Happy Birthday wishes go out to Hai and Steves. Steves' is actually tomorrow but hey, I'm consolidating posts.
The count for correct Oscar predictions this year was 14, which is a personal worst, but from what I hear, was actually pretty good this year.
2/28/2007
2/24/2007
700 posts later and now there's a new layout. I didn't want to change but this upgrade Blogger had forced my hand (it didn't have the old layout among the options).
It's Oscar weekend and now it's time for the final predictions. (The rest of them are on the sidebar. Based on the past, I'm usually good for 15.) I wholeheartedly believe The Departed should win for best picture and best director. With Dreamgirls out of the way by virtue of not being nominated, the frontrunners seem to be Babel and The Departed with Little Miss Sunshine being the leading darkhorse. Letters from Iwo Jima and The Queen (3.5 stars) were certainly good, but reached out to niche audiences. Little Miss Sunshine is hurt by the fact that it's mainly a comedy, and when was the last time a comedy won for best picture? I'd be happy if it won, but it doesn't look to be in the cards. I wouldn't be happy if Babel won. Babel (3 stars) to me seems like a poor man's Crash from last year. The Japanese storyline was a stretch and did not fit in, leaving Babel to be three-fourths of a movie. That leaves The Departed, best picture of the year. Will the Academy voters listen? We'll see Sunday.
On a side note, I did see The Last King of Scotland (3 stars) last night. That's one powerful feature and Forest Whitaker deserves that best actor award.
It's Oscar weekend and now it's time for the final predictions. (The rest of them are on the sidebar. Based on the past, I'm usually good for 15.) I wholeheartedly believe The Departed should win for best picture and best director. With Dreamgirls out of the way by virtue of not being nominated, the frontrunners seem to be Babel and The Departed with Little Miss Sunshine being the leading darkhorse. Letters from Iwo Jima and The Queen (3.5 stars) were certainly good, but reached out to niche audiences. Little Miss Sunshine is hurt by the fact that it's mainly a comedy, and when was the last time a comedy won for best picture? I'd be happy if it won, but it doesn't look to be in the cards. I wouldn't be happy if Babel won. Babel (3 stars) to me seems like a poor man's Crash from last year. The Japanese storyline was a stretch and did not fit in, leaving Babel to be three-fourths of a movie. That leaves The Departed, best picture of the year. Will the Academy voters listen? We'll see Sunday.
On a side note, I did see The Last King of Scotland (3 stars) last night. That's one powerful feature and Forest Whitaker deserves that best actor award.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16770525.htm
A federal jury has acquitted a man of charges stemming from a bizarre murder plot involving a booby-trapped toy dog, which exploded and killed a college student in South San Jose six years ago.
After three days of deliberations, the jury in U.S. District Court concluded that David Lin, 39, was not guilty of conspiring to mail an explosive device with intent to injure or kill. His defense attorney argued that he mailed a package as a favor for a friend but did not know it contained a bomb.
He still faces prosecution in two unrelated cases involving alleged credit card fraud. Lin, who has been in jail for more than five years in the bombing case, is scheduled to be released tonight on a $5,000 bond.
Patrick Hsu, an 18-year-old college student, was killed by the explosion at his parents' home in early 2001. Authorities say Lin had mailed the toy on behalf of another man, Anthony Chang, who was briefly married to Hsu's sister.
Chang is also charged in the case but he is a fugitive, currently believed to be living in Venezuela. Testimony showed that Chang assembled the bomb in Nevada and then asked Lin to mail it to the Hsu home from a post office in Milpitas. Authorities say Chang was angry at his former wife and wanted revenge against her family.
Earlier this week, defense attorney Daniel Blank argued in court that Lin had mailed the toy for Chang as a favor, without knowing that it was booby-trapped.
But prosecutor Jane Shoemaker told jurors that Lin had to know what Chang had planned. A prosecution witness testified that Chang had recounted conversations in which Chang told Lin the package contained a bomb.
When the package arrived at the victim's home, Hsu's father opened it and then put it aside. A few weeks later, Patrick Hsu, a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was home for the weekend when he picked up the toy and inserted batteries -- triggering an explosion that shattered windows and killed him instantly.
A federal jury has acquitted a man of charges stemming from a bizarre murder plot involving a booby-trapped toy dog, which exploded and killed a college student in South San Jose six years ago.
After three days of deliberations, the jury in U.S. District Court concluded that David Lin, 39, was not guilty of conspiring to mail an explosive device with intent to injure or kill. His defense attorney argued that he mailed a package as a favor for a friend but did not know it contained a bomb.
He still faces prosecution in two unrelated cases involving alleged credit card fraud. Lin, who has been in jail for more than five years in the bombing case, is scheduled to be released tonight on a $5,000 bond.
Patrick Hsu, an 18-year-old college student, was killed by the explosion at his parents' home in early 2001. Authorities say Lin had mailed the toy on behalf of another man, Anthony Chang, who was briefly married to Hsu's sister.
Chang is also charged in the case but he is a fugitive, currently believed to be living in Venezuela. Testimony showed that Chang assembled the bomb in Nevada and then asked Lin to mail it to the Hsu home from a post office in Milpitas. Authorities say Chang was angry at his former wife and wanted revenge against her family.
Earlier this week, defense attorney Daniel Blank argued in court that Lin had mailed the toy for Chang as a favor, without knowing that it was booby-trapped.
But prosecutor Jane Shoemaker told jurors that Lin had to know what Chang had planned. A prosecution witness testified that Chang had recounted conversations in which Chang told Lin the package contained a bomb.
When the package arrived at the victim's home, Hsu's father opened it and then put it aside. A few weeks later, Patrick Hsu, a freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara, was home for the weekend when he picked up the toy and inserted batteries -- triggering an explosion that shattered windows and killed him instantly.
2/22/2007
2/07/2007
Super Bowl sucked, didn't it? Game, commercials, etc. There's just not much to say. It wasn't memorable.
Completely unrelated to the case at hand, the judge in Patrick's case described below was hit by a light-rail car! Somebody has it out for him.
Oscar nominations are out, so pretty soon, I'll come out with some predictions for them as the big day nears. I've given up hope on watching Blood Diamond...that'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD in March, so the last Oscar-related movie I'll see will probably be The Last King of Scotland, hopefully this weekend.
The Police reunite on The Grammys this Sunday and Billy Corgan announced a new Smashing Pumpkins album will be coming out in July. Can't wait, especially since anything is better than that Zwan crap.
Finally, my favorite show for the past couple of years has been The Office, so if you're not watching, you're missing out. Here's a long clip of some of its best scenes.
Completely unrelated to the case at hand, the judge in Patrick's case described below was hit by a light-rail car! Somebody has it out for him.
Oscar nominations are out, so pretty soon, I'll come out with some predictions for them as the big day nears. I've given up hope on watching Blood Diamond...that'll have to wait until it comes out on DVD in March, so the last Oscar-related movie I'll see will probably be The Last King of Scotland, hopefully this weekend.
The Police reunite on The Grammys this Sunday and Billy Corgan announced a new Smashing Pumpkins album will be coming out in July. Can't wait, especially since anything is better than that Zwan crap.
Finally, my favorite show for the past couple of years has been The Office, so if you're not watching, you're missing out. Here's a long clip of some of its best scenes.
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