What If The Oscars Had Ten Best Picture Nominees In Years Past?

For fun, I decided to take my hand at imagining what the Best Picture race at the Oscars would have looked if there had been ten nominees in years past. Yes, these are the things I think of as "fun" in my head. I decided to do from 1998-2008 since I really didn't follow the Oscar race as intensely in years before, but not to say I don't ever see myself not taking a look at years prior to.

I've listed the five films that were nominated for that year with the five possible nominees following after.

1998

** denotes the winner.

Elizabeth
**Shakespeare in Love**
Life Is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
The Thin Red Line

Gods And Monsters
The Truman Show
Out of Sight
Primary Colors
A Simple Plan

The Truman Show was the only one that was seen as a major snub, as Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey also failed to get a acting nomination.

Best Movies of 2009

Living in the Midwest, I usually have to wait longer for a lot of the year-end prestige pictures to open in my area. While critics in Los Angeles and New York have the luxury of being able to catch movies that open in limited release before going nationwide within a calendar year, an average guy such as myself who happens to be a film lover can't fully complete a list of what the best pictures of the year are until much later. Add to that a modest budget and time can pass quickly before I've seen everything on my wish list. Which is why I'm finally doing best films of 2009 list more than two months into 2010. I figure that a list such as this still has relevance as long as it's before this Sunday's Oscars. So here it is. My favorite movies of 2009.

1. Ponyo

This marks the third consecutive year that an animated movie has topped my list. I think it goes to show just how great a period it is right now for animation. All three films were unique in their tone and subject matter and further proves just how diverse the field has become, from the moments of grimness in 2007's Persepolis to 2008's Wall-E with its patient and expressive storytelling style and to my favorite film of 2009, Ponyo, that mixed dazzling visuals with pure emotion in the way that director Hayao Miyazaki has made his career on.

Live Blogging the 2010 Grammys

Once again, I'm liveblogging the Grammys. Check back often for commentary, analysis and to see how I fared with my predictions.

7:01 Is it me or does Lady Gaga's eye make-up look very similar to Sting (as in the pro wrestler). Pretty great choice to have her kick off the show though. Much better than U2 last year who weren't even nominated or had an album out at the time.

7:04 Elton John joins Gaga onstage for a duel piano duet of "Your Song" after a spirited performance of "Poker Face." Elton is "Gaga-ed" up, more than less. He's got that glitter shades and smeared make-up over his face. If there's any male singer who can get away with being "Gaga-ed" up, it's Elton John.

7:07 The sad thing about that performance is that it didn't even come close to one of Gaga's best, but it's probably one of the more interesting performances the Grammy telecast has had in sometime.

7:09 Colbert is going kind of hit-or-miss for me. The crowd doesn't seem to be that into it. And wow, Jay-Z finally cracked a smile!

Top 250 Singles of 2009

I've been tabulating my lists in a new way this year. I still go by the same criteria of how I feel in regards to ranking, but I wait till I'm done now before adding numbers, where as before I added the numbers as I went along. It would often cost me a lot of time once I remembered a single I had forgotten to add and I would have to reorder the entire thing. So basically, I ranked the songs without keeping track of how many there were. Once I got down to adding numbers to the rankings, I found out that I had more than my intended and traditional 200. The number 200 has always felt natural for me when concerning singles. It's a perfect cutoff point to prevent anything that I care little about or can't defend from sneaking in. But when I looked at some of the songs I ranked below 200, I couldn't stand to exclude them because I felt there was a lot of strong stuff. Which brings us to 250 singles this year. How did I know that 250 was the right number? My #251 would have been Flo Rida's "Right Round." I felt that then was the time to quit.


1. Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts

The joy of "Wild Young Hearts" lies in its simplicity. It tells a story that we've heard before many times. Lead singer/bassist Shinga Shoniwa plays the role of a regretful heartbreaker who can't be tamed, and to make matters even more familiar, it's all done with a 60's inflection, but it's the song's simplicity that makes it so perfect. It's an immaculately crafted pop tune that could sound just as fresh today as it probably will 10 years from now.

Best Albums of 2009

Once again, here are my top 50 albums of the year, along with an honorable mention list. Just my way of trying to share as much good music as I can. I found everything there enjoyable in one way or another and couldn't bare for them to go unmentioned. As usual, the singles list will follow shortly.

EDIT (1:02 AM): I've added a playlist of select tracks from the list at the bottom so that you can sample the songs.



1. St. Vincent - Actor

There was potential on St. Vincent's debut, Marry Me. Actually, there was more than potential—it was a pretty damn solid album. I held certain songs, such as the title track, "The Apocalypse Song" and a few others in very high regard, which naturally led me to anticipate her follow-up even though I wasn't in love with the debut. Actor is the kind of leap forward that you hope for from most artists on their second album, but would be lucky to get. The album takes some of Marry Me's darker moments and builds an entire album around that vibe. Annie Clark's darkness isn't the dour kind, but one built on tension and unease while only tempting to cross the line in to creepy. It's an exquisitely arranged album where even the most tender details matter for the mood. Marry Me proved Clark's talents: her musical proficiency, a delicate expressive voice and a confident lyrical style that mixed wit with emotion, but Actor proves that she can deliver a full-length full of highlights.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 200 Singles of the Decade (2000-2009)

Here is my final decade list and it was definitely the toughest one to compile. The Internet really exploded this decade which opened myself and millions of others to more music quicker than ever. My list would look completely different if not for the Internet and it's probably the only way that international acts like Girls Aloud, Teddybears STLHM and Destra cracked my list. As with the album and film lists, this is one made of passion. There is little consideration given to what was culturally or commercially significant. It's simply what I connected with and what I felt was great music, which is the way it should be for anyone who loves the arts. Sure, a list based on "important" singles would make for great debate, but it's just not as fun as going with my heart. Also, keep a look out next week for my albums and singles list for 2009.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 70 Films Of The Decade (2000-2009)

Here's another decade list for you. Even moreso than my albums list, I went more with personal connection for ranking. While the quality and achievement of a film plays heavily as well, it's ultimately the impression that the movie left on me that guided this list. Call it a list of passion if you may. As much as I admired and enjoyed Memento, I didn't feel strong enough about to it include it here, even though it's still a good film and I would recommend it to anyone. On the other side, I love to watch Josie & The Pussycats at just about any time, but can acknowledge that it is flawed, thus not giving me the heart to include it here. The reasoning applied for those two films is pretty much why this list is at 70 and not the traditional 100. I couldn't stand to put anything on here that didn't engage me immensely.

Hectic But Eclectic's Top 100 Albums of the Decade (2000-20009)

Here is my list of the albums that I dug most during the 2000's. For the longest, I felt that Kid A was my #1 of the decade, but I can't deny how much Kala has been apart of my life, even though it's only a few years old. I seriously don't think there's been a week where a song from that album hasn't been in my head and it's one of the few albums in recent memory that I always have an urge to listen to. Both Kid A and Kala are fine albums and in another ten years, their positions might be easily reversed, but for the moment, Kala, with all it's attitude and dizzying genre-hopping feels like the superior album. The rest of the list follows in the same way, with a mixture of what I felt was high quality and my own personal connection to the albums to decide their ranking.

2010 Grammy Nomination Predictions

Here are my predictions for the 2010 Grammys. I have a more in-depth analysis up on Prefix, but I've posted my picks for the four general categories. I also delved into predicting other categories on Prefix as well. The nominations will be announced Dec. 2 on CBS. All the nominations will be posted on www.grammy.com later on tonight.

Album of the Year

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown
Lady Gaga: The Fame
Maxwell: BLACKsummers'night
Taylor Swift: Fearless
Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak

Record of the Year

Black Eyed Peas: "I Gotta Feeling"
Jay-Z featuring Kanye West & Rihanna: "Run This Town"
Kings of Leon: "Use Somebody"
Lady Gaga: "Poker Face"
Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me"

Best New Artist

Keri Hilson
Laura Izibor
The Ting Tings
Wale
Zac Brown Band

Song of the Year

Beyonce: "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
The Fray: "You Found Me"
Whitney Houston: "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"
Taylor Swift: "You Belong With Me"
Kanye West: "Heartless"

Ten On Tuesdays: Greatest Live Performances of the 2000's

As someone who frequents a lot of concerts, I can tell you that there is nothing like experiencing great music live. The energy is contagious and there's always an air of electricity that resonates through the room. One of the marks of a great live performance is that it can have that same power whether you're there in person or watching from the comfort of your own living room. This edition of Ten on Tuesdays takes a look at the best live performances of the decade in my opinion. I took into account the overall quality, memorability and how well it held up over the years. I've also only included performances that were broadcast to a wide audience, either on TV or online.

These ten performances, all in chronological order, left their mark on me when I first saw them and they still give me chills to this day. Of course, there had to be some omissions. As much as I wanted to include Bruce Springsteen's premiere of "My City of Ruins" for the 9/11 charity telecast because of its importance and how much it struck me at the time, it still stands as only merely a good performance removed from the context. My sentimental favorite was Lauryn Hill breaking down during "Peace of Mind" on MTV Unplugged 2.0 because you rarely get that intimate of a look at a big artist, but I concluded that it probably could have been trimmed by a few minutes, but it's still nonetheless magical. Five years from now, I might also kick myself for not including Lady GaGa's recent performance on Saturday Night Live, but I could go on and on about all the great ones I might have missed on this list.


Mary J. Blige - "No More Drama" (Grammys, 2002)



The nation was still in the healing process from the events of 9/11 and all the additional stress and paranoia that it brought on. Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama" took on a whole new meaning in this context and when she belted it out while running back and forth across the stage, you can feel that she understood the newfound weight of the song too. Blige opened her soul for the world to see like few others could do and you can't help but feel all her pain and hope.

Best TV Shows of 2008-2009 Season

The Emmys will be handed out soon, so what better time to reflect on the best television shows of the 2008-2009 season? I never understood the logic of most critics discussing their favorite shows at the end of the calendar year instead of after the season has ended in May, but such is the way of life. I've always preferred waiting till the season has run its course.

10. The Game (The CW)

The best soap opera in primetime last season was The Game, hands down. The show, which centered around pro football athletes and the women in their lives, quitely evolved from a standard sitcom with obvious punchlines to a juicy, drama-filled half hour dramedy. The Game hit its stride this season whenever it played down the laughs in favor for more serious moments, which were handled adeptly with simple direction and solid acting. In television's ever-growing quest to deliver the most ambitious and high-concept programming, it's nice to know that good old-fashioned entertainment exists to provide a balance.

Commercial for Jay-Z's Blueprint 3

Pretty cool piece of advertising, even if you're not a fan.

Adventures at Lollapalooza 2009

Lollapalooza took place from Aug. 7-9 this year in Chicago's Grant Park. I had a great time as always, even if Friday was a bit of a downer with all the constant rain (but oh how I wish I took a picture of this one couple covered in mud, lighting each other's cigarettes with PBRs in their hands). The festival ran pretty smoothly and most of the folks I met were as friendly as all get. Sorry that I didn't get the recap up sooner, but the pressure from my wisdom tooth left me in such pain that I wasn't able to concentrate on much of anything. As usual, I saw a lot of acts. A lot.

Day 1 - Friday

April Smith



She got the festival off to a good start for me. Very bouncy, accesible adult alternative tunes. There was a slight bit of quirk in the songs and the performance, but still pretty smart overall. I'd definitely remember to check out some of her recorded stuff.