Well, we didn't predict EVERY Oscar winner last night.
But we DID get 12 out of 14 predictions right. That's a score of 86%.
*Stick with us and you'll [almost] know what's gonna happen before it happens.
All of our correct picks are shown below in bold and underlined:
BEST PICTURE: Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Get Out
BEST DIRECTOR: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
Possible upset winner: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
BEST ACTIR: Gary Oldman
Possible upset winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
BEST ACTRESS: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards
Possible upset winner: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Possible upset winner: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Call Me By Your Name
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Get Out
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Phantom Thread
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: Darkest Hour
BEST SCORE: The Shape of Water
BEST SONG: Remember Me, Coco
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Coco
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Faces Places
*BTW: This is the same blog that told you that nearly all of the 2016 election polls were wrong and an historic upset was looming.
Monday, March 5, 2018
Settling A Most Unusual Super Bowl Bet . . .
The outcome of what may be the most revolutionary Super Bowl bet ever made will be presented in the hometown of the victorious Philadelphia Eagles beginning March 7, when one of Boston’s most distinctive patriots makes a striking appearance in the American Galleries of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
At 12:30 p.m., the Museum will “unveil” a painting from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: John Singleton Copley’s Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis), which portrays one of New England’s most ardent advocates for independence in the decade before the Revolutionary War.
This special loan was triggered by the Philadelphia Eagles’ spectacular win over the New England Patriots, before which Timothy Rub, The George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, had made a friendly wager with Matthew Teitelbaum, The Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, about the outcome of the game.
Timothy Rub stated: “With the Eagles facing the Patriots in the Super Bowl, we decided to have a bit of fun by putting some skin in the game. I offered to send our wonderful painting by Benjamin West, Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky (1816), to Boston should the Eagles lose, and asked my colleague to send us an equally important work from his collection if the Eagles triumphed. I am delighted to say that a portrait of one of New England’s most fascinating patriots will be arriving soon, and I expect her to stand very tall under the circumstances. This superb painting will remain on view in Gallery 102 for the next three months where Eagles fans from around the world can enjoy it."
 |
| About Copley’s Portrait of Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis) John Singleton Copley (American, born 1738, died 1815) Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis) Around 1763 Oil on canvas 49 5/8 x 39 1/2 in. On loan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Bequest of Winslow Warren |
MFA Director Matthew Teitelbaum commented: “While I was very much looking forward to seeing Benjamin West’s painting of Benjamin Franklin in our galleries, I am happy to share this magnificent portrait with new audiences in Philadelphia. Mercy Otis was a revolutionary woman who truly embodied the spirit of patriotism.”
“Not only does Mercy personify the spirit of revolution and liberation, she is arriving just in time for Women’s History Month,” said Kathleen Adair Foster, The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art, and Director, Center for American Art. “She’s the perfect prize for Philadelphia after the Eagles’ victory, representing one of Boston’s finest artists and one of its most accomplished women. She will be given a place of honor here in our galleries.”
Copley’s portrait of Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis) will remain on view in the American Galleries until June 3, 2018.
Poet, playwright, political satirist, and historian, Mercy Otis Warren (1728–1814) was a true American patriot and one of the best-educated women of her generation. Raised in a family of Massachusetts politicians who spoke out against British colonial rule, she initially published political plays and parodies anonymously, to cloak her identity as a woman. Later in life, she published under her own name a massive three-volume history of the American Revolution.
Copley depicts Mrs. Warren in her more conventional feminine role as wife and mother, demonstrating her nurturing skills by tending nasturtiums. She wears a fashionable silk dress and lace-trimmed stole that display her wealth, stylishness, and matronly modesty as well as Copley’s remarkable abilities. The finest painter in the colonies, the self-taught Copley not only brilliantly evokes the textures of skin, satin, and silver embroidery but also captures the grace and determination of this champion of women’s participation in the political life of the nation.
“Not only does Mercy personify the spirit of revolution and liberation, she is arriving just in time for Women’s History Month,” said Kathleen Adair Foster, The Robert L. McNeil, Jr., Senior Curator of American Art, and Director, Center for American Art. “She’s the perfect prize for Philadelphia after the Eagles’ victory, representing one of Boston’s finest artists and one of its most accomplished women. She will be given a place of honor here in our galleries.”
Copley’s portrait of Mrs. James Warren (Mercy Otis) will remain on view in the American Galleries until June 3, 2018.
Poet, playwright, political satirist, and historian, Mercy Otis Warren (1728–1814) was a true American patriot and one of the best-educated women of her generation. Raised in a family of Massachusetts politicians who spoke out against British colonial rule, she initially published political plays and parodies anonymously, to cloak her identity as a woman. Later in life, she published under her own name a massive three-volume history of the American Revolution.
Copley depicts Mrs. Warren in her more conventional feminine role as wife and mother, demonstrating her nurturing skills by tending nasturtiums. She wears a fashionable silk dress and lace-trimmed stole that display her wealth, stylishness, and matronly modesty as well as Copley’s remarkable abilities. The finest painter in the colonies, the self-taught Copley not only brilliantly evokes the textures of skin, satin, and silver embroidery but also captures the grace and determination of this champion of women’s participation in the political life of the nation.
In Case You Missed It: The Annual Tribute . . .
Some really notable people who died over the past year (like Adam West and Glenn Campbell) were left out of this Oscar tribute last night, but it did pay honor to many who were worthy of mention. So, in case you missed it or would like to see it again, here it is.
Is Hollywood Redeemable? Will THIS Movie Help?
Maybe, just maybe, there's hope.
But maybe this is an anomaly. Or maybe it too will not live up to the allure of its classic predecessor and turn out to be just another dud.
For now, however, we can dream . . . .
My, My, MY! How The Mighty Have Fallen!
The Oscars have CRASHED to their lowest viewership in history.
That's right: last night's Oscar telecast was a complete FLOP!
The telecast, nearly four hours long, stumbled 19 percent from last year. That easily makes it the least-watched Oscars in history, trailing 2008 by more than five million viewers.
That's right: last night's Oscar telecast was a complete FLOP!
The telecast, nearly four hours long, stumbled 19 percent from last year. That easily makes it the least-watched Oscars in history, trailing 2008 by more than five million viewers.
Let's face it: Jimmy Kimmel was dreadful. His jokes weren't funny; his political correctness was dreary; his hahaha preachiness was slumber-inducing and his desperate attempts to salvage the endless show fell flat.
Why has all this happened?
For one reason, it's happened because Hollywood and the Oscars have fallen hopelessly out of touch with ordinary Americans and everyday moviegoers, or at least what's left of moviegoers.
Hollywood is like a foreign country.
And, consequently, the motion picture industry is in very serious trouble.
But no one's doing anything about it because Hollywood's so tone deaf that the situation has barely been recognized.
Year after year after year Hollywood chooses to reward movies that no one watches and few care to see. It happened again this year with The Shape of Water. It happened last year with Moonlight. And not very many people saw Spotlight or Birdman or 12 Years A Slave. These were all politically correct movies that never managed to gain a significant audience because people, for the most part simply didn't care about them.
Everybody knows that La La Land should have won last year. And everybody knows that Dunkirk or Darkest Hour or even Three Billboards should have won this year.
Hollywood is lost in its own smug, pretentious, dismissive, elitist world.
Today's stars don't care about you and I because there's no one around to make them care. There's no one to smack 'em in the face and wise 'em up because the big movie moguls and the big studios and the cooperative publicists and gossip columnists of yesteryear are all gone.
Saner heads can only prevail if there are saner heads and there are none in Hollywood anymore.
It's a veritable looney bin, much like most of the rest of California.
And the long, slow, slide is far from over.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
HOORAY! SJ's Best Pizzas: Cherry Hill Area
If you follow this blog you know that we love pizza.
We love fresh, crispy, tasty, aromatic, delicious pizza.
We're not terribly particular about where we enjoy the pizza just so long as it's good -- real good. And our test of a good pizza is the classic, unadulterated tomato and cheese pie because that's the very best to judge a pizzeria. If they can't make the basic pie, fuhgeddaboudit!
So, in no particular order, here's our list for South Jersey's BEST pizzas in the greater Cherry Hill area:
BRICCO
This cozy Westmont pizzeria sits on a popular corner and serves a distinctive, ultra-crispy pizza cooked in an super high temp oven. You won't taste anything like this anywhere else and with one bite you'll know that theres love in this pie!
TACONELLI'S
On Main Street in Maple Shade you'll find the Jersey edition of this popular Philly pizza joint that has a cult like following. Taconelli's moved here from a place near the Moorestown Mall and this updated version is spacious, handsome, crowded and often noisy inside. But the pizza is absolutely divine!
BRUNO'S
Between Cuthbert Road and the Haddonfield border on Hopkins Road (just a stone's throw from Paul VI High School) you'll find a more traditional, thicker-crusted, tomatoey pizza that's perfect for a hearty appetite. Bruno's has been a mainstay here, and with good reason!
ANGELO'S
On Haddon Avenue in Haddonfield Angelo's make an ultra thick crust pizza that's so high and so tempting it will take your breath away. One slice is a whole meal. On all the pies, the crust is incredible! The place is tiny with limited seating, so you may have to rush home with this one. But this is a pizza you'll never forget.
TUTTI TOSCANI
For more than 30 years this original home of the Lamberti restaurant empire has been making some of the best pizza we've tasted anywhere. And not only is the margherita pizza superb (with celestial mozzarella) but Tutti offers a wide variety of variations. On Brace Road in Cherry Hill, this place is spacious, lively, distinctive and will have you returning again and again.
MONTEGRILLO'S
This corner pizza mecca on Main Street in Maple Shade not only makes a wonderful hot, fresh, cooked-to-order traditional pizza but their thick, crusty, tangy tomato pie is one of the very best you'll taste no matter how far you search.
TRENO
Near the PATCO line on Haddon Avenue in Westmont, this big, sprawling "pizza bar" offers both wood-fire and brick-oven pizzas in many imaginative 12-inch varieties. Don't miss half-price pizza night every Wednesday. It's an amazing bargain!
PEOPLE'S PIZZA
Heading to or from the mall it's right there on Route 38 in Cherry Hill but you might miss it if you're not paying attention. Independently family owned and operated since 1974, this place is the one-and-only outlet of its type. Quick counter service, seat yourself booths and hot, gooey pizza make it a popular classic.
RAGAZZI
A bit further afield on Route 73 at Route 38 in Marlton, Ragazzi is a family eatery that offers traditional or Sicilian pizza and gives you the option of creating your own pie in nine inch or 16 inch versions. Always good and always fresh.
We love fresh, crispy, tasty, aromatic, delicious pizza.
We're not terribly particular about where we enjoy the pizza just so long as it's good -- real good. And our test of a good pizza is the classic, unadulterated tomato and cheese pie because that's the very best to judge a pizzeria. If they can't make the basic pie, fuhgeddaboudit!
So, in no particular order, here's our list for South Jersey's BEST pizzas in the greater Cherry Hill area:BRICCO
This cozy Westmont pizzeria sits on a popular corner and serves a distinctive, ultra-crispy pizza cooked in an super high temp oven. You won't taste anything like this anywhere else and with one bite you'll know that theres love in this pie!
TACONELLI'S
On Main Street in Maple Shade you'll find the Jersey edition of this popular Philly pizza joint that has a cult like following. Taconelli's moved here from a place near the Moorestown Mall and this updated version is spacious, handsome, crowded and often noisy inside. But the pizza is absolutely divine!
BRUNO'S
Between Cuthbert Road and the Haddonfield border on Hopkins Road (just a stone's throw from Paul VI High School) you'll find a more traditional, thicker-crusted, tomatoey pizza that's perfect for a hearty appetite. Bruno's has been a mainstay here, and with good reason!
ANGELO'S
On Haddon Avenue in Haddonfield Angelo's make an ultra thick crust pizza that's so high and so tempting it will take your breath away. One slice is a whole meal. On all the pies, the crust is incredible! The place is tiny with limited seating, so you may have to rush home with this one. But this is a pizza you'll never forget.
TUTTI TOSCANI
For more than 30 years this original home of the Lamberti restaurant empire has been making some of the best pizza we've tasted anywhere. And not only is the margherita pizza superb (with celestial mozzarella) but Tutti offers a wide variety of variations. On Brace Road in Cherry Hill, this place is spacious, lively, distinctive and will have you returning again and again.
MONTEGRILLO'S
This corner pizza mecca on Main Street in Maple Shade not only makes a wonderful hot, fresh, cooked-to-order traditional pizza but their thick, crusty, tangy tomato pie is one of the very best you'll taste no matter how far you search.
TRENO
Near the PATCO line on Haddon Avenue in Westmont, this big, sprawling "pizza bar" offers both wood-fire and brick-oven pizzas in many imaginative 12-inch varieties. Don't miss half-price pizza night every Wednesday. It's an amazing bargain!
PEOPLE'S PIZZA
Heading to or from the mall it's right there on Route 38 in Cherry Hill but you might miss it if you're not paying attention. Independently family owned and operated since 1974, this place is the one-and-only outlet of its type. Quick counter service, seat yourself booths and hot, gooey pizza make it a popular classic.
RAGAZZI
A bit further afield on Route 73 at Route 38 in Marlton, Ragazzi is a family eatery that offers traditional or Sicilian pizza and gives you the option of creating your own pie in nine inch or 16 inch versions. Always good and always fresh.
Here's Who Will Win The Oscars Tonight!
Wondering who'll win on the Oscars tonight?
Wonder no more.
We've got the likely winners right here:
BEST PICTURE: Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Get Out
BEST DIRECTOR: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
Possible upset winner: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
BEST ACTIR: Gary Oldman
Possible upset winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
BEST ACTRESS: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards
Possible upset winner: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Possible upset winner: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Call Me By Your Name
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Get Out
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Phantom Thread
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: Darkest Hour
BEST SCORE: The Shape of Water
BEST SONG: Remember Me, Coco
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Coco
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Faces Places
Wonder no more.
We've got the likely winners right here:
BEST PICTURE: Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Get Out
BEST DIRECTOR: Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
Possible upset winner: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
BEST ACTIR: Gary Oldman
Possible upset winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
BEST ACTRESS: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards . . .
Possible upset winner: Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards
Possible upset winner: Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Possible upset winner: Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Call Me By Your Name
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Get Out
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Phantom Thread
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: Darkest Hour
BEST SCORE: The Shape of Water
BEST SONG: Remember Me, Coco
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: Coco
BEST DOCUMENTARY: Faces Places
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Surviving The Apocalypse? Well, Cockroaches And . . .
From our friends at the Save Jersey Blog
By The Staff (reprinted with permission)
Governor Phil Murphy doubled-down on his desire for a millionaire’s tax at Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce event in Washington, D.C., raising the ire of some New Jersey conservatives.
“High taxes are New Jersey’s very problem, not the solution. Governor Murphy’s plan to hike the New Jersey income tax should be rejected out of hand,” said Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26), a 2018 GOP primary candidate for congress in New Jersey’s 11 district. “The Governor’s hint that an income-tax hike could be temporary is a classic political con job that we all know too painfully well in New Jersey. As Ronald Reagan rightly said, nothing lasts longer than a temporary government program. Of course any income-tax increase from Governor Murphy would be permanent — ‘we need more’ has become the mantra of Trenton’s tax hikers, and there never will be enough tax money to satisfy Governor Murphy’s spending ambitions.
“The truth is that just two things might survive an apocalypse: cockroaches and New Jersey liberal tax hikes. Governor Murphy’s pledge to increase incomes taxes should be abandoned immediately,” added Webber.
Murphy faces resistance from more than just the state’s minority Republican caucus.
Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) has said he considers any income tax increase to be a “absolutely last resort.”
UK, France, USA, Turkey Lead Blog Visits
Pageviews by Countries - Week of 2/24
Thank you for more than 12,000 pageviews this week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)