Year in Review: March

In March, Justin turned 30 (Wordy Wordy!), and I threw him a little birthday bash, that included a wine tasting. I am contractually obligated to not show any pictures of the wine connoisseur who coached through it, but it was a success. While drinking wine, you should always have kiwi, salmon, lemon, goat cheese, walnuts, toasted bread, and grapes on hand. Just trust us on this one.

Oh, and there was also a monkey cake.

Year in Review: February

What has a nacho bar, celebrity guests, a contest, and a baby in a tuxedo? It is Tomketeer of the Year, Jen's annual Oscar party. (Maybe Jason helps too!) And it's a nice bonus that I took home the prize at the end of the night!

Life. Camera. Action.

They picked a "representative" movie from each decade for the background of this year's Oscars poster. I'm not sure how I feel about their choices, but otherwise, it's a sharp poster.

Year in Review: January

I didn't do a very good job of keeping this site updated this year for a variety of reasons. And there is plenty to show off. (I have load of pictures.) So over the next few days, I'll pick something from each month and give a recap. So what happened in January? As it happens, not too much. I got an amazing donut maker last year for Christmas, and took a bunch of pictures of my inaugural batch. That's as good as anything else to start off the year. The donuts I am making here are banana-flavored, and are more delicious than they look.

Oscar Ballots are in the mail...

I posted some new Oscar predictions this morning, so let's see if any Academy members read this blog. The ballots were officially mailed this morning, and they are due back on January 13th. This is a good breakdown of what happens next. As you can see, it requires very little to score an Oscar nomination. In most cases, fewer than 100 people need to think you're deserving to get in there. (Best Picture requires a bit more support, of course.)

This is why there is always some surprise that pops up. Last year, Javier Bardem was probably the only one who got in there as a surprise (even though some people were predicting him). This year it seems is all surprises. Will Melissa McCarthy make it in there? Will Ryan Gosling be redeemed for his snub last year? What about Armie Hammer? Be patient people. Soon. SOON!

Oscar Predictions - 12/27/11

I have been busy trying to see all of the Oscar contenders this year still, but I wanted to give a post-SAG, post-Critics Choice, post-Golden Globe nomination prediction list. This year's Oscar race is fairly unpredictable at this point (though, I'm sure that will change soon enough). There isn't a real frontrunner in most of the races. I have some guesses, of course. Last year I knew that Colin Firth and Natalie Portman were going to win in the early fall. I guess it's more exciting this time around. I guess. Okay, so here are my ranked lists:

Best Picture:
1) The Artist (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) The Descendants (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) The Help (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) Midnight in Paris (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
5) Hugo (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
6) Moneyball (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
7) War Horse (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
8) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (BFCA nomination)
9) The Tree of Life (BFCA nomination)
10) The Ides of March (Golden Globe nomination)

Best Director:
1) The Artist, Michael Hazanavicius (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) The Descendants, Alexander Payne (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) Hugo, Martin Scorsese (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) War Horse, Steven Spielberg (BFCA nomination)
5) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Steven Daldry (BFCA nomination)
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6) Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (Golden Globe nomination)
7) The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
8) The Ides of March, George Clooney (Golden Globe nomination)
9) Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn (BFCA nomination)
10) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher

Best Actor:
1) Brad Pitt, Moneyball (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) George Clooney, The Descendants (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) Jean Dujardin, The Artist (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
5) Ryan Gosling, Drive (BFCA nomination)
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6) Michael Fassbender, Shame (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
7) Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March (Golden Globe nomination)
8) Demian Birchir, A Better Life (SAG nomination)
9) Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
10) Woody Harrelson, Rampart

Best Actress:
1) Viola Davis, The Help (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination)
5) Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
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6) Charlize Theron, Young Adult (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
7) Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Golden Globe nomination)
8)Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene (BFCA nomination)
9) Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
10) Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids (Golden Globe nomination)

Best Supporting Actor:
1) Christopher Plummer, Beginners (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) Albert Brooks, Drive (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) Nick Nolte, Warrior (SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
5) Jonah Hill, Moneyball (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination)
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6) Armie Hammer, J. Edgar (SAG nomination)
7) Patton Oswalt, Young Adult (BFCA nomination)
8) Ben Kingsley, Hugo
9) Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10) Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (BFCA nomination)

Best Supporting Actress:
1) Octavia Spencer, The Help (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
2) Bernice Bejo, The Artist (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
3) Jessica Chastain, The Help (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)
4) Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs (Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination)
5) Shailene Woodley, The Descendants (Golden Globe nomination, BFCA nomination)
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6) Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids (SAG nomination, BFCA nomination)\
7) Carrie Mulligan, Drive (BFCA nomination)
8) Vanessa Redgrave, Coriolanus
9) Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10) Judy Greer, The Descendants

Previous Predictions - 11/24/11

Golden Globe Nominations!

Best Picture - Drama:
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Picture - Comedy:
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Best Director:
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michael Hazanacius, TheArtist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor - Drama:
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneball

Best Actress - Drama:
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actor - Comedy;
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Actress - Comedy:
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress:
Bernice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Screenplay:
The Artists
The Descendants
Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball

Best Score:
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
War Horse
W.E.

Best Animated Feature:
The Adventures of Tin Tin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

National Board of Review Picks Hugo

Best Picture: Hugo
est Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Ensemble: The Help
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Top 10 Movies of the Year:
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
Tree of Life
War Horse

Top 10 Independent Films:
50/50
Another Earth
Beginners
A Better Life
Cedar Rapids
Margin Call
Shame
Take Shelter
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Win Win