We’re just a few days from the Academy Awards and I’m ready to make my picks for winners.

Before I do that, I wanted to run down some gigantic tragedies that never should have been. There have been plenty of movies that get Oscar nominated but do not deserve the credit they receive.

Here’s my list of the Best Picture nominee worst offenders over the past 20 years.

2009 – Avatar – Sure it’ll do well for special effects, but the film is not otherwise Oscar worthy.

2006 -Letters To Iwo Jima - Before you get upset at this one, know that I think it was largely picked because of it’s epic war drama-ness, and the fact that Clint Eastwood directed.  As a movie, I was not thrilled with the results.  The Departed won this year.

2005 – Munich - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  The story of the Olympians murdered at the 1972 Munich  games didn’t do them justice. Crash won this year.  Good call.

2003 – Master and Commander: The Far Side Of The World – Sorry Russell Crowe, this one was as long and drawn out as the title.  Please Mr. Crowe, don’t hit me for saying that. Lord Of The Rings: Return of the King won this year.

2001 – Moulin Rouge - Now musical lovers are upset.  Hey, I like musicals.  Just not this one.  A Beautiful Mind won this year.

2000 – Gladiator - Russell Crowe is really gonna be pissed now, especially since Gladiator won the award.  This just wasn’t my style of movie.  It was trying to be too graphic instead of deep.

1997 – Titanic – Yeesh.  Need I say more?   Titanic won, beating out LA. Confidential, Good Will Hunting and The Full Monty. A movie sin was committed this year.

1996 – The English Patient - It won, beating out Fargo. FARGO FOR JUMPIN’ JIMMINEY SAKE!!!!

1995 – Babe - Yes, this was that talking pig movie that was nominated.  Luckily Mel Gibson from Braveheart won that year.  I heard William Wallace later roasted Babe and ate him for supper.

1994 – Forrest Gump - How did this happen?  Gump beat out The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction! The movie gods became angry with mankind this year.

1990 – Godfather, Part III - Way to beat a dead horse…head. Dances With Wolves won this year, but Goodfellas couldn’t have been far behind.

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I thought about this for roughly seven minutes, which surely shows. If you think about it for that long you could easily add several more (and also have some time to kill).

These are New Year’s resolutions that might have been made, and certainly have already been broken, by some well-known people.

Who and what would you add?

• Tiger Woods: Not to lose any more sponsors.
• Taylor Swift: Not to be so darn nice.
• Jon and Kate: Not to exploit the children for money.
• Octomom: To remain the lead story on network news.
• Roman Polanski: To have no legal bills in 2010.
• Michael Jackson: To do that tour, in England.

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Adam’s video review of New Moon.

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 Fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars and the pyrotechnics of their elaborate live performances aside, KISS has sold over 19 million records in the States (and over 80 million worldwide).  With their trademark face paint and stage outfits, everyone knows KISS.  They rock and roll all night AND party every day.  Isn’t that the essence of rock and roll???  Seriously, they’ve been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1999–what are the music industry peeps who get a vote in this thing waiting for?  Who are the Moonglows (inducted in 2000) anyway?  Gene Pitney?  Lloyd Price?  I digress…

     KISS should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Period.

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     Also known as…”The Day I Shopped Alone”.  My son is back in class by now and I am excited.  I am excited for his new year, I’m excited he gets to see friends he’s missed over the summer.  But most of all, I am excited I get to grocery shop by myself.  He’s actually a great kid in stores, always has been.  Not too much begging, no fits that I can remember (so they must have been tiny if they happened at all, right?).  But he doesn’t exactly enjoy grocery shopping either.  Over the summer, we’d have to hurry and shop the list only. 

     Today, I will saunter up and down each and every aisle.  I will check nutritional information; I will compare ingredients!  I will whip out my handy purse calculator to, um, calculate things.  More than likely, I will buy chocolate chips to make the cookies my son loves so he has a warm batch waiting for him after school.

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     Not just one person, not even two people but three lucky individuals will grab free groceries tomorrow!  I am going to be at the grand opening of Associated Bank in the new Copps (Main St) in SunPrairie from 10am until Noon.  You’ll sign up for the Grocery Grand Prize–$500 at Copps, first prize is $200 in free groceries and second prize comes in at a still sweet $100 Copps card.  Also, Bucky Badger joins us from 11a until Noon.  Hope to see you tomorrow!

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     My son Sam stayed in Michigan after the family reunion, to “visit with his cousins”.  He went to the Detroit Zoo yesterday with cousins Alex and Matty and he really got a kick out of the kangaroos.  Saw a joey and everything.  Today Sam is either playing with cousins Cameron and Caitlyn or swimming with cousins Emma, Mary and Izzy.  More than likely, he’ll do both.  He’s probably too busy to even think about missing his poor ol’ mother.

     But his poor ol’ mother is certainly missing him!  He’s coming home tomorrow, on the Lake Michigan ferry no less, and my sister-in-law is then staying with us for a few days too.  I plan on scooping him up and smooching him silly.  I love that kid!

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     My family went to the State Fair Saturday–Sam loved riding the swing chair ride and the big giant slide.  He also finally got to see a cow, up close and probably too personal, as the cow in question chose that particular moment to well, you know (which, apparently, is a hoot for the 7 year old set).  My husband loved his spiral cut potatoes and me, well, I just went for the milk.  Had the root beer and the cherry vanilla–lip smacking good!  

     Then we hear on the news that the mayor of Milwaukee got beat with a pipe at the Fair that same day.  He interrupted a domestic situation, called 9-1-1 and was attacked for his trouble. 

     Not fair at the Fair after all.

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Here’s the info on how to contact angel-in-the-flesh Brigid O’Donahue at United Special Sportsman Alliance near Black River Falls, WI.

Their free outdoor camping/family weekend is July 16-19th. Contact Brigid at 1-800-518-8019 or through their website, www.childswish.com

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     What to say and what NOT to say to my second grader…I simply left out everything but the musical impact Michael Jackson made on the world.  
     Sam knew something was up when I turned on the TV in addition to the radio yesterday.  I just said that a very famous musician had died and that  people around the world would be mourning his loss.  I told him about Michael as a boy in the Jackson 5 and Michael as a young man on MTV.  I told him that Michael was older than his dad and that he had a cardiac arrest and doctors couldn’t save his life but that they tried.  
     I didn’t tell him about the weirdness, the strangeness surrounding Michael Jackson.  I also didn’t mention the fact he was acquitted of crimes that lots of people still think he’s guilty of (much less what the accusations actually were).
     My son was satisfied with our talk about Michael Jackson and he went on to play with his Spiderman toys.  I kept listening to Michael Jackson’s music long into the night.

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