The enigma behind Leap Year birthdays

You know, I've always wondered about the dynamics of Leap Year birthdays, because it's a very unique scenario. Your day of birth essentially lives in hibernation, coming out only once every four years before retreating again for another four years. It's almost like a solar eclipse—appearing in a flash and then disappearing for eons.

Which leaves me to wonder, how do people whose birthday falls on February 29 celebrate? Do they just have a faux birthday on February 28/ March 1? Further to that, how do they calculate their age? Do they only count the number of actual birthdays they've marked? (Like if someone was born on February 29, 1960, does that person turn 48 . . . or 12?)

Kinda makes me glad I was born on Friday the 13th!

There's nothing like the power of suggestion

I seriously spoke too soon when I mentioned Gustav Holst earlier, because now I can't get his music from The Planets out of my head. So once again, I give in to temptation.

Mercury, the Winged Messenger

Venus, the Bringer of Peace

Mars, the Bringer of War

Jupiter, the Bringer of Jolity

Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age

Uranus, the Magician

Neptune, the Mystic

Is Gustav Holst rolling in his grave yet?

I think I missed the memo, but according to a CNN article, we now have 11 planets in our solar system instead of 9. When did we add 2 more???

The article in question cites the new planets Ceres and Eris, which are classified as drawf planets much like Pluto. Ceres is located between Mars and Jupiter, and Eris is now the furthest planet from the sun, surpassing Pluto for that honor.

In need of a laugh (VII)

Sorry for the poor video quality, but this is still a classic Muppets moment.

Oscar Night 2008: LIVE BLOGGING

In summation . . .

Well, I can honestly say it's been an interesting awards show! It proceeded on schedule for the most part, with No Country taking home the major awards it was expected to, and Daniel Day-Lewis winning Best Actor—though I never expected the Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories (along with several others, like Best Original Song and Best Visual Effects) to proceed as they did. But all things considered, it was a good Oscar ceremony! The surprises made it worth watching, and Jon Stewart proved to be an excellent host this time around.

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11:46 pm

Best Picture: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, and Scott Rudin for No Country for Old Men — Again, I was hoping for There Will Be Blood. But it was quite nice to see Denzel presenting Best Picture.

Best Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men — Doh! I was hoping for Paul Thomas Anderson, but the Coens did just make movie history by being the first pair to win Best Director since 1961.

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11:36 pm

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood — Another one that was clearly a lock, but having seen There Will Be Blood, I can honestly say this Oscar was righteously deserved.

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11:29 pm

Okay, now for the final big three! While these last three winners are somewhat predictable, the suspense in the air is palpable, because this has been an evening of great surprises! Will these last awards go out on schedule, or are all bets off?

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11:26 pm

Best Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody for Juno — I say again, is this really a surprise? Though I like that tattoo Diablo Cody has on her right arm!

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11:18 pm

Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for Atonement — Doh! I was hoping for James Newton Howard for Michael Clayton. But at least I'm consoled by the fact that Amy Adams is smokin' hot!

Best Documentary, Short Subject: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth for Freeheld — Like Best Animated Short, this too was an original way to present the nominees—a video feed from troops in Iraq!

Best Documentary Features: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner for Taxi to the Dark Side — I'm just breathing a big sigh of relief that Michael Moore isn't back up on the Oscar stage . . .

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11:05 pm

Best Cinematography: Robert Elswit for There Will Be Blood — Oooh, I was expecting Roger Deakins for Jesse James, but I'll agree with this call as well.

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10:57 pm

Now that was a nice gesture—letting Markéta Irglová come back on stage to finish her acceptance speech. Good call, very classy.

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10:52 pm

Best Original Song: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová for the song "Falling Slowly" from Once — Yet another surprise! Because like Dreamgirls last year, I thought Enchanted would score a victory with one of its three songs in the lineup.

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10:45 pm

Best Foreign Language Film: Die Fälscher from Austria — I'm gonna have to visit the E Street Cinema sometime to see some of these foreign films. Because I think The Lives of Others played there last year.

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10:33 pm

Best Film Editing: Christopher Rouse for The Bourne Ultimatum — Okay, make that three Oscars for The Bourne Ultimatum! :)

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10:28 pm

Okay, Jack, you had me scared there for a minute. I thought for some reason they were going to do Best Picture early this year, too!!!

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10:15 pm

Best Sound Editing: Karen M. Baker and Per Hallberg for The Bourne Ultimatum — You know, I think this might be the first Bourne film to win an Oscar!

Best Sound: Scott Millan, David Parker, and Kirk Francis for The Bourne Ultimatum — Wow, Bourne Ultimatum wins two Oscars!!! This I didn't expect, but I'm certainly not complaining. :)

Best Actress: Marion Cotillard for La Vie en Rose — Wow, they did this award early this year! Usually it's saved for close to the end of the show, along with actor, director, and picture. But then again, the 2005 ceremony started right off the bat with Best Supporting Actor, so I guess the precedent's already been set. But getting back to the Best Actress award, this was another surprise, because I was thinking it'd be either Julie Christie or Ellen Page.

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9:50 pm

Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men — I think having Josh Brolin, a No Country co-star (and who will always remain Brand from Goonies to me), was something of a giveaway. Though I'm wondering why their speech came to an abrupt end.

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9:41 pm

Best Live Action Short: Philippe Pollet-Villard for Les Mozart des pickpockets — It's very good to see Owen Wilson back on the scene. And I think Philippe Pollet-Villard's English is pretty good, despite his claims to the contrary.

Best Animated Short: Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman for Peter & the Wolf — That was a very original way to present this award—Jerry Seinfeld in his bee character from Bee Movie, even doing an animated envelope!

Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton — Okay I admit, this one really surprised me. For a while, I had no idea who would take home this gold trophy, because it seemed like a five-way tie all around. If anything, I had expected Amy Ryan to edge ahead of the competition, and I hadn't really thought much of Tilda Swinton's performance in Michael Clayton. But I guess surprises like this are what make the Oscar ceremonies so interesting.

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9:19 pm

Best Visual Effects: Michael L. Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, and Trevor Wood for The Golden Compass — Wow, I didn't realize The Rock would be presenting an award tonight! And I admit to being surprised, because I thought Pirates was a sure-fire shoo-in for this award, running practically neck-and-neck with Transformers.

Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo for Sweeney Todd — This makes perfect sense, being a Tim Burton film (which I alluded to last night). Though I don't think Cate Blanchett played a pit bull in No Country for Old Men.

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men — Now I ask you, was this really a surprise? I was really hoping for Tom Wilkinson, but I was kind of resigned to Javier winning. And he noticed, too, that you have to speak fast in acceptance speeches! I'm glad he called out the orchestra on that.

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9:02 pm

Damn, Amy Adams is hot! And we're approaching the first of the acting awards soon!

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8:58 pm

Best Animated Feature: Brad Bird for Ratatouille — Okay, now Brad Bird should have been given a chance to finish his acceptance speech. It seemed like he had a very short window to talk. But on another note, did Steve Carrell say "shot" or "shit"?

Best Makeup: Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald for La Vie en Rose — Again, let them finish their acceptance speeches! Especially since there were two winners (and the first was a man of very few words).

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8:43 pm

Best Costume Design: Alexandra Byrne for Elizabeth: The Golden Age — Awesome! First award of the night! This seemed like the logical choice, being that it was a heavy regal period piece.

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8:40 pm

Okay, this is the Jon Stewart I was hoping for two years ago! Witty, funny, clever, engaging—this is the Oscar host that we need, and thankfully the one we received. :)

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8:37 pm

All things considered, I think Jon Stewart handled the topic of the writer's strike as good as could be. At first, I was a little nervous (and I wasn't sure what to make of the "make-up sex" comment), but the idea of writers and actors coming together (outside of the Vanity Fair after-party, that is) is a good idea and a good springboard from which to move forward.

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8:30 pm

All righty, looks like this party is about to get started!!! :)

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8:26 pm

Gee, no pressure from Regis tonight! 'Cause nothing makes a group of dancers feel more confident and composed than reminding them that the whole world is watching you live on TV, looking for any little slip-up!

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8:17 pm

Wow, Daniel Day-Lewis looks very different than I remember him! I'd gotten so used to seeing him in the characters of Bill The Butcher and Daniel Plainview that I'd forgotten how he looked without the facial hair and makeup. (Though I don't think those earrings look right on him.)

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8:07 pm

Okay, that interview comment about John Travolta wearing/not wearing a dress in recognition of Hairspray was somewhat unexpected. Though I did enjoy Kelly Preston's dress!

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8:00 pm

It's time to get this party started, y'all, because this is the night that all of Hollywood and movie fans everywhere have been waiting for! The Red Carpet has been rolled out, the stars are showing up, and with the writer's strike now resolved, the show can go on! (Talk about excellent timing.) I'm crossing my fingers that Jon Stewart proves to be a worthy and engaging host, much like Ellen DeGeneres was last year. I must admit, I had reservations when I learned that he'd be hosting this year, because I found him a bit too deadpan and uninteresting when he hosted the ceremony two years ago. But the next 40 minutes or so will probably be filled with interviews and photo shoots, so keep it here until then!

Predictions for tomorrow night's Oscars

One last plug before tomorrow night's show: I'm live-blogging the Oscar ceremony tomorrow night!!!

And now that I've gotten that out of the way, here are predictions on the winners for this year:

• No Country for Old Men will take home Best Picture gold, though I'd prefer There Will Be Blood instead. No Country left me very puzzled at the end, without any sense of resolution, and while I normally don't decry that (since I watch and adore David Lynch's films), it just didn't work for me with No Country for Old Men.



• The Coen brothers will jointly take home the directing award, becoming the first pair to win a directing Oscar since I think West Side Story in 1961. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers for Paul Thomas Anderson, because his direction for There Will Be Blood was just magnificent.



• Daniel Day-Lewis is a shoo-in for Best Actor (though George Clooney is on record for being disappointed that he'll likely be losing to Daniel Day-Lewis). Johnny Depp definitely deserves an Oscar one day, but I can't see him winning for Sweeney Todd—and definitely not over Daniel Day-Lewis.



• Can't say I know who'll get Best Actress, being that I haven't seen any of the nominated performances.



• Like Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood, Javier Bardem is a shoo-in to win Best Supporting Actor, though I'd prefer either Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton or Casey Affleck for Jesse James.



• Best Supporting Actress feels like an all-around tie, because from what I can see, all of them have a shot at winning. Amy Ryan seems to be the favorite for Gone Baby Gone, though I can somehow see Tilda Swinton swiping it for Michael Clayton (though I honestly wasn't too impressed with her performance).



• Best Original Screenplay is a toss-up between Juno and Ratatouille, though I think Juno edges ahead by a hair with its chances.



• No Country will undoubtedly take Best Adapted Screenplay, though Sarah Polley might—might!—score an upset with the script for Away From Her.



• Having seen three of the five nominees for Best Cinematography (No Country, There Will Be Blood, and Jesse James), I can honestly say that all three had wondrous cinematography. Though I'd have to say Jesse James inches ahead by a hair.



• Sweeney Todd will take Best Art Direction, simply because Tim Burton's dark worlds necessitate very pronounced artistic flair.



• Elizabeth: The Golden Age will take Best Costume Design. Why? Because it's a heavy period piece, far more so than Atonement. When you deal with 15th-, 16th-, 17th-century regals, you don't just put the bare minimum into the costume design. Just ask Sofia Coppola!



• I'm crossing my fingers that James Newton Howard takes home the gold for Best Musical Score for Michael Clayton—a score which I found to be a fantastic cross between Heat and Traffic.



• I can see The Transformers taking the gold for Best Sound, though the third Pirates movie is a shoo-in for Best Visual Effects. If you don't believe me, just watch the final battle royale at sea in Pirates, and you'll see what I mean.



• For Best Documentary Features, I think No End in Sight will emerge the winner, though I don't discount Michael Moore's Sicko—not by a mile. The only reason I can see him not winning is a) because he's controversial by nature—and pretty much basks in the controversy he creates—and b) because I don't think Hollywood wants to hear him finish his acceptance speech from when he won for Bowling for Columbine (which he claims he will do if he wins).



• Best Animated Feature belongs to Ratatouille, end of story.

So there are my predictions. I don't have anything riding on them, except my credibility. ;) But either way, I hope you'll join me tomorrow night for a fabulous awards ceremony!

And the Razzie winners are . . .

I was surprised this afternoon to see the winners announced for the annual Razzie (Golden Raspberry) Awards. I had actually thought they were announced the day after the Oscars rather than before, but I'll take it either way. :)

I made predictions late last month on the winners, so let's see how well I fared in this year's contest. (Last year, I think I scored a bit better than half.)

Worst Picture: I Know Who Killed Me (I predicted Norbit)

Worst Actor: Eddie Murphy for Norbit (I predicted Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Daddy Day Camp)

Worst Actress: Lindsay Lohan for I Know Who Killed Me (picked it!)

Worst Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy for Norbit (picked it!)

Worst Supporting Actress: Eddie Murphy for Norbit (Ooh, didn't see that one coming. I'd predicted Jessica Biel for I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry)

Worst Director: Chris Siverston for I Know Who Killed Me (picked it!)

Worst Screen Couple: Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan (picked it!)

Worst Remake or Rip-off: I Know Who Killed Me (I picked it!)

Worst Prequel or Sequel: Daddy Day Camp (Doh!!! I'd gone with Alien vs. Predator, mainly because classic-bad-guy vs. classic-bad-guy movies have become rather old.)

Worst Screenplay: Jeffrey Hammond for I Know Who Killed Me (I'd predicted Epic Movie)

Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie: I Know Who Killed Me (Again, I went for Alien vs. Predator)

So that's 5 out of 11. Good thing I'm not a gambling man!

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting such hate for Eddie Murphy. Lindsay Lohan, yes (and justifiably so), but I kinda think Hollywood has been a bit unfair towards Murphy. I agree, his acting choices of late have been rather questionable, but I still think he's proven himself to be a good and worthy actor. His choice of versatility in his roles stretches all the way back to Coming to America, which showcased him in quite a few eclectic roles (to say the least). Though I think his moving over to family movies during the '90s wasn't such a good move, because his comedic talents have thus been underutilized. Me, I still fondly remember Murphy from such films as 48 HRS., Beverly Hills Cop, The Golden Child, and even his most recent dramatic role in Dreamgirls, for which he was rightfully Oscar-nominated. My hope is that one day Eddie Murphy can one day overcome the stigma that Hollywood has branded him with, and at the same time, choose some roles that truly show how good an actor he is.

Blu-Ray wins . . . who cares?

With Toshiba bowing out of the race for the next-generation DVD, it looks like Blu-Ray wins the war.

My thoughts on the matter (in my best Chris Farley voice): la-de-freakin'-dah!

I'm more than happy with the standard DVDs I use, and have little interest in the pursuit of high-definition picture and super-sonic surround sound. I care more about the story of the film, and see no point in getting caught up in the materialistic craze of ultra-quality picture and sound.

Do you think they forgot her birthday AGAIN?

To anyone who's seen the movie Sixteen Candles, you know the famous line uttered by angst-ridden Molly Ringwald at the start of the movie. That line takes on new meaning now because, in real life, she actually shares a birthday (today) with Sixteen Candles director John Hughes!

Shameless self-promotion

In just another week, the Oscar ceremony will be happening! And with the writer's strike now over, we can be assured that the show will indeed go on.

And as a reminder to my loyal readers, I'll be live-blogging the Oscar ceremony again next Sunday night. Should be a fun-filled evening! Possibly with a few surprises (i.e., award upsets) thrown into the mix (though sadly, I don't have inside information).

The Indy 4 trailer

The trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has been released. I think the news first broke on Yahoo yesterday, then quickly made it's way onto IMDb and YouTube. And now here it is, for all to see.



I have to confess, even after watching this trailer, I'm still not entirely convinced. Harrison Ford's age is clearly showing, and some of the special effects look a little too modern and go against the serialized look we fondly remember from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I want in the worst way to think this'll be a good movie, but given that it's almost 20 years since the last installment . . . I just don't want this to turn into another Godfather III experience.

A Valentine's Day alternative

A few years ago, a girl I met online forwarded me a joke which, as a man, I found rather intriguing. It made mention of Valentine's Day and noted how, on this day, a man treats a woman like royalty—with flowers, a candlelight dinner, a box of chocolates, etc. And then it asked a rather unexpected question: since a man treats a woman every February 14, what does a woman do for a man in return? Does he get his own psuedo-Valentine's Day?

And in this e-mail, a viable suggestion was indeed proposed . . . which was called Steak and Blowjob Day. A date was arbitrarily chosen (I think this e-mail cited March 20), and on this day, the lady treated her man to the aforementioned, uh, treats.

Speaking for myself, I have no problem at all with this idea! :) And it's reassuring to know that it's catching on (at least partially).

I survived the icy commute, and all I get is this lousy blog post?

Yesterday afternoon and evening we got a pretty hefty freezing rain and ice storm in the metro DC region—enough that it caused unbelievable traffic backlogs on some of the heaviest-travelled roads. Case in point, the complete deadlocking of the Springfield Interchange, which lasted well into the midnight hour. (Good thing I don't live in Alexandria anymore!)

I left work at 5:00 last night, and didn't encounter stopped traffic until about halfway down the GW Parkway, where I came upon two unexpected incidents back to back: first, a car was sitting askew on a very steep embankment, so I'm guessing it must have slid off the road and up the embankment; and second, another vehicle apparently blew a tire and fishtailed all the way around, essentially blocking one lane.

But the worst of it came at the exit for Route 27 off GW Parkway, where exiting traffic just came to a dead stop. From that point to Riverhouse, it's maybe a mile, tops. And on a normal day, it might take me all of three minutes to get from Point A to Point B. Last night, it took me 45 minutes! And the whole time, I don't think my speedometer broke the 5 mph mark until I turned off Columbia Pike onto Joyce Street. (I attribute the long delay to the backups in Springfield, and to the commuters trying to make their way over to southbound back roads like Walter Reed Drive.)

Overall, I didn't find the roads that bad. If anything, they were just wet, but then again, my PA roots have conditioned me well to driving in bad weather.

All the weather predictions for today were dire, suggesting that roads would be pretty bad and that up to an inch of ice could accumulate, despite treatment to the roads. I wrestled long and hard about whether to drive or take Metro this morning, and ultimately decided to brave the roads. I chose this option because I've learned the hard way about getting stuck in Bethesda when taking Metro—because if the Bethesda station or any of the Red Line stations have to close, I'm S.O.L. I realize that driving is more risky, but this way, I'm not dependent upon public transportation to get home.

This morning when I walked out to my car, I was surprised to find that only half the cars in the parking lot were covered with ice. Others were only covered with condensation that hadn't frozen. Mine was one of those (thankfully). And when I hit the roads and embarked on my journey to Bethesda, I again didn't find the roads that bad. I of course drove a little slower, just to err on the side of caution (as did many others on the road with me), and I arrived at work with little to no holdups—almost as if it were a normal day.

The irony of the situation, though, was when I sat down at my desk (at 8:00) and listened to the voice mail saying that, due to the inclement weather, our office would be opening at 10:00 . . .

RIP Roy Scheider

I was saddened to learn that actor Roy Scheider passed away this weekend at the age of 75. His cause of death wasn't released, but from the sound of it, I'd guess it was skin cancer.

His line from Jaws is probably one of the most quotable moments of cinema history, so I guess that's the most appropriate video to post in his memory.

It's two weeks to Oscar time!

It just suddenly struck me this morning that Oscar night is exactly two weeks from tonight!!! And I'm finally starting to feel the tension, the nail-biting excitement of what will win top gold this year.

So far I've seen several (though not all) of the contenders, my most recent being No Country for Old Men, which I found to be rather unusual—which probably shouldn't surprise me, given that it's a Coen brothers movie. So far it's gained quite a lot of ground as the clear frontrunner for many of the categories, not the least of which are Best Picture, Best Director(s) (since both Coens directed the film), Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I have to admit, I might be a little disappointed if this wins any of the first three awards I mentioned, because I think I'm leaning more in the direction of There Will Be Blood for Best Picture and Best Director (though if that film wins any award, it'll be Daniel Day-Lewis, who's a veritable shoo-in for Best Actor).

Again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Javier Bardem win Best Supporting Actor for No Country, though I find myself actually leaning in the direction of Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford. I was able to grab that DVD from Netflix right when it was released, and I found Affleck's performance unexpectedly riveting!

Speaking of Jesse James, I'm very surprised that it didn't receive a nomination for Best Original Score! The scores for this and There Will Be Blood were utterly fabulous, and I'm actually a tad perturbed that neither were recognized by the Academy. But in the case of Jesse James, I am pleased that it received a Cinematography nomination, and I'm crossing my fingers that it'll win (over No Country), because the cinematography in Jesse James was utterly stunning! Truth be told, I'm a little surprised that Jesse James didn't get a Best Picture and Director nomination, but I'm nevertheless pleased that it got some recognition by the Academy. (Speaking of snubs, there's even a school of thought that Ratatouille was snubbed for Best Picture! I personally don't have strong feelings on the matter, but I'm sure it'll pick up the win for Best Animated Feature.)

But going back to Best Supporting Actor for a moment, I almost forgot to mention Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton. Sadly, I don't think he has a shot at winning, which is a shame because he was unbelievable as the high-priced lawyer who experiences a profound change of heart—very much reminiscent of Peter Finch's Howard Beale from Network.

Just as a reminder, I'm still planning to live-blog the Oscar ceremony in two weeks, so if you don't find yourself near a TV on Oscar night (Kaylyn, I'm looking in your direction!), tune in here for the wins as they happen!

A whole new world—Fritz's World, that is!

You may not have noticed it, but I've subtly inserted updates to my blog template! One I've been wanting to do for some time; the other was a suggestion that worked out surprisingly well.

The updates I speak up are a rotating quote feature, fittingly named "Notable Quotable," just below my profile on the sidebar—the planned update. The other is a link to my Flickr stream and a small strip featuring thumbnails of my most recent pictures. That one was Will's suggestion, since I've posted quite a lot of photos onto Flickr—perfectly highlighting my newfound passion for photography.

I'm very grateful for Will's assistance in making these template updates. Being that I have a very basic knowledge of HTML, I was in need of assistance—which is to say, all I could get! His assistance was rewarded in advance with potato soup.

Happy birthday to the Mann!

Happy birthday to my favorite director, Michael Mann! In recognition of his 65th year on this earth, let us observe what is not only his most legendary scene on film, but probably one of the most legendary scenes ever put to film.

And don't forget your booties 'cause it's cold out there!

Happy Groundhog Day, you woodchuck-chuckers! Word from Punxsutawney is that 6 more weeks of winter are in the forecast, though like these guys, I'd much prefer 6 more weeks of summer.

You are my . . . blue-eyed girl!

A new scientific theory is circulating: that people with blue eyes descend from a common ancestor.

A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. The mutation occurred between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, so before then, there were no blue eyes.

"Originally, we all had brown eyes," said Hans Eiberg from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

So . . . does that now mean that all blue-eyed people are really inbred?