Monthly Archives: February 2011

…not Anne Hathaway and James Franco. I mean, for those who watched, Franco seemed quite stoned, no?

All day yesterday, I was looking forward to watching the Oscars, and despite the shaky performances given by hosts, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, I wasn’t disappointed.

I was rooting for Natalie Portman and Colin Firth (Best Actress, Best Actor) and for “The King’s Speech” (Best Picture) and they all pulled through (yay!). Although “Black Swan” was just a little too freaky for me, I thought Natalie Portman was fabulous–she really can’t go wrong. Plus, her acceptance speech was truly touching. Catch a glimpse here. I only just saw “The King’s Speech” this past weekend, but it was definitely worth all of the praise it was given. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch the trailer. It will give you goosebumps, literally!

In other news, I won my Oscar ballot! I was only competing against one other person (Josh), but I never win anything. Seriously. I had 13 correct picks out of a possible 24 (not that great), but it still won me some much-deserved bragging rights. MUAHAHA.

And of course, my picks for best dressed: Halle Berry and Mila Kunis. Simply stunning.

Catch a complete review of the show from the Chicago Tribune here. They were pretty spot-on, in my opinion.

And just for kicks, check out my Oscar treat. Yes, I ate more than one. Oops.

Yum.

A few days ago I started a new book and I can’t get enough of it. Looking for Alaska by John Green is another young adult book (a few weeks ago I read this YA book) and I’m loving it. The book is the winner of multiple awards, including the Michael L. Printz Award, and it’s also an LA Times Book Prize finalist.

beneath the willow tree, Flickr

I’m not sure what it is about YA books that has me so intrigued lately, but I have a feeling it’s something to do with the fact that they’re usually a quick and easy read, but still juicy enough to keep me wanting more. As Groucho Marx once said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend.” He also said “inside of a dog it’s too dark to read,” but whatever, I’m entitled to agree. About the friend part at least. Check out Looking for Alaska on Amazon here.

Last night I saw the Jewish film, “Walk on Water”, at the Israeli Film Festival here on campus and it was SO GOOD. It was so good even despite the fact that my 5’2″ Catholic self mistakenly sat behind the tallest Jew in the room and I had to crane to see the subtitles (it was crowded/no other seats were available/I have to sit on the end of the row so I don’t feel claustrophobic). Much of the film was in English anyways and the rest was in Hebrew and German so I didn’t mind the subtitles much anyway.

IMDb

I haven’t seen many foreign films in my mere 23 years and those that I have seen have mostly been Spanish films. After seeing “Walk on Water” though, I think everyone should make an effort to see more foreign films. They’re so much different than American ones. Duh, I guess. But still. “Walk on Water” won three Israeli Academy Awards and it really made me want to travel to Israel someday. Check out the trailer here.

I also think it was fitting that I saw this Jewish film on the very same day that Chicago elected its first ever Jewish mayor.

However, there is an election coming up in the Chicago suburb of Elmhurst that is infinitely more important–my friend Rachel is running for 6th ward alderman!!! Check her out here. She is fabulous and if you live in Elmhurst, you should vote for her!!