Tag / Keira Knightley

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The Academy Award Goes To…

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

The race seems to be coming down to either Boyhood or Birdman.  My guess is that the innovative storytelling in Boyhood will put it over the top.

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Michael Keaton seems like the obvious choice to win here.  A one-time box office star who faded away and is making a comeback seems like a guaranteed Oscar success story.

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alive
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Well, at least there is a performance here that I have actually seen.  But, I’m not going to go with Rosamund Pike’s work in Gone Girl, but instead will be putting my vote behind Reese Witherspoon.

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30 For 30 – Go Somewhere Alone

BigBenThe fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #13 on their list, go somewhere alone.  I did not start off alone as I traveled to the UK for work in December of 2009.  After spending a week in Belfast, I was due to be on vacation for the rest of the year, so there was no need to rush home.  Instead, I said goodbye to my colleagues and spent the next 4 days alone in jolly old England.

I had made limited plans for my stay in London, two trips to the theatre to see Anna Friel in Breakfast at Tiffanys and Damian Lewis and Keira Knightley in The Misanthrope.  Besides that, I had nothing but time to explore the city.  I bought a 2-day ticket for a double decker bus tour, I went to the Tower of London, I took the tube out to Abbey Road to see the crosswalk outside the studios made famous by the Beatles, I saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and, of course, I saw Big Ben and Parliament.  I would love to go back and see it all again, if it weren’t for the 8 hour flight and the cost of seats that aren’t sardine can-like on the plane.