2008 Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are over and my predictions weren't as good as I was hoping. I didn't get to the theater as much as I would have liked throughout the fall, so I was depending on the winners from the SAG's and Golden Globes. I ended up getting 11/24 right. Not too bad, but not as good as I did last year.

Here are my top predictions compared to the actual winners:

Best Picture
Prediction: No Country For Old Men
Winner: No Country For Old Men

Directing
Prediction: No Country For Old Men
Winner: No Country For Old Men

Actor -- Leading
Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis

Actor -- Supporting
Prediction: Javier Bardem
Winner: Javier Bardem

Actress -- Leading
Prediction: Cate Blanchett
Winner: Mario Cotillard

Actress -- Supporting
Prediction: Amy Ryan
Winner: Tilda Swinton

So, I suppose I did alright in the bigger categories. I never watch short films, so I got all those wrong. Documentaries and foreign films are never screened in the theaters in Utah, so I got all those wrong. I did well on sound editing and mixing, animation, and screenplay.

I guess I know what I need to do next year. Actually watch the films!!!

Pensive

I enjoy driving places. It's one of the rare occasions that I'm really alone with my thoughts. So, on my way to work this morning I wondered, why has the media portrayed how the world should be viewed?? Why has the media created the image of society?? Why can't we, as people, think for ourselves?? Can you honestly think of a time in your life where you haven't considered what people were thinking of you, or is this outfit "in style"? I know a lot of people who would say, "I don't care what people think." Well, I think that's a bunch of bullshit! In today's world, no one can step out the door without thinking about every little detail. When someone looks at you, you care what they are thinking, or else you wouldn't be human.

One of the biggest issues in America is obesity. What is considered "obese"? The American Heart Association claims that being just 30 pounds overweight (depending on height) is considered "obese". Now, I beg to differ. When I was a freshman in college, I was in the best shape of my life. I was playing softball, working out, and doing a high amount of cardio every day. My Body Mass Index said I was "overweight" when really I just had a lot of muscle. And we all know that muscle weighs more than fat. I think to get closer with the BMI you have to have a fat test with the pinchers, and even that's not the most accurate way.


It's really too bad that we have to rely on fashion magazines to show us what is "acceptable". I know that this is a subject that has been mentioned many times, but it's something that I think about quite often. Hopefully this will all change in the future!

According to me...

I consider myself to be a very complex person. I don't mean complicated, I mean that I have a lot of my own opinions and I am my own person. I am different, to say the least. I think I have changed a lot in the last four years. I have gone to college and played Division I softball where I got the opportunity to travel around the country. I was educated at a University with a top 10 ranked Communications Department. Through my education, I learned to hold my own. In my second year of school, I decided that I wanted to go to law school and become a sports agent. I studied hard, but in the end was offered a great job at a great company, the US Ski & Snowboard Association.

My entire life has revolved around sports. I have been playing volleyball, basketball, softball, skiing, snowboarding, etc. ever since I can remember. Throughout my elementary, middle, and high school days, I always wrote on my future careers plans that I wanted to be a professional athlete. I was always told to be more realistic and the chances of me becoming a professional athlete were slim to none. I worked so hard in sports throughout high school. I decided I wanted to play volleyball in college and was offered to play for the University of Utah in my second year, but I made the softball team in my first instead. I told myself after softball ended that since I could not be in front of the camera playing the sports I loved, then I will be behind the camera, working for the sports I loved. It has been great so far and I can't wait to see what it will become.

Vote or Die

Today is the primary election. The day where the remaining states not involved in the previous caucus elections have a chance to vote for the final two candidates in the Republican and Democratic parties who will run for President of the United States of America.

Now, I have never been very involved in the political world, but this year is different. I believe that this country is ready for change and all of the nominees are basing their campaigns on that very aspect. Change!

In 2004, I cast my first ballot in a presidential election, voting for none other than George W. Bush. I look back at my vote, and many may regret theirs, but I do not. G-dub has done the best he knows how. Too many people believe that this war should be over, or never should have started to begin with. But I believe that war is inevitable, and because we are the United States, we help others in need. There will always be others in need because there will always be hatred in the world. Hatred is the equivalence of war.

It is now 2008, and G-dub's term is over. It is time for a new president and it is time for change. I am not seeing anything that outweighs the Republican candidates, so this year I will be voting Democrat. I do not like to label myself as one or the other, which is why I am registered as an Independent. I like making my own opinions and having my own views on certain issues. I usually sway a little more to the right than to the left, but in this case I am finding myself on the left side of things.

At this point in time, I am not sure who I will be voting for. It's between Hilary and Obama. Is the country ready for a woman president or a black president? I think they are ready for both. I need to do a bit more research before I head into the booth today, but I think I know who it will be...