Finally! An Oscar show that was actually entertaining! I am sure there were some of you out there that were stunned by Hugh Jackman bursting into song and dance and good song and very good dance at that.
Sure, we have had the comics. Some good, some bad and some just tired. BUT this year there was something different. I watched the pre-show stuff and they talked about making these Oscars a tribute to old time Hollywood and with the musical numbers it was right on.
Hugh Jackman has been hosting the Tony awards for several years now and I am glad that Hollywood has picked up on the fact that the audience doesn't need to see year after year of mindless comedy. Entertainment is back!
Hugh Jackman tore up the stage with high energy dance numbers and his singing, though it was good, was not the highlight of his routines. He is a hoofer at heart!
I also liked the way the Oscar ceremony presented the acting awards. Instead of having one presenter, they had 5 winners from the past in that category each introduce the nominee and congratulate the winner. I thought that was classy.
I hadn't seen any of the movies nominated but I was glad Slumdog Millionaire won. It looks like a wonderful inspiring movie and after last year's highly violent winner, it was nice to see a movie that makes people smile - win.
I look forward to seeing Hugh Jackman back next year. Truth be told, I am looking forward to seeing Hugh Jackman anytime!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
My Son has Autism
My son was diagnosed last month with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (or ASD) and ADHD. Basically, Autistic. It took a lot for me to write these words on this blog. An obviously private family matter that I have basically outed for the cyberworld to see. I would rather just tell everyone than not...then it is found out and it looks like I am hiding something...ashamed...embarrased. But, you see, that is not the case.
My son is smart, beautiful, funny, clever and one of the two greatest loves of my life. To me he is perfect in every way.
He has done everything at his own pace - crawled, walked, talked, etc. And he never wanted much help. Now, he doesn't have much of a choice. We're helping him.
I should have been more alert to things but I wasn't. I can't go back. Only go forward.
We are starting to get him help and when he starts kindergarten in the fall we hope is where he should be. Intellectually he is ahead of the game...we just have some other stuff to work on.
If you don't know what it is, really, join the club. I have learned a lot and learned I am definitely not alone.
I could use all the support I can get at this point.
My son has Autism and he is perfect.
My son is smart, beautiful, funny, clever and one of the two greatest loves of my life. To me he is perfect in every way.
He has done everything at his own pace - crawled, walked, talked, etc. And he never wanted much help. Now, he doesn't have much of a choice. We're helping him.
I should have been more alert to things but I wasn't. I can't go back. Only go forward.
We are starting to get him help and when he starts kindergarten in the fall we hope is where he should be. Intellectually he is ahead of the game...we just have some other stuff to work on.
If you don't know what it is, really, join the club. I have learned a lot and learned I am definitely not alone.
I could use all the support I can get at this point.
My son has Autism and he is perfect.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
TV Sucks
And so another mid-season TV restructuring (before February sweeps) brings the axe to another show. Most shows that are axed are crap. But not one, not Pushing Daisies.
Pushing Daisies was, shall we say, and acquired taste. It wasn't conventional in any way. The bright colors, quirky characters, the script, the quips and brilliant acting made me want to stick with this show from the beginning.
For those that came in last: Ned learned at an early age that if he touched something dead it would come back to life. Unfortunately, this meant something or someone else had to die in it's place. He discovered he had a two minute window of bringing someone back before someone else had to die. Then he could touch the same person again and they would die. Following, so far? Ned's childhood sweetheart, Chuck, is murdered on a cruise ship. Ned finds out, goes to the funeral and brings her back to life. The catch is that he can't touch her again, ever, or she will die again. Meanwhile, a private eye is using Ned's talent to find out from murder victims who killed them and then collecting the rewards from the grieving families. There are spinster aunts of Chuck, a crazy waitress in love with Ned and all this activity is centered around Ned's restaurant, "The Pie Hole." What's not to love? I would giggle every time I saw the marque of the restaurant.
The story lines were crazy and right out of the mind of someone like Tim Burton.
This magical show had some of the best actors in the biz and for my money were the only ones that could pull off such a wild concept show.
I am sure some stellar piece of television artistry is what did the show in like some mindless reality show. I feel the main suspect was the writers' strike and afterwards, lack of support from the network. When Pushing Daisies premiered in the fall of 2007, it was preceded by a huge advertising campaign including full length trailers in the movie theaters. When it returned in the fall of 2008 it arrived without a peep. I think the network did a disservice by not having a "re-launch" (as The Beauty Alchemist would say). Another big media blitz would have helped.
I now mourn my show. There was absolutely nothing like it on TV. The only thing that comes close would be Ugly Betty and I am sure that show is not long for TV either.
Bring on the reality shows by all means! We need more celebrity cat fight! Are you smarter than a Senator! Survivor Toledo! Real World: Richmond! Amazing Strolls!
I am sorry that Pushing Daisies was smarter than 99% of the viewing audience. Well, not really sorry because it was a bright light in TV blight - for a moment.
Mediocrity reigns on TV...as it always has.
Pushing Daisies was, shall we say, and acquired taste. It wasn't conventional in any way. The bright colors, quirky characters, the script, the quips and brilliant acting made me want to stick with this show from the beginning.
For those that came in last: Ned learned at an early age that if he touched something dead it would come back to life. Unfortunately, this meant something or someone else had to die in it's place. He discovered he had a two minute window of bringing someone back before someone else had to die. Then he could touch the same person again and they would die. Following, so far? Ned's childhood sweetheart, Chuck, is murdered on a cruise ship. Ned finds out, goes to the funeral and brings her back to life. The catch is that he can't touch her again, ever, or she will die again. Meanwhile, a private eye is using Ned's talent to find out from murder victims who killed them and then collecting the rewards from the grieving families. There are spinster aunts of Chuck, a crazy waitress in love with Ned and all this activity is centered around Ned's restaurant, "The Pie Hole." What's not to love? I would giggle every time I saw the marque of the restaurant.
The story lines were crazy and right out of the mind of someone like Tim Burton.
This magical show had some of the best actors in the biz and for my money were the only ones that could pull off such a wild concept show.
I am sure some stellar piece of television artistry is what did the show in like some mindless reality show. I feel the main suspect was the writers' strike and afterwards, lack of support from the network. When Pushing Daisies premiered in the fall of 2007, it was preceded by a huge advertising campaign including full length trailers in the movie theaters. When it returned in the fall of 2008 it arrived without a peep. I think the network did a disservice by not having a "re-launch" (as The Beauty Alchemist would say). Another big media blitz would have helped.
I now mourn my show. There was absolutely nothing like it on TV. The only thing that comes close would be Ugly Betty and I am sure that show is not long for TV either.
Bring on the reality shows by all means! We need more celebrity cat fight! Are you smarter than a Senator! Survivor Toledo! Real World: Richmond! Amazing Strolls!
I am sorry that Pushing Daisies was smarter than 99% of the viewing audience. Well, not really sorry because it was a bright light in TV blight - for a moment.
Mediocrity reigns on TV...as it always has.
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