🎼I Hope You’re Happy, But Don’t Be Happier … 🎶

Hello Gentle Reader!

This past Sunday was the annual broadcast of the Oscar Awards. Celebrities dressed in their fancy clothes and strutted across a red carpet and were pampered and adored by the press and fans worldwide.

Did you watch them? I watched them and found them to be much more interesting and surprising than years’ past. I was entertained by most of the performances and Jimmy Kimmel’s bits. There were a couple of moments I used the fast forward feature on the DVR. 😄

Something has come out of this year’s award show that is sad and frankly, in my opinion, childish. Creating yet another tarnish on this night that is supposed to be a celebration. 💔

What happened to the days of “It is an honor just being nominated” and putting on a fake smile or genuine I am not judging (because let’s face it, most people don’t get into acting for the awards, those are just a bonus).

There is a a whole bunch of people having temper tantrums because Jamie Lee Curtis took home the trophy instead of Angela Bassett or Stephanie Hsu. 😔

Don’t mistake me, I LOVE and ADORE Angela Bassett as much as I do JLC. I enjoyed both of them in their respective roles and throughout their amazing careers. I also really enjoyed Stephanie Hsu in her role.

I completely understand Ms. Bassett’s reaction at not winning the trophy. Personally, I think she should have won for “What’s Love Got To Do With It” but Holly Hunter took the trophy that year for “The Piano.” It is a little disappointing to lose awards especially when you feel like you put everything into your role.

The thing about these awards is that to get nominated is a big deal. It is an endorsement of the work that was done. Dear Reader, I can feel you thinking “Duh! We all know that,” but being a nominee also means that each of these people are deserving of the award. Just because the person that takes the award wasn’t someone that everyone was expecting or hoping for, doesn’t mean we should try and discredit the win.

Some people cry that JLC didn’t have as much screen time as Stephanie Hsu, so that would make her less worthy. Anne Hathaway won her Best Supporting for Les Miserables and she was only in the movie for 15 minutes. 15 MINUTES!

It isn’t about the amount of time the person is on the screen. What is more important to consider is how important the character is to the plot.

There are others that are saying because Angela Bassett had to also battle through the grief of Chadwick Boseman’s death while filming. It is heartbreaking to think about and moving and they do a remarkable job paying tribute to him, but what if he hadn’t died and the script was still the same? Would this make her performance less worthy? Hell no, because this is Angela friggin Bassett! However, this also does not mean that she is the shoe in for the award.

If you look at the entirety of the season, all the awards have been scattered among the people showing how great all of these performances were. Not only were the performances great, but they were so varied as well.

The BAFTA went to Kerry Condon for “Banshees of Inisherin”

The Golden Globe went to Angela Bassett for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

The SAG went to Jamie Lee Curtis for “Everything, Everywhere All At Once”

The Critic’s Choice went to Angela Bassett for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

The only sure bet, I feel, was Ke Huy Quan for “Everything Everywhere All At Once” which YAY!!! So happy for him. 💓

Can we please put to bed the terrible hashtag that Angela Bassett was robbed? Did she win, no. Did she deserve to win? Yes. BUT so did Jamie Lee Curtis. That is why they were nominated!

Regardless of what happens to their careers in the future, one thing I know is that I will still happily watch their work because I think they are so talented. 👏👏👏

With that, Dear Reader, I shall step off of my soap box now. Thank you for letting me bend your ear. What are your thoughts on this whole issue?

Thank you for reading this rant. Until next time, I will have some news about a new project that I can’t announce the cast for yet… Stay safe and alert and be kind to yourself and those around you.

❤️

Billy + Oscar = ♥

I love the Oscars.

Not as much as I love the Tonys! But I do love the Oscars.

I have watched the telecast every single year since I’ve been in the double digit age range. Now as to whether or not I can remember any of it, HA!

There have been years where the show was so boring and I just wished that they would just drop event time to a single hour. But, there have also been years when I didn’t want the Best Picture category to come up. A lot of it had to do with the host. Last year, I think was the James Franco and Anne Hathaway co-host nightmare. It felt awkward and kinda messy. But Hugh Jackman or Jon Stewart did really respectable jobs. But the king will probably always be Billy Crystal.

While I was at the gym, Piers Morgan was on one of the tv’s and he was interviewing a columnist for EW magazine and the interviewee said that there were some doubts as to whether Billy C would be able to do it. Wait…WHAT? He went on to say it would be the equivalent of putting Willy Mayes (or some baseball player that I am just naming at random) back in the game after 20 years of not playing. I call shenanigans!! Of course BC is gonna be fab, he will always be fab! He’s Billy Frakin’ Crystal.

This year, I don’t have any real preference as to who wins with one exception. Octavia Spencer. I’d always seen her in tiny bit parts and loved her. Now that she’s had the opportunity to shine, I hope she is rewarded for all the little nuances that are in her performance in “The Help.”

If you haven’t seen it, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

My friends and I used to have games and stuff for awards shows. Sadly now that I work on Sundays, I don’t have time to come up with stuff. I know the logical answer to that is plan ahead and do it early. I know and I hear you, but I just space out and forget that it is even happening.

So as I watch the show this year, I will probably harbor a tiny chip on my shoulder with the knowledge that just to get nominations, the studios spend approximately $100 million in media blitzes. With numerous studios spending that much on this little award, I just wonder how much good that would do if they invest even half of that into public education or building homeless shelters that are open all year round and not just in the winter. I understand that it’s just Hollywood. But that’s the point

It’s JUST Hollywood. It’s great that they make a film about bullying and try to raise awareness like that. But it’s a business strategy as well. Make a movie about a problem that’s plaguing youth or society and millions of people around the world will pay money to see it and a big portion of that money will go into the producer’s pocket. Yeah, s/he might be philanthropic and donate to charities or whatnot. But there’s also, maybe not.

So Billy, even before you are on that stage, I shall raise a glass to you after a long day’s work and have every confidence that this year’s Oscar show will be golden.

♭♪♫ Papa- Paparazzi ♩♩♫

Flowers never looked so good! Calling all you non-professional photogs out there!!

Could you use a little cash? Of course you could. I mean, who couldn’t nowadays, right? Then I think I may have a fun way to earn it! And it’s kinda easy…

Yamagami’s Nursery is having a contest for the best picture of flowers.

The contest is basically three stages.

Stage 1: You have until June 26th to upload your best image to the Yamagami’s Photo Contest Page by submitting them to: Flowers@YNurseryNews.com. You may upload only three submissions. It could be close-ups of the flower or a wide angle shot of a display of them, just as long as they are the focal point of the image. Keep in mind, there may be a brief delay getting you pictures to the proper page, so get them in at least three days before the deadline.

Stage 2: Beginning June 27th and thru July 23rd, the public will begin to vote on which images they like the best. You can find the competing images HERE. There are some amazing images. However, don’t let that discourage you from putting your best foot into the contest. Just as nature’s created millions and millions of beautiful images, your creativity and uniqueness can capture something that most people have never seen. Challenge yourself to see beyond the stunning colors and the brilliance in the patterns. The top ten images will then be submitted to a panel of judges who will then award the cash prizes.

Step 3: Beginning August 18th, you can view the images when you stop on by the nursery as they will be on display. On August 27, Yamagami’s will host an awards show and the prizes for the Top 3 will be given to the photographers with the best images. All of the Top Ten finalists will receive a small Yamagami’s Nursery gift certificate.

Please read the complete detailed rules before entering and best of luck to all you picture snapping photogs out there.

Sadly, employees of Yamagami’s and their families are not eligible to enter.

Here are a couple of my fave nature shots that I’ve taken. What do you love to capture with the lens? Share where do you like to go for that inspiration?