There was The Red Carpet last Sunday, where the stars gathered for the Oscars......and then less than four minutes away, we had our own little Oscars----well, that's somewhat of an exaggeration....but, we did have a bit of a show on what I call, The Brown Carpet....
So, as the "stars" were gathering---Like Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick, we had our own "stars" gathering just down below me, on what I like to call, The Brown Carpet.....
Indeed! The Chicken Stars....They were gathering in droves.....all hoping to be seen in their finery....In this picture above, there were five lovely chickens, all at once.......These ladies were all spruced up for this special late afternoon jaunt.....
Just as we had Brad and Angelina greeting their fans on The Red Carpet....We had these two lovelies, below.....
Our own Brad and Angelina Chicken....They had stopped to check out the special Bird Seed left their for them by their very loyal loving fans.....And then we had the glorious Penelope Cruz four minutes away on The Red Carpet at The Kodak Theatre.....
And while Penelope was posing for the Cameras....Our very own Penelope Chicken, was preening for her many fans, as well....Isn't she looking Fabulous?
Meanwhile, back at the Kodak....this great beauty below was being ogled by all the fans as well as the Photographers.....
Back on The Brown Carpet, this Gorgeous Stunning Lovely Beauty was checking out some of that very delicious Bird Seed left their by her fans....Meet the very Pretty Kate Chicken!
She was looking particularly colorful that afternoon. All spruced up for her walk down The Brown Carpet.....
And look who that is above....looking particularly fetching in that Black Velvet-----It's Meryl Chicken! What a fantastic gathering this is. Everyone anxious to get into the Pen so they can settle down for the evening.....Here below, a very sweet group are just about to enter the Pen, because The Show is about to begin!
And so, the Red Carpet and The Brown Carpet are over for another year.....Who knows who the nominees will be next year....Only time will tell. Exciting, isn't it?
More To Come.......
I have seen this meme on a few of the blogs I visit on a regular basis. You choose the 6th File Folder from your Pictures and than pick the 6th picture in that file, and talk about it. Not so much the picture itself, but where it was taken, how you feel about it, etc.
Another view of the same beautiful little blooms....

5:01 The Good Year Blimp...from out on my deck...this is how it looked, all lit up. I have no idea what they were actually 'selling', but I think it had to do with The Red Carpet and Channel 7......Now, I am going to settle down for the "Official" Red Carpet stuff on ABC.....No more running streaming, for now......
5:52 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: It WAS Penelope Cruz....HOORAY for her! And What a brilliant and moving way to introduce this category....I LOVED THIS. I cried to see these great talented women, paying homage to these five incredibly talented young women! BRAVO, Academy. And what Penelope Cruz said is so very true. Art is the Universal Language. We must protect it and nurture it, for all time. But, but....I am disappointed that Viola Davis did not win! Hopefully, there will be other chances for her.....
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This is it. This is the BIG night! I LOVE the Oscars---I always have, and I always will.......! I can remember listening to The Academy Awards on "The Radio", (Anyone remember 'Radio' when that was all we had and we were THRILLED to have that....?) back in 1950, when "ALL ABOUT EVE" won Best Picture.
I have never missed an Oscar Ceremony....even when I was traveling----I Was Taping! So....here we are. February 22, 2009....About to see who will win the Oscars for 2008. Here are my picks and also who I think will win----here and there these are the same. But mostly, they are not. My picks differ from who I think will win.....But I could be wrong about all of it! (lol)
Let's start with BEST PICTURE.....A Slam Dunk, for "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE".....Is this the picture I want to win? Well, yes. AND, I think it is the picture that WILL win, as well.....I could be wrong about that, but I honestly don't think so. "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR.......Heath Ledger and Heath Ledger. He Was Brilliant. A daring brave performance.....a truly courageous performance that rises above everything.....and that is not to say that the other nominees were not good....They were ALL good---some GREAT----Robert Downey, JR., etc......But Heath Ledger was in another realm. And, by the way, this is a film I would never go and see....It's just not my kind of film. The only reason I watched it was because of Heath Ledger. AND, He Did Not Disappoint.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: My Pick...VIOLA DAVIS for "Doubt". Will she win? Well, I am not sure about that. I think she SHOULD win. She gave a perfect 'supporting actress' performance, in every way. She is beyond memorable....Her performance was searing. She breaks your heart. You believe she is that woman. And in fact, it was like she wasn't/isn't an actress, at all. She Was That Woman--She Was That Mother. And....if Kate Winslet had not been in the WRONG Category for The Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild, we might know better which of the Supporting Actresses nominated might win. (And I mean a truly "Supporting", not "Lead" actress.....) So, this category would not be such a question mark because we would have seen certain trends---not that THAT means anything....lol....The Academy Voters are unique in their picks. So.....Who WILL win? Well, this is difficult. Maybe Taraji Henson OR maybe, just maybe Penelope Cruz.....But, Viola Davis should win, in my view. Hands Down, and I hope she does....She could, if people are being true to the 'craft' and to themselves in their heart......
BEST ACTOR.....My pick is MICKEY ROARKE.....I thought he was superb in "The Wrestler". The whole movie is really wonderful and everyone in it is wonderful, too....Mickey Roarke has been to Hell and back and has returned in a film that is surprisingly moving and beautifully rendered. And he is so very moving, himself. I think he could win, but, then again....it might be Sean Penn. That is the "conventional wisdom"....but one never knows with The Academy....It could also be Frank Langella, who's performance as 'Nixon' was really quite stunning. So many good good performances this year.
BEST ACTRESS.....Well, the "conventional wisdom" here is Kate Winslet, for all sorts of reasons....Me? I am of two minds. There is the Great Meryl Streep. Even though I had a bit of a problem with the film....
DARK HORSE: Long Shot, but a huge possibility---Melissa Leo, for "Frozen River".....The Academy loves the Underdog, you know....And I mean, someone who gives a brilliant performance but who is not a household name.....She is my second pick---And you know what? She might just be the one taking home that Best Actress Oscar....
And lastly.....BEST DIRECTOR. I think it will be Danny Boyle for "SLUMDOG"......That is my pick and I think it will be The Academy's pick, too. Enough Said.
I am SOOOOOO looking forward to Hugh Jackman's Hosting this year.....He is such a powerful performer---he can sing and dance and he is easy on the eyes, to say the least...They say there will be a lot of surprises in this years show.....I look forward to all of it! 
The Best Picture was "GONE WITH THE WIND". The films in Red are all classic films, still, right now, 69 years later....and all of the other 1939 films are still great great pictures. The films of 1939 were probably the greatest year in Motion Picture History. And by the way....the names in parentheses are the Acting Nominees that year from each picture, and the names in Blue are the people who took the Oscar home.
Here is my question: Do you think any of the Best Picture of 2008 Nominees will be thought of as "Classics" 69 years from now? My personal opinion? I don't think so....Of course, I won't be around to see....Still, the list of films from 1939 were truly exceptional in every way and I don't believe there was another year quite like it in the History Of The Academy Awards........
I will follow up after the Awards....!
I have seen some very interesting films in the last few weeks. The first one was the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM of 2007, which won The Oscar....The Foreign Film. This is a huge category to start out with---my dear departed friend Hanna was on the Foreign Film Committee at The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, for many many MANY years....The amount of films this committee had to watch was humongous, and in fact, they separated the committee into two parts because there were so very many entry's. And each of these halves would watch two films each evening....This went on for months---(Occasionally I would go with her as her guest, which was always interesting)....Then the two committees would vote on all the films and the five top contenders were picked from that huge group.
"The Lives Of Others" was the German Film Entry for 2007, and as I said, this is the film that won for Best Foreign Film in 2007, and that is what I watched.
The similarities with other things happening right now in our own country, though maybe not quite this extreme, was a presence in my mind as I watched this really fine fine film, too. Usually the top five nominees in the Foreign Film Category picked from country's all over the world that submit their films, are really quite special. "The Lives Of Others", absolutely fits that bill. And there is not a boring moment in it.....it almost has the feel of a 'thriller'---one is very much on the edge of one's seat, throughout....Do rent it, if you get a chance.
Another film that I watched, "Martian Child", is a very sweet special picture. John Cusack is the star along with some other very fine actors, including his sister Joan Cusack, playing his sister in the film, and Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Howard Hessman, the lovely Sophie Okenado,
and in a small but stunning role, the incandescent Anjelica Houston. Plus, there is a little boy named Bobby Coleman, who is amazing in every way, and who plays 'The Martian Child'. It is a very touching story and is about some truly important ideas---mainly, the true importance of being oneself even if it alienates others....! The absolutely essential idea of not trying to change who you are so you will 'fit' everyone else's idea of who you should be. Another surprise film for me. I found it terribly moving and quite funny, too....it has so much humanity in it....! This Is A Must See.....!
Then I saw "The Secret Life Of Bees".....this is a very nice little film---not great, but very nice, and has a lot to say about many things...Not the least of which is racism in the south in the mid 1960's....The cast is quite wonderful, Dakota Fanning--my Lordy she is a talented young actress, Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and the incredible Sophie Okenada, again...in a part that fits her like a glove......
"The Assassination Of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Howard" is a beautifully filmed picture, and it is a BIG picture, unlike the other films I have been talking about....but, it is very long and very very s-l-o-w....I don't mind slow, if something is filling the pauses or if the pauses actually serve something for us, the audience. To me, the endless pauses in this picture just got tiresome, and frankly I even considered that there was something wrong with the disc, because it felt like there was no pace at all to this film, except s-l-o-w.....It is also a film filled with a lot of cruelty and I'm just not sure I understand why this story was, once again, told.....And further, I am not a huge fan of Casey Affleck, who plays Bob Howard.....
Another film that surprised me because I wasn't expecting to be moved and, in fact, I wasn't expecting much of anything at all, was "The Jane Austen Book Club". I really liked this film a lot. I know there are many who think it is nothing but 'witless Soap Opera'...(I'll take that anytime...lol)....Well, I found it sweet and funny and very touching, too....It made me want to read ALL of Jane Austen all over again, which is not a bad thing, at all! The performances all across the board are really wonderful.
The cast includes, Maria Bello, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Emily Blount, Maggie Grace and Hugh Dancy. (Who I really didn't like at all in "Evening", but who I absolutely loved a whole lot in this little film....), all of whom are the members of 'the book club', and then there are Jimmy Smits and Marc Blucas playing the husbands of two of the women, and a very beautiful young man named Kevin Zegers, playing a student of Emily Blount's.....Plus....the magnificent Lynn Redgrave in a 'cameo' appearance as Emily Blounts mother. I love that these actresses like Anjelica Houston and Lynn Redgrave are willing to take these small parts in small films; they add a great deal of weight to a film just by their very presence, but then, they also come through with the goods......!
This is a very satisfying film and though it might be classified as a "chick flick"----I hate that label, by the way---it is much much more than that. If you haven't seen it, do rent it. In fact, all of these films are rent able.....
For anyone who thinks I watch an awful lot of movies---Well, you are right. I do! (lol) I LOVE movies and it is also such a big part of my professional world as well as my personal world, too.....I am grateful for all the really wonderful inspiring films I see, and the ones that give me a laugh, too, and I am deeply deeply grateful for all the films that touch my heart!
The movies have always saved my life and they continue to do so, I am happy to say.....!
More To Come......
UPDATE: THIS CANNOT BE READ IN FIREFOX. GO TO INTERNET EXPLORER OR SAFARI. THANKS. 9:53am - 02-21-09
"I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues", "Blues In The Night", "Blue Moon", "Am I Blue", "Blue & Broken Hearted", I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues", "Birth Of The Blues", "St. Louis Blues", "Bye Bye Blues", "Jailhouse Blues", "Basin Street Blues", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues".....etc., etc., etc.
Never Treats Me Sweet And Gentle, The Way He Should, I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good.
My Poor Heart Is Sentimental, Not Made Of Wood, I've Got It Bad And That Ain't Good.
But When The Weekend's Over, And Monday Rolls Around, I end up like I start Out, Just Crying My Heart Out.
He Don't Love Me Like I Love Him, Nobody Could, I've Got It Bad, And That Ain't Good.
Carmen McRae.....The Best! She is my favorite singer of ALL time. I first became acquainted with her around 1953-54, and over the many years, her incredible talent never ceased to amaze me. She was a great musician, (She was a superb pianist) and she was also one of the finest interpreters of the Blues/Jazz Ballad.....
I was lucky enough to see her perform a number of times over the years, and even got to meet her a few times, too. I admired her so very much I always had this dream/fantasy of hearing her sing one of my songs, and then about three years before she died, I had the opportunity to see her perform in a little Jazz Club here in Hollywood called The Catalina Bar & Grill. She was so great that we stayed for her second show, too. There was a song of mine I wanted her to hear. I told her that I didn't think it was a song she would probably ever sing, but that I would love for her to hear it anyway, because her opinion was so important to me. And she told me to mail the song to her at her home in Los Angeles. So, I did. And a few days later, she called me.
She was very complimentary about the song, which thrilled me no end, but indeed said, that I was correct in feeling she might not want to sing this song. It had to do with her own life experiences and the fact that this particular song was not in her experience and she therefor felt she couldn't do it justice. Having admired her for so very many years, it was particularly meaningful to me that she took the time to listen to the song and also that she found it very touching. She was a true 'artist', in every way. All through her long career, she was incredibly popular all over the world, and particularly in Japan...
And one more Blues clip....The Great Great Joe Williams along with another man, the Great Jimmy Rushing, singing with Count Basie's Band....This clip is from The Newport Jazz Festival back in 1962....
Williams and Basie had a very long professional relationship...an amazing collaboration that produced so very many memorable recordings and "live" performances, too.....And it all stemmed from 'the blues'......
More To Come.......
NOTE: Blogger is being particularly screwy today--tonight! None of these Videos may be right...Forgive me. I tried, and tried, and tried....BUT, The Blogger Gremlins will not let me do what want.....UGH! They keep showing up different, each time I "publish"....
So, if none of it is right.....I apologize.....Blame Blogger.....!

I just love all the colors and colors in gradations is/are one of my very favorite things----I have done hundreds of paintings using gradations of colors---there is something deeply satisfying to me visually and viscerally, too......
May you celebrate with loved ones of all persuasions----and that includes four footed family, too....I know "Sweetie" and I will be enjoying some special Valentine's Chocolates.....
And, of course, we will be over at CQ's 

Name: OldOldLady Of The Hills
Location: Los Angeles, California







