Leigh McEachran » Academy Awards http://lamceachran.com Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:08:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Academy Awards http://lamceachran.com/2010/03/989/ http://lamceachran.com/2010/03/989/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:28:37 +0000 Leigh McEachran http://lamceachran.com/?p=989 I absolutely adore the Academy Awards. In honour of the big event, I’ve compiled photos of Oscar winners throughout the decades and made a slide-show. Enjoy!
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]]> http://lamceachran.com/2010/03/989/feed/ 0 Academy Awards http://lamceachran.com/2010/02/academy-awards/ http://lamceachran.com/2010/02/academy-awards/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:00:04 +0000 Leigh McEachran http://lamceachran.com/?p=972 The Academy Awards are set to air on Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. on ABC. I love watching the Oscars and I’m especially excited for four films in particular, as I have written reviews on them for this blog. To read the reviews, click on the links below and enjoy the event from your TV screen!

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Films:

Film: “Up in the Air” Nominated for:

  • Performance by an actor in a leading role (George Clooney)
  • Performance by an actress in a supporting role (Vera Farmiga)
  • Performance by an actress in a supporting role (Anna Kendrick)
  • Achievement in directing (Jason Reitman)
  • Best motion picture of the year
  • Adapted screenplay

Film: Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Nominated for:

  • Performance by an actress in a leading role (Gabourey Sidibe)
  • Performance by an actress in a supporting role (Mo’Nique)
  • Achievement in directing (Lee Daniels)
  • Best motion picture of the year
  • Adapted screenplay

Film: Julie & Julia Nominated for:

  • Performance by an actress in a leading role (Meryl Streep)

Film: Sherlock Holmes Nominated for:

  • Achievement in art direction
  • Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
]]> http://lamceachran.com/2010/02/academy-awards/feed/ 0 The VMAs, Faith Hill, and Dating in the Dark http://lamceachran.com/2009/08/the-vmas-faith-hill-and-dating-in-the-dark/ http://lamceachran.com/2009/08/the-vmas-faith-hill-and-dating-in-the-dark/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:48:01 +0000 Leigh McEachran http://lamceachran.com/?p=287 I love award shows. The excitement, dresses, speeches… everything about watching an award show is just so magical. Of course, naturally, my favourite award show is the Big Kahuna itself, the Academy Awards. Following the Oscars in my Award Show Watching Preference List are the Emmys, whose winners always bring big laughs. Remember Ricky Gervais and Steve Carrell fighting over the statue? Reminisce by watching the video below:
 
And while I love the Academy Awards and the Emmys for their class and elegance, there is one award show I adore for its drama (both on and off stage.) As a person born with computers, raised on MTV A.D.D.-inducing television programs, who is addicted to candy, I love an award show jam-packed with performances, video clips, celebrities, and short acceptance speeches; which is why I love the VMAs.
The VMAs have drama, killer performances, great clothes and hideous outfits, and the hottest young stars. They also have the greatest thing up their sleeve… Russell Brand. One of my fav comedians, Brand is hosting the gig for the second time. He’s funny, good-natured, and his humour is perfect for a young audience. Last year, the VMA promo featured Brand sitting beside Britney Spears with a giant elephant in the room (get it?). This year, the metro-sexual comedian has trumped himself with a bigger, better, and musical-ier promo ad. No, musical-ier is not a word, but if it were one, it would apply, because MTV channeled West Side Story! Featured in the promo is Russell Brand himself (singing! *gush) along with Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Cobra Starship, Ne-Yo and Leighton Meester. It’s great! It’s fun! It’s everything the VMAs are all about! Check it out below:

I love watching the Academy Awards, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the VMAs, and whatever else gets celebrities dressed up and stuffed in one room competing for an award. The main reason award shows bring me such delight is because they are live, the reactions are unplanned, and some major faux-pas always occurs. Remember Faith Hill’s reaction to Carrie Underwood scoring a Country Music Award?

I love to expect the unexpected when it comes to TV shows, which is why I tuned into ABC’s Dating in the Dark. Here are the basics of the show:

  • Three men and three women date each other in a dark room. They cannot see a thing!
  • Each person picks someone they would like to see in the light.
  • When the light shines during the reveal, it only shines on one person at a time. That way, the person being revealed cannot see the other person’s reaction.
  • Then, whoever wants to continue spending time together waits on the balcony. But whoever doesn’t want to spend more time together, leaves the house. Usually one person waits on the balcony while the other leaves the house.

I have always been under the impression that men are more shallow than women. While women rave on about personal characteristics, men always seem to discuss how hot a girl is and judge her on the 1-to-10 scale. So it was surprising for me watching Dating in the Dark to discover that I have it all wrong. On this show, it is usually the women that walk away. These women also usually cry, because the only thing revealed in the light is how incredibly shallow they are.

Watching Dating in the Dark revealed that even the people who seem super sweet (“and just looking for love”), can be just as shallow as a country singer furious with losing an award. Because the truth is, just like the women on Dating in the Dark, we are all shallow. Just like Kate Winslet, we all want the approval of our peers (especially in the form of an Academy Award.) Just like Leighton Meester, we all want to be successful in our chosen field (even if it’s hard to schedule late-night show tapings with Cobra Starship thanks to an impossible schedule on Gossip Girl.) And just like Faith Hill, we’re all disappointed when our dreams don’t come true.

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