Back and bits...

My apologies for the lack of updates yesterday. I was becoming an advocate for the fastest, most effective weight loss system known to man: gastric flu. 2kg weight loss in 24 hours, with outstanding appetite suppression! And the only "exercise" it requires is shuffling between your bed and the bathroom. Works best in conjunction with a dry toast and Energade diet. Highly recommended! Try it today!

Ugh...


This time I didn't get it nearly as bad as last year's horrible bug, so after a visit to the doc and lying in bed all day yesterday I'm back at the office today. Monday evening was the worst - I just lay shivering under the covers, dozing through the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy and lying wide awake during the Golden Globes. (Because of the time difference between SA and the States the show is shown on TV 12 hours after the actual live ceremony).

In case by some strange chance you haven't already encountered a list of the nominees and winners at my favourite, fun awards show, here it is (with winners bolded):

Cecil B. DeMille Award
Steven Spielberg

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas – I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell – In Bruges
James Franco – Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I've Loved You So Long (France)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Changeling
Defiance
Slumdog Millionaire
Frost/Nixon

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Down To Earth" – Wall-E
"Gran Torino" – Gran Torino
"I Thought I Lost You" – Bolt
"Once In A Lifetime" – Cadillac Records
"The Wrestler" – The Wrestler

Best Television Series - Drama
Dexter (SHOWTIME)
House (FOX)
In Treatment (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order
January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)
Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment (HBO)
Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (SHOWTIME)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)
Kevin Connolly – Entourage (HBO)
David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
Tony Shalhoub – Monk (USA)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
A Raisin In The Sun (ABC)
Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Cranford (PBS)
John Adams (HBO)
Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)
Catherine Keener – An American Crime
Laura Linney – John Adams (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine – Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes – Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Paul Giamatti – John Adams (HBO)
Kevin Spacey – Recount (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins – Cranford (PBS)
Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)
Melissa George – In Treatment (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Dianne Wiest – In Treatment (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Denis Leary – Recount (HBO)
Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)
Blair Underwood – In Treatment (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson – John Adams (HBO)

I'm not going to write a full commentary because the Net is currently sagging with the weight of other people's opinions. But just a few random thoughts off the top of my head:

- There was clearly a lot of love for Slumdog Millionaire, TV movie Johns Adams, Kate Winslet and Tina Fey (guess I should probably actually start watching 30 Rock even if I don't know a single person who does).

- Nice to see Laura Linney getting some awards love.

- After watching the utterly ridiculous Shoot 'Em Up I'll never be able to take Paul Giamatti seriously again.

- I'm definitely in the minority here but with her retro druggie-starlet look, I thought Drew Barrymore looked awesome.

- Although the Americans like the British they really don't get their sense of humour. Ricky Gervais and Sacha Baron Cohen's witticisms went down like a ton of bricks. There were audible gasps of shock when Cohen made reference to Madonna "firing her assistant, Guy Richie". Hilarious.

- English actresses are very different and far more effusive than their American counterparts. The fact that they don't take awards shows as seriously is great, but as much as I like Kate Winslet I did find her reaction to her second win a bit too forced.

- Speaking of fake, as much as I love movies, every time I watch one of these award shows I'm reminded that I would never EVER want to make a film in the Hollywood system. I'd happily slog away behind the scenes in the marketing department or something, but yeesh, the artificiality, sycophantic behaviour, bitchiness and backstabbing of the industry is way too much for me.

Anyway, because I missed Trailer Tuesday yesterday, here's a little substitute: the Japanese trailer for Watchmen, featuring new footage from this film adaptation of the granddaddy of superhero-centred graphic novels. Let's hope that Warner Bros and Fox can resolve their legal battles before the movie's planned 6 March release date. Otherwise we could have a long wait before we see this - my most highly anticipated film of 2009.