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I know that Radcliffe’s face has to be smooth, but come on… Plus if you’re on the surface of the ever smooth Harry Potter face then it does not snow there either. Of course he’s probably performed a spell to stop any snow from hitting him. We don’t even get a date, just some coming soon ploy. The poster will no doubt be hard to find for decent pricing since it will be sought after by so many teen girls.

1976 • Apple I
The Apple I was Steven Wozniak’s first contribution to the personal computer field. It was designed over a period of years, and was only built in printed circuit-board form when Steve Jobs insisted it could be sold. It debuted in April 1976 at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, but few took it seriously. The Apple I was based on the MOStek 6502 chip, whereas most other “kit” computers were built from the Intel 8080. The Apple I was sold through several small retailers, and included only the circuit board. A tape-interface was sold separately, but you had to build the case. The Apple I’s initial cost was $666.66

1977 • Apple ][
Built in 1977, the Apple ][ was based on Wozniak's Apple I design, but with several additions. The first was the design of a plastic case--a rarity at the time--which was painted beige. The second was the ability to display color graphics--a holy grail in the industry. The Apple ][ also included a larger ROM, more expandable RAM (4K to start), and 8 expansion slots. It had integer BASIC hard-coded on the ROM for easier programming, and included two game paddles and a demo cassette for $1,298. In early 1978 Apple also released a disk drive for the machine, one of the most inexpensive available. The Apple ][ remained on the Apple product list until 1980. It was also repackaged in a black case and sold to educational markets by Bell & Howell.

1980 • Apple ///
The Apple /// was announced in June 1980. It contained a Synertek 8-bit 6502A processor which could run at speeds up to 2 MHz. It contained 128K of RAM and a 4K ROM. It could run most Apple II programs through emulation, and came with a sophisticated new operating system. It was the first Apple to include a built-in 5.25" disk drive, and hi-res graphics built-in to the motherboard. It was designed to be Apple's business offering, but sold very poorly. It sold initially for between $4,340 and $7,800, depending on the configuration. The original Apple III had many problems, and was replaced by a revised model in mid 1981, which featured 256K RAM, updated system software, and a lower price ($3495). A 5 MB external hard disk was also made available. The Apple /// sold very poorly and was replaced by the Apple ///+ ($2995) in Late 1983. The Apple ///+ was discontinued in 1985.

1983 • Apple IIe
Released in January 1983, The Apple ][e was to be one of the most successful Apple computers ever. It was based on the 6502 processor, which could run at 1.02 MHz. It came with 64K of RAM and a 32K ROM which included BASIC, an assembly language interface, and several other hard-coded options. The Apple ][e originally sold for $1,395, and was replaced in 1985 by an updated model. In 1984 the name was changed from Apple ][e to Apple //e, coinciding with the release of the Apple //c.

1983 • Lisa
Named for one of its designer’s daughters, the Lisa was supposed to be the Next Big Thing. It was the first personal computer to use a Graphical User Interface. Aimed mainly at large businesses, Apple said the Lisa would increase productivity by making computers easier to work with. The Lisa had a Motorola 68000 Processor running at 5 MHz, 1 MB of RAM two 5.25″ 871 kB floppy drives, an external 5 MB hard drive, and a built in 12″ 720 x 360 monochrome monitor. At $9,995 it was a plunge few businesses were willing to take. Later they would release the Lisa 2 at the same time as the Macintosh. The Lisa 2 cost half as much as the original, replaced the two 5.25″ drives with a single 400 kB 3.5″ drive, and offered configurations with up to 2 MB of RAM, and a 10 MB hard drive. In January 1985, the Lisa 2/10 was renamed the Macintosh XL, and outfitted with MacWorks, an emulator that allowed the Lisa to run the Mac OS. The XL was discontinued later that year.

Some companies gain your trust over the years until you’ll do just about anything to have the next best thing. The next computer, the next phone, the next iPod and so on. Everyone wonders what will happen next as the creeping advance of digital technology creeps further and further into our lives and our consciousness. Already there are bionic body parts, brain implants, primitive A.I. There are signs all around us that points to the continuing fusion between man and machine.

These new technologies will lead to the inevitable augmentation of the human experience through computers that will link directly to our conscious thoughts. Speculations abound that a super-consciousness could be borne out. This idea comes with labels such as Hive Mind, Singularity, A.I. and so on.

One of the companies that has such control over its loyal fan base that might be able to convince some leaps in this type of augmentation is Apple. And so, without further adieu I give you iThink.

This could easily be the next big thing to hit Apple and how many of us would be standing in lines outside the stores in order to get version 1.0 of this new device. This new design is from Paul Micarelli.

The Symbiosis Neural Interface: Direct brain-computer link means your mind and computer are functioning as one unit. It sports Intel Fusion, Quantum Processing that uses the power of the atom to instantly compute at the speed of thought., Holographic Data Storage thanks to the iThink’s tiny internal holochip with an amazing individual capacity of over 666 Yottabytes for seemingly infinite augmented memory, Intra-neural Communication lets you mentally allow or block any kind of signal you want. With the iThink, it wont be long until you are docking yourself like some Borg in the hive collective, rather then docking your iPod.

Micarelli has created the Apple iThink Concept that will connect your mind to your PC. Using the Symbiosis Neural Interface: Direct brain-computer link technology, the concept calculates at the speed of thought. How fast will this concept be reality is yet to be tested.

About 10 years ago this film may have been considered cutting edge. Certainly the subject matter is still considered a hot button in many sects of the country. The performances in Doubt are given by two of the best actors of our times. I can’t help feel that the subject matter is just a little late and with that feeling comes a little heavy handed as well.

The film is set in a Catholic school, the Bronx and the year is 1964. Father Flynn (Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman), seems to be trying to bring the church and school’s culture into a new age. Unfortunately for him Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) is holding onto her disciplines as closely as she can. The school has just accepted their first black student while Sister Aloysius begins to suspect the Father of inappropriate attention, in fact child molestation.

Though the original play came out a couple of years after the Catholic Church sex scandals, the time has been set in 1964. Rest assured there are some weighty issues that come with this film. There are no easy answers and many many undertones and ambiguity. The film looks and feels stage-like. The movie never clearly seems to make that necessary crossover into the film world and we are left feeling like an audience instead of a voyeur.

The performances are very good, the actors are top notch and try to work with the material. The writing is also good, without taking on the challenges of converting to the screen. The film always seems limited by the confines of the stage. Academy Award winning screenwriter John Patrick Shanley (“Moonstruck”) adapted his own play for the screen and I think he was just too close to the material. Add to that Mr. Shanley directed his own script. There is some good, juicy work here on everyone’s part, but it never quite clicks for me. There are many chances to make a social comment on the sex scandals but just when we get close Shanley takes us in another direction. 7/10*

Treadway ranking system out of a possible 10 frames. *

* The posters are nice for the movie considering the weighty content which is why everything is black, excuse the pun. I like the poster without the floating heads, which is something Hollywood designers do when they have no way of capturing the mood of a film. Something which the director is guilty of himself.

Slumdog Millionarire with 8 Oscar wins should see their poster increase in value as well as there will now be an Oscar version of the poster that will come to market. With only 3 Oscar wins for Benjamin Button I don’t see the value of those posters spiking, but they may also come out with an Oscar version. Milk was able to secure 2 wins but they were decent winners with Best Actor and Best Screenplay. This should give them a small push as well.

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Perhaps the bigger surprises of Best Actress with Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona which plenty of people still have not seen will get a big bump as far as Box Office bang and Poster sales. Of course The Reader which was already being heavily advertised will get a push from the Best Actress win of Kate Winslett. And, WALL-E which was already going to see some big buys in the DVD market might see a larger share of the market than usual and you can bet those Pixar guys will issue a special edition of that poster.

Departures which is the Best Foreign Language film out of Japan should see an increase in value for their poster. There is even a poster for one of the Animated Short Films called Presto which is neat. The winner of that category, La Maison en Petits Cubes does not seem to have a poster in print. Based on their win, look for that poster shortly. The Best Documentary Feature, Man on a Wire, has had a poster out for some time. Look for their posters to go up a little.

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This is a list of the 81st Annual Academy Award nominations and the winners. My score this year is 20/24 categories = 83% – I think in some school systems that is still a “B.” I took some chances with the likes of Mickey Rourke and Algelina Jolie. I think the show was pretty good. There were a couple of moments I didn’t like and the new format of bringing out the older stars to present I didn’t really care for either. It was a bit heavy handed.

Key = Italics is my prediction, Bold is the winner. If the two should cross paths then it’ll be Bold Italics. Red = I predicted incorrectly.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Adapted screenplay
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Roth
Doubt, John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon, Peter Morgan
The Reader, David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay
Frozen River, Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky,  Mike Leigh
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh
Milk, Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter

Best animated feature film of the year
Bolt, Chris Williams and Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda, John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
WALL-E, Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction
Changeling, James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
The Dark Knight, Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
The Duchess, Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road, Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography
Changeling, Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister
The Reader, Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
Slumdog Millionaire, Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design
Australia, Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Jacqueline West
The Duchess, Michael O’Connor
Milk, Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road, Albert Wolsky

Best animated short film
La Maison en Petits Cubes, Kunio Kato
Lavatory – Lovestory, Konstantin Bronzit
Oktapodi, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
Presto, Doug Sweetland
This Way Up, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film
Auf der Strecke, Reto Caffi
Manon on the Asphalt, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
New Boy, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
The Pig, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
Spielzeugland, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Best documentary feature
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Best documentary short subject
The Conscience of Nhem En, Steven Okazaki
The Final Inch, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
Smile Pinki, Megan Mylan
The Witness, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon, Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Milk, Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire, Chris Dickens

Achievement in makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Greg Cannom
The Dark Knight, John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in sound editing
The Dark Knight, Richard King
Iron Man, Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire, Tom Sayers
WALL-E, Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
Wanted,Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
Slumdog Millionaire, Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
WALL-E, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
Wanted, Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
The Dark Knight, Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
Iron Man, John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk, Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Down to Earth” from WALL-E by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
O Saya from “Slumdog Millionaire” by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Best foreign language film of the year
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

Achievement in directing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher
Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard
Milk, Gus Van Sant
The Reader, Stephen Daldry
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best motion picture of the year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Here’s the Oscar ceremony schedule. Let’s see how tightly they stick to it. These are Eastern Standard Times.
8:38: Hugh’s Opening Performance
8:45: Supporting Actress
8:51: Original Screenplay
8:55: Adapted Screenplay
9:03: Animated Feature
9:05: Animated Short
9:14: Art Direction
9:18: Costume Design
9:20: Makeup
9:30: Cinematography
9:36: Sci-fi Tech Awards Recap
9:41: Short Film
10:03: Supporting Actor
10:08: Documentary Feature
10:10: Documentary Short
10:20: Visual Effects
10:22: Sound Editing
10:26: Sound Mixing
10:29: Film Editing
10:37: Jean Hersholt Award to Jerry Lewis
10:48: Original Score
10:55: Original Song
11:01: Foreign Language Film
11:10 In Memoriam
11:14: Director
11:23: Actress
11:31: Actor
11:38: Best Picture

Each Oscar time there are the stats. We love stats. There may not be too many of us out there anymore that pay attention to the stats. But we still think they are important. With everything contained neatly in a little datatbase, stats are a lot easier to compile, but it’s neat to be able to go over them in an easy format. Enjoy. The poster or photograph that heads each category is what I think will win the Oscar. If there is more that one poster, then I’m still mulling it over. I will be updating this reference until all the categories are represented.

Leading the 81st Annual Academy Awards nominations list is the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt), Best Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson) and Best Director (David Fincher).

Key: Bold = Nominee; Italics = Title of Film. Not everything will be linked in this post in order to make it easier to follow as a statistical reference material.

Best Motion Picture of the Year:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight) [Produced by Christian Colson.] – This is the first nomination for Christian Colson.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount and Warner Bros.) [Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin.] – This is the sixth nomination in this category for Kathleen Kennedy. Her previous nominations were for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999), Seabiscuit (2003) and Munich (2005).

This is the fifth nomination in this category for Frank Marshall. His previous nominations were for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981),
The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Seabiscuit (2003). • This is the first nomination for Ceán Chaffin.

Frost/Nixon (Universal) [Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner.] – This is Brian Grazer’s fourth nomination and the third in this category. His other Best Picture nominations were for Apollo 13 (1995) and the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind (2001). He received a writing nomination for Splash (1984).

This is Ron Howard’s fourth nomination and the second in this category. He won Best Picture and Directing Oscars® for A Beautiful Mind (2001). He is also nominated in the Directing category this year. • This is the third nomination in this category for Eric Fellner, who was previously nominated for Elizabeth (1998) and Atonement (2007).

Milk (Focus Features) [Produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen.] – This is the second nomination for both Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, who won the Best Picture Oscar in 1999 for American Beauty.

The Reader (The Weinstein Company) [Nominees to be determined.]

Achievement in Directing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – Danny Boyle – This is his first nomination.

Milk – Gus Van Sant – This is his second nomination in this category. His previous nomination was for Good Will Hunting (1997).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – David Fincher – This is his first nomination.

Frost/Nixon – Ron Howard – This is his fourth nomination and the second in this category. He won Best Picture and Directing Oscars for A Beautiful Mind (2001). He is also nominated in the Best Picture category this year.

The Reader – Stephen Daldry – This is his third nomination in this category. His other nominations were for Billy Elliot (2000) and The Hours (2002).

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:

Predicted Winner: Mickey Rourke (Randy in The Wrestler) – This is his first nomination.

Richard Jenkins (Walter in The Visitor) – This is his first nomination.

Frank Langella (Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon) – This is his first nomination.

Sean Penn (Harvey Milk in Milk) – This is his fifth nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for Dead Man Walking (1995), Sweet and Lowdown (1999) and I Am Sam (2001), and won the award in 2003 for his performance in Mystic River.

Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated in the supporting category for his performance in 12 Monkeys (1995).

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:

Predicted Winner: Heath Ledger (Joker in The Dark Knight) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated for his leading role in Brokeback Mountain (2005). This nomination is posthumous, as he died January 22, 2008.

Josh Brolin (Dan White in Milk) – This is his first nomination.

Robert Downey Jr. (Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder) – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He was nominated for his leading role in Chaplin (1992).

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Brendan Flynn in Doubt) – This is his third nomination and the second in this category. He won an Oscar for his leading role in Capote (2005) and was nominated last year for his supporting role in Charlie Wilson’s War.

Michael Shannon (John Givings in Revolutionary Road) – This is his first nomination.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:

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Predicted Winner: Angelina Jolie (Christine Collins in Changeling) – This is her second nomination and the first in this category. She won an Oscar for her supporting role in Girl, Interrupted (1999).

Anne Hathaway (Kym in Rachel Getting Married) – This is her first nomination.

Melissa Leo (Ray Eddy in Frozen River) – This is her first nomination.

Meryl Streep (Sister Aloysius Beauvier in Doubt) – This is her fifteenth Academy Award nomination and the twelfth in this category. Her other leading role nominations were for The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), Sophie’s Choice (1982), for which she won the Oscar, Silkwood (1983), Out of Africa (1985), Ironweed (1987), A Cry in the Dark (1988), Postcards from the Edge (1990), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), One True Thing (1998), Music of the Heart (1999) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Her supporting role nominations were for The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), for which she took home the Oscar, and Adaptation (2002).

Kate Winslet (Hanna Schmitz in The Reader) – This is her sixth nomination and the fourth in this category. Her other leading role nominations were for Titanic (1997), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Little Children (2006). Her supporting role nominations were for Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Iris (2001).

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:

Predicted Winner: Marisa Tomei (Cassidy in The Wrestler) – This is her third nomination in this category. Her previous nominations were for My Cousin Vinny (1992), for which she won the Oscar, and In the Bedroom (2001).

Amy Adams (Sister James in Doubt) – This is her second nomination in this category. She was previously nominated for Junebug (2005).

Penélope Cruz (Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona) – This is her second nomination and the first in this category. She was nominated for her leading role in Volver (2006).

Viola Davis (Mrs. Miller in Doubt) – This is her first nomination.

Taraji P. Henson (Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) – This is her first nomination.

Achievement in Writing (Adapted Screenplay):

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy (based on the novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Full Monty (1997).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Screenplay by Eric Roth. Screen Story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord (from the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald). – This is the fourth nomination for Eric Roth in this category. He won the Oscar in 1994 for writing Forrest Gump. He was also nominated for The Insider (1999) and Munich (2005). This is the first nomination for Robin Swicord.

Doubt – Written by John Patrick Shanley (based on his play). – This is his second nomination in this category. He won the Oscar for his original screenplay for Moonstruck (1987).

Frost/Nixon – Screenplay by Peter Morgan (based on his stage play). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Queen (2006).

The Reader – Screenplay by David Hare (based on the book Der Vorleser by Bernhard Schlink). – This is his second nomination in this category. He was previously nominated for The Hours (2002).

Achievement in Writing (Original Screenplay):

Predicted Winner: Milk – Written by Dustin Lance Black. – This is his first nomination.

Frozen River – Written by Courtney Hunt. – This is her first nomination.

Happy-Go-Lucky – Written by Mike Leigh. – This is his sixth nomination and the fourth in this category. He was nominated for his original screenplays for Secrets & Lies (1996), Topsy-Turvy (1999) and Vera Drake (2004). He was also nominated for directing Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake.

In Bruges – Written by Martin McDonagh. – This is his second nomination and the first in this category. He won the Oscar in the Live Action Short Film category for Six Shooter (2005).

WALL-E – Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon. Story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter. – This is the fifth nomination for Andrew Stanton and the third in this category. He won the Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category for Finding Nemo (2003) and was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and Finding Nemo. He is also nominated in the Animated Feature Film. • This is the first nomination for Jim Reardon. • This is the fourth nomination for Pete Docter. He was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995), the Animated Feature Film category for Monsters, Inc. (2001), and the Animated Short Film category for Mike’s New Car (2002).

Best Foreign Language Film:

Predicted Winner: Departures (Japan) [Directed by Yojiro Takita.] – This is twelfth nomination for Japan. Previous nominations were for Harp of Burma (1956), Immortal Love (1961), Twin Sisters of Kyoto (1963), Woman in the Dunes (1964), Kwaidan (1965), Portrait of Chieko (1967), Dodes’ka-Den (1971), Sandakan No. 8 (1975), Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) (1980), Muddy River (1981) and The Twilight Samurai (2003). Additionally, Japan received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Rashomon (1951), Gate of Hell (1954) and Samurai, The Legend of Musashi (1955).

Waltz with Bashir (Israel) [Directed by Ari Folman.] – This is the eighth nomination for Israel. Previous nominations were for Sallah (1964), The Policeman (1971), I Love You Rosa (1972), The House on Chelouche Street (1973), Operation Thunderbolt (1977), Beyond the Walls (1984) and Beaufort (2007).

The Class (France) [Directed by Laurent Cantet.] – This is the thirty-fifth nomination for France, the record in the category (Italy is second with twenty-seven nominations). It has taken home nine Oscars for My Uncle (1958), Black Orpheus (1959), Sundays and Cybele (1962), A Man and a Woman (1966), The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), Day for Night (1973), Madame Rosa (1977), Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978) and Indochine (1992). Additionally, France received three Special/Honorary Awards prior to the establishment of Foreign Language Film as a regular category in 1956: Monsieur Vincent (1948), The Walls of Malapaga (1950) [shared with Italy] and Forbidden Games (1952). Other nominations were for Gervaise (1956), Gates of Paris (1957), La Vérité (1960), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), Live for Life (1967), Stolen Kisses (1968), My Night at Maud’s (1969), Hoa-Binh (1970), Lacombe, Lucien (1974), Cousin, Cousine (1976), A Simple Story (1979), The Last Metro (1980), Coup de Torchon (“Clean Slate”) (1982), Entre Nous (1983), Three Men and a Cradle (1985), Betty Blue (1986), Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) (1987), Camille Claudel (1989), Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), Ridicule (1996), East-West (1999), The Taste of Others (2000), Amélie (2001), The Chorus (Les Choristes) (2004) and Joyeux Noël (2005).

The Baader Meinh of Complex (Germany) [Directed by Uli Edel.] – This is the eighth nomination for Germany. Previous nominations were for The Nasty Girl (1990), Schtonk! (1992), Beyond Silence (1997), Nowhere in Africa (2002) which won the Oscar, Downfall (2004), Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005) and The Lives of Others, which won the Oscar in 2006. Prior to reunification in 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany received a total of eight Academy Award nominations. They were The Captain of Kopenick (1956), The Devil Came at Night (1957), Arms and the Man (1958), The Bridge (1959), The Pedestrian (1973), The Glass Cell (1978), The Tin Drum (1979) which won the Oscar, and Angry Harvest (1985). Also prior to reunification, the German Democratic Republic received one Academy Award nomination: Jacob, the Liar (1976).

Revanche (Austria) [Directed by Götz Spielmann.] – This is the third nomination for Austria. Previous nominations were for “38” (1986) and The Counterfeiters, which won the award last year.

Best Animated Feature Film:

Predicted Winner: WALL-E (Walt Disney) – Andrew Stanton – This is his fifth nomination and the second in this category. He won the Oscar in the Animated Feature Film category for Finding Nemo (2003) and was nominated in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and Finding Nemo. He is also nominated in the Original Screenplay category this year.

Bolt (Walt Disney) – Chris Williams and Byron Howard – This is the first nomination for both.

Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) – John Stevenson and Mark Osborne – This is the first nomination for John Stevenson. This is the second nomination for Mark Osborne and the first in this category. He was nominated in the Animated Short Film category for More (1998).

Best Costume Design:

Predicted Winner: The Duchess
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Best Documentary Feature:

Predicted Winner: Man on a Wire
The Betrayal
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short:

Predicted Winner: Smile Pinki
The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch

Best Film Editing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk

Best Makeup:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Sound Editing:

Predicted Winner: The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Best Sound Mixing:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
WALL-E
Wanted

Best Visual Effects:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Best Original Score:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Slumdog Millionaire
Defiance
Milk
WALL-E

Best Original Song:

Predicted Winner: Jai Ho (From Slumdog Millionaire)
Down to Earth (from WALL-E)
O Saya (From Slumdog Millionaire)

Best Art Direction:

Predicted Winner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography:

Predicted Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Changeling
The Dark Knight
The Reader

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Predicted Winner: Spelzeugland (Toyland)
Auf De Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig

Short Film, Animated:

Predicted Winner: Presto
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory – Lovestory
Oktapodi
This Way Up

I hope you enjoyed this walk down the red carpet and the insight view into the winners. I’m crossing my fingers. My winners list will be just that, a list. I’ll give you my score and I’m interested in yours also. I’ve been hosting Oscar parties for some 19 years and the ballot/scorecard point system has been perfected since not every category is of equal value. Please email me and let me know how you do.

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Download your own Oscar Party Kit from the Academy Awards website. Download everything from appetizers to dessert recipes plus plenty of trivia to keep your party going. Even if you’re just going to play at home by yourself, do not forget to download your own ballot so you can easily keep track of the action. And if you’re really home alone you can go for the Oscar Crossword Puzzle.
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All information used under license of the CC agreement and permission with the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. Academy Awards and the name Oscar are registered trademarks and are used in reference only.

I can’t remember having the opportunity to see all five Oscar nominated films in one day on the big screen. Certainly not the week before the awards ceremony. The films are Milk, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Slumdog Millionaire. The Oscars are this Sunday! On Saturday if you have $30 bucks to spare, you can catch every single one of these films in a row, starting with Milk at 10:30am, all the way up to Frost/Nixon at 9:45pm. It equates to almost 11 complete hours of film time, and AMC is tossing in a large popcorn with free soda refills all day to boot. You’ll even get a collectible pass. If that isn’t enough, you don’t even have to stay the entire time. You can come and go during the day as you please. So when you come to some slow points in the films you can jump up, leave the theater and come back later.

Over 97 different AMC theaters across the U.S. are participating in this showcase, and you can check on their website to see if this is happening near you. While it might not be all three Godfather movies or perhaps the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which is almost as long with those director’s cut editions), it’s still a pretty serious way to geek out on some quality movies. The whole thing is sponsored by Entertainment Weekly, which I think is good for them to do this. Just make sure you eat your weight in popcorn to really squeeze some extra value out of your thirty bucks. I will be at the one in Atlanta (Phipps Plaza) wearing my treadwaywrites hat and urge you to come up and let’s talk film (just not during the actual movie). So, let’s go to the movies!

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Autograph collecting can be rewarding, profitable, and hopefully fun.

Autograph collecting is a fun hobby. The hobby crosses all lines of people. The only criteria is which individual celebrities interest them. It can be a competitive hobby, a profitable hobby or simply a rewarding hobby to get that elusive signature of someone that has inspired you in some fashion.

An autograph (from the Greek meaning “self” and “write”) is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one transcribed by an copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph. Autograph also refers to a person’s signature. This term is used in particular for the practice of collecting autographs of celebrities. The hobby of collecting autographs is known as philography.

If you are fortunate to live in a place like Hollywood, then obviously you will have a better chance of possible in-person run-in with a celebrity. For the rest of us, there might be a chance encounter at a sporting event, book signing or even convention. The meeting of the celebrity, even in the briefest of moments is always memorable. To get a person the sign something in that brief encounter either has to be very well planned or just luck. The best luck for an in-person encounter remains the convention whether it be comic, sci-fi or a ShoWest or ShoEast convention where you buy a ticket and seek out the person making a personal appearance.

The next best thing is through-the-mail autograph requests.

SNAIL MAIL IS THE RELIABLE METHOD WITH THE BEST RETURN
Through the mail (or TTM or snail mail) is the average autograph collector’s best chance for getting anything signed. Address databases, such as Star Collector, are the best sources to get celebrity addresses to mail your requests. If one database does not have the address you’re looking for, don’t give up. Keep looking because it is out there. It is going to cost some money. Figure 2 stamps, 2 envelopes + item. And that’s if your item is only light enough for one stamp.

TTM = Through The Mail
SASE = Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope; usually a 9×12 sized envelope

EMAIL TAKES LESS TIME AND WORKS
Email requests have become a new method of getting in touch with celebrities, but they are not fool proof by any means. The old adage “You get what you pay for” fits in perfectly here. Simply because you take 2-3 minutes to write out an email request for an autograph, it does not automatically mean that you are entitled to one, or even a response, for that matter.  It may seem at first that this method saves money, but remember someone has to pay to send you whatever item you’re requesting. Generally money is not budgeted for this ongoing sending of items.

Since this is your hobby you are going to have to pay the price. With email it only costs your time up front and only you know how valuable that is. This may be an alright method as a precursor to find out if you can send an item, especially if your item has significant value. If you get a response requesting that you send an SASE to an address for an autograph, you are at least getting what you asked for – an avenue to get your autograph. If you receive a freebie autopenned autograph then you have still gotten what you paid for, plus you have confirmed an address. If all you get is an address to mail your SASE to then you probably could have found that online with a little searching.

Autopen = Celebrities will sometimes use a machine that is set up to duplicate their signature. These are not always easy to spot.

You do need to be careful with email requests though.  There are lots of jokers out there that get their jollies by creating an email address, post it and pretend to be a celebrity. You find this a lot on Facebook also. Facebook is a good 3rd or 4th source to look for that address. If an address is untested and unconfirmed, do not send anything more than a test letter. You are most likely to lose your item and sometimes that can be devastating and quickly turn you off of the hobby. You also don’t want to be fooled by someone into sending your valuable item and be conned out of a collectible. Always come down on the side of safety.

HOW AND WHERE TO START
This is a very basic hobby and the steps are very logical. First make a list of the celebrities and notable people that interest you. Maybe it is television stars or political figures, perhaps it is music artists or even movie stars. It is best to start off with people that you are a genuine fan of their work. Next, write the person a fan letter. You should be able to express your admiration for his/her work and make a polite request for a signed item.  Remember an autograph is only a possible result to your letter, not a guarantee.  So when you write the letter, be honest. Keep the letter short and to the point. Also be aware of what you’re asking. Most people will have no problem signing an autograph. Some will even sign two. But if you get greedy or ask for too much you’re liable to get nothing at all.

SUPPLIES AND WHAT YOU NEED

ENVELOPES
Any good TTM collector will have a supply of envelopes on hand. If you have solid plans of making this your hobby then you’re going to want to buy bulk to your outlay of money is not that great. If you send, and expect, 3×5 index cards, have a box of standard sized envelopes.  If you do 5×7 cards then you’ll need 6×9 envelopes. If you send, or expect to receive 8×10 pictures, you will need 9×12 envelopes. All of these can be purchased at Office Depot or Office Max. Remember you’ll need two envelopes per request since you’re including the SASE.

TTM = Through The Mail
SASE = Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope; usually a 9×12 sized envelope
 
STAMPS
Of course with envelopes and mailing comes the real expense and that’s the stamps currently at 42¢ for standard size and weight. If you’re going to write to people outside the U.S. then normal stamps will be fine, but don’t forget that U.S. stamps won’t work for your SASE. For that you’ll need country specific stamps. The most common error is assuming that stamps will be okay when it comes to Canada – it isn’t.

WAITING FOR THE REWARD
Yes, not you have to wait for your package to return to you. There will be times when the response will be quick and there will be times when nothing comes back at all. Be prepared for that, especially if the address has not been verified with a current date. The average wait time is about 3 months. Sometimes you’ll even get your return back but it won’t be signed. RTS will be a common response for non signers as well as out of date addresses. Too many of those combined with your postage cost and you’ll quickly see why verifying addresses is so important.

RTS = Return To Sender

There is also a growing habit of celebrities to use your SASE to send you paperwork on joining their fan club in order to obtain an autograph. It’s weak but happens very often. Of course joining a fan club can be much more expensive than your 42¢. I have also experienced celebrities sending a price list for their signing service. This is due to online auction houses and the selling of autographs. Some of those celebrities are now selling their own autographs for the going rate that a lot of them are selling for on the auctions.
 
THE LAST LESSON
You should now be ready to tackle the world of TTM autographs. It is a great hobby and very rewarding. I wouldn’t know what to do without my Woody Allen and David Letterman hanging on the wall. The best preparation is to be prepared for a let down the first time out. Don’t be discouraged as the numbers are on your side. If you send out enough requests to take up a single role of stamps and follow these guidelines then you will definitely see refults. When you see your first success come in the mail the collecting bug is bound to bite and will inspire you to collect even more. If you can I also suggest sending a thank you note, especially if you send an item such as a poster or book jacket to be signed. The signing of anything by the celebrity person is done as a courtesy so it is nice to send that thank you note to inspire the person into signing even more.

Autograph Abbreviation List

(From Star Collector)

Autopen        Celebrities will sometimes use a machine that is set up to duplicate their signature. These are not always easy to spot.
BW                Black & White
B/W                Black & White
C                 Color
COA         Certificate of Authenticity
FOE                 Forwarding Order Expired
HOF         Hall Of Fame
I                 Inscribed or Personalized
IC                 Index Card
IP                 An autograph obtained in person
ISP                 Inscribed Signed Photograph/Picture
ISPC         Inscribed Signed Postcard
PP                 Preprint – photo of a celebrity that was signed once and then reproduced with the signature already on it.  NOTE: you can usually tell a preprinted autograph by tilting it towards a light source such as a desk lamp.  If the signature blends in with the photo, it’s a preprint.
RTS                 Return To Sender
SAE         Self-Addressed Envelope (no postage)
SASE         Self-Addressed, Stamped Envelope; usually a 9×12 sized envelope
SC                 Signed Card
SIC                 Signed Index Card
SP                 Signed Photo, no inscription
SPC         Signed Postcard
TCS                 Trading Card, Signed
TLS                 Typed Letter Signed By The Star
TTM                 Through The Mail