The Movies People Actually Saw Awards

Ok, so I forced myself to sit through the Oscars again this year and I couldn't help but feel like they are getting more and more irrelevant as each year goes by. I wrote and talked about this to death last year so I will save you from that soap box again but it got me thinking.

In my humble opinion there are currently no relevant awards for movies. People Choice are too trailer trash, Golden Globes are too European, and the Oscars are too artsy fartsy. The closest we have are the MTV awards and of course there is no credibility there. I want a prestigious award for movies that people actually saw last year (you know, like the Oscars used to be).

So naturally, I had to come up with my own - The Movies People Actually Saw Awards or the MPASAs (pronounced: em-pah-sahs. You gotta give it that little Spanish kick!) Actually we can do this together. I will present you with my list of nominees and let's vote (I'll post the results next week on JustBeingJosh.com).

Looking back now, 2008 was a weird year for movies. While it was certainly better than 2007 (as proved by the nominees below), 2008 did see some of the WORST movies released in recent memory - I'm talking to you "Zohan", "Love Guru", and "Get Smart". We were a "Pink Panther 2" away from witnessing one of the most wretched collections of movies released in a single year ever known to man.

But let's focus on the good, shall we??

Here you go. the 1st Annual MPASA nominees (listed alphabetically). Looking forward to seeing your selections!

Best Movie
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Night
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire*
Tropic Thunder
*I know not everyone saw Slumdog, but you should. It wasn't nearly as good as "Ben Button" but it's still a great film

Best Actor
Christian Bale (Dark Knight)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man)
Brad Pitt (Ben Button)
Paul Rudd (Role Models)
Will Smith (Hancock)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett (Ben Button)
Eva Mendes (The Spirit)
Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City)
Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!)
Renee Zellweger (Leatherheads)

Best Supporting Actor
Rob Corddry (What Happens in Vegas)
Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
James Franco (Pineapple Express)
Heath Ledger (Dark Knight)
Steve Martin (Baby Mama)

Best Supporting Actress
Isla Fisher (Definitely, Maybe)
Taraji P. Henson (Ben Button)
Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
Amy Poehler (Baby Mama)

Director
Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
David Fincher (Ben Button)
Frank Miller (The Spirit)
Christopher Nolan (Dark Knight)
Pete Travis (Vantage Point)

25 Random Things About Me

Ok, there has been a unexplained phenomenon on Facebook the past couple of days and I don't understand it. But whatever reason, EVERYONE has been posting this "25 Random Things About Me" thing and it's the cool thing to do right now, I guess.

As you will see from my list below, I typically buck against the latest fads but I actually spent over two hours the other day coming up with this list (I don't mind doing something trendy when it focuses on me, I suppose!).

My list is still obviously posted on Facebook but I wanted to post it here too because a lot of my readers have been wise enough not to get ensnared by the trappings of online community sites.

Stay far, far away!

If you are one of the eight people on the planet that hasn't done your list yet, feel free to do so in the comment section below this posting.

Here are the rules:

You are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you

Here are 25 Random Things About Me:

1. I hate Facebook. MySpace was way easier to use and I don't know why everyone switched over. It took me over an hour to figure out just how to post this stupid thing.

2. Other than having my current friends and family, I wish I had been born in 1960 instead of 1980. I would have loved to have been in my 20's during the 1980's. I would have been big into the capitalist movement, had a "Cheers" tv group, gone to every Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen concert (when they were still rocking for real), been a big time reporter (since they still existed back then), and there would have been no intrusive technology.

3. I hate technology.

4. A lot of my self worth comes from the success of my favorite pro sports teams.

5. The Phillies winning the World Series went along way but I will never be right until the Eagles win a Super Bowl.

6. The best seasons in the history of television are:
(1.) Season five of "Frasier", (2.) season four of "Friends", and (3.) season three of "The Office". This will not be debated.

7. I know I'm not a great journalist or even a great writer, I just try to bring a passionate and unique perspective to relateable topics.

8. I'm scared of jumping the shark as a writer. It happened to Kornheiser and Simmons and they are reasons I'm writing today. If it can happened to them, it can happen to anyone.

9. Aaron Sorkin never jumped, he just got too political.

10. Self awareness is the one attribute I try to remain constantly aware of.

11. Lack of self awareness is my biggest pet peeve.

12. I value personal relationships more than I will ever let on.

13. Without trying to, I typically like the things that no one else likes. It turns me off when something I like gets too big.

14. My two favorite acting performances of all time are: (1.) Val Kilmer in "Tombstone" and (2.) Robert Downey, Jr. in "Tropic Thunder".

15. Heath Ledger as the Joker wold be on the list, but like I said, I lose interest when something gets too much hype.

16. Why can't sports movies be like "The Natural" or "Hoosiers" anymore? If I see one more Disney produced carbon copy of "Glory Road-The Rookie-Miracle-We Are Marshall-Invincible", I will jam a pen through my eye.

17. Sports stories are best when they are mythic first. Any inspiration that comes from it is just an added bonus.

18. For my money, Roy Hobbs is the greatest baseball player to ever live.

19. Don't tell anyone but I actually like pro basketball better than college for two reasons: (1.) Yeah, NBA players don't really try for most of the season but when they do, there is nothing better and (2). As I get older it's getting more difficult to get emotionally invested in 18 year olds.


20. I wish I liked suishi. I love the idea of suishi.

21. I wish Tom Hanks would do another comedy.

22. I'm fine with the fact that I will never be a good golfer. I'd rather be bad at golfing than good at any thing else.

23. I refuse to spend more than $20 on jeans. $25 if I'm rolling in the dough.

24. Even water taste better when you're drinking it from a nice, sturdy tumbler glass.

25. I've said it before and I'll keep saying it, the correct way to say the plural form of monetary coins is "CENTS" not "cent". Sorry, I don't have 25 cent for you to borrow. I do have a quarter, which is 25 cents, but I'm not going to give it to you.

Putting the "Super" Back in the Super Bowl

Was it just me or was the Super Bowl really entertaining yesterday?

Usually the game is just way over-hyped, the commercials are dumb, the half time act is lack luster, and the TV show that follows the game is traditionally disappointing; but for whatever reason, I enjoyed... everything!

The Game

I was intrigued by the Steelers-Cardinals match up from the beginning and even though they beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship game, I was randomly a huge Arizona fan during the Super Bowl. I love Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and I did not want the Steelers to become the first team to win six Super Bowls because they will never be regarded as the greatest NFL franchise of all time. They are a great NFL franchise, mind you, but they're not the greatest.

The game obviously turned on that whacky James Harrison INT right before the half. The score was 10-7 and the Cardinals were inside the Steelers' five yard line about to either take the lead with a touchdown or tie it up before the half.

No, Kurt Warner had to turn into Donovan McNabb for eight seconds and tried to throw a pass to Boldin in between a linebacker and corner who both had good coverage. I've watched the replay a hundred times and I still have no idea what he thought he saw.

What was really bizarre was the fact that no Cardinal could chase down Harrison who looked like he was running in slow motion down the sideline.

So instead of the game being tied or the Cardinals being up, the Steelers led 17-7 at the half and then added a field goal in the boring third quarter before the Arizona offense finally woke up in the fourth and gave us all an epic finish.

Where does this game rank all time?

I still think the Denver-Green Bay game in '98 is the best I've ever watched and I would have to think about the '91 Giants-Bills game and last year's contest between the Giants and Patriots but this one is up there.

The question becomes how much weight does the fourth quarter bring to the conversation because other than the Harrison INT, the second and third quarters weren't entertaining.

I like Mike Tomlin a lot so it wasn't a total loss but it was a shame to see the meteoric rise of Fitz end without a ring.

I hate to see greatness wasted.

Before these playoffs, I never thought I would even think about a wide receiver in the same terms as Jerry Rice just because of what Rice did in the playoffs year in and year out, but if Fitz can sniff the postseason a few more times it will be an interesting topic to monitor.

The Commercials

I can't figure out why but I felt like the commercials were (overall) great this year. They just seemed to reach my sensibilities and sense of humor I guess.

Maybe the new "G.I. Joe" movie trailer was such a great start to the ads that I was just in a good mood after that. I don't know but that one along with the Conan O'Brien Bud Light spot, the Troy Polamalu Coke Zero "Mean" Joe Green redux, the Doritos crystal ball, and the Pepsi ads featuring "MacGruber" (and MacGyver) from "Saturday Night Live" were outstanding to me.

I actually went to hulu.com this morning and watched them all again, and I've never done that after a Super Bowl.

The Half Time Show

I'm so happy about that Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" happened a few years ago. Because of that stupid incident the Super Bowl got away from annoying hip hop acts and now feature artists that I really like.

I loved Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers last year and I LOVED The Boss and the E Street Band this year. At that point, I actually didn't care about the game anymore, I just wanted to hear more Bruce and I almost stopped by a store to pick up his new album on the way home after the game.

One girl at the party I was at commented that she missed the half time show being more hip and I couldn't disagree more. I'm not hip, you see, so this new direction suits me just fine.

The Post Super Bowl episode of "The Office"

Um... so that was definitely the greatest television episode to EVER follow a Super Bowl and that might be one of the greatest episodes in the history of television. I'm going to watch it a few more times and do a little research and get back to you on that one but I'm thinking that it's definitely in the conversation now.

I love "The Office" but usually their hour episodes are terrible and run out of gas after 40 minutes so my expectations were low going into this one, especially with the extra hype of having to follow the Super Bowl ON TOP of the fact that this was supposed to be the night they debuted the spin off, which obviously didn't happen.

My biggest complaint with "The Office" recently is that there have been too many continuing story arcs and that they have spent too much time out side of the, well, office. What made the show great early on was that every episode was self contained and was just another day at the office.

And they finally got back to this is a big way last night.

Whether or not this was the greatest episode of all time doesn't matter, it was hands down the greatest opening to a television episode ever and that needs no debate.

Dwight's "fire drill" had me on the edge of my seat and some how they made something so potentially horrifying so hilarious at the same time. It was like the Nightcrawler scene at the White House at the beginning of "X-Men 2". It was so amazing that I almost wanted to stop watching because nothing that followed could top it.

Until the CPR training scene.

I was laughing so hard, I was crying. My sides and stomach hurt and I was temporarily afraid that I was going to stop breathing.

In that moment, the show hit the "Cheers" stratosphere for me. In that these people hate their jobs, hate their boss, and hate their lives but as soon as Andy starts singing "Staying Alive" they can't help but grooving together to the music.

They can't help but be the losers that they are.

That's what "Cheers" perfected and that's where "The Office" is headed and as a I wannabe writer, I can't tell you how poetic and brilliant that is to watch when it is perfected like that.

There were so many great lines too.

Michael: "Nobody should go to work thinking this is where I'm going to die. That's what hospitals are for."

Creed, out of nowhere to the CPR training lady: "You were from the parking lot earlier. That's how I know you!"

Phyllis: "You almost killed Stanley." Dwight: "Yeah right, I filled him full of butter and sugar for fifty years and forced him not to exercise."

Michael: "Kevin, I can't decide between a fat joke and dumb joke."

Oh, so good... I'm actually going to hurry up and wrap this up because I want to go watch it all again. A great night all in all. I had a fun time catching up with an old friend and meeting some new ones.

Maybe it was just an unexpected, one time thing but it was good to see the Super Bowl act so super.

And Now a Word From The Camel

Editor’s Note: Josh has been frustrated that he hasn’t gotten to write much – OK, at all – since he’s been in Colorado but trying to find employment so that he can stay in Colorado has been his top priority. So while Josh continues to search the job listings, his car, recently renamed “The Camel”, would like to take this opportunity to address Josh’s loyal readers.

Yo. It’s The Camel here.

Actually I’m Josh’s 2003 Mazda Protégé, but he and his friends thought “The Camel” was a cute little nickname on our recent cross-country drive out to Denver. I mean, I get it: I’m beige and it looked like I had a camel hump with the ridiculous car top carrier that Josh and his dad strapped on the top of me before we left Virginia.

But beyond that, I’ve got another bone to pick with everyone.

Everyone keeps asking how Josh is doing out here in Colorado but NO ONE has bothered to ask how I’m doing, how my life has changed. Yeah, yeah, poor Josh. He doesn’t have a job, doesn’t have any money, doesn’t know a soul but trust me, he’s fine. He loves it out here. He loves the big city, he loves being on his own and trying to make it on his own, and most importantly, he LOVES the mountains.

Me? Not so much.

You gotta understand, I’m used to tooling around the Hampton Roads area of Virginia where it’s flatter than Kate Hudson.

Just a few weeks ago, my life was simple. Josh would drive me five minutes to work every morning, five minutes back home every afternoon and a couple nights of the week we went to downtown Norfolk to visit his Girlfriend and hang out at the Monarch.

Man, I miss the Monarch’s parking garage.

Then out of nowhere one Saturday morning, he packed me to the gills with all of his stuff, picked up a couple of his buddies and then just started driving… and driving… and driving until we finally got to Denver (Josh thinks that it was the “wind” that blew off that stupid car top carrier while we were driving through Kansas but I had been trying to wiggle that thing loose ever since West Virginia).

I do have to admit that it is absolutely gorgeous out here. There’s certainly no scenery like this back home; the sky is so big and the mountains really are majestic. But now, Josh takes me in a new direction every day. North, South, East, West – we’ve done it all already and every day he tries to find a new place we haven’t been and see if he can find his way back.

Yeah, that’s fun.

The direction Josh likes to go the most, however, is straight UP. He tries to go up into the mountains every chance he can get. Believe me, I’m very secure in who I am and what I can do, but sorry champ, rock climbing is not my strong suit.

There are stretches of road that are so steep up in the Rockies that there’s been times when Josh has the gas pedal all the way down on the floor and the best I can do is strain to get it up to about 50-55 mph. But don’t worry, going down hill on the way back, he can push the brake pedal through the floor board and we are still going 50-55 mph.

A couple of weeks ago Josh drove a couple hours west into the mountains so it was dark outside when we were coming back home; only he didn’t anticipate a couple of things. When it snows (like it does in the Rockies during the winter – imagine that), the roads get dirty so it’s hard to see the lines on the pavement. Combine that with the fact there’s no lights on the side of the road and we were basically driving blind on the side of a mountain for over an hour. I seriously made peace with my Mazda maker as my life flashed before my headlights.

That was REAL fun.

I have to give Josh credit though. He has done his best to take care of me and has really learned a lot more about car maintenance the past few weeks. With it snowing so often, it is impossible to keep me clean longer than a few days, but he’s run me through a car wash and regularly stops to wash off my windows. He got me some new windshield washer blades, an oil change and even front end brakes since we’ve been out here so he’s making an effort.

Oh, but don’t think I don’t notice every time he looks out the window and eyes one of the hundred motorcycles that pass us everyday. He keeps talking about looking into a bike this spring and sure, Colorado is a great place to own a motorcycle. The weather is perfect throughout the entire summer, the roads are open in every direction, and the view is basically limitless so it’s a lot safer to ride here than on the east coast.

But don’t forget who got you out here, buddy boy!

I can just see it now. I sit at home, dirty, for weeks on end while he gallivants about on a brand new bike and forgets all about me.

Then again, after everything we’ve been through so far, I might not mind the break.

Whew. OK, I feel better. Thanks for letting me get that off my hood.

Well, I should probably go. Josh is walking towards me and he’s got that goofy look in his eyes like he’s excited about going some where new today.

Ugh.

And we’re off again...

Holiday TV Guide

I was flipping through the channels last night while my Girlfriend was doing some work and I came across the cartoon version of "Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on ABC.

I couldn't believe that it was already airing this early in December but was randomly really excited that I had found it because there are a few Christmas specials/movies that I have to watch every year.

But more on that another day...

But it made me wonder if there were any of my other favorite classics that I was missing so I started doing a little research online. Of course, there's not just one website with all the listings, but hey, that's what I'm here for!

I've highlighted a few of my favorites and a few of the absolute classic Christmas specials for you (you can get complete listings at either tvguide.com's holiday page or ABC family's 25 Days of Christmas site).

Buckle, up TiVo. You've got some work to do this month.

Tuesday, Dec 2
- Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (8PM, ABC)

Wednesday, Dec 3
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (8PM, CBS)
- Christmas in Rockefeller Center (8PM, NBC)

Friday, Dec 5
- Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (8PM, ABC)

Saturday, Dec 6
- Miracle on 34th Street (8PM, My Network TV)

Monday, Dec 8
- 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (7PM, ABC Family)
- Charlie Brown Christmas (8PM, ABC)
- Jingle All the Way (8PM, ABC Family)

Tuesday, Dec 9
- A Garfield Christmas (7PM, ABC Family)

Wednesday, Dec 10
- Mickey's Christmas Carol (7PM, ABC Family)
- Home Alone (8PM, My Network TV)

Friday, Dec 12
- Frosty the Snowman (8PM, CBS)
- Frosty Returns (8:30PM, CBS)

Saturday, Dec 13
- Holiday Classics Marathon (All day, ABC Family)
- It's a Wonderful Life (8PM, NBC)

Tuesday, Dec 16
- Charlie Brown Christmas (8PM, ABC)

Wednesday, Dec 17
- A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (8PM, NBC)

Tuesday, Dec 23
- White Christmas (6PM, ABC Family)

Thursday, Dec 25
- A Christmas Story (24 hour marathon, TBS)

...Just to name a few.

Print this out and enjoy. Happy Holidays and happy viewing!

Snap Back to Reality

I can not tell you how badly I DID NOT want to come back home from the Thanksgiving holiday weekend I spent with my family in Roanoke, VA.

It was great being with my family and celebrating my grandparents' 60th anniversary, this was the first Thanksgiving my Girlfriend and I got to spend together, the whole weekend was way relaxing in general, and I slept A LOT.

Like I actually don't know what to do about this whole "rested" feeling I have now.

But the reality of being back hit hard and fast last night as we realized that there are now only 16 days before my Girlfriend leaves to spend Christmas with her parents in Atlanta and there are only 26 days left before I move across the country.

So much for that rested feeling.

Beyond that, it was kind of overwhelming to look at our calendars and discover that we only have FIVE nights left with nothing already planned before my Girlfriend leaves on December 17.

Seriously, I need another nap.

We're going to try to knock out a few of my Hampton Roads Bucket List items between now and then but we're obviously not trying to fill up every night and not even enjoy the remaining time together.

Needless to say, It's going to be a little busy between now and the 17th (After that, I really have no plans - other than Christmas, of course - until I leave on the 27th).

But I'm looking forward to it all.

I always feel like I can start celebrating the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving, so I'm already getting into the spirit a little (in spite of the apparent heat wave we are experiencing here in Chesapeake).

It's going to be a crazy month, but I think it's going to be a really good one.

And I will be on here as much as possible...

Hope you will be too.

(PS - here are a couple of pictures from my grandparents' anniversary party on Friday night. The top one is me and my Girlfriend with my grandparents Charles and Bettie Hutton and the bottom one is the annual grandkids pic that my cousins and I take together every year. You can see more pictures at their anniversary announcement page.)

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving. May your family gatherings be warm and your football games exciting (Go Eagles!).

I will leave you with a clip from one of my favorite Thanksgiving TV episodes of all time, "Thanksgiving Orphans" from season five of "Cheers" - if nothing else, just skip ahead to the food fight at the 5:37 mark and just remember that the payoff at the end has to do with the fact that during the entire 11 seasons of the show, you never once saw the face of Norm's wife Vera.

Grab a plate of pumpkin pie and enjoy!