Paul Giamatti gets screwed...

Well, the Oscar nominations came out today. Much of it was expected, though I was surprised that Jamie Foxx got two seperate nominations(Best Actor for "Ray" which he'll probably win, and Best Supporting for "Collateral"). I was also surprised that Liberal Hollywood ignored "Farenheit 9/11" completely, and equally surprised that "The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre" only got nominated for a few lesser awards(Cinematography, Makeup, Best Score).

But the worst thing of all is that Paul Giamatti got left out of the Best Actor nominations. I mean, come on, Clint Eastwood's already up for Best Director for "Million Dollar Baby", did he really need an Actor nom also?

Oh, wait, I forgot, Sideways is a COMEDY. Perish the thought of a comedic actor winning a Best Actor award. Not that I don't expect Jamie Foxx to win the award for "Ray" anyway, but it would have been nice to honor Giamatti anyway. I was also glad to see that Don Cheadle got nominated for "Hotel Rwanda", even though it got shut out of the Best Picture race.

Oh well, another year for the Oscars to annoy me to no end.

Blizzards, Eagles, and Boxing news...

So we got a "Blizzard", but it was the least inconvenient blizzard ever. Even though we got about 14" here, it was dry, blowing snow, and it drifted away to the point where pavement was visible very quickly here. As a result, had a nice quiet day and a half at home, but it's not canceling work or anything, so oh well...

---------------

EAGLES~! w00t~! Now I don't have to shoot myself. Despite some sloppy penalties and iffy play calling (again), the Eagles managed to contain Mike Vick and keep the Falcons from running all over creation.

Now we await the winner of the Pats/Steelers. Go Pats~!

---------------

Watched a bit of boxing yesterday, though I still have some on the DVR. Juan Diaz looked phenomenal again in whipping some Canadian guy's ass on ESPN Friday night. And David Estrada whipped Chris Smith in an eliminator on Shobox Friday also. I haven't watched the Mayweather fight yet, but it sounds like I didn't miss much.

A couple of interesting news bites. Apparently the Diego Corrales/Jose Luis Castillo fight that was supposed to happen in March is off due to Coralles' promoter, who appears to be a big tool. So now, Castillo is going to fight Julio Diaz, with Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy on the undercard.

And we may see a revival of the moribund Heavyweight division, as Lennox Lewis has apparently agreed to come out of retirement to take on Vitali Klitschko. That would be an awesome fight, and certainly more entertaining than a lot of what's been going on in the divisions lately.

Some upcoming fights of interest include:

Arturo "Thunder" Gatti vs. the resurgent Jesse James Leija this coming Saturday on HBO.

Cory Spinks vs. Zab Judah for three welterweight belts on February 5 on Showtime.

Bernard Hopkins vs. Some Guy on the 19th of February on HBO(basically just training.)

The aforementioned Castillo/Diaz fight.

Farther off, we have Erik Morales vs. Manny Pacquaio in March, Felix Trinidad vs. Winky Wright and Vitali Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman in May, and the brutal beating of Rickey Hatton by Kosta Tsyzu in June(hard to believe Hatton's management even wanted this fight). Hatton looks like a good fighter until you realize that he mostly fights on his home turf. He's 38-0, but it's not real. When you look at the guys he's fought, you notice that he's been dodging the real guys. He's third in the division, but he hasn't fought any of the top ten guys, and spent the better part of a year dodging Sharmba Mitchell.) Tsyzu should take him apart fairly easily.

---------------

As I finish typing this, the Pats are up 10-3 nearing the end of the first. Come on, Pats~!

R.I.P. Johnny Carson

The greatest talk show host ever. Funny too that I was reading an article a day or two ago about how Carson was still sending jokes to Letterman for his monologue.

Rest In Peace, Johnny. God's lining up the good guests for you already.

Random thoughts.

*Disclaimer - I really do care about the Tsunami and its victims, and I have donated to the Red Cross*

Do I go to hell for making sport of the Tsunami telethon tonight? Don't get me wrong, it's a terrible thing, but at the same time, how could I not mention the inherent amusement factor here? Madonna singing a slightly off-key rendition of "Imagine". The idea of Stevie Wonder taking phone calls for donations. The sight of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Downey sitting next to each other on the phone bank. Affleck, bearded and solemn. Roger Waters and Eric Clapton playing possibly the worst version of "Wish You Were Here" ever(not Clapton's fault though.) Renee Zellweger looks terrible with dark hair. Oh, and Diana Ross, very scary Diana Ross.

But if they raise a lot of money, then hey, it's a good thing.

--------------------

I can't believe that Doug Bryan missed two field goals in about two minutes. I was hoping for Jets/Patriots next weekend. Oh well. Go Pats~!

--------------------

Anyone miss the NHL anymore?

*crickets*

Guess not. USA Today on Thursday had a story that said that the NHL's merch sales were down 68% in December(or thereabouts) and the percentage of sports fans who said they followed the NHL was down to like 28%. I guess NASCAR must really be the number 4 sport now.

--------------------

Haven't really watched anything lately, as I've been spending too much time at a few certain web sites. I got made a moderator at one of them, so I've been spending a lot of time at that site. I find myself just turning on VH1 Classic and letting it play, or else just listening to MP3s. I have so many movies to watch, but I never do. Maybe in the month and a half between football and baseball I'll catch up, since there's no hockey.

Okay, I'd like to think I've paid good attention to Law and Order the last couple of years...

What in the blue hell was up with the end of Wednesday night's episode of L&O?

When was Serena ever a lesbian? I mean, seriously, was her utterly wooden acting style supposed to suggest it? I've heard rumors that Elisabeth Rohm bats on the other side of the plate, but I can't recall a single moment in the last couple of years that made her out to be one.

Someone on another board pointed out that she and Jack never slept together, but I just assumed that Jack finally realized that he couldn't sleep with his female assistants anymore. (Either that or the booze finally caught up with his little ADA.)

- More later, if I can find the publish button.(Not like anyone reads this anyway.)

R.I.P. Will Eisner

What a phenomenal artist. Not only the creator of the Spirit, Eisner also helped make the graphic novel more than just reprints of comic issues. One site I read suggests that Eisner was the creator of the graphic novel, but it seems to me that Jim Steranko was doing graphic novels before Eisner. Eisner was also an expert on the form and style of comics, and the annual comic awards are named for him.

More later.