Jmunney’s 2011 Alternative Oscar Contest Results

February 27, 2012

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars 2 Comments

Here are the correct answers to the alternative questions:

1. What movie will win the most awards? The Artist and Hugo – 5 each

2. What will be the first category presented? Cinematography

3. What will the first commercial be for? JC Penney’s

4. How many of the acting winners will cry during their acceptance speeches? 2 – Octavia Spencer and Meryl Streep

5. How long will the show be? B. 3 hours-just under 3 ½ hours

6. Who will present the award for Best Picture? Tom Cruise

7. How many acceptance speeches will include foreign words and phrases? 6 – Art Direction, Foreign Film, Supporting Actor, Score, Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actor

8. How many of the Best Picture nominees will be included in Billy Crystal’s opening montage? All 9, of course!

9. How many times will the orchestra start playing while a winner is still giving the acceptance speech? 1 – Documentary Feature

10. How many winners will not be present to accept their awards? 1 – Woody Allen for Original Screenplay

The inaugural edition of my alternative contest proved to be a tricky one, probably due to the number of questions that asked for a specific number. Congratulations to the entrant who did not provide a name, going by the handle of “thats_ent,” with 5 correct answers! (EDIT: See first comment below: our winner’s identity has been revealed.)  It was a big year for thats_ent, having also tied for first in the traditional contest. Here are the detailed results:

1. thats_ent – 5

T2. Sue Malone – 4

T2. Trish Mistric – 4

T2. Jason Tkach – 4

5. Brenton Andreasik – 3

T6. Agi B – 2

T6. Anita Hoffman Ehrenfried – 2

T6. Bob Malone – 2

T.9 Rob Malone – 1 (Rob answered only one question, and he was the only one to get that question correct – Tom Cruise as the Best Picture presenter.)

T10. Jeff Smith – 1

Jmunney’s 2011 Oscar Prediction Contest Results

February 27, 2012

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars Leave a comment

With a handful of surprises at the Oscars this year – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tallying its only win in Editing, Meryl Streep pulling through, Undefeated appropriately enough pulling off a minor upset in Documentary Feature, Hugo dominating the technical categories a bit too much (with its win in Visual Effects tripping up everyone in my contest) – the results of my 2nd annual contest were also a little wild, with nearly half the entrants tying for first. Congratulations to Brenton (who only missed Actress, Documentary, Editing, Live Action Short, and Visual Effects), Mike (missed Actress, Editing, Cinematography, Documentary, and Visual Effects), Trish (missed Actress, Cinematography, Editing, Visual Effects, and Documentary), Jeff (missed Actress, Editing, Animated Short, Live Action Short, and Visual Effects), “thats_ent” (missed Actress, Cinematography, Editing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects), and Bobby (missed Actress, Editing, Cinematography, Documentary, and Visual Effects)!

T1. Brenton Andreasik – 19

T1. Mike Greenwaldt – 19

T1. Trish Mistric – 19

T1. Jeff Smith – 19

T1. thats_ent – 19

T1. Bobby Umar – 19

7. Michael Johnson – 18

8. Joesph Hiegel – 17

T9. Neil Lapinsky – 14

T9. Jason Tkach – 14

11. Rob Malone – 13

12. Anita Hoffman Ehrenfried – 10

13. Sue Malone – 9

The Winners:

Best Picture
The Artist

Lead Actor
Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Lead Actress
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants

Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Documentary Feature
Undefeated

Documentary Short
Saving Face

Animated Feature
Rango

Foreign Language Film
A Separation (Iran)

Film Editing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Cinematography
Hugo

Art Direction
Hugo

Animated Short
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Live Action Short
The Shore

Visual Effects
Hugo

Sound Mixing
Hugo

Sound Editing
Hugo

Costume Design
The Artist

Makeup
The Iron Lady

Original Score
Ludovic Bource, The Artist

Original Song
“Man or Muppet” by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets

VH1 Top 20 Countdown – 2/25/12

February 26, 2012

jmunney Music, Television, VH1 Top 20 Countdown 1 Comment

Could we be any more generic?

Original Version
1. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
2. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
3. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
4. Jessie J – “Domino”
5. Foster the People – “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)”
6. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
7. Bruno Mars – “It Will Rain”
8. Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
9. Gavin DeGraw – “Not Over You”
10. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
11. Jay-Z and Kanye West – “N****s in Paris”
12. Katy Perry – “The One That Got Away”
13. Train – “Drive By”
14. Jason Mraz – “I Won’t Give Up”
15. Young the Giant – “Cough Syrup”
16. Outasight – “Tonight is the Night”
17. Andy Grammer – “Fine By Me”
18. The Fray – “Heartbeat”
19. Safetysuit – “These Times”
20. The All-American Rejects – “Beekeeper’s Daughter”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. Tonight is the Night
3. N****s in Paris
4. Domino
5. The One That Got Away
6. Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)
7. Cough Syrup
8. It Will Rain
9. Set Fire to the Rain
10. Give Me All Your Luvin’
11. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
12. Ass Back Home
13. These Times
14. Drive By
15. International Love
16. Fine By Me
17. Beekeeper’s Daughter
18. Heartbeat
19. Not Over You
20. I Won’t Give Up

2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER JMUNNEY’S 2012 OSCAR CONTESTS!!!

February 24, 2012

jmunney Cinema, Oscar Contest, Oscars Leave a comment

There’s still time to enter the Oscar prediction contests.  Here’s a reprint of the details:

It’s time for another Oscar contest presented by Jmunney. The ceremony will air at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 26, on ABC. This particular contest is of the simple pick the winners variety. The winner will receive bragging rights – plenty of bragging rights. Keep in mind, if you make predictions but do not enter this contest, whatever bragging rights you earn will not be official. Winning this contest will make those rights official.

The list of nominees appears below. To enter the contest, predict the winner in each category and e-mail your predictions to me at jeffmalonesemailaccount@gmail.com. All entries must be received by 7:59 on Sunday, February 26, 2012. (Also, don’t forget to enter the Alternative Oscar Contest as well.)

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Lead Actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Lead Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorcese, Hugo

Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, and Stan Chervin, Moneyball
Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Documentary Short
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Animated Feature
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)

Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Animated Short
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Live Action Short
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Sound Mixing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady

Original Score
John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Original Song
“Man or Muppet” by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
“Real in Rio” by Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett, Rio

…And in addition to the normal Oscar Contest, here’s the first inaguaral Alternative Oscar Contest. Answer each of the ten questions; some are multiple choice, some – not so much. The winner(s) will receive Jmunney-approved bragging rights. The Oscar ceremony will air at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, February 26, on ABC. To enter the contest, e-mail your predictions to me at jeffmalonesemailaccount@gmail.com. All entries must be received by 7:59 on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

1. What movie will win the most awards? (If more than one movie ties for the most wins, then each or all of those movies will be considered a correct answer.)

2. What will be the first category presented?

3. What will the first commercial be for?

4. How many of the acting winners will cry during their acceptance speeches?

5. How long will the show be?
A. Under 3 hours
B. 3 hours-just under 3 ½ hours
C. 3 ½ hours-just under 4 hours
D. Over 4 hours

6. Who will present the award for Best Picture?

7. How many acceptance speeches will include foreign words and phrases?

8. How many of the Best Picture nominees will be included in Billy Crystal’s opening montage?

9. How many times will the orchestra start playing while a winner is still giving the acceptance speech?

10. How many winners will not be present to accept their awards? (Multiple winners honored for the same win count as one.)

SNL 3/3 and 3/10 Guest Announcements: Reactions

February 23, 2012

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Guest Announcements Reactions, Television Leave a comment

3/3/12: Lindsay Lohan/Jack White: I had an inkling at the beginning of the season that Lindsay Lohan might stop by the 30 Rock stage for the first time in six years.  I had heard rumblings that she might go for some career rejuvenation in a place where she has had some success before.  She hosted three years in a row from 2004-06, right before he career became a complete wreck.  Her first stint included some memorable performances, including a well-endowed Hermione Granger and a member of the t.A.T.u.-parody pretend-lesbian group D.A.D.I.  But her ’05 and ’06 stints were relatively meh.  Apparently, she’s the most sober she’s been in a while, so that should help this go-round.
And SNL books Jack White right on the heels of his solo debut.  If there’s anyone who can figure out the weird acoustics of the SNL musical stage, it is he.  Check out the documentary It Might Get Loud to see what I am talking about.

3/10/12: Jonah Hill/The Shins: I like Jonah Hill, and I’ve come to like him even more since he has taken on (and acquitted himself quite well in) more dramatic roles.  His first time hosting appearance was back in 2008; save for a series of MacGruber’s, he wasn’t really given material worthy of his talents.  He definitely deserves another shot.
The Shins are still making music?  I thought that they belonged squarely in the first decade of the of the 21st century.  I’ll probably enjoy them.

Fuse Top 20 Countdown – 2/21/12

February 23, 2012

jmunney Fuse Top 20 Countdown, Music, Television Leave a comment

Here we Go(tye).

Original Version
1. Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
2. LMFAO – “Sexy and I Know It”
3. Adele – “Set Fire to the Rain”
4. fun. ft. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young”
5. Madonna ft. Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. – “Give Me All Your Luvin'”
6. Butch Walker and the Black Widows – “Synthesizers”
7. David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj – “Turn Me On”
8. Coldplay – “Charlie Brown”
9. Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – “Ass Back Home”
10. Tyga – “Rack City”
11. Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa ft. Bruno Mars – “Young, Wild & Free”
12. Flo Rida – “Good Feeling”
13. Adam Lambert – “Better Than I Know Myself”
14. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
15. The Wanted – “Glad You Came”
16. Drake ft. Lil’ Wayne and Tyga – “The Motto (Remix)”
17. Jessie J – “Domino”
18. Cassie – “King of Hearts”
19. Pitbull ft. Chris Brown – “International Love”
20. Jay-Z and Kanye West – “N****s in Paris”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Somebody That I Used to Know
2. Sexy and I Know It
3. Good Feeling
4. We Are Young
5. Domino
6. N****s in Paris
7. Set Fire to the Rain
8. Turn Me On
9. Charlie Brown
10. Give Me All Your Luvin’
11. Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
12. Rack City
13. King of Hearts
13. The Motto (Remix)
13. Synthesizers
16. Ass Back Home
17. Young, Wild & Free
18. Glad You Came
19. Better Than I Know Myself
20. International Love

SNL Video Recap February 18, 2012 Maya Rudolph/Sleigh Bells

February 22, 2012

jmunney Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television Leave a comment

Other Bests of 2011

February 21, 2012

jmunney Best of 2011, Fashion, Music, Music Videos, Sports, Television Leave a comment

As a finale to my Best of 2011 coverage, here are the best parts of 2011 that didn’t fit neatly into any of my categories.

Best Look – Katy Perry’s Smurfette Dress

Best Viral Videos
1. Today Now! Interviews the 5-Year-Old Screenwriter of Fast Five

2. Funny or Die’s Audio Tour

Best National Anthem Performance – Zooey Deschanel at Game 4 of the World Series

Late Night Talk Show Musical Guest MVP’s
St. Vincent

St. Vincent – “She is Beyond Good and Evil” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino – “Bonfire” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

 

Best Single Dance Move in a Music Video – The Tofo Tofo dancers and Beyoncé  drop to their knees and kick back up in the “Run the World (Girls)” music video.

Best Hip-Shaking – Ellie Goulding in the “Lights” Music Video

Best of Film 2011: Best Scenes and Other Bric-a-Brac of the Year

February 21, 2012

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Best of 2011, Cinema 2 Comments

Midnight in Paris – Meeting the Surrealists
To paraphrase Chevy Chase, “I’m Salvador Dalí, and you just may be, too.”

Bridesmaids – Dress Fitting
“I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.”

Best Death Scenes
1. Final Destination 5 – Worst Dismount Ever
The most creative and surpising of the FD series’ deaths had tension to match the bomb in Touch of Evil.

2. X-Men: First Class – Show Me the Money
My friend Walt asked if the makers of X-Men: First Class were guilty of stereotyping by having Magneto, a Jewish man, kill someone with a coin.  I responded that it would have been truly offensive if they showed him picking up the coin.

Best Action Scenes
1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol – Scaling the Burj Khalifa
I have literally been rendered speechless.

2. Final Destination 5 – Highway Bridge Collapse
As Rajeesh Koothrappali would say, “Oh, snap.”

3. Fast Five – Cars vs. Trains
“I believe I can fly.”

Best Scene in an Otherwise Bad Movie:
Another Earth – Space Strawberries
A member of NASA makes contact with her counterpart on the other Earth, and in a WTF?! moment to match any of the revelations on Lost, they simultaneously reveal that they both bought space strawberries during a childhood vacation to Cape Canaveral.

Best On-Screen Chemistry:
Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in The Adjustment Bureau
 

Dogs
1. Uggie as The Dog in The Artist
 

2. Arthur as Cosmo in Beginners
 

3. Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin
 

Best of Film 2011: Best Elements of Film of the Year

February 21, 2012

jmunney Best in Film 2011, Best of 2011, Cinema, Oscars Leave a comment

(A.K.A., The Best Parts of Film That Are Oscar Categories, Excluding the Shorts and Foreign Film)

Best Film
Bridesmaids
Moneyball
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
The Muppets
The Descendants
Midnight in Paris
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Margin Call
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Director
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Paul Feig, Bridesmaids
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Martin Scorcese, Hugo

Lead Actor
Tom Hardy, Warrior
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
George Clooney, The Descendants
Mel Gibson, The Beaver
Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life

Lead Actress
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Viola Davis, The Help
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Supporting Actor
Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Kevin Spacey, Margin Call

Supporting Actress
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Mélanie Laurent, Beginners
Judy Greer, The Descendants

Adapted Screenplay
Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller, The Muppets
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Original Screenplay
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Dan Fogelman, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Diablo Cody, Young Adult

Editing
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball
Lee Haxall, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Conrad Buff and Mark Goldblatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Matthew Newman, Drive
Paul Hirsch, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Manuel Alberto Claro, Melancholia
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Brendan Galvin, Immortals
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Art Direction
Melancholia
The Tree of Life
Immortals
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Muppets

Sound Mixing
Hugo
Drive
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Muppets
Real Steel

Sound Editing
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Drive
Hugo
Real Steel
Thor

Costume Design
Midnight in Paris
Hugo
Bridesmaids
Thor
The Muppets

Score
Cliff Martinez, Drive
Michael Andrews, Bad Teacher
The Chemical Brothers, Hanna
Cliff Martinez, Contagion
Roger Neill, David Palmer, and Brian Reitzell, Beginners

Original Song
“Man or Muppet,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
“I Didn’t Mean It,” written by Barbara and Ethan Gruska, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
“Life’s a Happy Song,” written by Bret McKenzie, The Muppets
“Endtapes,” written by Ritzy Bryan, Rhdyian Dafydd, and Matt Thomas, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1
“Pictures in My Head,” written by Jeannie Luris, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neemn, The Muppets

Documentary
Tabloid
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Animated Film
Arthur Christmas
The Adventures of Tintin

Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Real Steel
Thor
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
Hugo

Makeup
I didn’t see any movies from 2011 with particularly great makeup, so I’m going to assume The Iron Lady – with its old people makeup, which I hear is hard to do well – was the best.

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