20:10 "You're allowed to make a statement."

Three years ago at the original blog, I created a series called 20:07 which became one of the most popular TFE features ever and spawned a slew of imitators 'round the web. Just for fun, let's resurrect that ol' pet for the remainder of Oscar season as we finish celebrating the films of 2010 before the new film year begins.

Screen capture: 20th minute and 10th second* -- or thereabouts. I worry about my dvd player's clock --  of The Social Network

Mark Zuckerberg: I've -- you know, I've already apologized in The Crimson to the ABHW to Fuerza Latina and to any women at Harvard who may have insulted as I take it they were. As for any charges stemming from the breach of security I believe I deserve some recognition from this board.

Administrator: I'm sorry.

Zuckerberg: Yes.

Administrator: I don't understand

Zuckerberg: Which part?

Be here tomorrow morning for the announcement of the Oscar nominations and commentary all day. Here's my complete prediction list and my ALMOST complete dream ballot (aka the annual film bitch awards. Everything is done sans writeups for reasons previously explained and the actress categories). ALMOST because it was a super tough day and I'm sick on top of that. Argh. My timing is terrible. But tomorrow is another day!

Are you all jittery waiting for tomorrow morning to get here? Will you get any sleep? It's totally Christmas morning to yours truly.

Frank Rich on True Grit & The Social Network

Illustration by Barry BlittThe invaluable Frank Rich has a great op-ed on the success of True Grit in the age of The Social Network. It's beautifully written and interesting in the context of both awards season heat and our current political and economic climate. If I have one gripe with it it seems to downplay the fact that TSN is quite successful financially. Just not as successful.

I won't spoil the expert finale of the piece which shifts to The Social Network but here's a part I liked about True Grit which he correctly identifies as both elegaic and escapist for left and right wing Americans.

More than the first “True Grit,” the new one emphasizes Mattie’s precocious, almost obsessive preoccupation with the law. She is forever citing law-book principles, invoking lawyers and affidavits, and threatening to go to court. “You must pay for everything in this world one way or another,” says Mattie. “There is nothing free except the grace of God.”

That kind of legal and moral cost-accounting seems as distant as a tintype now. The new “True Grit” lands in an America that’s still not recovered from a crash where many of the reckless perpetrators of economic mayhem deflected any accountability and merely moved on to the next bubble, gamble or ethically dubious backroom deal. When Americans think of the law these days, they often think of a system that can easily be gamed by the rich and the powerful, starting with those who pillaged Lehman Brothers, A.I.G. and Citigroup and left taxpayers, shareholders and pensioners in the dust. A virtuous soul like Mattie would be crushed in a contemporary gold rush even if (or especially if) she fought back with the kind of civil action so prized by the 19th-century Mattie.

The whole piece is well worth a read.

Live Blog Golden Globes

8:01 SEE PREVIOUS POST FOR WACKY ARRIVALS.
I'd start there as some of the narrative threads continue into this live blog below

8:03 Ricky Gervais has already decimated The Tourist. Ouch. and even brutalized my Cher. "Why don't you want to see Cher?" Because it's not 1975." Ouch 2. And this wasn't part of the joke BUT when he said "The Walking Dead" they cut to Steve Buscemi. Ouch 3

8:04 My "comedy" in the arrivals was much kinder. Well but for the Silence of the Lambs joke.

Bale wins the night's first award

8:04 I don't know if you read Friday's Towleroad article but I devised a Golden Globe Drinking Game which goes like so.

Drink every time...

• Someone makes a Black Swan joke.
• Someone makes a Facebook joke.
• Cher licks her lips.
• Every time a presenter arrives that has absolutely no business being there other than as shameful attempt at attracting young viewers who won't be watching anyway. (Justin Beiber et. al)
• When "Miss Golden Globe" is introduced.
• Another swig if she's totally awkward about it. Having celebrity parents is SO mortifying!
• You spot a closeted gay. (Kevin Spacey et. al)
• Every time there's a closeup reaction shot of someone who clearly did not get Ricky Gervais's joke. (Even if they're laughing)
• You see two celebrities you'd otherwise never see together sharing a table. (The seating arrangements are so bent sometimes.)
• A winner is announced. Keeping chugging until they make it to the stage!

GOOD LUCK.

A Drinking Opportunity: Captain America with "The Fighter"?

8:14  BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - CHRISTIAN BALE. The speech is great and I loved that he singled out Mark Wahlberg's work and mentioned that the stoic character never reaps the benefits. Like so.

Mark, really got a give a shout to Mark. You can only give a loud performance like the one I gave when you have a quiet anchor, a stoic character. I've played that one many times and it never gets any notice... thank you buddy. Kudos to you for that. Otherwise we wouldn't have gotten away with it.

8:16 Katey Sagal wins BEST ACTRESS IN DRAMA SERIES for "Sons of Anarchy" but we were ordering pizza so I missed her speech.

8:17 Miss Golden Globe already? "Gia Mantegna". She was not awkward about it at all so you only get one drink not two. Don't be greedy about it. You'll be drunk in no time even if you're VERY strict about the roles.

8:22 Ricky Gervais just introduced Bruce Willis as "Ashton Kutcher's Dad." HEE. But then Bruce made the evening more absurd by saying the word "fabulous". I somehow didn't expect that word out of Bruce's mouth.

8:25 BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR TV - CHRIS COLFER "GLEE"
Oh he's so shook up. And he's way back there, table-wise. Beautiful speech.

I think I dropped my heart between Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore so if anyone sees that please return it to me.

You know every gayboy in the world would love to say that line. It's "fabulous" as... uh... Bruce Willis might say.

8:30 UHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhh

8:31 I don't even know what to say. They bring La Pfeiffer out to present and she is the one who gets the "honor" of introducing Tim Burton's Eyesore in Wonderland. 

Let this be a lesson to us all: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

complete post -- you see there's more: Brad & Angie 'they're just like us!', shiny new Globe toys, The Bening's crazy ass hair, Pfeiffer's exhaustion, Portman's cuteness, and more.

Click to read more ...

Overheard: "Black Swan / Donnie Darko"

Three twentysomething friends eating lunch at new hot restaurant uptown, discussing Facebook. Conversation shifts to The Social Network and an argument over whether or not Mark Zuckerberg saw the movie / stole the idea / is an asshole. They are divided. Youngest girl (who didn't like The Social Network) blurts out:

Did you see 'Black Swan'? That made no sense. She just kept talking to herself. [Pause]. You know how some people like 'Donnie Darko' because it's artsy and crap? It's like that!"

Ha. Uh, yes. Black Swan is exactly like Donnie Darko. (?)

Although now I can't stop picturing Nina haunted by Frank instead of her usual demons! She's already so scared she's like Black Chicken. Frank only makes it worse. "She's He's after me!"

Pssst. Nathaniel is experimenting with his barely used wacom drawing tablet (for Illustration Friday) which shall gather dust no more! He shall improve.