I’d seen pictures of this, and I’ve even been served a few, but I’d never actually seen it done. Behold the splendor of coffee art.
If you’re in Sacramento and want to see this in person, some of the baristas at the Naked Lounge will do it when the line isn’t too long.
I was weeding through my Sent Items folder today and found a few messages I’d sent during my first month as a teacher. I particularly liked this transcript — two boys came to me to complain about a classmate’s behavior during recess:
Boy #1: She keeps Kung Fu-ing people, and she won’t stop! Boy #2: It’s like no means yes!
Boy #1: Also, she keeps kicking people in the … uncooperative area.
I’m filling in for the Kindergarten teacher in the afternoons this week while she does Preschool assessment testing. This enables me to overhear conversations like this one, which happened during Free Time:
Girl: (holding two telephones) Do you want to play this with me? Boy: OK.
They sit across from each other at a table; the girl picks up the receiver on her phone.
Girl: Ring ring! Ring ring!
The boy picks up his own receiver.
Boy: Hello?
Girl: Hello. You have a call from … the President.
Boy: OK.
Girl: OK. I’ll put him through.
She hangs up and pushes some buttons.
Boy: (confused) Hello?
The girl walks away.
Now that we know you can be investigated by Homeland Security for paying off debts, this might be a good time to read up on your rights.
My Oscar prediction-o-matic must need recalibration — I got a pathetic 16 out of 24 this year, coming in second at Patrick’s Oscar party. But the party itself was great — a catered affair, with table service and all — and I personally thought Jon Stewart did a great job, though others beg to differ.
I was surprised by Crash’s win, but not terribly disappointed — I would have chosen Brokeback Mountain, personally, but all five nominees were good. Nice to see Robert Altman get some recognition. Best acceptance speech of the night: Clooney, I think. Onward!
This Sunday I’ll be attending an Oscar Party at my friend Patrick’s house. Every year there’s a prediction pool, and for three years in a row I’ve taken first place. Let’s see if I can make it four. Feel free to use these predictions to win your own Oscar pool — just as long as you’re not competing against me.
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s portrayal of Truman Capote was more than just a weirdly mannered impersonation — he managed to portray the inner conflict between Capote’s friendship with the murderers and his selfish desire to see an end to the story (read: the execution of said friends) so he could finish his book, and he did it within the context of a weirdly mannered (but uncannily accurate) impersonation. Heath Ledger’s performance as Ennis Del Mar was subtle, understated, and strong, but the Academy doesn’t reward subtlety. Hoffman’s flashy brilliance will win easily.
Of the major categories, this is the closest race. The primary contenders are Paul Giamatti and George Clooney, but there are problems with each choice. Giamatti has been doing great work for years without recognition, and I’ve heard his performance in Cinderella Man was quite good, but I didn’t bother seeing the film because it looked sappy and uninteresting — Seabiscuit with boxers, judging by the trailer. I suspect that at least a few Academy members felt the same way and won’t vote for a performance they didn’t see. Clooney did a fine job in Syriana, but the film was confusing as hell and the role of Bob Barnes didn’t have enough meat (or screen time) to ensure a win. If I had to guess, I’d put my money on Giamatti — but there’s a fair chance that Jake Gyllenhaal will benefit from the aforementioned weaknesses of his competitors and pull off an upset. I know I’m rooting for him.
Only Reese Witherspoon needs to bother writing a speech this year.
I’ve only seen two of the nominees in this category (Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain and Catherine Keener in Capote), but from what I’ve heard Rachel Weisz has this one locked. Amy Adams is the sentimental favorite of a lot of critics, but few actually expect her to win.
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit makes Nick Park’s fifth Oscar nomination … and it will be his fourth win. Miyazaki already won for Spirited Away, and Burton should have won for The Nightmare Before Christmas. Neither has a chance this year.
King Kong or Memoirs of a Geisha? I’ll go with Geisha, for the simple (and stupid) reason that when Academy members think of King Kong, “art” is not the first word likely to come to mind. None of the other nominees has much of a chance — flashy wins, remember?
Any Terence Malick film is a strong competitor in this category, but no one bothered to see The New World, so Emmanuel Lubezki needn’t air out his tuxedo this year. Good Night, and Good Luck will win votes from traditionalists who miss the days of black and white, but there aren’t enough of them left to give Robert Elswit the trophy. Batman Begins was lucky to be nominated. So that leaves Memoirs and a Geisha and Brokeback Mountain — both strong entries, but Brokeback will win because it accomplished more with less. Double or nothing says the shot of Heath Ledger silhouetted against a backdrop of fireworks comes at the end of the clip reel.
This one’s the consolation prize for Memoirs of a Geisha fans.
Paul Haggis and Crash are even less likely to take Best Director than they are to take Best Picture. Ang Lee has deserved a Best Director nod in the past; he’ll get it this year for Brokeback Mountain.
March of the Penguins outgrossed all five Best Picture nominees combined. That alone ensures a win. Murderball, incidentally, is the nearest competition.
Either “The Mushroom Club” or “The Death of Kevin Carter” could take it, from what I’ve heard. But “Kevin Carter” is about a photojournalist who commited suicide because of doubts about the ethical implications of his work, while “The Mushroom Club” is about victims of Hiroshima. Subject matter is important here, because most of the Academy won’t have seen any of the nominees, and hence won’t bother voting — so any little advantage could make all the difference. “The Mushroom Club” should take it.
One thing Crash did really well was weave together a variety of different stories into one coherent film — see Syriana for contrast. Crash is the clear winner here.
The heat here is between Tsotsi (South Africa) and Paradise Now (Palestine). I don’t doubt that both are strong, deserving films (neither has yet made it to Sacramento, so I wouldn’t know first-hand), but I think anyone predicting Paradise Now here is forgetting the ethnic makeup of the Academy.
Much has been made of the fact that this is Revenge of the Sith’s only chance at an Oscar — as if it really had any chance. Narnia will win.
There’s no denying that John Williams is tough competition any year — he’s been nominated forty-three times before, won five times so far, and probably would have won more if he hadn’t been competing against himself most years. This year I think he’ll take it for Memoirs of a Geisha. If there’s an upset, the trophy will go to Gustavo Santaolalla for Brokeback Mountain.
This is a tough call, but my bet is on Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, and Paul Beauregard for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” from Hustle and Flow. Why? Because Terence Howard is going to lose the Best Actor race, that’s why. Even though he won’t be taking home the Oscar if Hustle and Flow wins here, giving the award to a song he performed in the movie will be seen as symbolic recognition.
Anyone predicting Crash here is either delusional or desperate for a story. I’ve seen all five nominees this year, and they’re all good movies — truth be told, I wouldn’t be terribly disappointed if any of them won. But Brokeback Mountain should and will take the prize.
All of the nominees sound interesting, but only “9″ was interesting enough to make Tim Burton plan a full-length adaptation, so that’s my guess.
The buzz is centered around “Ausreisser,” in which a father goes searching for the mother of a son he never knew he had; and “Cashback,” in which a London art student talks about working the — wait a minute, talks about working the night shift? Talking is for plays. This one goes to “Ausreisser.”
King Kong will win, because it’s loud and flashy.
Most people who say Walk the Line is a sure thing point to Ray as evidence. What they’re forgetting is that Ray mixed Ray Charles’s original recordings into a modern film, whereas the music in Walk the Line was re-recorded. I still think Walk the Line is the front-runner here, but it’s not a sure thing.
Now this is a sure thing. King Kong wins.
Brokeback Mountain, no question.
I’d like to see Match Point win, but in reality it’ll go to Crash … because this is one of the few categories in which Crash doesn’t have to compete with Brokeback Mountain.
