Coming January 4th, 2009

Watch it. I know you have 62 seconds to spare!

If you're planning to participate in StinkyLulu's 3rd annual Supporting Actress blog-a-thon please place this teaser I created on your blog to let your readers know. Coming Soon! But, pssst, don't give away the goodies yet. Don't let people know who you're writing about. The best thing about this blog-a-thon is how surprising, diverse and fun the choices have been from around the 'sphere. If you're new to all this, check out The Class of 2006 and The Class of 2007 to see which women got placed in these fascinating scrapbooks previously. (I wrote about Streep the first time and Tomei the second. I still have no idea who I'll write up this year but it's coming at'cha on January 4th)

and yes new Oscar predictions are coming later this weekend

Underappreciated: Tom Lenk

So another Halloween passed us by and I barely mentioned the greatest show ever (Buffy the Vampire Slayer). It's been off the air for five years but it's about the undead so I figure this justifies obsessing on it many years after its demise. After my third time chronologically through the series sometime in 2007, the Boyfriend demanded that I put the DVDs away for a good long while (even though he loves the show too). I'm a year sober now. Maybe in the spring he'll let me start from Season 1 Episode 1 again!?

Is this post filler? You'll be surprised to hear that it's not. I'm just rambling on my way to a new series recognizing underemployed/underappreciated actors in the hopes that some day some where some casting director will say 'that Nathaniel... he's so right!'. And here's where we begin.

I want to say congratulations to actor Tom Lenk who is now officially out of the closet. He's most well known if not famous for his recurring role as "Andrew" super-villain turned Scooby gang fringe-dweller on seasons 6 & 7 of Buffy. Joss Whedon was probably too much of a softie when it came to fan favorites on that departed show. He often let them take over and some overstayed their welcome (obviously Spike did --he was a great character but he made less and less narrative sense to keep around) and some would place Lenk's Andrew in that category, too. But when the show used Andrew sparingly to spike a scene with geeky amoral humor, Lenk always came through. So here's the very funny and talented Tom Lenk in two small doses, satirically embracing two icons of the gays, Britney with a great cabaret version of "Gimme More" and Madonna's "Hung Up".



Another reason to love Tom Lenk... he played "Tommy", a.k.a. 'Floyd's Boy' in the great Boogie Nights. See -- there he is!

These are the next stars. These are real people in the world.
-Floyd Gondoli, Boogie Nights (1997)

Anything connected to Boogie Nights is worth loving ...give or take f***in' idiot "Scotty" (Philip Seymour Hoffman)

Best Original Song (And My Entire "Preference" Oscar Ballot)

A music video break to conclude the traditional movie award categories (i.e. my Oscar ballot if I had one) within the film experience's annual awards jamboree. Here are my choices for best original song --as usual this category is slim pickings but you have to love Once here. Hopefully the Oscars will discover that Swell Season magic, too.

8th Annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
The First Half (Traditionals) is complete!
Page 1 Pic, Dir, Screenplays
Page 2 All Four Acting Races
Page 3 Cinematography, art direction, costumes, etc...
Page 4 Score, song, sound. Plus: nomination tallies

There Will Be Blood leads the 36 films that are nominated in some way with 9 nominations. No Country For Old Men (7), Lust Caution (6) and Atonement (5) follow in hot pursuit with multiple nominations of their own. The "extra" categories --heroes, villians, best scenes, etcetera -- will get under way when we get through Oscar Nomination week --you know how consuming that is. The gold, silver and bronze medals will be handed out on February 1st (or thereabouts). Enjoy!

And Now.... A Brief Music Video Break

The deeper I sink into cinephilia the less room I have for other things in my life like music. I can't do a top ten list of favorite songs or CDs since I haven't been paying much attention. But I do occassionally get into something or am convinced to love a song/artist by pleading friends. A close friend of mine --who some of you will know from the comments as 'kristoferrobbin'-- is in town and he's making cinematic concentration difficult. Damn him! So herewith a semi random assortment of 10 videos/songs I dug this year. Enjoy whilst I work on the movie stuff.



Jay Brannan (Shortbus) official video for "Body is a Temple". You should also be reading his blog --good stuff. And I'm sure you've seen Alanis Morrisette's Fergie spoof "My Humps" --it's still the funniest few minutes of film I've seen all year. With the possible exception of The Landlord.


Jackie Beat's "Filthy Whore" [NSFW] which is a spoof/response to Britney Spears lame ass "Gimme More" video. I f***ing love Jackie Beat. One of the only drag queens that still understands the old John Waters school of thinking. Quoth he 'I think a drag queen should horrify a family. I think families should run up the street in fear at a drag queen and not want to invite him home for dinner.' Jackie is terrifying. and genius. Let's pair Jackie with adorable and tiny Mika and "Grace Kelly" --she'd eat both of them alive.



Rihanna's "Umbrella" ella ella ay ay ay and Pink's "U + Ur Hand" because who doesn't love these songs? Pink's CD came out ages ago but it hangs on.


Björk's Volta CD only really scored media wise with the lead single "Earth Intruders" but I actually prefer the second release "Innocence" which has a triptastic beat. If a hip hop artist had thought that one up, they'd be bragging about it for the rest of the CD it's so hot. And let's pair Björk with another legendary crazy gal, Dolly Parton. Her new single is called "Better Get to Living" and her video stars the one and only Amy Sedaris. I mean... why not?


Behold: Charlotte Gainsbourg's "Songs That We Sing" I'm having the crush this year on account of this but mostly her spin on the jilted wife role in Todd Haynes's Dylan dissertation I'm Not There. And in every music post I must spread the gospel of Rufus Wainwright. This is "Rules and Regulations" His music hits me right there.

Finally, these aren't from 2007 but the Ian Curtis biopic Control is and its still haunting me around the edges a week after seeing it. So with Joy Division in my brain, I thought I'd throw up two covers for your consideration. First is Agent Provocateur and Siobhan Fahey (of Bananarama / Shakespeare Sister / ex Mrs. Dave Stewart fame --It makes me crazy that she never records a CD) doing "She's Lost Control" [NSFW] and then there's Swedish singer/songwriter José González with a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Such a flexible classic.



Any music recommendations you'd like to share? You know what to do.

It's ONJ Day

Today is the birthday of my childhood icon Olivia Newton-John. One of my dearest friends argues in utmost seriousness that Olivia's voice is what we'll hear the angels sing with in heaven. Who am I to argue? Maybe it's because she was the first celebrity I ever truly loved but she still sends me.

I really don't know why she isn't more celebrated these days --even if it would be in a shallow nostalgia way. At the very least she deserves her own theme night on American Idol given that far less famous singers have had them and her discography is loaded with #1 hits.

Since this is a film site here are five movie related goodies for you. Clockwise from top left for these first four: "Suspended in Time" from Xanadu (1980) one of my all time fav flicks and Olivia songs; "Take a Chance" with John Travolta (check out the hairspray'ed 80s 'dos) from their unfortunate attempt to rekindle the Grease magic with Two of a Kind (1983); "Those Summer Nights" with Travolta again from Grease (1978); and a comedic number with Gene Kelly from a TV special where they adapt "Makin' Whoopee" (yes, the song that makes us all think of my beloved) into "Makin' Movies"





And this schmaltz fest you just gotta take in... It's ONJ with Bette Midler, Meryl Streep, Cher and Goldie Hawn singing "What a Wonderful World". Put that many film divas (+ Olivia) in the same room and it sure is. The angels are already singing



AND JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THIS POST WAS OVER...
I'm also noticing on IMDB that Olivia is in talks to reprise her last film role for a television series. That'd be Bitsy Mae Harling an ex-con lesbian biker (I'm not making this up) from the strange, countrified, and intermittently funny Sordid Lives. The movie has developed a mini cult of sorts, due in large part to its fun cast which also includes Beth Grant, Bonnie Bedelia, Beau Bridges and Leslie Jordan

Song & Dance: Shortbus & Hedwig

Oops. I forgot the Friday music post. But my best friends were over and we were all laughing our asses off at the histrionic lesbo-horror of Notes on a Scandal again. God I love Judi Dench in that movie. She's just so hateful. But the movie...it's just so wrong. In too many ways to count. Anyway, so let's celebrate a far more self-actualized person, John Cameron Mitchell. He's only brought us two films but both are stunning, musical and entirely their own things. So for today's song interlude, some selections from Shortbus(2006, top ten list) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, top ten list)

From left to right. Here's Jay Brannan doing his sweet original "Soda Shop" (which he also sings in Shortbus) for YouTube viewers. Be patient ... he bitches about IMDB's awful censorship of the film before he gets to the pretty singing. Then there's a collage of performances from the entire cast at the Shortbus premiere party. Directly below that you've got John Cameron Mitchell performing the Hedwig tune "Wig in a Box" at another Shortbus event. The classic "Origin of Love" from the Hedwig motion picture closes this set. Enjoy.

Song & Dance: Shortbus & Hedwig

Oops. I forgot the Friday music post. But my best friends were over and we were all laughing our asses off at the histrionic lesbo-horror of Notes on a Scandal again. God I love Judi Dench in that movie. She's just so hateful. But the movie...it's just so wrong. In too many ways to count. Anyway, so let's celebrate a far more self-actualized person, John Cameron Mitchell. He's only brought us two films but both are stunning, musical and entirely their own things. So for today's song interlude, some selections from Shortbus(2006, top ten list) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, top ten list)

From left to right. Here's Jay Brannan doing his sweet original "Soda Shop" (which he also sings in Shortbus) for YouTube viewers. Be patient ... he bitches about IMDB's awful censorship of the film before he gets to the pretty singing. Then there's a collage of performances from the entire cast at the Shortbus premiere party. Directly below that you've got John Cameron Mitchell performing the Hedwig tune "Wig in a Box" at another Shortbus event. The classic "Origin of Love" from the Hedwig motion picture closes this set. Enjoy.

Friday Song and Dance: Oscar Nominees

A month ago I sent you off to the weekend with some Beyoncé, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, and Devotchka music --all movie related. Did you like it? Hope so because here's another musical kick-off for the weekend. Surely your boss won't mind if you're kicking back to tunes every casual Friday? If you like the little musical interludes, I'll keep 'em.

Here's four of our Best Actress nominees showing off their pipes or dance moves. From left to right: Kate Winslet singing "What If" from some animated movie. But god I love to look at her. Judi Dench singing "Send in the Clowns" from one of a gazillion Sondheim tribute concerts. Penelope Cruz dancing around (and presumably lipsynching again like she did in Volver) in La niña de tus ojos. Finally, though I've probably shared it before, I can never get enough of Meryl Streep singing "ME" from Death Becomes Her. hi-larious. We'll let Helen Mirren rest her vocal chords since she's still got three major acceptance speeches to get through.

Friday Song and Dance: Oscar Nominees

A month ago I sent you off to the weekend with some Beyoncé, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, and Devotchka music --all movie related. Did you like it? Hope so because here's another musical kick-off for the weekend. Surely your boss won't mind if you're kicking back to tunes every casual Friday? If you like the little musical interludes, I'll keep 'em.

Here's four of our Best Actress nominees showing off their pipes or dance moves. From left to right: Kate Winslet singing "What If" from some animated movie. But god I love to look at her. Judi Dench singing "Send in the Clowns" from one of a gazillion Sondheim tribute concerts. Penelope Cruz dancing around (and presumably lipsynching again like she did in Volver) in La niña de tus ojos. Finally, though I've probably shared it before, I can never get enough of Meryl Streep singing "ME" from Death Becomes Her. hi-larious. We'll let Helen Mirren rest her vocal chords since she's still got three major acceptance speeches to get through.