Scantily Watched Best Pictures Nominees to Drive Interest in Academy Awards Lower

The quartet of Best Pictures nominees does not stir much interest from many people, including yours truly. Of the five pictures, the only one that intrigues me is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". "Frost/Nixon seems to be a rather dry film. "Milk" is of no interest, nor is "Slumdog Millionaire". I am not interested in "The Reader", but I will probably see it in the next few years once it makes it to basic satellite.

Apparently the choice of these five non-blockbusters will result in lower interest in the Academy Awards show Sunday night 22 February. But the honors and awards are supposed to be based on complete overall excellence in the art of filmmaking, while blockbusters are made to make money and not be an artistic masterpiece or make a statement.

Films that could been nominees for Best Picture include The Wrestler, The Changeling, Appaloosa, Revolutionary Road, or Happy-G0-Lucky.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Will-anyone-say-hurray-Hollywood/story.aspx?guid={D5C266F4-81B1-4AAD-A51F-96322CF83BBA}

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/12/31/best.2008/index.html

http://www.movieretriever.com/blog/209/The-Best-Movies-of-2008

http://www.slashfilm.com/2007/10/15/55-must-see-movies-of-2008/

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Bottom Line Thoughts about Baseball

As Spring Training is now fully underway and games are mere days away, one starts to think more deeply about which clubs will go all the way and make the postseason. This article has some vital information on how to decide what will be those clubs.

I will make my projections in about a month for this upcoming '09 season, the fortieth anniversary of my following of the sport.

A schedule of all spring training games being telecast will be put in a post on this blog in the coming days.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/tom_verducci/02/18/spring.parity/index.html?bcnn=yes

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Human Rats in Courthouse Get Company

We have always known courthouses across the nation are full of rats posing as judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and bailiffs. Now this Florida courthouse has some company for them !

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090220/D96FBQH81.html

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Road Trips Around the West

What I would not give to be able to take one that lasts several days with lots of scenic sights and great times. There is nothing better than hitting the highway and road to see the world with no worries, good music on the stereo, and no clear agenda or itinerary. That's freedom....

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-trw-roadtrip,0,5653256.special

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Thats a Lot of Beef !

I understand my younger V successfully completed the challenge at The Big Texan in Amarillo in the early 1980s. I believe I could have successfully met the challenge when I was younger, but I do not think I could do it now. Its not the meat that gets you, its all the side items like the bread and salad. And its troubling to think how much time one must spend excreting all that waste. But it could be worse; it could be from Taco Bell instead.

http://www.digitalcity.com/2009/02/19/diner-vs-dinner-biggest-steak-challenges-across-the-country/

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Playboy Soon to be No More ?

The news from Los Angeles and Chicago is quite grim concerning the future of Playboy Enterprises and the 55 year old publication of Playboy magazine. The publication has fallen out of step with changes in technology and the utter gritty transformation in mindsets and attitudes of young males ages 30 and under. This obviously targeted demographic is now one that favors violence, deviance, crudeness, and humiliating acts and behavior as compared to ones in past generations. Playboy has kept more to a style and approach that is more in tune with values and attitudes in the 1980s and earlier. Declining numbers in circulation as well as in advertiser pages in the publication appear to forebode the end of this great American institution, one of which I have been aware of and enjoyed for about 35 years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE51H5U420090218?rpc=77