Found this on CNN. Okay…umm, this narrows the list down to what men? Jeez, why don’t you make it twenty? You’re on a roll. Every man, no matter who he may be, is going to have his issues. If you take the advice of this article, you’ll be out of breath by the time you stop running. If it is extreme in any way, THEN you run. But no one is perfect, including the WOMAN who wrote this article. If there is a list of ten for women, there’s gotta be a good fifty for men.

Do I sound bitter? Or…maybe this article hit a little too close to home. Either way, it pissed me off.

I don’t post very often about my cat Charlie because I don’t want to become one of “those” people. But I am rather proud of the fact that I was able to put several fuzzy snowballs and one green sparkly ball in and around his torso and he didn’t move. He was either high on the nip or he just didn’t give a shit.

This morning, Ralph Nader announced his bid for the presidency. This video pretty much sums up how I feel about that.

Once again, it is that time of year for the only awards show I really give a crap about, the Academy Awards. I am especially anxious about it this year because I do have an absolute favorite film from 2007, and I hope that it gets the recognition it deserves

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Nominees:
Atonement (2007): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster
Juno (2007): Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick, Russell Smith
Michael Clayton (2007): Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox, Kerry Orent
No Country for Old Men (2007): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Scott Rudin
There Will Be Blood (2007): Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, JoAnne Sellar

Now, I am proud to say that I have seen all of the best picture nominees and without a doubt, I think that No Country for Old Men is the best of the five. I think There Will Be Blood and Michael Clayton come in a close second. Atonement, while extraordinary, seemed a tad bit familiar in some way, so I can’t pick that one. And while a number of people loved Juno, I was not overly smitten with it. I enjoyed it immensely, but I don’t think of it as being anywhere near my top three choices.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees:

George Clooney for Michael Clayton (2007)
Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007)
Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Tommy Lee Jones for In the Valley of Elah (2007)
Viggo Mortensen for East

I did not see Elah or Eastern Promises, so I am almost disqualified on this one. However, I know that Daniel Day-Lewis is going to grab the award. His performance was flawless. I will say, though, that my favorite performance out of the three films I did see would be Clooney’s. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and that is based mostly on his and Tilda Swinton’s performances.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees:

Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Julie Christie for Away from Her (2006)
Marion Cotillard for Môme, La (2007)
Laura Linney for The Savages (2007)
Ellen Page for Juno (2007)

Again, I am a bit ignorant on this one because I have only seen Juno, so… But my pick is going to go to Ellen Page. I think the Academy may shun convention and go for the newcomer (somewhat newcomer). My second pick is Cotillard. Everyone is saying Christie will win, and perhaps that is true, but we shall see.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Casey Affleck for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Javier Bardem for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Charlie Wilson’s War (2007)
Hal Holbrook for Into the Wild (2007)
Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton (2007)

This is the only LOCK for me. Bardem will win, hands down. Besides Jesse James, I have seen the other performances and if Bardem were not one of the nominees, I would probably go for Hoffman, although Wilkinson was great as well. But if Bardem doesn’t win, I will immediately turn off the television.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees:

Cate Blanchett for I’m Not There. (2007)
Ruby Dee for American Gangster (2007)
Saoirse Ronan for Atonement (2007)
Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton (2007)

Blanchett will and probably should win, but I am pulling for Ruby Dee. That one scene with Washington where she warns him about the choices he is making and ultimately gives him a solid slap upon the face was a powerful one. Plus, how great would it be if she won? Ms. Dee has been around for a long time and this would be a great capper to an awesome career.

Best Achievement in Directing
Nominees:

Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood (2007)
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen for No Country for Old Men (2007)
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton (2007)
Jason Reitman for Juno (2007)
Julian Schnabel for Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007)

No Country is, in my opinion, the Coen brothers’ best yet, and that is saying a lot because I love these guys. I can’t imagine anyone else winning this award. No Country was as seamless and as perfect as a film can be.

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Nominees:

Juno (2007): Diablo Cody
Lars and the Real Girl (2007): Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton (2007): Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille (2007): Brad Bird,
Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
The Savages (2007): Tamara Jenkins

Diablo Cody will most definitely win this one. Trust me. I am almost as sure of this one as I am sure of Bardem.

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Nominees:

Atonement (2007): Christopher Hampton
Away from Her (2006): Sarah Polley
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Ronald Harwood
No Country for Old Men (2007): Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood (2007): Paul Thomas Anderson

When it comes to writing dialogue, no one is better than the Coens. The dialogue in No Country was so rich, so wry and witty and stark, pieces of conversations throughout that film still haunt me to this day.

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nominees:

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007): Roger Deakins
Atonement (2007): Seamus McGarvey
No Country for Old Men (2007): Roger Deakins
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Janusz Kaminski
There Will Be Blood (2007): Robert Elswit

I’ve heard that Jesse James is quite appealing to the eye and There Will Be Blood has some wonderful shots as well, but No Country seems to be the front runner for me. From the opening scene until the credits roll, it is absolutely superb.

Best Achievement in Editing
Nominees:

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007): Christopher Rouse
Scaphandre et le papillon, Le (2007): Juliette Welfling
Into the Wild (2007): Jay Cassidy
No Country for Old Men (2007): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
There Will Be Blood (2007): Dylan Tichenor

Okay, I am picking the upset here and going with Bourne. I haven’t even seen it yet, but I have a feeling it will pick up the trophy. Although, of course, No Country is what I really want.

There are other nominations but I haven’t seen most of those films, so I will leave it here. Unlike last year, I feel like there is at least one perfect picture this year, and a trove of really well-made films.