Every pore in my body is just screaming from fatigue. I literally cannot drive to Makati for the business review so I had to hitch a ride with an officemate.
Just some quick “thank yous” to F and M, who bought us some time and gave us some slack in the end. Whew!
***
Come Monday (Sunday in the US), the famous golden statuette named Oscar will again take centerstage. The Academy will recognize the best achievements in film for 2007.
I am quite riled up for the Oscars because for it’s been quite a while since we have this “popular and accepted” line-up. Previously, the more low-profile, high-brow and really dark movies took the crown. Think No Country For Old Men, which took most of the statuettes last year. This year, the best picture nominees were more mainstream and accessible. Hence, more people can relate to it and celebrate their predicted Oscar victory.
Not to mention that I recently watched some of the frontrunners and they are really some of the best in years.
However, the trend “from Globes to Oscars” will be broken this year because back-to-back Globe winner Kate Winslet was not even nominated for best supporting actress. Plus, Benjamin Button had the most number of nominations (almost matching the all-time record set by Titanic) so it has a good shot at stealing the Best Picture statuette. But tracking the other awards (SAG, Director’s Guild, BAFTA), Slumdog Millionaire is still the frontrunner.
Here are my fearless forecasts for the major categories for tomorrow’s Oscars:
BEST PICTURE
Who Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Who I Want To Win: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
BEST ACTOR
Who Will Win: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler
Who I Want To Win: Sean Penn for Milk
Note: This is the most debatable category. The Academy might be turned off with Ruorke and go for the more “serious” Penn. Rourke won most of the other awards (Globes, BAFTA). Penn won the Screen Actors Guild.
BEST ACTRESS
Who Will Win: Kate Winslet for The Reader
Who I Want To Win: Kate Winslet
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Who Will Win: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Who I Want To Win: Heath Ledger
Note: If Ledger will win, this will just be the second Oscar to be awarded post-humus.
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Who Will Win: Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Who I Want To Win: : Penelope or Marisa Tomei (for The Wrestler)
***
I remember some years ago, Manila Bulletin had a “Guess the Oscar Winners” contest. It was the time when American Beauty was the frontrunner. I sent my fearless forecast (I don't remember them now but I think it included Annette Benning and Kevin Spacey) and come Oscar Day, I was correct in all the major categories.
But I got quite busy with my writing/editing deadlines that I forgot about the contest. I only remembered it some months after.
There were five winners and I was one of them. However, I forfeited the prize. It was several month’s worth of movie passes.
Well, I always believed that if it’s not meant for you, it won’t be yours.
***
Yesterday, I had to rush home after some quick trade checks to help my youngest brother prepare for his first JS Prom. Louie was quite excited as this is his first time to don a suit.
I am again in my fatherly mode. It feels weird seeing them off during these life milestones. How you’ve watched them grow from cute babies to boisterous teens. You realize how time passes by and how old you are. Louie is 16 years my senior so technically, he could pass as my son. But not looks-wise, of course. The running joke is that people think that Oliver, the third sibling, is our Kuya because he is the biggest and on the darker side of the skintone spectrum.
Since the three of us have almost the same height and built, we can share clothes and shoes, especially the formal ones. I remember when my second brother competed in a co-ed pageant a couple of years ago, he ransacked my wardrobe and took home all the “Best In” special awards.
And this time, Louie was named Mr. Junior ’09. What can I say...it runs in the family!
***
I don’t recall much of my JS Prom. For our barkada trio, it was tantamount to “work” because we were in charge of the stage, program, invitation, etc. Although we belong to the “popular” club, we are also a little too shy at taking centerstage. So anything that involves programs or doing anything onstage brings us near nervous breakdown.
I remember my Senior’s Day, the pre-graduation ceremony, because of my jitters in delivering a speech. To add to the torture, my English teaching pulled me aside minutes before the speech and told me that I should deliver my last paragraph in Tagalog for more impact. She, off all people, should know that I am more comfortable speaking in English!
But she was right, of course. Previous to the last paragraph, I almost ruined the speech because I glanced too long at the audience and I when I glanced back at my paper, I forgot which paragraph I just read. It was a few seconds before I found it again. My friends say that they didn’t notice it (or were they being nice?). When I came to my closing paragraph, I took a slight pause (an inaudible sigh) and shifted to Tagalog. The audience was shocked in a good way and they gave me a thunderous applause. On the sidelines, my English teacher was all smiles.