And the Oscar Goes to....

The Academy announced this morning its selections for the 81st annual Academy Awards. These would have usually come out on Tuesday — but the Academy held off to give proper respects to the Inauguration. 

I always love finding out what movies have been nominated. I am slightly surprised to see Brad Pitt nominated for Benjamin Button but am glad to see the movie received so many nods. I am still laughing that Robert Downey, Jr. actually got a best supporting nomination for his Hollywood mockery in Tropic Thunder. Few are surprised, but Heath Ledger could receive a post-humus Oscar for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. Sean Penn really was phenomenal in Milk — so it would be great to see him win.

And of course, I'll need to see several of these movies in the next few weeks (if they're available). On the top of the list: The Reader, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire and Changeling. 

BEST PICTURE
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Marttin McDonagh, "In Bruges"
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, "WALL-E"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"
David Hare, "The Reader"
Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"
John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"
Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"The Baader-Meinhof Complex" (Germany)
"The Class" (France)
"Departures" (Japan)
"Revanche" (Austria)
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Wall-E"

BEST ART DIRECTION
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button"
"Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Revolutionary Road"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Changeling" Tom Stern
"Slumdog Millionaire," Anthony Dod Mantle
"The Reader," Chris Menges
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight," Wally Pfister,

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight," Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon," Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
"Milk," Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire," Chris Dickens

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Australia," Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Jacqueline West
"The Duchess," Michael O'Conner
"Milk", Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road," Albert Wolsky

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire"
"Trouble the Water"

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

"Slumdog Millionaire," "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman
"Slumdog Millionaire," "O Saya," A.R. Rahman & M.I.A.
"Wall-E," "Down To Earth," Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat
"Defiance," James Newton Howard
"Milk," Danny Elfman
"Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman
"WALL-E," Thomas Newman

BEST MAKEUP
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Colleen Callaghan, Fionagh Cush
"The Dark Knight," Peter Robb-King, John Caglione Jr.
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," Mike Elizalde, Thom Floutz

BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Dark Knight," Richard King
"Iron Man," Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire," Tom Sayers
"Wall-E," Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
"Wanted," Wylie Stateman

BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Mark Weingarten, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce
"The Dark Knight," Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
"Slumdog Millionaire," Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"Wall-E," Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick
"Wanted," Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Eric Barba
"The Dark Knight," Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
"Iron Man," John Nelson

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)"
"Manon on the Asphalt"
"New Boy"
"The Pig"
"Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"La Maison en Petits Cubes"
"Lavatory - Lovestory"
"Oktapodi"
"Presto"
"This Way Up"

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
"The Conscience of Nhem En" 

"The Final Inch" 

"Smile Pinki" 

"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"

Milk

My younger brother and I went to go see Milk on Friday night. The Gus Van Sant-directed movie is based on the true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly-gay, publicly-elected official in California. I expected I would like the movie (based on reading reviews online, hearing friend's reviews and the cast) but I did not expect to leave the theater feeling so moved. 

Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and James Franco gave stand up performances — especially Sean Penn. Diego Luna and Josh Brolin were fun to watch as well. I couldn't help but feel immersed in the tireless campaigning, social struggles, nasty stereotypes (many that still exist today) and many failed attempts before his victorious Supervisor election.

Milk tells a part of the American civil rights history that we don't hear about enough. Harvey Milk, his campaign team and his believers helped blaze a trail that has given a better quality of life to gay Americans. I am by no means saying that I think being gay is easy — but it seems that perceptions and and legislation have come a long way (yet there's still more room for change). 

Go see Milk. It's a film every American should see.

See more about what awards the movie has won and what people are saying:

Focus Feature's Web site. IMDB also has some great reviews and info on the film.

Inheritance

I suppose it was hearing my Dad bicker with my stepmom in the kitchen last weekend (possibly about how to best steam vegetables) that got me thinking about personality traits — and which ones we genetically inherited from our parents.

While I didn't think it at first, my parents do have a couple of the same personality traits. For example, they're both driven. So I would say it's both "nature and nurture" that have led me to be motivated in my professional life. There are some strange coincidences, too. 

I thought it would be fun to put up a post about what I feel like I "inherited" from each of my parents. Here I go:

Mom:

• A penchant for journalism and corporate communications (my mother earned her undergraduate degree in corporate communications from Auburn)
• Night owl-ness (she could easily stay up past midnight, whereas my dad turns into a pumpkin at 10pm or earlier)
• An affinity for entertaining friends and family (I suppose this actually goes for both parents, who are always happy to have a house filled with people)
• Thriftiness 
• Creativity and craftiness
• Sometimes being quick to react — then being more logical and level headed later when the topic is revisited

Dad:

• A love for cooking (versus baking)
• Stubbornness 
• A sarcastic sense of humor (Me: stubborn or sarcastic? Nah....)
• Knowledge of the pulp, paper and packaging industry (okay, this isn't an inherited trait, but he's been in the industry for 30 years and I somehow ended up getting my first job at a recycled paper, packaging and merchandising display company — in corporate communications)
• Occasional blunt honesty

Of course there are characteristics in each of them that I wish I'd been hardwired with — but that's neither this nor there.

What traits do you think you inherited from your individual parents? Or Dan, want to weigh in on what similarities you see in me and my parents?

Humor — Albeit Crass — Humor

Sometimes, when I'm having a less than fabulous day (whether it's a few too many items on my "to do" list or something slightly bothering my ego), I refer to Maddox and his infinite wisdom. He brightens my day and helps me feel better about myself by making fun of poor, unsuspecting people.

Here are two of my favorites. Be forewarned... he's rather impolite (to put it lightly) and doesn't always use nice language.

Critiquing kids' art (don't forget to click over to page 2)

Maddox's fashion thoughts on Crocs and the people who wear them

New Year's Resolutions

Here's what I'm thinking for 2009:

1. Be an even better employee (in 2009, employees are going to need to show and prove their value more than ever)

2. Make myself an article of clothing that's not a Halloween costume

3. Learn several dishes that knock the socks of my diner(s)

4. Save more money

5. Move to a new/different house

6. Blog on my second blog more consistently

7. Become more well-versed in technology and economics (two things that come up in my job quite a bit)

8. Be an attentive, enthusiastic and fabulous maid of honor to my friend Moeko (I'm thinking this one won't be tough though)

9. Play more tennis (to increase over 2008, I will only have to play about five times this year)

10. Take better care of my physical appearance overall (I feel that in the past year, I became a more sloppy dresser, hair do-er, etc. etc.)

Happy New Year!

Thanks for the Reminder, Heather

I was reading Heather's post from earlier when I realized I never posted pictures of my bridesmaids in their varying dresses. I was so happy with how this turned out! Granted all the girls were fabulous and unique to start with — but seeing their personal styles reflected in their dresses was totally fun!

Katy