is getting over the ookieness of a stomach bug, albeit very short lived.

is having a jam session at the Maven Mansion

is mourning the loss of Author John Updike

has just watch The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke has the Oscar.

says her Oscar noms post-mortem: Thrilled for Jenkins, Leo, and Shannon, Winslet for Reader not Road. But no Sally Hawkins or Springsteen? WTF???

wishes everyone Happy Oscar Nomination Day!

Oscar Nomination Predix

Folks,

Here's my list of what may happen tomorrow morning come 8:37 Eastern Time:



Best Actor
Sean Penn
Mickey Rourke
Frank Langella
Clint Eastwood
Brad Pitt
--
Leonardo DiCaprio
Richard Jenkins
Josh Brolin


Best Actress
Kate Winslet
Anne Hathaway
Meryl Streep
Sally Hawkins
Cate Blanchett
---
Melissa Leo
Angelina Jolie
Michelle Williams


Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger
Dev Patel
Josh Brolin
Robert Downey, Jr.
Michael Shannon
---
Philip Seymour Hoffman
James Franco
Tom Cruise

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz
Kate Winslet
Viola Davis
Marisa Tomei
Taraji P. Henson
---
Amy Adams
Debra Winger
Rosemary DeWitt


Best Picture
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Curious Case/Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Dark Knight
---
Wall-E
The Wrestler
Doubt

Best Director
Danny Boyle
David Fincher
Ron Howard
Christopher Nolan
Darren Aronofsky
---
Gus Van Sant
Clint Eastwood
Sam Mendes

Best Original Screenplay
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Happy-Go-Lucky
The Wrestler
Rachel Getting Married
Wall-E ---
Milk
The Visitor
Burn After Reading

Best Adapted Screenplay
Curious Case / Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Doubt
---
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
The Duchess


Nominations

Benjamin Button 10
Slumdog Millionaire 6
Milk 7
Frost/Nixon 5
Wall-E 4
The Dark Knight 8
Vicky Cristina Barcelona 2
Happy-Go-Lucky 2
The Wrestler 5
Gran Torino 1

is horrifically upset she cannot find her beret

is euphoric for the events of the day but concerned for Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd

wishes everyone Happy Inauguration Day!

is doing the mole thing and basking in the Obamathon glow.

has had a rather adventurous day traversing the terrain.

Goodbye, Bushie...

After having listened to W's news conference earlier this week and most of his farewell address (which should have been deemed "Not gone soon enough"), I am amazed that he has still not taken responsibility for all of his faux pas. Sorry, he did admit that "Mission Accomplished" was a mistake. Well, took him about six years to do this. Well, failure is his modus opporandi, after all.

Most upsetting to me is the fact that he still sees no wrongdoing in his actions toward the citizens of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck. W claims he got aid to the area immediately afterward. He is a liar all the way around, and we all know where liars go. In fact, I hope there is a special place for him. I don't wish death on anyone, but I hope he has a long, slow painful death as just desserts for the way he treated the people at the Convention Center ("those people"), in the city, and along the Gulf Coast. To have the balls to stand in Jackson Square and tell them that the government is there to help in any way possible to rebuild? Bitch, please... Now, if he just said, "Hey, I fucked up, and I admit I should have done more," I might respect that a bit more. How can one have hindsight if you have led through tunnel vision?

I'll stop here because I am passionate about the city of New Orleans--its people, its culture, its music--and its revitalization and if I continue to go on about W and his lack of leadership, concerning this matter, the War, the economy, I won't stop typing for the next hour.

I will add one more observation. W claims he took office during a recession. As I recall, the .com bubble burst, but it was not a recession. Must have been one of his classes at Yale in which he earned a "C." Bastard.

is just a tad bit nippy this evening, for it's Nipsey Russell outside.

Golden Globes and Carolina

Just finished watching the Golden Globes, that wonderful lovefest/drunkfest of "love" and "art." It left me with a few burning questions:

1) Since Kate Winslet won both Actress (Revolutionary Road) and Supporting Actress (The Reader), for which performance will she win the Oscar?

2) So will Mickey Rourk take the Oscar from Sean Penn?

3) Will Slumdog Millionaire feel the Oscar love and sweep there as well?

4) Was Tracy Morgan drunk? (Well, it tis the Globes, after all).

5) Will Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) take Melissa Leo's spot when
Oscar noms come out? (I think so).

6) Will Brangelina get hosed nominationwise?

I will write a full analysis and answer these questions over the next couple of days, once I ponder and consider them.

As far as Carolina is concerned, they played like Clemson--used to, anyway. In the cellar of the ACC? Really? Counting the days for the ACC tournament for when UNC will make things right, or when Duke loses a couple more, which will happen, by the by. Et tu, Bunny?

The Lull

Januarys suck, especially if you are at university. It's that odd time when one is recovering from the holidays (mine is still going on w/ a couple of folks), the weather is iffy, the sun doesn't exist, and all one can do is either read or drink. Now, if you are a professor like yours truly, it is also that odd nadir in which you really don't want to go back to teaching but you also cannot wait to get in the classroom again and warp young minds. It's an exhausting job but somebody's gotta do it.

The syllabus will be finished and ready for classes over the weekend but the lull is deadly. Anxious and curious about the vibe of my classes this time. Once I'm in that first class on that first day, though, I hit the ground running and I'm fine.

Now, mind you, I am still plowing very delightfully through Roberto Bolano's 2666, and one would think I would spend every waking hour trying to finish this puppy by my self prescribed deadline of January 15th. Ain't happenin'. I will discuss the particulars of this massive tome later, but suffice it to say I bought the three volume paperback edition, for it seems less intimidating, and I am about through Book One/Part 3. Thus far, it is one of the best books I've ever read, and I am devouring it very slowly. (Funny, you give me the uber academic article and I can fly through it, but give me fiction or poetry and I read at a snail's pace. Go figure). Language, baby, language!

Greetings from Hell

Hi, folks. The Maven has entered the 21st Century and is inviting you to listen to my rants and musings about everything from academics and politics to jazz and film and all the elements jammin' in the margins. Oscar season is about the get under way, as well as Obama's inauguration, so you will see several posts regarding these important events.

Feel free to comment, vent, rant, question, and speculate, but just be true to yourself and give an honest opinion. As Barbara Jean says in the Robert Altman movie Nashville, "As Granddaddy always said, if you are ever down by the river, I hope you'll drop in."