Christmas A Humbug?

Last night, on the eve of Christmas Eve, I decided to read Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Now, practically the whole world knows the story of Mr.Scrooge and his three ghosts, so I will not go into very much detail. I do admitt, after reading the story (in one sitting with a good cup of tea) that I will no longer be a scrooge and will celebrate this Christmas with good will and to be jolly! At the beginning of the season, I was in the worst mood ever. I simply could get myself into the Christmas spirit and instead of saying Merry Christmas, it was more like "bah humbug". However, people can change, for as Mr.Scrooge first believed at the beginning of the novel during the Christmas season:
"If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly, “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!"
at the end, Mr. Scrooge changed his beliefs and became:
"Scrooge was better than his word . . . . He became as good a friend, as good a master, as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world".
Therefore, on this day, do not be a scrooge and think Christmas a humbug. Instead, turn your thoughts into good cheer, for as Tiny Tim said in his famous quote "God bless us everyone!".
Happy Christmas and always remember to eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow may be your last. Fare thee well.

64 Annual Golden Globe Awards

Two days ago, the Golden Globe nominations were finally presented to the world. Now, the Golden Globes are not as important as the Academy Awards, but compared to the rest of the Film Critic awards, its a huge predictions as to whom will take home the Oscar. Although, two years in a row the Golden Globes have been incorrect for the Best Picture award. In 2004, The Aviator brought the Golden Globe home, whereas Million Dollar Baby recieved Best Picture. The same as last year when Brokeback Mountain won for the Golden Globe, but Crash got the Academy Award.I am disappointed in myself because I have not seen any of the movies that are nominated this year...better start renting. Here are the nominees:




Best Picture for Drama: Babel, Bobby, The Departed, Litte Children and The Queen.
Best Picture for Comedy or Musical: Borat, The Devil Wears Prada, DreamGirls, Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You For Smoking.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Nominees:

Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond (2006)

Leonardo DiCaprio for The Departed (2006)

Peter O'Toole for Venus (2006/I)

Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Nominees:

Penélope Cruz for Volver (2006/I)

Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Maggie Gyllenhaal for SherryBaby (2006)

Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006)

Kate Winslet for Little Children (2006)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:

Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Aaron Eckhart for Thank You for Smoking (2005)

Chiwetel Ejiofor for Kinky Boots (2005)

Will Ferrell for Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:

Annette Bening for Running with Scissors (2006)

Toni Collette for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Beyoncé Knowles for Dreamgirls (2006)

Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Renée Zellweger for Miss Potter (2006)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:

Ben Affleck for Hollywoodland (2006)

Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls (2006)

Jack Nicholson for The Departed (2006)

Brad Pitt for Babel (2006)

Mark Wahlberg for The Departed (2006)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Nominees:

Adriana Barraza for Babel (2006)

Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006)

Rinko Kikuchi for Babel (2006)
Best Director - Motion Picture
Nominees:

Clint Eastwood for Flags of Our Fathers (2006)

Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Stephen Frears for The Queen (2006)

Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel (2006)

Martin Scorsese for The Departed (2006)
Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Nominees:

Babel (2006): Guillermo Arriaga

The Departed (2006): William Monahan

Little Children (2006): Todd Field, Tom Perrotta

Notes on a Scandal (2006): Patrick Marber

The Queen (2006): Peter Morgan
Best Original Song - Motion Picture
Nominees:

Bobby (2006)("Never Gonna Break My Faith")

Dreamgirls (2006)("Listen")

Happy Feet (2006)("The Song of the Heart")

Home of the Brave (2006)("Try Not to Remember")

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)("A Father's Way")
Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Nominees:

Babel (2006): Gustavo Santaolalla

The Da Vinci Code (2006): Hans Zimmer

The Fountain (2006): Clint Mansell

Nomad (2005/II): Carlo Siliotto

The Painted Veil (2006): Alexandre Desplat
Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees:

Apocalypto (2006)

Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006)

Leben der Anderen, Das (2006)

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Volver (2006/I)
Best Animated Film
Nominees:

Cars (2006)

Happy Feet (2006)

Monster House (2006)
Best Television Series - Drama
Nominees:

"24" (2001)

"Big Love" (2006)

"Grey's Anatomy" (2005)

"Heroes" (2006/II)

"Lost" (2004)
Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:

"Desperate Housewives" (2004)

"Entourage" (2004)

"The Office" (2005)

"Ugly Betty" (2006)

"Weeds" (2005)
Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:

"Bleak House" (2005)

"Broken Trail" (2006) (mini)

Elizabeth I (2005) (TV)

Mrs. Harris (2005) (TV)

Prime Suspect: The Final Act (2006) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:

Andre Braugher for "Thief" (2006)

Robert Duvall for "Broken Trail" (2006) (mini)

Michael Ealy for "Sleeper Cell" (2005)

Chiwetel Ejiofor for Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) (TV)

Ben Kingsley for Mrs. Harris (2005) (TV)

Bill Nighy for Gideon's Daughter (2005) (TV)

Matthew Perry for The Ron Clark Story (2006) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:

Gillian Anderson for "Bleak House" (2005)

Annette Bening for Mrs. Harris (2005) (TV)

Helen Mirren for Elizabeth I (2005) (TV)

Helen Mirren for Prime Suspect: The Final Act (2006) (TV)

Sophie Okonedo for Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) (TV)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:

Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock" (2006)

Zach Braff for "Scrubs" (2001)

Steve Carell for "The Office" (2005)

Jason Lee for "My Name Is Earl" (2005)

Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" (2002)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Nominees:

Marcia Cross for "Desperate Housewives" (2004)

America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty" (2006)

Felicity Huffman for "Desperate Housewives" (2004)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" (2006)

Mary-Louise Parker for "Weeds" (2005)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Nominees:

Patrick Dempsey for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)

Michael C. Hall for "Dexter" (2006)

Hugh Laurie for "House M.D." (2004)

Bill Paxton for "Big Love" (2006)

Kiefer Sutherland for "24" (2001)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Nominees:

Patricia Arquette for "Medium" (2005)

Edie Falco for "The Sopranos" (1999)

Evangeline Lilly for "Lost" (2004)

Ellen Pompeo for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)

Kyra Sedgwick for "The Closer" (2005)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:

Thomas Haden Church for "Broken Trail" (2006) (mini)

Jeremy Irons for Elizabeth I (2005) (TV)

Justin Kirk for "Weeds" (2005)

Masi Oka for "Heroes" (2006/II)

Jeremy Piven for "Entourage" (2004)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Nominees:

Emily Blunt for Gideon's Daughter (2005) (TV)

Toni Collette for Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006) (TV)

Katherine Heigl for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)

Sarah Paulson for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (2006)

Elizabeth Perkins for "Weeds" (2005)

Do not miss it!

A Comforting Thought

Now, I am not a huge fan of poetry, nor tend to pay much thought into the world of poetry. However, there is one poet who's work I simply adore, the great William Blake. Every morning, before I go off to work at Timmy Hoes for eight hours, I take some time to read a poem by William Blake. This morning I read this wonderful poem called The Chimney Sweeper, in which I wish to share with everyone who actually reads this blog:


The Chimney Sweeper(Songs of Innocence)

When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.

There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,
That curl'd llke a lamb's back. was shav'd: so I said
"Hush. Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."

And so he was quiet & that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned or Jack.
Were all of them lock'd up in coffins of black.

And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he open'd the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river. and shine in the Sun.

Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind;
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father & never want joy.

And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark.
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Tho' the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;
So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.

Is that not a comforting thought that at the end of your life, no matter how bad it is, there is hope of peace through death. Shakespeare's sonnets are still far better than any poem. Fare thee well.