Michael Jackson.

I have nothing. Absolutely nothing. I grew up listening to ... having the biggest crush on ... Michael Jackson. I've seen him live. Twice. Thriller and Billie Jean are still two of the best music videos EVER MADE.

Thank you for your music. Thank you for your artistry as a performer. Whatever craziness happened as you got older--and I don't condone it if the allegations were true--doesn't take away from your musical brilliance.

R.I.P. Michael. My condolences to the Jackson family.

Dating sucks!!!

It just seems like dating is a stacked deck. If you like someone, you're not supposed to show it. If you want the person to occasionally call you, then you're considered needy or dependent. If I initiate contact, then I'm being pushy and annoying (and breaking the golden rule of not showing someone that you like them).

I made a mistake (I think) earlier this week and went off on a man who I thought was blowing me off--I hadn't talked to him for five days, more than a week if you don't count text messages! And I had left a voice message on his cell the morning before. Busy or not, anyone can find five minutes to call or send a message saying "Hey...thinking about you. Really busy. Call you when I return home." Is that really too much to ask? He responded furiously, saying that his out-of-town work assignment ran longer than expected (but didn't bother to tell me that) and that he had a friend in the hospital (ditto) and that he resented my accusation and told me he doesn't want to see me again. I apologized profusely, but to no avail.

Originallly, I was devastated. I really liked this guy--attractive, intelligent, passionate, creative--and I thought the feeling was mutual. But for someone who worked in communications for a living, his interpersonal communication skills are sorely lacking. I could feel him putting up walls, and saying things like --I have to "earn" his affection/trust/whatever (whaaaa??!). Maybe once he knew I was into him, he lost interest. And we're both control freaks, so maybe this was destined to fail. What sucks is that we had a lot in common--art, music, media, travel--I still can't shake the fact that we could have been a great couple.

I was in the wrong for going for his jugular. But he gave me no indication after our first date that he really wanted to pursue this. Why do people have to play games? If you're not interested in me then tell me and stop wasting my time and yours. If you are interested, then LET'S. MAKE. THIS. HAPPEN! Getting to know a potential love interest is always so much harder than it has to be. Pisses me off... *sigh*

"I'm just ahead of the curve"

So Sid Ganis at AMPAS (the folks who bring you The Oscars) finally admitted--sort of-- that they screwed up in not nominating The Dark Knight for Best Picture earlier this year. So, to make up for that huge snafu, the Academy is extending the Best Pic nomination slate to ten. Great. So Star Trek or Watchmen (God help us) can get the nod that TDK deserved more. I hope that Chris Nolan has made Ganis' face into a dartboard!

I am SO going to see this movie!

Many people are calling this new Three Stooges movie that the Farrelly brothers are directing blasphemous to the original trio. I'll hold my judgment until it comes out next year. Because in addition to growing up watching Stooges clips on TV, I will see it for this reason: 

Sean Penn is playing Larry!!!

RIP Natasha Richardson

Last night's stunning announcement of the death of Tony-winning actress Natasha Richardson had a extra dose of sadness for me. Many of my close friends and family (and now, you) know that I have HUGE "thing" (the term "crush" would be an understatement) for her husband, Liam Neeson. I remember reading about how they met on stage, cast opposite each other in a Broadway production of Anna Christie--their palpable chemistry apparent to nearly everyone who saw the play (I didn't--I wasn't living in NYC at the time).  Not long after the play closed, they were married.

Many times I've jokingly commented on how I "hated" Natasha Richardson. Not only beautiful and talented in her own right (rent either The Handmaid's Tale or Patty Hearst to see her at her best on screen), she was with "my man." I just saw her on Top Chef a few months ago, where she was a guest judge and the honorary chairwoman for an AmFAR fundraiser.  A twinge of jealously bubbled up even then. 

Now, remembering those comments, even though they were in jest, makes me cringe. I would never wish this fate upon her and her family, but I can't shake this hovering feeling of ... guilt? 

My heartfelt condolences to Liam Neeson, their two sons, and the Richardson and Redgrave families.

AIG? OMG!!

I just find it annoying that the thousands... yes, THOUSANDS of $$ I am paying in taxes this spring is going to bail out a company that paid millions of dollars in bonuses to people who 1) fucked up the company, and the country in the process, and 2) in some cases no longer work there! Supposedly, half of the bonuses may be returned to us.  I'll believe it when I see it.

Sean Penn > Mickey Rourke!

As I wrote earlier, I didn't watch most of the Oscars telecast last night, but Nikki Finke's blow-by-blow is hilarious.  But I don't get the fanatical devotion that many people had--including Finke--to seeing Mickey Rourke win for Best Actor. It's obvious that he was the "populist" choice to many, to the point that there were some saying that Rourke should prevail while acknowledging that Sean Penn gave a better performance. (????!!!!!) Others are saying Penn's win was "a make-up Oscar for Brokeback Mountain" or a nod to anti-Prop 8 sentiment.

If conspiracy theories make hardcore "Wrestler" fans feel better, fine, it's a free country. But it's pretty simple and obvious why Mickey Rourke, who is a wonderful actor, lost. He was outshined by his longtime friend.

Sean Penn will go down in history as one of the best film actors of all time--maybe even THE best. His performance in Milk is sublime, the literal meaning of a tour de force. He was better than Mickey Rourke, and his colleagues rewarded the best performance in that category. The BEST ACTOR won the Best Actor Oscar last night.

(The 20 minutes I actually saw of) The Oscars

AWESOME: Sean Penn won! Artistry wins over backstory (and yes, Mickey Rourke is an artist too...but c'mon!!)!

AWESOME AND SAD: Heath Ledger wins, and his family graciously accepts the award that they're holding "for the beautiful Matilda." *me wiping away tears*

BORING: Pretty much everything else.  Slumdog. Best Pic? Really?!!! Yeah, whatever...

Tragedy in Buffalo

My prayers for the families of the 49 people that have apparently died in the plane crash that occurred in Buffalo, NY a couple of hours ago.

The next to last awards show

Today is the deadline to vote for the Spirit Awards, "indie" film's version of the Oscars. Unlike the Oscars, I'm actually going to watch the Spirit Awards on the 21st, in part because I voted, so I feel like I have a vested interest. Many worthy films and performances were nominated, but there were also some odd omissions. No Milk or The Visitor for Best Feature, no Gus Van Sant for Best Director. Waltz with Bashir is MIA for Best Foreign Film as well as Trouble the Water for Best Documentary. I guess they figured--correctly, except for The Visitor-- that these films would be recognized by AMPAS in their respective categories, but it would have been nice to have had them in the mix. 

I am glad that Slumdog Millionaire was left out; that film needs no more attention at this point!

My fingers are crossed for Melissa Leo, up for Best Female Lead for Frozen River, and Rachel Getting Married's Rosemarie DeWitt, who was wrongly snubbed by Oscar, but is nominated for Best Supporting Female. And I hope Milk wins everything it's nominated for, and I think it will.

Single mom + 14 kids + no job = ???????!!!!!!

Like many, people, I have issues and questions about Nadya Suleman fitness to take care of her now very large brood? First of all, how could she afford the IVF treatments in the first place? Did she use some of her student loan $$$? Did the IVF doctor know she already had six kids, and try to advise her to carry fewer embryos? And do IVF doctors require some type of psychological evaluation before having such a procedure? Because it seems apparent to me that this woman has a screw loose and should not be taking care of 14 kids (even her grandmother said so, but in a nicer way).

But at this point, what's done is done. I'd rather have public money spent to help the kids instead of them starving...

THE OBENSON REPORT: POLL - Rating Black Film Festivals; Your Participation Encouraged!

This is an interesting discussion about the need (or lack thereof?) of Black film festivals. I think it depends on the festival...

THE OBENSON REPORT: POLL - Rating Black Film Festivals; Your Participation Encouraged!

The Visitor and The Wrestler

Saw two very good films this week that play a part in the Oscar race:

The Visitor - A somber story of a widowed college professor (Richard Jenkins) who comes back to his part-time NYC apartment to find an immigrant couple living there. Jenkins befriends the couple, at which point the narrative branches out to both love story and post 9-11 "war on terrorism" tale.

I really liked The Visitor, in part because writer/director Tom McCarthy didn't deal with the aforementioned issues in a cheesy, formulaic or flashy way. I cared about these characters like I knew them. Richard Jenkins is great in this film; you see his transformation from sort-of-depression to a full embrace of life and the city he had all but abandoned. His Oscar nomination for Best Actor is much deserved; it's too bad he has no chance of winning. Also, co-star Haaz Sleiman is wonderful as Tarek, the Syria-born drummer who squatted in the apartment and changed Jenkins' life. This guy has the goods (charisma, talent and hotness!) to become a star.

Moving on to a Best Actor nominee who does have a shot at victory: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. I'll skip a description of the film, at this point everyone who follows movies knows what it's about and why there's buzz. I liked the film, but I wasn't knocked out by it (pun intended). It has a documentary feel, but the handheld camera constantly shooting behind Rourke's head was annoying after a while. Also, if you are adverse to watching violence on screen, steel yourself before seeing this film. 

As the titular role, Rourke carries the film valiantly. He runs the gamut of emotions: pride, pain, shame, love, (figurative) impotence. What makes this a great performance is that Rourke's Randy "The Ram" Robinson isn't a dialogue-driven character.  Robinson's story is told in Rourke's battered face and eyes. 

However--and I'm a longtime Mickey Rourke fan...of his acting, not the rest of it--you have to ask how much of a stretch this really was for him. Rourke the (close to) washed-up actor vs. Robinson the washed-up wrestler. Rourke's face is as beaten up from ill-advised boxing and drug abuse as Robinson's body is from drug abuse and wrestling. Both men have alienated nearly everyone who ever cared about them (and at least Robinson had his wrestling "family," which was an unexpectedly sweet aspect of the film). So what was the challenge? This film is as close as Rourke can get to playing himself without playing himself. 

In a year in which Sean Penn and Frank Langella (as well as Heath Ledger in supporting) are being honored for iconic performances that are complete flipsides of what you would expect from them, why is Mickey Rourke getting all of this love for basically looking at himself in the mirror? Weirdly, as good as he is, I found him more heartbreaking in Sin City (his last "comeback" movie).

As a final point, if Rourke upsets Sean Penn for the Oscar, considering how much of a total fuck-up he was in Hollywood, then someone will have to explain to me how Eddie Murphy lost two years ago for Dreamgirls!

Mediocrity reigns!

Forget that this chick has the #1 selling album this week, why does she even have a recording contract?!! She can barely carry a tune! I heard a woman sing at a subway station yesterday who's 10x a better singer than her!

Grrrr...

Requiem for The Dark Knight pt. 2

(SORT OF SPOILER ALERT)

It’s not enough that The Joker is caught; The Joker himself even says that in the final exchange with Batman. Gotham’s reckoning begins and ends with Harvey Dent. He has gone off the rails and seeks revenge on everyone who led to his disfigurement and the death of Rachel Dawes. Even with The Joker’s capture, his “piece de resistance” is Harvey Dent’s turn to the dark side, his complete descent into madness – the birth of “Harvey Two-Face.”

As Harvey goes, so does Gotham City – as well as its hopes and its need for a better tomorrow. This is why his murdering spree can’t be brought to light, so Batman takes the rap and goes on the lam. This isn’t a new story: it’s as old as Jesus dying on the cross (and no, I’m not comparing Batman to Jesus, I’m just making a point). The Dark Knight hinges on the need for hope in society (sound familiar?); in this case, hope trumps even justice and truth.

Why is this confusing? How is this cold?! Maybe after two hours and the absence of Heath Ledger some people lost interest and stopped paying attention. Some people think that a “comic book” movie should solely be entertaining, so for them the third act – and possibly the entire film – would be a turn off. Frankly, those are not the limitations of the film. Those are THEIR limitations! This film set out to tell multilayered, compelling stories, and it succeeded. This film set out to be entertaining and visually spectacular – check. Christopher Nolan, his cast and crew didn’t settle to make a run-of-the-mill “superhero action flick” that would be a cash cow for Warners (which they could have done – they got paid either way). Their mission was to elevate a popcorn movie into a timely and timeless work of art – CHECKMATE. And as its reward, The Dark Knight made even MORE money than expected! To quote a line from another popular film: if you build it, they will come.

I write this sentence in all seriousness: The Dark Knight is the Citizen Kane of the 21st century. For those of you who didn’t get it – especially all of the AMPAS voters that couldn’t place it on your Best Picture ballots – YOU SIMPLY WEREN’T READY.

**me throwing down mic and walking off the stage**

Requiem for The Dark Knight pt. 1

This will be my final post about The Dark Knight, unless something crazy happens between now and the Oscars.

I saw the film again when it was re-released in theaters last weekend. The film holds up, even in its third viewing in a theater. The narrative is still compelling, the action sequences still thrill (esp. the 18-wheeler flipping over in the middle of Chicago’s LaSalle St.) and the acting is top-notch.

Could the film had been shorter? Sure. I agree that the film could have benefited from having 15 to 20 minutes shaved off. Are there slight plot holes with the film? Sure, as with nearly ANY film, esp. action flicks. Was Christian Bale’s voice affectation annoying? Not to me at first, but yes, it can grate after a few viewings, I admit. Do any of these things lessen the impact or the brilliance of the film? In my view, absolutely not!

I specifically want to address those people who have issues with TDK’s third act. David Carr, aka The New York Times’ Carpetbagger, has numerous times complained about the film’s final act, and eluded that the “cold and confusing” ending is the reason that Oscar voters failed to embrace the film. I disagree wholeheartedly. The third act is not only coherent and thoughtful, but the entire narrative is buoyed by it.

Anger towards AMPAS aside...

Congrats to Melissa Leo for her deserved Best Actress nomination in "Frozen River!"

AMPAS can suck my dick!

I called Kate Winslet in lead for "The Reader," didn't see Michael Shannon coming (but it's a good pick), but none of that matters now. I will turn off the Oscars this year after the supporting actor category! They're dead to me now.

And now ... my picks for the Oscar nominations!

I will go into more details later about what films I've seen and what I think about them. But here's what and who I think will earn Oscar nominations tomorrow morning:

BEST PICTURE:

"The Dark Knight" -- yes, I think it will make it in. :-)

"Milk"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

"Frost/Nixon"

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" -- although I think this film has lost a lot of steam. If one of the early frontrunners gets left out for say, "WALL-E"  or "The Wrestler," I think it will be this film.

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle - "Slumdog Millionaire"

Christopher Nolan - "The Dark Knight"

Gus Van Sant - "Milk"

Ron Howard - "Frost/Nixon"

Andrew Stanton - "WALL-E" - I think this will be one of the surprise nominations...their consolation prize for the film not getting a BP nod (like Paul Greengrass for "United 93"). Despite his DGA nod, I think Fincher is weak enough to get knocked out.

BEST ACTOR

Sean Penn - "Milk"

Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"

Mickey Rourke - "The Wrestler"

Clint Eastwood - "Gran Torino" - because they have to nominate him for SOMETHING!

Richard Jenkins - "The Visitor" - Jenkins is a veteran actor that's been around the block. His performance has gotten buzz, and the "Benjamin Button" fade out will be enough to take Brad Pitt out of the running.

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"

Meryl Streep - "Doubt"

Sally Hawkins  - "Happy Go Lucky"

Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"

Kate Winslet - "The Reader" - AMPAS will ignore "Revolutionary Road" and bump her up to lead for this performance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (Does it even matter, really?)

Heath Ledger - "The Dark Knight" - They should have sent the Oscar to his family last summer!

Josh Brolin  - "Milk" - personally, I think James Franco deserves it more.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman - "Doubt"

Robert Downey, Jr. - "Tropic Thunder"

Dev Patel - "Slumdog Millionaire" - The "Slumdog" love will carry him over for this nom.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz  - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Viola Davis - "Doubt"

Marisa Tomei - "The Wrestler"

Taraji P. Henson - "...Benjamin Button" - The "Button" backlash won't rub off on her. People like her performance and like HER.

Rosemarie DeWitt - "Rachel Getting Married" - She will be the other SHOCKER acting nomination, with Winslet's absence in this category letting her sneak in (and it will be deserved).

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

"...Benjamin Button"

"Doubt"

"Frost/Nixon"

"The Dark Knight"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

"Milk"

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

"The Wrestler"

"Burn After Reading"

"Rachel Getting Married"

We'll see how right I am in less than 10 hours!

Hello world! Part 2

Hi again. I will be blogging about different things on this site: politics, music, film, weird-ass people, whatever comes up. But because of what's going on right now, a lot of my posts in the next month will revolve around movies, because of the pending Oscar nominations as well as the Independent Spirit Awards. And as you can tell from the last post, I will be an unabashed apostle of The Dark Knight. Deal with it. :-)

Hello world!

I'm a blogger now! Well, actually I have a blog on MySpace, but I don't know if that really counts. Anyway, welcome! I guess better late than never.

Because it's late, let me cut to the chase...

1) Today saw the swearing in of President Barack Hussein Obama! WHOO fucking HOOO!!!! Finally, some competency and compassion in the White House! I broke out in a huge smile while watching him take the oath and give his inaugural address. It was a good feeling, and made me realize that I don't smile enough. But that's another thought for another time.

2) It's about 32 hours until the Academy Award nominations are announced, and I can't wait. I am so emotionally invested in The Dark Knight... if the film is not nominated for best picture, I will a) likely because physically ill and b) destroy something in my apartment. To prepare for the worst, I will probably set aside some inexpensive items that I won't be concerned about bashing to shreds if necessary. And I'm sorry, I don't even want to hear it about Slumdog Millionaire. Saw it this weekend: great film, heart-tugging rags-to-riches/finding lost love story. I really get why people are in love with this film. But this film is NOT BETTER than The Dark Knight. Not by a mile. Sorry Danny boy, but Batman's got you by the balls. Hopefully, the Oscar voters will agree.