AJ Serrano says...

AJ is back with his thoughts and picks for this year's Oscars. Please take a minute or two to check out his Tumblr, filled with some of his amazing short stories and thoughts on various subjects. Also be sure to find him on Vimeo, where you view his latest projects. But enough promotion, let's get to his third annual Oscar post... Enjoy.

Hello everyone! It’s me again, A.J., here to offer my annual Oscar predictions to Ashleigh’s dear readership.

Listen guys, I was just looking over my picks from the past two years and realized that I successfully picked 12 out of 15 major awards. That means I’m 80% more accurate at predicting the results of the Oscars than Harold Camping is at predicting the end of the world.

But this year’s award show might just shed a few points off that relatively decent accuracy rate of mine. I can’t think of a Best Picture race in recent memory where there were absolutely no clear-cut favorites. 

I guess you could say that Silver Linings Playbook is a favorite if only because it is produced by the Weinstein brothers and those two have a knack for swooning Academy voters into awarding their films with the golden statuette. The producing duo has taken home the coveted golden prize twice in the last four years.

On the other hand, some viewers have complained that the movie is too sappy. I still haven’t seen the film, which is strange because I usually make it a point to see each serious Oscar contender in theaters. I remember a few years ago I hopped on the barely-used Los Angeles subway system to take a 45 minute ride over to Universal City just to see Slumdog Millionaire while it was still in theaters.  I don’t know what it is about Silver Linings that is unappealing to me. I usually enjoy David O. Russell’s films (The Fighter Flirting With Disaster, I Heart Huckabees) but even Silver Linings’ positive reviews and ubiquitous TV spots have yet to convince me to dish out the $14 to see it in theaters. Still, I guess as long as the Weinstein brothers are involved, it has a good shot to win. 

But then you can’t ignore Lincoln, a critical darling since its release in November. Its producers have been preaching to Oscar voters about the film’s relevance to current heated political issues such as Medicare and gun control and how today’s leaders can learn a lesson from our sixteenth president’s display of courage and sensibility in the face of political adversity.

However, to borrow a quote from the film’s iconic director Steven Spielberg, “Everybody loves a winner, but nobody loves a winner.” Will Oscar voters overlook Lincoln because of its box office success and the fact that Spielberg has already won a Best Picture award for his masterpiece,Schindler’s List? Maybe voters will think the film’s twelve nominations are a victory in itself.

So we are left with Argo, this year’s Golden Globe winner for Best Drama. I saw it way back in October and found it to be a fun movie; even though it was less unexpectedly entertaining as Ben Affleck’s excellent 2010 film The Town. A friend of mine had an interesting and funny take on Argo’s surprising award season dominance.  He said “Hollywood is patting themselves on the back for making a movie in which Hollywood pats itself on the back.” That’s the type of ludicrous ego that drives the Hollywood system and started this whole awards-giving nonsense. Argo is a classic example of the type of film that Hollywood loves to award with its top prize. Let’s see what happens on Sunday. Until then, here are my picks:

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Spoiler: Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables

Spoiler: Sally Field, Lincoln

Best Supporting Actor: Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook

Spoiler: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Spoiler: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Spoiler: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom

Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner, Lincoln

Spoiler: David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Cinematography: Life of Pi

Spoiler: Lincoln

Best Editing: Zero Dark Thirty

Spoiler: Argo

Best Director: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Spoiler: Michael Haneke, Amour

Best Picture: Lincoln

Spoiler: Argo

Dream Home 2013

This year's HGTV Dream Home is my favorite thus far. The last two years have both been in the mountains-- which is great, but I am very partial to the beach and the ocean. The house this year is on Kiawah Island, which is just 21 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. While I have never actually been to Charleston, it is on top of my list of places to visit. 

Take a look at this year's home. I love everything about it. I have found myself daydreaming and wishing this was my house. I am willing to relocate and find a new job!! Please HGTV, pick me!!

I was literally drooling while compiling these photos.. I just love everything about this house so much. Here's to dreaming!!

Tonight Tonight

I woke up this morning, with this wonderful song from West Side Story in my head. Maybe it's because I'm seeing Erol tonight and I haven't seen him in a few weeks. Or maybe it's because I'm seeing a Broadway show tonight. Either way, I'm not upset about it! 

Hope you all are doing something fun and exciting tonight!

MLK Day

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

-Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957

Truly inspirational words, from a truly inspirational man.

 Today we remember you and we thank you, Dr. King. 

Sunday Funday

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope you had a very nice weekend. I took an impromptu overnight trip to Maine with my family. It was quite lovely since the entire family was together, which is a rarity these days. Now we're back home, sitting around, working on various projects and patiently awaiting Ray's Retirement Party (GO PATS!!). 

Here are some photos I took while in Maine...

Have a great week!

New Year, New Start!

Well, I have done it. I dropped enough hints over time and got a camera for Christmas! Thank you, Erol!! I have a lot of learning to do, but I had a lot of fun taking pictures (or attempting to take pictures anyways) during my recent trip to Rochester. Here are a few of my favorites...

During my trip, we saw both Les Miserables and This is 40. Definitely go see Les MIserables (make sure to hit up the bathroom before the movie starts, it's a long one). I was really disappointed with This is 40, since Knocked Up is one of my favorite movies. This is 40 fell way short of my expectations... Oh well! Now I need to see Argo and Silver Linings Playbook, along with Zero Dark Thirty when it comes out! 

I received a Nook for Christmas, which I am excited about. I did not know much about Nooks before I got one, but I am pretty sure you can "lend" books that you purchase to your friends with Nooks, and vice-versa, so if you have a Nook let me know, so we can share books! I just started Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCan on it, which is good so far. 

Please let me know if you have any tips or pointers regarding photography for beginners! Any blog or site suggestions would be greatly appreciated : )

PS-- Yes, I did change my "About Me" photo... New year, new start... new photo!

The Light Between Oceans

"Perhaps the same labeling obsession caused cartographers to split this body of water into two oceans, even though it is impossible to touch an exact point at which their currents begin to differ. Splitting. Labeling. Seeking out otherness. Some thing don't change."

Taken from page 51 of The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman