Blog Archives
Watching the Oscars in Black & White
The golden statue’s rust can be seen from across the pond.
The Academy Awards, set for its Sunday broadcast on February 28th, has been dealing with a bit of controversy because of an absence of nominations for black actors and actresses. Attempting to take the bird’s eye view of this issue, there seem to be two schools of thought on the matter.
Will Smith, who could have been nominated for his portrayal of the doctor that blew the roof off the head injury problem in the NFL in the film Concussion, has stated he and his wife will boycott the Academy Awards.
“We’ve discussed it and we’re a part of this community, but at this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say that this is OK.”
–Will Smith, Us Weekly
Michael Caine, the beloved 82 year-old British actor who was denied an Oscar nomination for his starring role in Youth, had a few things to say on the controversy. He spoke about the importance of nominating an actor based on performance and not skin color and that Idris Elba not receiving a nod from the Academy for Beasts of No Nation was surprising. He added a couple more thoughts.
“Well, look at me. I won the [European Film Award for] best actor [for Youth], and I got nominated for nothing else.”
–Michael Caine, The Hollywood Reporter
Plus this.
“Be patient. Of course, it will come. Of course, it will come. It took me years to get an Oscar.”
–Michael Caine, The Hollywood Reporter
And, perhaps, there’s a third point of view.
Ironically, the biggest star at the upcoming 88th Academy Awards will probably be Chris Rock.
Happy Monday!
A dream that cannot be interrupted by even the coldest of temperatures…
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is our yearly reminder (though it should be daily) of Dr. King’s seismic call to action to the American people for a better future, including the pursuit of equality favoring character above skin color.
Any writer can attempt to recapture his profound message and legacy, but perhaps it’s best to leave it to the man himself.
Keep dreaming for a better tomorrow.
Merry Christmas!
Frank Sinatra would have turned 100 years young this year.
Sinatra was one of the greatest singers the world has ever known. A true one-of-a-kind. Lucky for us, he shared his talent for a Christmas classic.
Even luckier is watching a video edited by Kate Beske, who put Sinatra’s rendition of the Judy Garland song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to a beautiful slideshow.
Hopefully, you had yourself a merry little Christmas!
Weather’s Awakening
Global warming.
Climate change.
Global cooling.
As climate scientists at national and international institutions continue to change their minds as to what the exact disastrous term should be used regarding their apparent Kung-Fu grip on weather, meteorologists provide the public with daily weather observations and insights. To be blunt, their job really is to tell us coat-or-no-coat.
And yet, they don’t always make the right prediction.
However, one British meteorologist did something that was all kinds of right during yesterday’s newscast.
A beautiful woman who has a stunning smile, a cute accent, a great sense of humor and is a fan of Star Wars (with no ring on the left hand).
Will you marry me?
Jimmy's Daily Planet 