yet another example of how you don't realize how much you need something until its gone. I guess I'm stuck living like a caveman for a while.

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