My "Flick Chick Oscar Picks"

"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!"

No...not Christmastime silly. We're done with all that.

It's OSCAR time!

Yep, the wonderful time of year when this Flick Chick dreams of red carpets, beautiful people in beautiful gowns, memorable movie montages, too-long acceptance speeches and short, shiny bald men.

No Danny DeVito, I'm NOT talkin' about you.

Oscar time. I love it.

I must confess, I'm an Oscar Geek from waaaaay back. Not to date myself or anything...but when I was growing up as a major movie and Hollywood-obsessed kid, there was no internet (I know, shocker!). We didn't have Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood OR Joan Rivers and the Red Carpet Fashion Police.

No, aside from attending my favorite local movie theatre each week (which was NOT a 24 screen megaplex, by the way) -- the only time that I could really see big-time movie stars up close and personal (dressed up and out on the town with their peers & significant others, no less!) was on television.....on Oscar night.

That was a BIG deal for a movie geek girl like me.

I've always loved the whole show. The hosts (Johnny Carson. Billy Crystal). The cheesy musical numbers (Rob Lowe & Snow White?). The wacky outfits (Hello Cher! Hello Demi!). The awkward movie star presenters who seriously lacked charisma, couldn't read the teleprompter and made you realize that unfortunately...perhaps they weren't so fabulous after all (So sorry Harrison.)

Good times.

At about 8 years old, I started bargaining with my parents each year to stay up late to watch the whole telecast. All four hours of it.

The show usually ends at midnight, and up until fairly recently....the Oscars were held on a Monday.

Well, I got my wish, as long as I would come home from school on Oscar day and take a nap that afternoon.

A nap? Like a baby? Of course I will. Right away mom.

If that means I'll get to stay up late and see an American Indian accept an Oscar for Marlon Brando, a streaker run onstage past a smiling David Niven and everybody's favorite droids R2D2 and C3PO "live" on stage -- I will most definitely take a nap.

Flash forward to 2011: I am no longer required to take a nap on Oscar day (although, sometimes I do), and with the internet and a mind-boggling array of entertainment-oriented TV shows, websites, magazines, etc. -- Oscar time is more drawn-out than ever and darn near inescapable.

Me.Happy.Girl.

OK, so that's just a little background about my loooong history of love for the Oscars....and why for me, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Now it's time for my picks.

I must admit, that after following the Oscars as closely as I have for so many years -- I've become pretty good at predicting the winners. There are usually some surprises here & there (and I LOVE that!), but all in all....my ballot is usually fairly close to what's in those envelopes on Oscar night.

So, without further ado........

My 2011 "Flick Chick Oscar Picks"

(Who I think WILL win, not necessarily who SHOULD win.)

Best Picture

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
*The King’s Speech*
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
*David Fincher, The Social Network*
Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit

Best Actress

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
*Natalie Portman, Black Swan*
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Best Actor

Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
*Colin Firth, The King's Speech*
James Franco, 127 Hours

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
*Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit*
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
*Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech*

Best Animated Feature Film

How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
*Toy Story 3*

Best Foreign Language Film

Biutiful
Dogtooth
*In a Better World*
Incendies
Outside the law

Best Original Screenplay

Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
*The King’s Speech*

Best Adapted Screenplay

127 Hours
*The Social Network*
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Best Documentary Feature

Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
*Restrepo*
Waste Land

Best Original Song

‘Coming Home’ from Country Strong, Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
‘I See the Light’ from Tangled, Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
*‘If I Rise’ from 127 Hours, Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong*
‘We Belong Together’ from Toy Story 3, Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Original Score

How to Train Your Dragon, John Powell
Inception, Hans Zimmer
*The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat*
127 Hours, A.R. Rahman
The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Film Editing

Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
*The Social Network*

Best Visual Effects

Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
*Inception*
Iron Man 2

Best Cinematography

Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
*True Grit*

Best Sound Mixing

*Inception*
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Sound Editing

*Inception*
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Best Costume Design

*Alice in Wonderland*
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Best Art Direction

*Alice in Wonderland*
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit

Best Makeup

Barney’s Version
The Way Back
*The Wolfman*

Best Short Film (Live Action)

*The Confession*
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

*Killing in the Name*
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Best Short Film (Animated)

Day & Night
*The Gruffalo*
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, carnet de voyage

*********************************************

OK, so those are my Oscar picks for this year.

The 2011 Academy Awards air live on Sunday, February 27, 2011 on ABC at
8 pm EST.

If interested, I will be live-tweeting during the red carpet arrivals (on E! network beginning at 6 pm EST) and during the entire Oscar telecast.

You can follow me on Twitter, I'm @KellyGingery.

Hmmm....wonder how good my Oscar knowledge really is?

Stay tuned.

Please Join Us: FLICKCHICK.TV Live-Blogs The Oscars!

Hey Movie Lovers,

Hollywood's big night is almost here!


Why not turn your viewing of the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th into a fun group experience? (without ever having to leave the comfort of your couch!)

You're invited to join the FlickChick.TV team on Oscar night as we live-blog every exciting Oscar moment (and unfortunate red carpet fashion choice).

Uh....we're talkin' to you, Bjork.


Just click the link below to join in all of the fun:

FLICKCHICK.TV: Oscars Live-Blog!

Stop by & share your opinions, predictions, observations or just plain 'ol snarky comments during the red-carpet pre-shows and Oscar ceremony.

Seriously, it doesn't count if you're rooting for George Clooney, Sandra Bullock or THE HURT LOCKER to win and nobody hears you! Let your picks, pleas and gasps of horror be voiced here amongst others who understand exactly what you're thinking.

Believe us, at FlickChick.TV....we're ALL about the movies. WE understand.



Please click this link (FLICKCHICK.TV: Oscars Live-Blog!) & join us Sunday evening March 7th, from 6:00 to 11:30 pm for this fun & star-filled night.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.....

STAY TUNED!

It's The End Of The World As We Know It....

....and apparently, everybody wants a front row seat!


Yep, the apocalyptic action-adventure 2012 just had a terrific opening weekend, grossing $65 million in the States with a global box office gross of $225 million.

According to Variety.com, not only was 2012 the fifth best international opening of all time, that crazy global box office total was "the best ever for an original movie not based on an established franchise, brand or best-selling novel."

(I'm thinkin' they mean....other than peeps like Harry Potter and James Bond -- ya know, A Box Office Dream Team.)


(Wow, can you imagine the box office take for Harry Potter and Her Majesty's Secret Service Look For A Quantum Of Solace With A Goblet Of Fire? I am SO there!)

I was able to see 2012 at a screening last Thursday night, and had no doubt it was headed for the record books.


I do love John Cusack in most anything, and I enjoyed the over-the-top special effects & action....but I did have a few minor plot questions.


Check out the latest episode of FlickChick.TV for my take:



Stay tuned!

This Year, Oscar Brings The Funny (And Hopefully Fey).

OK, so if you know me at all (or happen to be a regular reader of this blog)....you probably know that I'm just mad about a guy named "Oscar."


I also happen to LOVE those who can bring the funny, so imagine my delight when the two co-hosts for this years' Oscar telecast in March were announced last week --

Charming, intelligent and oh, so funny men: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.


Hosting gigs are fairly familiar to this duo, as both have hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times (more than anyone else), and Steve has already hosted the Oscars twice before, solo.

Check out the two of them in action together:

Alec & Steve Compete As SNL
"Hosts With The Most"

Hmmm....as happy as I am, I DO wish they would have chosen an equally fun & fabulous female to join those two up on stage that evening.

Tina Fey?


Sandra Bullock?


Heck....Abigail Breslin?


In fact, many in Hollywood & beyond are already sniping about who wasn't (and should've been) added as a host:

Click Here: The Gold Derby -- "Not So Complicated: Meryl Streep Wasn't Asked To Join Costars As Oscars Co-Hosts"

Several inside sources are saying that Tina Fey was a clear choice to join the two men, but her busy TV schedule just wouldn't allow it.

She has obvious chemistry with Alec on 30 Rock,


AND....she's also worked with Steve on her show, with very funny results.

(for further incentive, when Tina presented the Screenplay awards at the Oscars with Steve last year, they killed.)


My fingers remain firmly crossed that Tina will somehow make an appearance on the Oscars....a very humorous and memorable one, I'm sure.

What gives me such hope?

Well....she is starring this spring with none other than Steve Carell (talk about a "Dream Team") in the upcoming comedy Date Night, about a bored married couple's attempt at a glamorous & romantic evening, with dangerous & comic results.


The flick opens April 9th....just one month after the Academy Awards.

Can't you just see Fey & Carell presenting an Oscar, discussing their upcoming movie....and stealing the show?


Oh yeah, I'm laughin' already.

Stay tuned.

Coming Soon: Oscars 2009 Recap, Photos & Commentary

Until then.....enjoy 2 of my favorite behind-the-scenes pix from last nights show:


4 Lovely Leading Ladies (all former Best Actress winners), waiting patiently backstage to present this years' Oscar for Best Actress. Awesome!



Hunk-a-licious Daniel (Bond) Craig getting a little powder touch-up backstage by flashlight. Why, oh why didn't I become a Hollywood make-up artist? (or flashlight-holder?) I'm just sayin'.

OK, gotta do some more surfin'.

I'll be back soon..........

2009 Oscar Red Carpet & Awards - Live!

Hooray, it's almost time........Oscar Night 2009!

Check back here on Sunday at 6:00 pm Eastern for all of the fun --

I'll be live-blogging the Oscar Red Carpet & Awards Show -- watching the red carpet on E! Entertainment Television and the awards on ABC, and interacting LIVE with all of you.

We'll have special guests, interactive polls, silly pix, sound effects.....and you can join in and comment on ALL of the fun.

Just come back & click on the live-blog box below anytime after 6:00 pm Sunday, February 22nd.

We'll be here 'til the bitter end, and we'd love to chat with you!

See you soon..........

Why I Love The Oscars

OK, I know I'm not gonna surprise anyone reading this when I say:

"I really, really LOVE the Oscars!"

Woo Hoo.....alert the media!

But guess what, it's not necessarily for the reason you may think.

I love the Oscars......

Because they always make me feel like a kid again.


Ya see.....I've loved the Oscar TELECAST ever since I was around eight years old.

(For you young'uns out there.....that was way before the internet, home videos, DVD's and 24-hour cable television.)


For a young movie-lover with stars in her eyes, the yearly Oscar show was the only time I could see a gathering of big-time movie stars.....up close & personal.

Remember, there was no Entertainment Tonight, People.com, US Magazine or E! Entertainment Channel.

I wasn't really into who would win or who was best & most deserving......I just loved seeing the stars and the spectacle of it all.


I have fond memories of bargaining with my parents so I could stay up late to watch the big show. It used to be broadcast on a Monday night, so I was supposed to come right home from school....take a long nap & then I could stay up late to watch it.

Let's just say....that idea really worked better in theory than in practice. I was usually a pretty tired girl come Tuesday morning.

OK, so flash-forward about 35 years or so.....and come Oscar season, I still feel like that star-struck 8-year-old, excited to see all of the movie stars and ready to watch the big show.


(Hmmm......or maybe I just want an after-school nap.)

Anyways, that's why I'm here -- blogging about the movies and Oscar night, and ready to give y'all my picks for this year.

I'm extra happy because I just finished my quest to see all of the nominated films in the 6 main categories (4 Acting, Best Director & Best Picture).


I do this not only because I love movies & I'm a total geek....but because it was part of my "agreement" for being chosen as a member of the Columbus Dispatch CAMPP Panel -- the Columbus Association of Motion Picture Pickers.

The feature article about the Oscars and our picks, plus a photo of our CAMPP group, will be in this Sunday's Dispatch Arts section. It's my third year being involved, and I've met a lot of other movie-lovers & Oscar fans, and it's been a lot of fun.

But enough about that......

I'm trying to make this post brief because I would LOVE to hear back from all of you guys regarding the Oscar-nominated films you've seen --

And your ideas about what was hot....and not so hot.




If you email me your thoughts and recommendations.....I will post them here on the blog for others to read and react to.

You can be Anonymous or not, whatever you prefer.

You can also post comments at the bottom of this post, people do it ALL the time.

(Uh, full disclosure here: they don't do it ALL the time.....but some have done it once or twice, in the past....and as a blogger, it's just nice to know that somebody out there is actually reading your stuff and has a thought to share. I'm just sayin'......)


OK, so let's get a little interaction goin' here folks......seriously, it's one of my most favorite things about the internet.

Well, that.....and the fact that I can surf in my PJs while eating Graeter's Mocha Chip ice cream and stalk all sorts of various celebrities & former classmates.


But hey, that's another blog post all together!

Ooops.....I said this would be brief, and wouldn't ya know it -- I've already gone on waaaay too long.

OK, so here's a hint about my main Oscar picks this year:

A Slumdog Reads In The Dark While Wrestling With Doubt.

Got it?

OK, here they are....(The 6 main categories)
Who I think WILL win & who I WANT to win:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn in "Milk"
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (WILL win/WANT to win)

COMMENTS: I truly loved Mickey in this flick. Sean was great, but Mickey's performance really had heart & soul (and a staple gun!). Oh yeah, and Brad Pitt has as much of a chance of winning this Oscar as he does getting the "Husband of the Year" award from the Jennifer Aniston Fan Club. I'm just sayin'.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (WANT to win)
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (WILL win)
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

COMMENTS: I just really thought Hoffman was subtle, yet great as the dubious priest in Doubt. Ledger was over the top for me, but he's gonna win. If he doesn't....the gasp in the Kodak Theater will be long and loud & comic fanboys will take over the streets of the world and revolt. Consider yourself warned.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (WANT to win)
Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (WILL win)

COMMENTS: I truly love Kate Winslet, but I thought her Revolutionary Road performance was more Oscar-worthy. It would be so great if Melissa Leo won, but that will NEVER happen. Next to no one saw her small film and it was bleak & depressing, but she was so awesome in it. Frankly, I'm just happy she's nominated, and that Happy Go Lucky's Sally Hawkins will be nowhere near that stage on Sunday night.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis in "Doubt" (WILL win)
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (WANT to win)
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"

COMMENTS: This is the Oscar category that is always wacky & hard to predict. Past winners include youngsters Tatum O'Neal & Anna Pacquin, a surprising Marisa Tomei and Dame Judi Dench for an whopping 8 minute role in Shakespeare in Love. Pundits are picking Penelope Cruz, but I think the early groundswell for Viola Davis' strong 12 minute Doubt performance will hold. I loved Henson in Benjamin Button, even though I didn't love the flick.

Achievement in directing

David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"
Gus Van Sant, "Milk"
Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"
Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire" (WILL win/WANT to win)

COMMENTS: Danny Boyle pretty much has this one in the bag, and I think he totally deserves it. I love, LOVED Slumdog and I think that what Boyle achieved with that story, those children and that setting was truly wonderful.

Best motion picture of the year

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

COMMENTS: So, I guess you figured out that I was gonna pick Slumdog. What can I say? I'm a sucker for true love and a good Bollywood dance sequence. This category is another pretty sure bet if you're planning to do an Oscar pool. Bottom line: Slumdog is the one film over the last several years that I feel confident and happy to recommend to any and everyone. See this flick!

OK......there ya have it.

Take 'em or leave 'em, those are my Oscar predictions and thoughts as we head into the weekend before Hollywood's biggest night.

Now it's your turn: Send me an email or comment below about your predictions and thoughts about the Oscars and this year's slate of contenders.


(Or, if you'd rather just talk about Paul Blart-Mall Cop, that's OK by me.)

I wanna hear from you all, just a little or a lot....and I'll post it all on the blog.

In the meantime, I've been busy Twittering about the Oscars this week and plan to "live-tweet" during the Oscar Red Carpet pre-show and the award ceremony.

You can follow my Twitter feed anytime (or just on Oscar night) by clicking the link below & creating your own Twitter account in just a few short steps.

Once you're logged on, just search for my Twitter username: KellyGingery

It's really easy & painless, believe me. Even if you don't plan to ever post any "tweets", you still need to create a free account.....but then you can read the Twitter feeds from all sorts of interesting folks.

Seriously, it's informative & fun....I recently got my sis Julie and friend Marri to drink the Twitter "Kool-Aid".....and now they can't stop "tweeting"!

Check it out here: www.twitter.com

OK y'all, that's it for now......I'm lookin' forward to your emails & comments.

Let me hear from you, I'm listening.