Wednesday, January 18: Best/Worst...
First off, HERE are my official reactions to the Globes. Brokeback is gonna win the big one at Oscar, ditto Lee, Hoffman, Witherspoon, and I am fearing that Clooney could also win the Oscar, because he is winning something in March. I got an e-mail from someone asking me about who I thought was best/worst dressed. Here ya go...

BEST DRESSED
01.> Felicity Huffman
02.> Jaime Pressley
03.> Renee Zellweger
04.> Keira Knightley
05.> Evangeline Lilly
06.> Teri Hatcher
07.> Eva Longoria
08.> Katherine Heigl
09.> Jane Seymour
10.> Jessica Alba

WORST DRESSED
01.> Gwyneth Paltrow
02.> Rachel Weisz
03.> Pamela Anderson
04.> Reese Witherspoon
05.> Geena Davis
06.> Charlize Theron
07.> Michelle Williams
08.> Anne Hathaway
09.> Mary-Louise Parker
10.> Ziyi Zhang

Huffman looked amazing, and I still can't wait to see Transamerica. She is my fave on Housewives (and Cross), and I just can't wait to see what she wears at the Oscars and I hope she keeps up the great fashion. Pressley looked great as well, and who saw Zellweger coming? Knightley is just so gorgeous, even though she is kinda too skinny. Okay. Gwyneth Paltrow. Seriously. YOU AREN'T BRITISH!!!!!! "Sir Ahntony Haupkins!!!" No!!!!! Sorry, and she looked like crap. She looked like a cracked out Snow White. Rachel Weisz is a wonderful actress, but this dress was hideous. As was her hair. Pam covering her boobs was a change (speaking of...SCARLETT!!! OMG!) but she still looked bad, and Reese, oh Reese, PLEASE recover at SAG and Oscar from this hideous monstrosity. It was a good show though, and I loved the speeches, mainly those from Carell, Davis, Oh, Laurie, and my fave of the night, Huffman. I loved her dedication of the Globe. I <3 her.

Alrighty, 'nuff about the Globes. I saw Junebug. It is definitely one of the best movies of the year, and I am so sorry I don't have enough time to write reviews for these movies I am catching up on on DVD. School is just crazy with regular work and then hunting for scholarships, joining clubs, etc. I am a senior now, so no more pussy-footing around. Anyway, I loved Amy Adams. She was so good. If she or Williams (or Weisz for that matter) win the Oscar I will be happy. I loved her last scene. It will punch you in the gut. This movie was just, "so...fucking cool." lol I was shocked to see that this Friday we are getting The Squid and the Whale and we are also getting The New World. I wanna see both this weekend, but might only have time for Squid. Thank God it's coming here. I wanna see a few others coming to theaters that are gonna be nodded for stuff and then watch Nine Lives on DVD and then I am done with movies from 2005. Then will come my awards and top 20 list. I will keep you posted on that.

I am so tired. I just can't go to sleep early at night. It's not possible. I wish I could. I need more sleep. And today is my long day. School from 9-11, and then work from 2-10.

Okay, that is all for this entry. I am currently obsessed with Dolly Parton's "Travelin' Thru" BTW, and I can't stop listening to it. Be on the lookout for more stuff coming. When things change, I will post here. Thanks for viewing and for all the support regarding the site. -Shawn

Sunday, January 15: Monday, Monday...
I really hate that the Globes are on tomorrow night, because I am off all day tomorrow. That will be cool that all day tomorrow will be devoted to Globes (aside from going to get chicken wings and guacamole!! AWARDS SEASON MAKES ME FAT!), but I won't be able to stay up late after they're over because I have to get up in the morning on Tuesday. Anyway, speaking of those wonderful Globes, HERE are my official predictions. Yeah, I am playing it safe. *sigh* I think they are definitely gonna throw curve balls, but I just don't know where. I am gonna try my hardest to post reactions on Tuesday, but I will be busy trying to squeeze watching Junebug into my schedule. I am really hoping we get Match Point and The Squid and the Whale this next week. I think I am gonna have to wait for the latter to come on DVD before I finish my awards and such. And I have no idea when Mrs. Henderson Presents and Transamerica will get here.

If you'll notice on the review log, I saw both The Constant Gardener and Hustle & Flow. I really enjoyed the former and loved Weisz very much. There were a couple of places that dragged and I give it a B overall. The latter. People said that it got an ensemble nomination for Howard, and though he was good (but not as great as people have been saying), it's the supporting women in this movie that were the standouts, mainly Taraiji P. Henson. But the movie was a little too cliched and at times dragged, so overall I give it a B-.

Sorry for no official reviews, but school started and it ain't easy. Damn, this semester is gonna kick me. OH! I almost forgot. You may have noticed that I went crazy and am predicting two huge curveball nominations at this point. In Supporting Actor I am thinking that that last slot will end up going to Clifton Collins, Jr. So many people are focusing on everyone else, but I think that if they love Capote as much as we think they will, he will get in. And then, Supporting Actress. I don't know. My head is SCREAMING at me to put Bello or McDormand back in the race, but at this point I am gonna remain ballsy and stick with her. I keep thinking of how her movie will be the most nominated and how because the competition is so great that someone with no precursor love could easily sneak past and then make it in, so I am predicting Anne Hathaway. I know I will be wrong, but it kinda feels good to predict differently.

Alright, that is all for now. I am gonna try to post again within the next week. I might get around to posting my thoughts about Junebug on Tuesday too. Just be on the lookout, but for now enjoy the newer predictions and don't forget about the Globes tomorrow night!! -Shawn

Thursday, January 5: Guild Overload...
Ah. It's Guild Week. The funny thing for me is that I didn't even realize that they were all happening this week. Thank God that I am working less this week before school starts back so I can devote time in making prediction changes and such. I knew too that I needed to post another journal entry, and am going to try to keep adding one each week, maybe even more.

I thought I'd talk about my post-Guild thoughts here and take them one at a time. The writing branch (WGA) was first this week, and nothing was too surprising except for nods for Cinderella Man and The Forty-Year-Old Virgin, although the latter (looking back on it) seems like a choice they go for from time to time. Both The Constant Gardener and A History of Violence made it into the Adapted category. WGA was definitely the one that gave us the fewest surprises, though many wondered if the love for Cinderella Man would follow with PGA, DGA, and SAG. PGA started it. And by 'it,' I mean Capote's chances at landing a nomination for Best Picture and Munich failing to. I think a lot of us were really thinking WTF? when this happened. They also solidified Crash into lock status. Then DGA nominates Bennett Miller and shows us that there's even more love for the film. Haggis also gets in, I think giving him a huge boost in getting an Oscar nomination. Spielberg needs to thank his lucky stars because the way it was going, he wasn't going to get anything. And Woody Allen, say goodbye to your Director nomination. And to Scarlett's. Speaking of, she missed out at the SAGs. And it hurt her chances immensely. I don't see her getting in now because that category is just too damn crowded. The nomination for Capote in Ensemble was even more shocking than it's PGA/DGA noms mainly because we see now that the support and love for it is very, Very, VERY strong. Hustle & Flow making it without Howard's individual nomination felt weird, and Crowe getting in there boosts his chances. So, I thought I would do this here. Here is a tier analysis on the major 6 Oscar categories:

Picture:
Tier I
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Tier II
Walk the Line
Tier III
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Munich

Director:
Tier I
George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck.
Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Tier II
Steven Spielberg, Munich
Tier III
Woody Allen, Match Point
David Cronenberg, A History of Violence
Paul Haggis, Crash
Bennett Miller, Capote
Tier IV
Michael Haneke, Cache
Fernando Meirelles, The Constant Gardener

Lead Actor:
Tier I
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line
Tier II
David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck.
Tier III
Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man
Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow

Lead Actress:
Tier I
Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman, Transamerica
Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Tier II
Charlize Theron, North Country
Tier III
Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice
Ziyi Zhang, Memoirs of a Geisha

Supporting Actor:
Tier I
George Clooney, Syriana
Matt Dillon, Crash
Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain
Tier II
Bob Hoskins, Mrs. Henderson Presents
Terrence Howard, Crash
William Hurt, A History of Violence
Frank Langella, Good Night, and Good Luck.
Donald Sutherland, Pride & Prejudice

Supporting Actress:
Tier I
Catherine Keener, Capote
Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain
Tier II
Maria Bello, A History of Violence
Frances McDormand, North Country
Amy Adams, Junebug
Tier III
Scarlett Johansson, Match Point
Laura Linney, The Squid and the Whale

Enough about the Guilds, I guess. I am working hard in organizing my awards and year-end list. It is so hard and I swear I change order every day. I have included all the movies I am planning on seeing on the movie review page. I knew I needed to say something else. OH!

I watched Broken Flowers  and the review can be seen if you haven't seen it already. I also saw 2046 and Wallace & Gromit. I thought the former was simply average, but I adored the latter. It was smashing fun. And guess which film is finally coming here and I am seeing tomorrow? That's right: Brokeback Mountain. Look for my review very late tomorrow night. I am so excited!! Anyway, I will probably be posting again soon so stay tuned and enjoy the prediction changes!! I will be fixing broken links on the front page in the next coming days as well. -Shawn

Friday, December 30: I Think I Might Pull My Hair Out...
Why do I want to pull my hair out? First of all, I am getting tired of grading movies. Because at the end of the year it is really difficult to rank all of them. And then you start doubting yourself in your grades you gave at the time. I would like to echo Nathaniel at TheFilmExperience and his frustration with this as well. And work is kicking my ass. Thankfully, I am going back to part-time next week, the week before school starts back. Thank God because with the Holidays and everything it really has been too busy to do too much regarding stuff.

By 'stuff,' let me define. This is another reason why I am frustrated. I really, really, really wanted to be done with my awards and tops of the year and all of that BEFORE school started back next Monday. BUT...that can't happen. Why, you ask? Because I live in a place where it takes forever for movies to get here, especially if they are gay-themed or really controversial. And the little indie films...yeah, forget it. But it sucks because this next semester is gonna be a HUGE workload and that mixed with school, I am gonna be lucky to get in all my predictions and thoughts and such regarding SAG, Globe, Oscar stuff, let alone my own personal awards. I know I mentioned this in the previous entry, but my awards and top 10 list might just have to wait until maybe even March or April. I will see the movies I mentioned in the other entry and if I have to wait for them on DVD...so be it. But I am not gonna post my awards until then, or my top 10. So, just be patient with me, please, and if you want let me know what you think about this. I hate that I can't get my lists and stuff out now too because everyone else is getting theirs out. It just really blows. OH! Speaking of Brokeback, I want to highly recommend the soundtrack to the movie. I am not a huge fan of country music, but this one is pretty good. Also, Reese Witherspoon on the Walk the Line soundtrack has reminded me how amazing she is, so I recommend that one too. I <3 her.

Anyway, my review for The Producers can all be seen if you haven't seen it already. It was much better than I thought it would be, though the end dragged a bit. Nathan Lane was tremendous though. What a great performance. Next week I am renting The Constant Gardener and I will keep yall posted on whether or not we will be getting some of these movies in the coming weeks. OH! And look for SAG predictions the beginning of next week. They are announced on the 5th, so get ready for that! OH! And Oscar ballots were sent out yesterday. Go with what your gut is telling you NOW, not three weeks from now. I do think the SAG noms will help us a bit though too. Stay tuned!! -Shawn

Tuesday, December 27: Happy Holidays!!
I have felt bad for not updating the site very frequently, but work has been tough for I have been working full time. The store I work at is open on Christmas, so I had to work of Christmas Day. Yeah, ridiculous. It was a four-hour shift, but still it blew hard. I got stinking drunk the day before Christmas Eve and apparently made a spectacle of myself. LOL! The Holidays were great though. It was a little hard because I think that it could be the last one we spend with certain family members who are ailing and ill. Anyway, it's been great. I have a lot to talk about in this entry, so bear with me.

First of all, I have seen a lot of movies. Reviews for Happy Endings, King Kong, Batman Begins, Syriana, The Family Stone, Mysterious Skin, and Munich can all be seen if you haven't seen them already. I have been making good with the time that I have with school being out. I also saw Winter Solstice and March of the Penguins, which I really don't feel like writing full reviews over. The former was really boring and I know that was one of the points of the movie to show that the main characters had no plot in their lives, but it was a little too much of nothing is happening. I thought the end of the movie was wonderful though and Janney and LaPaglia were pretty good. Overall, I give it a C+. The latter movie was interesting and I had no idea what those little penguins do every year. They are just so cute. I loved the scene where they emerge from their eggs. Overall, I give it a B.

I wanna talk about what's coming up though. Here is my goal. I want to see at least 40 movies this year, maybe a little more even. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of movies overall, but it is more than the past couple of years and I am also tired of being disappointed by this year's movies, because only a few have been award-worthy for the big prize. I really hope the remaining movies I see knock me out. The official "If they ever get here" movies of the year for me this year are: Brokeback Mountain, The Squid and the Whale, Transamerica, Mrs. Henderson Presents, and Match Point. Those I will definitely see and I wouldn't mind seeing The Producers either, although the reviews blow. I was gonna say the same for Memoirs, but that movie is getting PANNED so it's not a must-see for me anymore. And in the next week I am planning on maybe checking out Heights. After that, movies releasing on DVD that I will see are: The Constant Gardener, Hustle & Flow, Junebug, and A History of Violence. That will bring me to around 40, maybe a few more than that. I just hope I get to see the "will they get here?" movies, especially this one called Brokeback Mountain which is winning every damn award.

And that means that the OscarSights Awards will be pushed back. I will not have nominations posted until probably after the Oscars, or at least the week after the Oscars, though time being spent and devoted to the gold man will be great. I know that sounds bad, but one of my problems in the past couple of years regarding my awards is that I haven't seen everything I have wanted to see in time before posting nominations and such. There may be a movie that I will view after that, but nothing too big. So, if I don't see that "will they's?" before they are out on DVD we are looking at an even further date regarding winners. And I think I might give winners at the same time I give the nominations as well. Who the hell knows.

This year is just...weird. It doesn't feel like a year full of great movies at all. And it seems like some movies (*coughmunichcough*) wouldn't be getting nominated if it was any other year. It's just a strange movie year for me I guess. And the precursors. Especially regarding Supporting Actor/Actress........damn!! I don't know. I guess more will become clearer and clearer the closer Oscar gets here, but we must take one day at a time I guess.

School starts back on the 9th, and it's a bitch of a semester so hopefully I will at least have the layout for my awards done and fill in the blanks or changes as I see movies. Anyway, I am hoping to post more here in the next couple of weeks before school starts back. Just stay tuned and check back for updates!! REMEMBER, look at the link at the front of the page to see current critics awards being handed out, and predictions in categories will be coming here and there from here on out. Speaking of, the shortlist of predicted nominees page has returned so don't forget to check that out. -Shawn

Sunday, December 11: You should be proud...
I cannot believe that these film critic awards and such are all happening at the same time within the time span of like 3 days. I don't want to elaborate a lot on each of them, but I will say that Match Point and Pride & Prejudice had their chances really hurt the past two days and Crash has received a big push. And damn NYFCO for giving SActor to OLIVER PLATT??? WTF? So, tomorrow is NBR, NY, and D.C. I have been doing really well the past two days with updating the main page when nominations or awards have been handed out, but that won't be the case tomorrow. I have work tomorrow from 2-10 and I know that the majority of the stuff will occur during that time. So, I will update links on the home page to winners tomorrow after work. And then Tuesday I am getting up a little earlier to watch Globe nominations (I am taping them because I am NOT getting up at 7AM) and then post thoughts about them later that night after work.

So, why should you all be proud of me?? Well, I am really working hard in updating the category pages. I am including nominations and wins for each predicted nominee now and am making changes as need be to predictions. I know that these critics awards and such shouldn't be rested upon 100%, but at least we are getting some sort of precursors to give us a hint as to who and what can/will be nominated. I probably won't have page updates up until Thursday or Friday of this week. I am full time now at work because they don't ask me first if I want to work that much. Anywhoo, have fun with predicting and finding out nominees/winners. I love this time of year. -Shawn

Saturday, December 10: Waiting (im)patiently...
You can see my predictions for the NBR here. I can't believe how much they have played us this year with when they are giving their awards. And LAFCA is doing the same thing because of them. Who knows if they are announcing their awards tonight or not. Apparently now they ARE and the actual awards being given out is next Saturday. Who knows, but the best thing to do is to watch  to see if it will be updated any tonight, prolly around 6 PST. I remember two years ago this group screwed with us and didn't finish until it was 1 in the morning. *grrrrrr* Anyway, I am not updating the pages until after next weekend is over. I want to wait until we have NBR, LAFCA, and NYFCA winners and nominations for the BFCA before I update the pages. There are changes that should already be going on there but I will wait. You can also see my Golden Globe predictions. Take 'em with a grain of salt. lol

I saw Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe yesterday and to see my thoughts, click the link. And don't forget that if you want to see a more faithful posting of my daily crap, you can go over to the amazing  Backstage. I advise you all to join this message board because it is truly one of the coolest places in the world. Here is a direct link to my personal blog, and my s/n on there is blanchardwasrobbed (or 'Blanche' for short) so check it out and until next time be safe and be good.  -Shawn

Saturday, December 3: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
One of my favorite things to do is to come up with titles for my journal entries. This one has two meanings. The first is that this semester is almost over. I am so ready for it. Damn it if I haven't worked my ass off. Especially tough was my Chaucer class, though I had a really amazing professor. Next semester will be my toughest ever. I am taking Southern Women Writers, Educational Psychology, English Grammar and Usage, Education Assessment, and Literary Criticism. I will have to cut back a little on work next semester because of how much school I will be taking. Anyway, enough of that. It's almost Christmas and I am so excited about the break. It's very well deserved. For us all.

The other reason for the countdown is of course that NBR is less than a week away. It's true that some nominations have already been given out like the Satellites and the Indie Spirits. Later today are the Critic's Choice noms. NBR is really the first precursor though where we get winners and it is where we get a glimpse at who could be the most likely to win stuff this year. Then again not. Anyway, you can see my predictions for the NBR here.

I have seen a lot of movies. You can go here to see my thoughts, though I'm sure you already have. To sum up, I liked Shopgirl more than I thought I would, save the performances Walk The Line blahsville, the adaptation of Rent wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but two glaring changes caused the overall quality of the film to go down, and Pride & Prejudice lived up to the hype. I will be making changes to the Oscar pages in the next week pretty frequently, especially after NBR on Wednesday. So look for those changes. I have so much homework so I am getting off of here. God, I can't wait for December 16th when it's over and I can watch some of my classic and traditional movie viewings. YAY! Don't forget that if you want to see a more faithful posting of my daily crap, you can go over to the amazing  Backstage. I advise you all to join this message board because it is truly one of the coolest places in the world. Here is a direct link to my personal blog, and my s/n on there is blanchardwasrobbed (or 'Blanche' for short) so check it out and until next time be safe and be good.  -Shawn

Friday, November 11: Work + School = No Time...
School is so tough right now. All of the term papers are due (I have to write a 9-page Chaucer paper next weekend) and work is tough too. Not to mention getting all the Christmas shopping and stuff done. Ugh. I am so tired already. I got enrolled for next semester and it is now officially time to become the sterotypical poor college student. I am so broke, it's not even funny. I have to use Christmas money for books at school AND movie viewing. Ah well. I graduate in May '07 though. I so can't wait.

To relieve some tension, I went ahead and did what I said I wouldn't do and I updated the prediction pages for before NBR (except Screenplays and Animated which can wait). These are the officials for November and then NBR happens in December and updates will be made accordingly. That is finals week, so don't look for an update immediately following NBR. Bear with me, school is tough. :)

I saw Good Night, And Good Luck and Jarhead last week. You can see my review of the movies by following the link, if you haven't seen them already. I am seeing Capote tomorrow and I might try to sneak in Shopgirl on Saturday. I was really psyched about seeing Derailed, but it's getting ripped apart from the critics, so I think I may wait until a DVD release. And next weekend is Pride & Prejudice and Walk The Line. The week after that is Rent!! I really can't wait for all of these movies. Over Christmas break I am going to try and catch up on a couple of movies already out on DVD and rent them. Stay tuned. Anyway, thanks for faithfully visiting the site. I appreciate you guys. If you want to see a more faithful posting of my daily crap, you can go over to the amazing  Backstage. I advise you all to join this message board because it is truly one of the coolest places in the world. Here is a direct link to my personal blog, and my s/n on there is blanchardwasrobbed (or 'Blanche' for short) so check it out and until next time be safe and be good.  -Shawn

Sunday, October 23: Wake Me Up When Oscar Season Begins (When NBR Releases Their Awards)...
Well, I guess I should be awake now, huh? I looked over my predix this past week and decided that over Fall Break I would update my pages because they blew hard. So, there ya go. I updated all of the pages, but haven't yet managed to update Animated Feature predictions. Those are always last priority thought.

This really is it though until NBR is given out. There is no point in updating predix all the time because it's too early in the game. I can't believe it is already time for all of this again. It never ceases to amaze me how fast it all comes around every year. OH! I PUT COMMENTARY ON EACH PAGE. Yall should be proud of me. lol Sorry I haven't been around much. School has been hard, but this time every year I become obsessed with primetime TV. My new obsessions are Lost and Veronica Mars, and I am still hating on Will & Grace and if they don't watch it, Desperate Housewives will be joining them. If you want to watch some good TV, I would like to recommend Arrested Development, Rome, My Name Is Earl, and Everybody Hates Chris, and Everwood, not to mention the other shows mentioned above. But my time has been devoted to TV and school and friends for the past few weeks. I graduate in May 2007. I so can't wait so I can get out of here. lol

I saw North Country and Proof. You can see my review of the movie by following the link. I love how every year I see more and more movies. This year my total is at 12 whereas last year my total at this time was only at 8. I wish we would get Junebug and Good Night & Good Luck already. If you want to see a more faithful posting of my daily crap, you can go over to the amazing  Backstage. I advise you all to join this message board because it is truly one of the coolest places in the world. Here is a direct link to my personal blog, and my s/n on there is blanchardwasrobbed (or 'Blanche' for short) so check it out and until next time be safe and be good.  -Shawn

Friday, August 12: School Days, School Days...
Isn't it disgusting? It is already time for school to start back. Ugh. It starts back for me in 10(!!!!) days on the 22nd and even though it will be my hardest semester yet (I have to take Chaucer AND Advanced Comp.) I know that staying busy will help me in the long run. This semester is though going to be the toughest yet. On top of regular stuff I have to apply for Teacher Ed. and I also have to take the subject area (English) test which will kick me I know. And work has been really hard and I almost got another job, but blah blah blah, moving on to more important business. LOL! OH! One more thing is that I decided to stay just two days and one half day because I need more time with school (and with the site...I won't lie!).

After, like, MONTHS of deliberating I finally finalized my Top Movies Of 2004 and the 3rd Annual OscarSights Awards. I changed some stuff considerably, like shooting Garden State (this movie has done the opposite of what I predicted and I can't stop watching it!) up to the top three and knocking Rwanda (and Okonedo and Cheadle in the awards) down. OH! And Best Actress had a little switch. Though I still think Swank was great in the Baby, repeated viewings knock her out of the top 3. As I have stated numerous times, that category in particular was unbelievably good last year and all five of those women were outstanding. I think Roberts (still can't believe how good she was), Bening and esp. Winslet had much harder roles to perform and they were just overall better. But other than that, nothing too major.

I can't believe that Oscar season is about to kick off. It all starts with the National Board Of Review and then it's official...Oscar season is here. Speaking of the season, your editor has been very busy. I spent all day yesterday updating every major category page with predictions. The only ones I didn't do were the techs and animated film. But otherwise, you can follow all of the links on the left and see all of my predictions. Since school is starting back next week, I decided to devote a whole day off in really giving thought to my predictions and doing official 'Pre-Oscar Season' predictions. I won't update these pages again until NBR when the season starts, so enjoy these now. I didn't post commentary on each page, but after seeing the Jarhead trailer, I think it's safe to say that it is this year's The Aviator in that it is the #1 lock for a BP nomination now. At least I see it like that. Other than that, nothing really groundbreaking except that Supporting Actor is weaker than hell. Anyway, enjoy the predix!!

Even though I am going to be super busy I am really looking forward to this Oscar season because for the past two years, the awards season has truly been my getaway from reality and it is the place I go to get away from all the shit that life deals me.

OH! I saw The Upside Of Anger. You can see my review of the movie by following the link. I don't know if I will be updating this journal anymore before school starts back, BUT if you want to see a more faithful posting of my daily crap, you can go over to the amazing  Backstage. I advise you all to join this message board because it is truly one of the coolest places in the world. Here is a direct link to my personal blog, and my s/n on there is blanchardwasrobbed (or 'Blanche' for short) so check it out and until next time be safe and be good.  -Shawn

Friday, July 15: I Heart NY!!!
So, I lied to you all again. I said that I would post right after I got back from New York, and look it's a month since I got back and I'm just now getting around to posting in the journal. I had a couple of e-mails too from people wondering where I was and if I was still doing the site. I have something to say about that, but first I just wanna say that work is a real bitch and it has been unbelievably tough. I don't know how people can work retail for a living. I know that some have no choice, but it is such a hard job to do, especially when you are a manager and work at customer service. Anyway, onto other things.

New York. Oh, how I loved it. It was truly amazing. I am going to upload some pictures in the next few weeks to show yall how great it was (and for yall to get a glimpse at your editor). When I get done with my degree in a couple of years, I would love to move there. I am moving away from here regardless. I feel smothered and am restrained because of the area I live in to live the way I would like to. I can't wait to see where I am heading in my life. But New York was amazing. It was my first plane ride and it was scary but I survived it and had a great time. My amazing friend (and Grace) Rachel and I visited Madame Theussad's Wax Museum, went on a TV & Movie tour, a Sex & The City tour, went on a boat ride around the city, and went and saw the amazing and unbelievable RENT, which is my new obsession. I bought the original full length cast recording of the show when I got back to OK and I still can't believe how good this show is. And yes, I can't wait for the movie. If you haven't seen the trailer, you can see it HERE. I am really looking forward to the movie, despite director Chris Columbus' past movie records. I pray he stays faithful to the original Broadway production. It's a good sign that the majority of the original cast is going to be in the movie version and the trailer looks amazing. I really can't wait for this and it is easily my most anticipated movie of the year now.

I am working hard this summer to save up money for school and am doing great with it. I am going to be working one day more than I did the past two semesters. I am going to try and see how it is in the first couple of weeks and if it is too much I will change to two days again, but we'll see. Regardless, it potentially means less time spent on the site. I know that I do this every summer, but it is an even more serious occurrence than ever that time being spent on this site may be severely limited. It has been hard for me to post here and post movie reviews, I can only imagine how difficult it will be when school starts back. Anyway, I will keep you all posted on how everything is going. School doesn't start until August 22nd, so I still have time. My diet is going well. I am eating a little more junk food than I'd like, but I haven't gained my weight left, I just need to keep up with the exercising and stuff.

Over the summer I still wanna see some movies and such. I have been watching a lot of movies at home but it's impossible for me to post reviews for yall to see. Anyway, another thing I am doing is finishing up (for final) my awards for last year. BTW, Million Dollar Baby is on DVD now so you need to see it if you haven't already and if you have seen it, see it again. With that, I need to make my final adjustments to my awards, so be looking for that. And hopefully I can update my predictions in the next week or two as well.

I saw a few movies in the past few weeks. I saw War Of The Worlds, Bewitched, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith. You can see my reviews of each movie by following the links. I hope to be posting a little more before school starts back, so be on the lookout.  -Shawn

Saturday, June 4: Remember Me??
Oh, God, how much I want to quote Eternal Sunshine right now with the 'Remember me' title. However, here it is in the form of a question and when I ask this question, I expect all of you reading to scream to the screen, "Remember US!?!?!?" I am so so so sorry I have not updated the site (aside from a movie review) in 3 months. First of all, I can't believe it's been that long since the Oscar season. It is so unbelievable how fast time goes by.

I am very much excited about the new look of the site and I am glad that I did it when I did when school still wasn't too hectic and stuff. Speaking of, I had finals and all that jazz and it's one of the reasons why posting here has been so limited. I ended up with three A's and two B's, so I am happy. I am working my butt off now at Retail Rodeo five days a week and it's getting tiring. However, I need $$ for school and for my trip that is coming up this week.

Speaking of, I am going to New York this next week. I have to get out of here for a little while and just reflect on me and be around people that know the real me. I am staying with my good friend Rachel (hey girl!) who is so great to me. We are meeting up with some people there. We are going on a Sex & The City tour and it is gonna kick. We will also take the ferry ride and also see a Broadway show (Tonys are on Sunday...don't forget!). We are going back and forth from Altar Boyz to Rent. We will probably see the latter due to the buzz surrounding the movie releasing the end of the year (the trailer is amazing BTW). Other than that, we are just gonna have a great time and just chill. It will be the first time I will be flying so pray for this one. I am nervous about flying so much, but I must face it for it is something so new to me. So I won't be posting for a while again (though I doubt it will be three months!!), and again wish me bookoos of luck on my trip.

Another reason for the lack of updating is that I have been obsessed with television shows on DVD and current ones (go Carrie!) as well. Right after Oscar time, the love for TV really sinks in and time for the site pretty much diminishes between that, school, and work. And family stuff like sis graduating and me being the party planner and stuff. It was very Clarissa Dalloway-y. Speaking of, I read some of Mrs Dalloway for my Brit. Lit. class and am in love with Woolf and the movie The Hours even more now. I have also been on a consistent and wonderful 'watching what I eat' diet over the past three months and it has caused me to lose 15 lbs. and get a little more defined stomach 

I saw a few movies in the past few weeks. I saw Cinderella Man, The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants, and Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. You can see my reviews of each movie by following the links. When I get back from NY I am hoping to update the site some more. I need to post reviews of a couple of 2004 movies (The Notebook and Super-Size Me) and also re-adjust my year-end lists a tad bit after second viewing of the movies at the top. So until next time, yall be good and think of me during my trip. And again, so so so sorry the posting here has been so non-existent.  -Shawn

Sunday, March 13: Is 'Heart' Easier Than Y??
Totally random title, I know, but I was so sick of trying to find that stinking heart symbol and I had to use it a lot in the past few days. Ugh. Anyway, I did see I Y Huckabees and liked it very much. You can see my review HERE. There are now changes to the Top Movies Of 2004 (it breaks my top 10) and 3rd Annual OscarSights Awards (changes to Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Ensemble, Score, and Song) pages. I know, Mr. Fickle strikes again. I will be renting a couple more this week so stay tuned for more reviews. It's spring break and I am gonna live it up!! -Shawn

Tuesday, March 8: New Look...
Oscar season is officially over until around September, but that doesn't mean work on the site is ending. I had hardly any homework this past weekend and on Sunday I worked on updating the site for (no kidding) about 8 hours overall. It took time but it is done. I might change some backgrounds that were by default white but I will do it over the break (which is next week...yay). I am also starting home movie and new reviews soon. So stay tuned. I worked especially hard on the category Oscar pages. I love the look and hope you like it too. I also added off the top of my head predictions. LOL! TOTALLY off the top of my head. I stress that on the pages. But I just love those new looks. PLEASE SEND ME AN E-MAIL ABOUT THE NEW LOOK. Follow the e-mail link below.

So enjoy it. Look over it. Give me feedback. I would love to hear your thoughts. I am so tired of school. I had another midterm this past week and the professor is a real know it all prick who doesn't like it when you go against what HE THINKS should be a good paper. He gave me a freaking C, which isn't too bad but there are only TWO grades in this class. This and the 12 (!!!!!) page final. Pray for me. I am serious. I almost went off on him today b/c I have never gotten below a B on an essay (my major is English for God's sake). Anyway, today I was pretty depressed. However, I am home now listening to the music to Wicked, the Broadway musical. I bought it for my sister because she is singing a song at grad from it ("For Good") and I am in love with this. Chenoweth is a fellow Okie and she is amazing. Ditto Menzel. "Popular," "Defying Gravity," "What Is This Feeling," and "For Good" are on REPEAT. "Briiiiiiing meeeeeee doooooooooooown. AAaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" *bow* -Shawn

Monday, February 28: So Long, Farewell...
No, this is not a big giant goodbye that the site is leaving forever. I am sticking this out even though I know in  September I will freak out and say I can't do it. Then NBR will release and I will be hooked again. Ah, the life of an obsessed awards show fan. So my 2005 Oscar Recap is up and running. Nothing big really, just reflecting on the night. I am so happy for the Baby, and esp. for the Eternal writing team. I am not messing with changing the overview page or anything because I am so swamped with school and such.

Regarding what's coming on the site. Well, another Oscar season is closed which is shocking and this is really what finalizes this season for me (this journal post). But I am going nowhere. I am going to be fixing broken links and such like that within the next couple of weeks. I will still be seeing movies throughout the year and then a huge pouring out of reviews will start in September. Keep checking back b/c the movie review page (a new one) will probably start soon). I am not doing year-in-advance predictions. First of all, we always include one or two that will bomb (like last year and Vanity Fair and to a huger extent Alexander). I don't really have the time (I have another midterm this week) and it's just too difficult to sift through everything coming up. So, enjoy my post-show thoughts and keep checking back for movie reviews and such (esp. this summer for I will start up the home movies page again). I will post and let yall know if anything has changed. If you see broken links and stuff, they will be fixed in the next couple of weeks. Until next time, have a good one. -Shawn