Thursday, August 20, 2009

Nine


As in "this film is going to be nominated for at least nine Oscars."

Let's evaluate the profound degree to which Nine has "Academy Award nominee" written all over it: producing by the Weinstein Company; directing by Rob Marshall; lead actor Daniel Day Lewis...I really could stop here, and yet...lead and supporting actresses Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz; screenplay writing (partially) by the late Anthony Minghella; adaptation of a successful musical; attractive story elements ("a tortured director," foreign setting, etc.). On the flip side, Kate Hudson and Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson will also be appearing in the film, however (not knowing the details of the plot) I can only assume their characters are minor and/or will die a horrible death...at least I hope so.

[UPDATE: As pointed out in the comments by the Oscar guru himself, Mr. Cooper, it turns out that the 1963 autobiographical film 8 1/2 by Federico Fellini, which served as the inspiration for the musical Nine, was itself a five-time nominee and two-time winner of the 1964 Academy Awards, including a win for Best Foreign Language Film. Case closed.]
.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

BREAKING NEWS: Twitter Has Flown The Coop

It is being reported that Twitter has been down for hours now due to "a denial of service attack" on the site. Equally alarming is the disappearance of the magnanimous Fail Whale, last seen being curiously airlifted from the sea by a flock of rope-wielding orange birds (pictured above). Investigators confirm the unidentified birds to be the primary suspects in the Twitter site attack.
.