|
It took me two days to finish up the Academy Awards show, which I recorded, because I can’t stay up that late [wimp]. I absolutely loved the new format, the new stage, the closer-in audience. It was like going to a nightclub, more personal, intimate. I also liked how it was all very light and friendly and there were no political jokes. Hugh Jackman did a good job, and I really like him, but I have to say that when someone does everything— sing, dance, act— there is usually one area that is a little weaker than the others, and I believe that would be his singing. He's fine, but it's a good thing that acting is his day job. I can still get bugs in my eyes thinking about the five stars coming out to present the major awards. I was seriously choked up when they did the first one because it was just so beautiful and personal, and I feel like it made it so much more special to everyone nominated, but especially to the ones who didn't win, because it’s normally just: read the names, announce the winner. But, with these famous people talking (mostly) directly to the nominees, it was really, really lovely. And, when Shirley MacClaine talked to Anne Hathaway? Whoa! That was almost better than getting the award! And, she told her she had a great voice— she did, surprised me, too— and to keep singing? How cool was that! Anne Hathaway was probably thinking, "Academy award? Huh? What award?" I also loved how they did the screenwriting thing, where they showed the scene in the script, the actual words/typing and reading it, and then had the completed movie scene running in the background, so we could see how the scene was written and then how it's carried out. Somebody has tons of imagination. I got choked up again when Queen Latifah was singing I'll Be Seeing You. I love that song, anyway, but when they showed the people who died this past year with clips from their movies, which was really good for the names that were not as familiar to the general public, yeah, serious bugs in my eyes. Even the usual bandleader, Bill Conti, was missing. Man, there must have been some PO’d good ol' boys in Hollywood this year. I’ll bet the same group of people have been doing it for YEARS, and they finally got some new guys, probably Mac users, to come in and brainstorm, and it was out with the old and inwith the new. Even the fashions seemed classier this year. I don’t recall seeing anyone who looked atrocious, and there is usually at least one. I noticed there were a lot of single strap dresses this year, not so many strapless as in previous years. Maybe they get tired of tugging them up all the time, or maybe they don’t want to have to worry about someone stepping on their trains and yanking the whole thing down. Well, I could just go on and on and on ... I hope they continue with this new format. I don't think they need to feel like they have to "top" it every year, just do the same thing. Hugh Jackman can host it each year, as far as I'm concerned. He was the the all around entertainer and host, a class act.
Here it is, January 1, and I am faced with putting my Christmas CDs away for another year, I am thinking of keeping a few out that are just so good that I will actually miss them and want to play them in July, or maybe even March.
I am always on the look-out for new, different, interesting Christmas music, which is hard to do when I already have maybe 100 Christmas CDs and there are probably less than 100 standard Christmas songs. I prefer the usual songs with a lot of variations, but nothing too “out there.” Having said that, though, SheDaisy has a Christmas album called Brand New Year that is a little out there, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s tough to beat Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag ( listen here) for an all-out boogying Christmas song. This year, my newest favorite Christmas CD is Deana Carter’s Father Christmas. It’s not a new CD, actually released in 2001, but I just discovered it and it has received a LOT of playtime in my iTunes. I first heard a couple of the songs through Pandora and I tried to download the album from iTunes or Amazon’s MP3 music, but I could only get it on an actual CD. The entire album is Deana Carter singing by herself, accompanied only by her dad, Earl Carter, a Nashville session guitarist who has worked with a lot of big names. It’s just beautiful, so understated and also a little quirky at times. There is one part in Winter Wonderland where Earl changes the beat on her and Deana says, “Da-ad!” in that way that kids when they are being teased, and she finished the song without missing a beat. And, man, do I wish there was someone at my house who could play guitar like Earl Carter, even HALF as good! His opening of Silent Night makes me almost want to cry. I took the CD to a local coffee house the other night where we were meeting friends for some holiday cheer. They played the CD for us over their music system, and it sounded fabulous! A lot of people asked about the artist and title of the CD. I can’t believe it’s taken me seven years to come across it. While I’m thinking of it, The Gypsy Hombres have an excellent Christmas CD called Django Bells. Especially good versions of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch and the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
I got a $40 Christmas present this year from the nice people who make rooSwitch! Well, they didn’t actually SEND me anything or GIVE me anything, nothing tangible, but they saved me $40 in upgrade fees, and that’s the same thing!
rooSwitch is a wonderful application which easily lets you create different profiles with the data from just about any application. I’m using it currently with iPhoto, where I have four different profiles, and iWeb, with multiple websites, and most recently with DEVONthink Personal 2. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of DEVONthink Personal 2 for several reasons, but mostly because the blog about the update referred to opening multiple databases, a feature that has only been available in DEVONthink Pro and above, and one which I wanted enough to seriously consider upgrading to Pro for $40. Since that is the ONLY additional feature that I am interested in, though, I haven’t yet justified the expense. I upgraded to and downloaded Version 2, and was disappointed to see that the multiple database feature is still only available in Pro and above. Nice new interface, yes, but still one database. Into the void stepped rooSwitch, my $14.95 application that I already own and use. I created a second profile for DEVONthink Personal 2 and voila! A second database! But, no, I didn’t actually get a second database, just a second profile that was still opening the original database. Hmmm ... so, I dashed off a quick message to the feedback email address on the rooSwitch website on December 19, and on December 20— yes, that fast AND during the holiday season, yet— I received a message from the developer with a quick fix so that rooSwitch would recognize DEVONthink’s application support folder and the notation that it will be included in the next update of rooSwitch. I am now merrily working away with my multiple DEVONthink Personal 2 databases. Thanks for my Christmas present, roobasoft.com!
Saw the latest James Bond movie the other night, Quantum of Solace. Yes, there was a lot of action, but I’m not sure it was that much more than in Casino Royale. I’ve read that people said there was TOO much action, and I don’t feel like that’s the case. What I do think there was too much of was that shaky camera thing that is popular now, that kind of hand-held look where it seems like someone is running along with the camera, zooming in on this and that and not letting you get a full picture of what is going on. In fact, after the first 10 or 15 minutes of the movie, I thought I might throw up! Way too much movement for me. I like to sit in the middle of the theater, but I couldn’t do it with the opening portion of the movie, and I had to get up and go to the back row. Of course, just playing a 3D video game on the Playstation makes me have to go and lie down, so it could just be me. The shaky business seemed to settle down as the movie went on. Daniel Craig is scary intense, very realistic as a guy wound tight, trying to keep from crossing the line—very often, anyway. He’s got that Steve McQueen kinda thing going on, and I sometimes wonder if he’s even acting or if he’s like that in real life. I looked up his birthday and he’s a Pisces. What does that tell me? I don’t know, nothing, I guess, but I’m a Pisces, too, so it makes me think he’s a very good actor.
I really like Olga Kurylenko, recently of Hitman and Max Payne. She was more of a kick-ass Bond girl, which I like better than the helpless “Oh, James!” types. The best and toughest Bond girl ever, though, was Izabella Scorupco, who played Natalya Simonova in Goldeneye. Goldeneye is my favorite Bond movie to date. Too bad they can’t bring Famke Janssen back as Xenia Onatopp in the next Bond movie. She would sure give Daniel Craig a run for his money in the intensity department! I did see a Bond Blooper in Quantum of Solace: there is a scene where he disables a bad guy and takes his ear piece and other accoutrements so he can look at and listen in on the rest of the bad guys. He takes all this stuff and goes into the restroom and drops it into the sink while he puts in his ear piece, etc. The sink is one of those ones operated by a motion sensor and it should have turned on instantly and soaked all his stuff as soon as he put it in the sink, but nary a drop of water appeared. All in all, another good Bond flick, one which I will most definitely be adding to my DVD collection.
|
|
|
Posts
