The Dingo has returned...

THE DINGO HAS RETURNED !!

My Lost Vacation

Okay, so I walk in the door from work on Wednesday night and the phone rings. It's this guy from Ramada Plaza Resorts saying I won a 9 day trip to Florida (incl a 3 day cruise down to Nassau, Bahamas - my birth place!) and that I won it by entering a contest at the Auto Show. So now, I entered A LOT of things at the Auto Show (by the by, someone from Suzuki, please call and let me know I won the two cars!! PLEASE !!)... A LOT of things. And I know I entered to win a couple vacations... so I'm getting really excited ! He tells me what I'll be doing while down there and everything and I'm so hyped. Then the catch... I have to give my VISA # over the phone to pay for these taxes and shite. At this point, I was like ... whoa there fella ! I'll send you a chq when I Have the tickets in my hand. And he was like no no no... so I was like "NO no no no..." and ended up saying "Thanks, but I'm not risking it." So it was probably legit but I gave it up. I also gave up the trips to Antigua and Las Vegas that I won with it. I'm very sad. Thankfully, my trip to CUBA is still on !! ONLY 4 WEEKS TO GO !! I CANNOT WAIT !! De-stressing, here I come !!!

"The Emancipation of Mimi" is in stores on April 12th, 2005. Be prepared EVERYONE... 'The Voice' is back...  

THE IT LIST

What you need to be checking out RIGHT THIS INSTANT !

Music: John Legend "Get Lifted" - though apparantley he's already a huge star, I had no idea who he was. I heard his CD at a listening booth at HMV and bought it. Loved it. Promote it! It's just a very authentic CD with some sensational songs on it. Check out "Stay With You", "I Can Change", "Let's Get Lifted" and of course, "Ordinary People".

Movies: Being Juila - Just bought it on DVD and it's just as good as I remembered. It's a period piece, so beware! But with Annette Bening in control, it's funny - entertaining (especially the last 15 minutes or so) and the final frame (dining alone) is just sensational! I wish Jeremy Irons was my uncle.

Television: CSI - With all the copy cat shows (and spin offs), it'd be easy to get lost in the shuffle. But CSI remains the Best Show on TV. If you're not watching, you're missing out. In the relm of comedy, if I haven't said it before - get watching Arrested Development. Funniest show ever created.

Cars: Lexus GS300 - Though I've always been fond of the GS - with the newly restyled sports luxury sedan, I am now in love. It's sleek, sensual and sexy. I cannot wait for the new IS to come out for it appears Lexus is taking their division in a whole new direction... a direction (when I have money) I am going to be following.

News: Great White Shark Kills Tanks Mates: My first question is: what the hell is a Great White Shark doing in captivity. My second question is: what the hell is it doing with tank mates? It'd be like dropping Cher in to a tank of 21 year old males... even if the males do nothing to provoke her, she will bite.

The Dingo ponders The New Youth

Sup y'all ! Long time no see.

I seem to have been neglecting my Blog. Since the Oscars are over, my life is so empty.

I have been up to nothing, really. Occassionally leaving the confines of my room to see what life is like beyond my door. What I see, I don't enjoy. People are morons! I don't like 'em. Well, some of them are okay... but for the most part they're all total, pure, complete, top-to-bottom, inside-and-out morons. If I ran the world, I think it'd be so fun! Chocolate would become our currency... Animals, not humans, would run congress... and Martha Stewart would be vindicated.

(brb! need to check dictionary.com to make sure vindicated is the word I wanted to use. Yes, it is. now back to my entry...)

I have been up to nothing. I see occasional friends occasionally. I visit with my cousins frequently to get caught up on what's hip and cool and what's not. I'm so out of touch with today's youth... have times changed THAT much since I was that age? I feel so old. I'm 22 ! And I feel old. The youth of today doesn't watch TV (I stay at home and watch American Idol... The Simple Life & Survivor). The youth of today parties ALL THE TIME (I stay at home and watch American Idol... The Simple Life & Survivor). The youth of today rebels against athourity and cusses A LOT (I stay at home and watch American Idol... The Simple Life & Survivor - BUT I do cuss). When I went to high school, the girls were in to sports, had distinct personalities and were likeable. Now, all I see are irritating, whiny, Britney Spears wanna-be's whose clothes are too small - and they all look the same. I beg of you... go to any movie theatre on a Friday night and show me 2 girls who don't look/sound/act the same and I'll treat you to dinner.

I don't get it. It's hard enough to fit in and belong with your own generation - now it's getting harder to fit in, belong with and understand those that follow us. My grandmother always says "I have no idea who is who anymore or what's what." I never used to know what she was talking about (always assumed it was the senility)... but now I find myself agreeing with her at the dinner table. But there's a difference between at 79 year old not understanding the youth of today and a 22 year old not understanding the youth of today. I thought I was a youth !

Meh, whatever. I may not understand youth anymore... or what the hell they're doing... but so long as I've got my American Idol, Simple Life & Survivor... I guess I'll be able to cope.

The End of Oscar (for this year)

Well, I got 18/24 on my predictions (75%). I predicted all major categories spot on, but messed up on the technical categories and the documetnaries. What I got wrong?

Documentary Feature
Documentary Short
Film Editing
Music (song)
Short Film (Live Action)
Sound Mixing

Overall, I thought the show was boring, safe & predictable. I want Steve Martin back... he's funny and self-depreciating (which I like). And who'd have thought Jeremy Irons could be so funny !!

Until next year folks...

(NOTE - this now means my BLOG returns to being about ME!)

The final predictions...

I reserve the right to alter these up until 8:00pm on Sunday night. But as of now, these are how I think it'll turn out. I'm actually hoping I'm wrong. If I'm right, then this year will be as predictable and dull as last year was. I think there are a lot of close races, but in the end... this is probably ABOUT how it'll turn out... but I hope I'm wrong. Here you go folks... (note, the Spoiler picks won't count towards my final %).

BEST PICTURE
Will Win: Million Dollar Baby
Spoiler Pick: The Aviator or even more likely, Sideways !

BEST ACTOR
Will Win: Jamie Foxx
Spoiler Pick: Clint Eastwood

BEST ACTRESS
Will Win: Hilary Swank
Spoiler Pick: Imelda Staunton or even more shockingly, Kate Winslet !

BEST SUPPORTING ACTORWill Win: Morgan Freeman
Spoiler Pick: Clive Owen

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will Win: Cate Blanchett
Spoiler Pick: Natalie Portman

BEST DIRECTOR
Will Win: Clint Eastwood
Spoiler Pick: Martin Scorsese (sadly...)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will Win: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Spoiler Pick: The Incredibles or Vera Drake

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will Win: Sideways
Spoiler Pick: None.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Will Win: The Incredibles
Spoiler Pick: None.

The less important categories...

ART DIRECTION
Will Win: The Aviator
Spoiler Pick: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Will Win: The Aviator
Spoiler Pick: House of Flying Daggers

COSTUME DESIGN
Will Win: The Aviator
Spoiler Pick: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Will Win: Super Size Me
Spoiler Pick: Born into Brothels

DOCUMENTARY SHORT (total guess here folks!)
Will Win: Austism Is A World

FILM EDITING
Will Win: Million Dollar Baby
Spoiler: Collateral

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Will Win: The Sea Inside
Spoiler Pick: The Chorus

MAKEUP
Will Win: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Spoiler: Passion of the Christ

MUSIC (SCORE)
Will Win: Finding Neverland
Spoiler Pick: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

MUSIC (SONG)
Will Win: Believe (The Polar Express)
Spoiler Pick: Learn To Be Lonely (Phantom)

SHORT FILM (Animated) (another wild guess...)
Will Win: Ryan (ahhaha... truly! it's a nominee!)
Spoiler: None. Ryan should win.

SHORT FILM (Live Action) (what do you know! A Random guess..)
Will Win: Everything In This Coutry Must
Spoiler: Little Terrorist

SOUND EDITING
Will Win: The IncrediblesSpoiler: Spider Man

SOUND MIXING
Will Win: The Aviator
Spoiler: Ray

VISUAL EFFECTS:
Will Win: Spider Man 2
Spoiler: I, Robot

Oscars - Bizarro

Okay, so I have this dream the other night where I'm at the Oscars. It was really low key and Sean Penn is presenting the award for best actress and he opens the envelope before reading the names and the card is very transparent and I see (from the front row) that it's "Hillarry Swank" who won and so I start yelling and booing... and then before he announces the winner, he realises he has to read the nominees - so Sean Penn reads the nominees and he says Annette Bening (they show a funny clip that makes me laugh), Hilary Swank (and I start to boo and hiss) and then Kate Winslet (and I scream and hoot and holler and clap) - of course, I'm the only one making any noise so everyone is looking at me. SOOOO Swank wins, but she doesn't come out! Instead, BRANDY comes out and performs a song to me !! It was weird. So they stop handing out awards and I'm like "wait! what! I dont' know who won though!" So I'm mighty pissed cuz I wanted to know who won... so I storm through the audience looking for nominees who are holding statues... and I find Virginia Madsen (who I want to win) and she doesn't have one and I'm like "Aww, sorry..." and then I see Natalie Portman and she's got one !! So I said "Congrats" or something... and then I saw Morgan Freeman with one and said the same thing. BUT I didn't see any of the Best Actors with one - BUT ! Eastwood was not there... so I'm thinking, maybe he stole it. huh ?! Like it's symbolic ! Cuz Jamie Foxx is predicted to be the winner, he's actually going to lose to Eastwood - THUS - Eastwood steals his award !! And then I woke up. So I'm posting my predicitions based on who WILL WIN... who I think SHOULD WIN and who my DREAM PREDICTS will win. Neat, eh?!

Ryan's Academy Awards

This BLOG seems to have been dominated by Oscar issues... which is fine by me ! Since it is Oscar time. No worries, folks... after I rant and rave and get angry on the 28th (the day after Swank wins), it should all be over. But until then... it's time for me to share my BEST of the BEST...

Best Picture
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Honourable Mention: Hotel Rwanda, The Door In The Floor, Closer, Finding Neverland & Vera Drake

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges in The Door In The Floor
Honourable Mention: Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine, Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda, Paul Giamatti in Sideways & Leonardo Dicaprio in The Aviator
Best Actress
Annette Bening in Being Julia
Honourable Mention: Imelda Staunton in Very Drake, Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine, Julia Roberts in Closer & Kim Basinger in The Door In The Floor, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 2

Best Supporting Actor
Clive Owen in Closer
Honourable Mention: Freddy Highmore in Finding Neverland, Mark Wahlberg in I Heart Huckabees & Thomas Hayden Church in Sideways

Best Supporting Actress
Virginia Madsen in Sideways
Honourable Mention: Natalie Portman in Closer, Kirsten Dunst in Eternal Sunshine, Cate Blanchett in The Aviator, Sophie Okenedo in Hotel Rwanda & Lily Tomlin in I Heart Huckabees

Best Director
Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Honourable Mention: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby, Martin Scorsese for The Aviator, Alexander Payne for Sideways & Mike Leigh for Vera Drake