And so it begins....

One of my lovely Telluride Student Symposium-ites brought it to my attention that the SAG (Screen Actors Guild of AMURICAH) Award nominations came out yesterday. The ceremony which takes place on January 29th is one of the main indicators of what the Oscars will have in terms of the acting category. There are some surprises and some not so much. Megan McCarthy recognized in the supporting actresses category and the whole cast of Bridesmaid being recognized for Outstanding Cast. There is a Best Actor nod given to Carlos Galindo for A Better Life which  I have heard little to nothing about but based on the trailer it seems as though it could get some Oscar sympathies later on in the season. I'm going to assume that The Artist will clean up these awards though but we shall see.

Out this morning as well are the Golden Globes' nominations and this year they have further proved how much I think that it's not even worth my time. Somehow in the crazy universe that is the Globes, Megan McCarthy does not get a supporting actress nod and Jessica Chastain gets one for The Help? Can someone please explain this logic to me? I mean Jessica was good but it further proves how much award shows really don't appreciate comedy. No surprises with the Best Picture nominations in either category with the exception of switching out My Week with Marilyn for Crazy, Stupid, Love in the Best Comedy/Musical category. I'm also loving the double nominations for Ryan Gosling for Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love (watch out Clooney!) and for Kate Winslet for both the TV mini series Mildred Pierce (quite possibly the most depressing thing I have ever seen) and Carnage.

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No Fincher nomination for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which I have no problem with since Fincher seems like a complete jerk but I guess I shouldn't judge a director by his over inflamed ego.

I am also confused as to why Cars 2 got a nomination at all. Everyone knows that Pixar dropped the ball with this one, maybe to give others a chance at winning animation awards. I think it was a pity nomination on the part of the Globes and will definitely not be winning with other wonderfully made films such as Arthur Christmas and The Adventures of Tin Tin (Spielberg directed = surefire win).

Little to nothing for A Dangerous Method, thank god. Keira Knightly thoroughly crushed my love for her with that ridiculous Russian accent. My old apartment use to do Russian accents for kicks and giggles (an incredibly long and silly story) so seeing as our silly, non-trained accents sound similar if not better than Keira's means there is a problem. Cronenberg, where were you to rein her in?!

Recently saw War Horse another potential nominee and I am hoping to also catch Beginners and Midnight in Paris within the coming weeks.

I'm so STARSTRUCK

Within the last six months, I have met more "famous people" including actors, actresses, directors and writers than I could have ever even imagined possible. I was always the person that had their back turned as Michelle Obama walked through the American University campus until now. Luck has dealt me some pretty good hands.

My famous people streak started about six months back when I was helping out with a screening at Allied where the writers of a really fantastic film called Insidious was being touted as the next really great horror film. Much to my surprise Leigh Whannell, also known as the guy that created the original Saw, was to attend the screening and participate in a Q&A session after the film. The same happened whenever documentarian Morgan Spurlock came to DC to promote POM Wonderful's The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. He introduced himself to me after I was awkwardly smiling at him by saying "Hi, I'm Morgan". As if I didn't know, good sir!

Telluride obviously takes the cake on celebrity sitings. I got to personally talk to Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog, Lynne Ramsey, Ken Burns, George Clooney, Ty Burrell and last but most certainly not least, the GORGEOUS, smart, personable and most modest Tilda Swinton. When the leaders of my Student Symposium first began asking her questions, they started with "Ms Swinton..." to which she quickly replied "Oh please, call me Tilda". OH OKAY, Tilda.

The past week will go down in my personal history as the week that I not only met Patton Oswalt, comedian, TV side character and surprisingly wonderful dramatic actor, but also the wonderful MERYL STREEP. Yes, you read this correctly. I had the honor and privilege of meeting one of the most well respected and talented actresses in the business. Meryl was in town to promote her new Academy buzzed about film The Iron Lady, which somehow I keep inadvertently combining with War Horse making a completely new movie called The Iron Horse (unknown to me until .02 seconds ago that there was a movie in 1924 called The Iron Horse). Though she was in a frenzy after coming directly from a reception with senators and other DC elite, she took the time to say hello to myself and a few co-workers. I tried really hard not to let me jaw drop or freak out like a 13 year old girl seeing a boy band in concert.

You now may be wondering, where are the pictures? This is what happens when you see all these people in a professional atmosphere. No pictures. Only wonderful memories.

Adding to my list though of potential Academy nominees, I've now seen The Iron Lady, Young Adult and Tree of Life (what a disappointment! Thank you to the lovely Laura Castelli for sitting through dinosaurs with me)