The Original Creature Passes

Ben Chapman 1928-2008

Thanks to Sam for hipping me to this.

Ultimates 3 #2 Reviewed

"Second Chances" - my comic book review of the Ultimates 3 #2, by Jeph Loeb and Joe Madureira, is now online at Avengers Forever.

I’m always willing to admit when I’m wrong… Ultimates 3 is not a very good comic book series - check out my review here:

http://www.avengersforever.org/reviews/default.asp?RID=584

Enjoy!

If you want to discuss this review, this issue or anything Avengers, please check out the Avengers Forever Forum.

And if you'd like to make a donation to help keep the Avengers Forever website as mighty as ever, click here.

Thanks!

2008 Oscar Predictions

No long-winded explanations, no dancing around the subject, no bullshit – just my predictions. Here we go:

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

Achievement in art direction
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

Achievement in cinematography
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit

Achievement in costume design
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne

Achievement in directing
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy

Best documentary feature
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins

Best documentary short subject
"Sari's Mother" (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley

Achievement in film editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse

Best foreign language film of the year
"12" Russia

Achievement in makeup
"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
"The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best motion picture of the year
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best animated short film
"Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Achievement in visual effects
"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

Adapted screenplay
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Original screenplay
"Juno" (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production), Written by Diablo Cody

Catch up with next week to see how close I was...

New Avengers #38 Reviewed

"Love in the Age of Skrull" - my comic book review of the New Avengers #38, by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, is now online at Avengers Forever.

The creative team from Alias return for this latest drastic change in the life of Jessica Jones as her marriage to Luke Cage reaches the breaking point, all that and a new headquarters for the New Avengers - check out my review here:

http://www.avengersforever.org/reviews/default.asp?RID=580

Enjoy!

If you want to discuss this review, this issue or anything Avengers, please check out the Avengers Forever Forum.

And if you'd like to make a donation to help keep the Avengers Forever website as mighty as ever, click here.

Thanks!

American Idol Fixed?

Turns out that Irish super-talent Carly Smithson (seen on "American Idol" above) is an also-ran, really former MCA recording artist Carly Hennessy. Isn't the point of "American Idol" to be discovered and get a record deal? Not to have had one and blown it? Full story is here.