It’s Oscar night. Tonight, Hollywood will reward the work of the talented men and women who work to entertain us on the silver screen. The field is extremely deep this year for the golden trophies and I really had a tough time picking winners in certain categories.
I was a film minor in college so I’ve often taken the opportunity to see all the nominated films for best picture and try to see as many of the performances of the actors and actresses who have been singled out by the committee. It's one of my hobbies that I really enjoy.
However, it’s gotten a lot harder to see all the films because we now have 10 films selected for the category of Best Picture. That’s a lot. I try to see about a movie a month but having 10 pictures nominated has bloated the category. I’m sorry but Toy Story 3 should not be nominated. It should be the winner for animation but it’s not in the same category of a movie like The Social Network.
After getting off my soap box, here are my picks and predictions for tonight.
Best Picture:
This was extremely difficult for me to pick. Winter’s Bone is a tough look at life in the Ozarks in Missouri and wonderfully acted. True Grit takes you back to a time of cowboys and sheriffs. The Kids Are Alright tackles homosexual families and the challenges that they deal with. The Fighter dives into a family of boxers dealing with the drama that comes out of the struggles to get to the top of the sports world.
All amazing movies and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. But they aren’t going to win.
In my opinion, I chose from The Black Swam, The Social Network, Inception, and The King’s Speech as legit contenders for the award tonight. This was really hard to pick but I have to go with my first blush reaction to the movie after screening it and only one completely blew me away after viewing it.
My Pick: Inception
Runner Up: The Social Network
Who will win:The King’s Speech. (correct, damn it)
Best Actor:
This is a two horse race in my opinion. Colin Firth vs. James Franco.
Firth did an amazing job of bringing you into the world of a stutterer and stammerer and made you feel the frusration that comes from not being able to get words out of your mouth. Franco took you into the horror of being trapped and being forced with unbelievable choices. As someone who overcame a speech impediment, I love what Firth brought to the role but Franco was just tremendous, carrying the entire movie.
My Pick: James Franco for 127 Hours
Runner up: Colin Firth for The King’s Speech
Who will win: Colin Firth (correct blah)
Best Actress:
This is isn’t even fair. The race has been over for a weeks.
My Pick:Natalie Portman for The Black Swan
Runner up: Jennifer Lawrence for Winter’s Bone
Who will win:Natalie Portman (correct!!)
Best Supporting Actor
Again, we have a two horse race but this is one is going to be VERY interesting to watch. For most of the year, Christian Bale’s gritty performance was thought to be the pick here but The King’s Speech popularity has rocketed Geoffery Rush into the conversation. I think the momentum of Firth helps Rush here.
My Pick: Christian Bale for The Fighter (winner!!!!) Runner up: Geoffrey Rush for The King’s Speech
Who will win: Geoffrey Rush (wrong)
Best Supporting Actress:
This a tough category because the names do not jump off the screen. I was only really moved by one performance and that’s why she is my pick.
My Pick: Hailee Steinfield for True Grit
Runner up: Amy Adams for The Fighter
Who win will:Helena Bonhamn Carter for The King’s Speech (wrong)
Best Director:
This is going to be a REALLY tough pick. So many good movies to go with here.
My Pick: David Fincher for The Social Network
Runner up: Darren Aronosfky for The Black Swam
Who will win: Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech (correct F!)
It’s not everyday that you get to write about achieving something that you have been working towards for 11 years but today is one of those days. First, thank you for all the interest, emails, twitter messages, and phone calls. It means a lot to me that people care what is happening with my career.
Thanks to the pieces falling into place finally, I can now say that I’m going home to take a run at big time radio in New England.
When I was 22, I was working in the basement of a news/talk station in Nashua, NH for my first professional radio job. I was the board op for a conservative talk show for 2 hours everyday and I got to host a sports talk show from 8 to 9 am every Saturday. I did that for 3 months after I graduated college and my college buddy Brett reminded this week that I used to put him on as a guest so I had someone to talk to during the show.
Little did I know that I would be returning to that city over a decade later.
In August of 1999, I left my newborn sister with my mother, stepfather and 3 brothers back in Massachusetts in order to get the experience needed to one day get to work on the radio in Boston. I went to Virginia, Alabama, Nebraska, and Iowa and had a blast covering some amazing sporting events and cutting my teeth in the sports talk business.
When my contract was not renewed in Omaha in 2009, I thought that I was going to have to start over from scratch because I wasn’t sure that I was going to reach my goal after being passed over by several major market jobs. I even thought I was going to Seattle right up until my contract expired in Nebraska but I lost out to someone who worked for ESPN in the final hours.
Then Ken Miller called me and asked me to join the afternoon show on KXnO.
A man named Joel McCrea runs KXnO. I didn’t know it at the time but he would become the second greatest boss of my career, behind only Bill Dunnavant who hired me with the sole purpose of turning me into a talk show host. Without Bill, there is no career but without Joel, there is no announcement right now.
Over the past 2 years, I have been allowed to fill-in on sports talk stations in St. Louis, Kansas City and most recently, my dream station of WEEI in Boston. Being able to show off my talents in major markets has opened so many doors for me and put me in the position to be coveted. I would like the audience of KXnO to know that I was not actively looking to get out however. From 25 to 30, I applied for as many jobs as I could but for the last 2 years, I have honestly not applied for a single position. Every opportunity was presented to me, not pursued by me and I turned down 2 job offers in just the last year.
I will now be hosting afternoon drive on WGAM in Nashua/Manchester, NH beginning in March. Being in the area will open so many doors for my career but I'm so excited to be joining an awesome organization. Mike Winn, my new GM, has been someone that I have wanted to work for for years and I can't wait to get going with him.
It was the combination of working in market 11 while getting to talk Boston sports every weekday on a great station that was just too much to pass up when it was offered. Plus, I’ll be 20 minutes from my family after living over 1,000 miles away the past 11 years. My sister is now 11 and I've missed countless birthdays, plays and special moments. Now, I get to tape more "Matt and Maggie Movie Reviews"!!
This opportunity would not have been possible if it wasn’t for Joel McCrea letting me spread my wings and grow. I was not pushed out at KXnO. I was not told to find another job and I sure as heck was not fired. Anyone saying as much is lying and trying to take away from the hard work I put in to earn this opportunity. Yes, Joel has taken a ton of heat for me but he believed in me as a broadcaster and has tutored me through some very tough situations.
There is more to this story too. Justin Bastinelli is co-host of the new show in New Hampshire. He and I went to high school together and Justin introduced my brother to his wife. Having him to work with everyday only increased the attractiveness of the job and I can’t wait to get started working with him.
However, I want to thank Ken Miller for telling KXnO that I was the guy he wanted to work with and going to bat for me to get the job. Without Matt and Miller, there is no way I ever get the chance to be on WEEI. I grew as a talk show host by working with Ken and learned a ton about football from him. His sports knowledge and ability to breakdown games is truly remarkable and I hope I stay in touch with him for years to come. It was truly an honor to get to work with him and he is first class all the way.
I’ll start on the air in March on WGAM but you can hear me this Sunday on WEEI from 4 to 7 Eastern Time if you want to hear some Boston sports talk from me before I head to New England officially. And for those wondering, the Rivals site (TheBluejaycafe.com) that I run will still be part of my day-to-day job.
Thanks to everyone who has been a friend to me along as this journey. I have met so many amazing people. It’s been a wild ride but after a few more days ….
We always hear it barked out in bars from half conscious jukebox listeners or from a parent while you are driving with them in a car as they scan the radio.
“Nobody makes good music anymore.”
I think some people just say it now because it makes them sound cool or retro. My retort to them is pretty simple: Open your ears to the 2011 Grammy Award show.
I was blown away at the talent displayed on Sunday night and I realized that we are getting to experience and enjoy some amazing music right now. I love all genres of music and I know I’m not normal but I really thought that the artists who were selected to play were awesome. There was so much diversity yet all were so talented and skilled at the art of performing.
As someone who has been going to shows since I was 15, I thought the 210-minute show wasn’t long enough and didn’t want it to end.
The show started off with a tribute to Aretha Franklin sung by 5 women: Jennifer Hudson, Christina Aguilera, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams, and Martina McBride.
Talk about a cross section of singers!
But the power and beauty of their voices reminded me that we didn’t always have singers like at the Grammys. Remember the 2000 show with the Britney Spears disaster?
Speaking of pop music at the Grammys, you might hate Lady Gaga but she can flat out sing. You might despise Justin Bieber but the kid played guitar on stage, sang his own song, and danced along side Usher, maybe the greatest dance artist of our time. You might think that Katy Perry is a bimbo but the girl can sing the hell out of a pop song and “Teenage Dream” is an album full of catchy, radio friendly hits.
Country took center stage as Miranda Lambert performed the multi-nominated “House That Built Me”. If you don’t know Lambert’s music, you should. She played in Des Moines a few months back opening up for Brad Paisley and did a very nice job. She is one of the young stars of country music that doesn’t get talked about enough.
Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan stole the show in my opinion and if you don’t have Mumford’s “Sigh No More” or Avett’s “I And Love And You” albums BUY THEM!! Like RIGHT NOW! The Alt-Country movement is exploding and I could not be more in love with the sounds and songs coming out from it.
Memo to all you 1970 retreads – Rock music is not dead. Muse and Arcade Fire blew the doors off the Staples Center. Arcade Fire’s electrifying rendition of “Ready To Start” ended the show after the band had been awarded the Grammy for “Album of the Year.” I’ll admit it, I was way late on Arcade Fire but the band has really grown on me and their sound is so unique that I think it scares people away. I love the huge number of members and double drum sets that they display and any band with a fiddle is worth checking out in my book.
Rap/Hip-Hop/R&B accounted for two of the most interesting moments of the night when Bruno Mars, B.O.B. and Janelle Monae sang four of their songs together on stage and when Eminem came out, teaming up with Rihanna and Dr. Dre to blast out “Love The Way You Lie”, we saw the true skill of the best rapper in the game.
Rihanna’s performance of “What’s My Name” with Drake was memorizing also and highlighted the depths of her talent.
Lady Antebellum owned the night by winning multiple awards including the coveted “Record of the Year” for mega-popular “Need You Now”. I don’t care what you say, you like that song. It’s heartbreaking, powerful and honest and exploded across genres this past year. The harmony singing of the band is something we are going to hear more of in 2011 from acts like The Civil Wars.
There were some fun moments like when Cee Lo Green sang “Fuck You” with Gwyneth Paltro with puppets as back-up singers, making the Grammys the unique show that it is.
I think the 2011 Grammy Awards were the retort to anyone that asks, “What happened to music?” I say to them: what happened to you that you are so lazy that you can’t recognize the talent that we current have to listen to?
Yes, Katy Perry is the perfect combination of beauty, sex, singing, and dancing and pop radio plays her to death but what do you say about Mumford and Sons performing or Arcade Fire playing two songs? There is something for everyone out there right now and at high quality. Lucky for me – I like it all.
Espranza Spaulding winning best new artist was joke but that’s ok. Every award show needs a little controversy and sometimes I actually like when my favorite bands don’t win Grammys. Keep ‘em hungry for that win.
Sunday night showed me that great music is alive and well. If you disagree, you just have to open your ears….and maybe your mind.
Sidebar: Just read that the A.P. called this year's Grammys "The Year of the Indie" ... no wonder I loved it :)
Do you believe in fate? That you are on a predetermined path and nothing you can do can change what will become of your life?
I don't because I don't like to think I'm not in control of my own decisions. I think I carve my own path in life. However, there is something similar that has been a part of my life that has often caused me to think about fate and the path I've been on.
I believe in luck, fortunate situations that work out for you because you were in the place you were supposed to be. I also believe that some things just …. happen. But doing what you were born to do is the key to being content in my opinion, and being on the right path will often lead to luck finding its way to you.
Now, do you believe in lucky numbers? I mean more than just favorite numbers but numbers that actually are in play with your life and can sometimes show you, in hindsight, that you went the right direction?
Mine are 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 32 and the role they've played in my life is pretty wild.
Those are not numbers just pulled out of thin air and I’ve actually spent some time thinking about them and how they are involved in my life and when I do, I get a little freaked out.
I've come to believe that there is a rhyme and possibly a reason to how I've bounced around in this life and I've seen good things happen to me when those numbers are in play.
Maybe I’m completely crazy or completely supersitous but I don’t believe in a traditional “God” or “Religion” so maybe this is my wacko belief system that has no proof but it’s not like I let this govern my life nor do I use them before I make a decision. I just think it’s cool to point them out after the fact when things go right and my numbers are involved.
Here’s how I got my numbers:
I was born on 4-4-77. April 4, 1977.
In that (2) 4s and (2) 7s exist right? Well, I took 2 (the 4s) x 7 = 14 and then went 4 x 7 = 28.
14 was my number growing up for all sports until I couldn’t get it for basketball and had to go with 32. 14 was my "lucky" number and was always drawn to it for whatever reason. I don’t know for sure why I picked 32 but I think it was the favorite number of my girlfriend at the time and I used it for my senior year for varsity soccer as well.
How did I get 21? Well, the best I can come up with is Roger Clemens wore it, my second favorite Red Sox player growing up. So I’m cool with that and I’ve always liked 21. It’s Blackjack after all.
Des Moines has been awesome to me. So, I like to look around and see if there is a possible number equation that could be why I was suppose to come here. Maybe that's really weird but I like to know why I was supposed to move here.
I love my building downtown but I loved it even more when I saw that if you add the numbers in my address it equals 4. I was really pumped too when I saw that when you take my apartment number it’s 2 x 7 = 14. Those numbers came into my life completely by chance and I didn't even realize it until I had lived here for 6 months but I think it’s a good omen.
My Iowa license plate has the number 32 on it totally by chance and my Nebraska plate had 2s and 7s in it.
More?
I work at 2141 Grand Ave. 2 X 1 = 2. 4 x 1 = 4. In addition to those numbers 2, 4, and 21 are in the address. Fate? Just dumb luck? Probably but it’s still cool to me.
Oh, by the way, I work on 1460 on the AM dial. LOL. I worked at 590 AM in Omaha before that. 5 plus 9 = 14.
My first job where I learned how to become a talk show host in Alabama, the one place I never thought I would ever live and had to be convinced to take the job by my first ever PD by being told that I was a natural talk show host but I just didn't know it yet ... was on 730 AM.
As the syllables “U2” came out of my mouth, the conversation stopped as if a waiter had dropped a tray full of china in the middle of a crowded French restaurant.
One of the first debates I ever got into with friends was “who is the greatest rock band?” It’s a typical conversation over drinks but when argued by people who play cover music in bars and people who claim to understand music on a spiritual level, the debate becomes very boring and predictable. There is a judgment that is passed by certain music lovers that has always bothered me. You know whom I mean, the ones who think that anything popular is instantly unlikeable. One of the guys actually said to me "Dude, do you know how much good music never gets heard?!"
I had to fight the urge to laugh. No man, I've only been going to shows since I was 15 to see acts that most people have no clue who they are.
So when I said that I believed that U2 is the greatest rock band now and maybe ever, well, the look of disbelief raced across the faces of the quasi-strangers that I was talking to. The retorts were as easy to see coming as fat kid going after wedding cake. Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Doors, and Queen all came flying out. All fine selections but I don’t own every album by those artists. I do own all 12 U2 albums and can listen to them all still to this day.
This debate actually pushed me towards sports as a profession to be honest. I debate music as “in my lifetime” because I wasn’t alive during the 60’s. I wasn’t alive during most of the 70’s even so how can I debate something as personal as music when I wasn’t around to experience it? Ani DiFranco has had a much bigger impact on me than Simon and Garfunkel.
I’m 33. The people I was debating this topic were 31 to 26. They weren’t around it either but that didn’t stop them from sounding like something from a Dazed and Confused scene with bands they were throwing out. I just don't get into what WAS in music. I like to talk about IS going on with it.
Yet to me, there is no right answer when debating the topic of music. In sports, you can argue stats, performance, and records. In music, you have ticket sales, album sales, radio play, and other money driven numbers that have nothing to do with the emotion of the art. Is Ke$ha better than Laura Marling cause she sells more records? No. But it’s personal, how the music has touched you, affected you and maybe a girl in Milwaukee likes Ke$ha more cause she can relate to her music more than Marling's. I didn’t want to debate emotion for the rest of my life. It takes away from my own enjoyment of the beauty so I decided to not pursue a career in music.
I think the movie "Almost Famous” was the perfect explanation of how I feel about music. When you get too close, you lose something.
So in that vain, here is my Top 10 Albums for 2010. And you can argue with me if you want, but don’t get mad if I don’t engage you.
10. Speak Nowby Taylor Swift
If you love music, you love Taylor Swift. I don't care if you're a country fan, a pop fan, or whatever...the girl is just flat out talented. Her third studio album just continued to prove that Swift will be a force in the music world for years to come. Sure, she is still really young and lots of her fans are girls under the age of 18. So what? Taylor is not Ke$ha or Brittany. So far, Speak Now has seen all 14 tracks appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after it was released on October 25th. The first single "Mine" has made it to No. 3. Articulate and smart, Swift is the type of artist that you are completely comfortable allowing your kids to idolize. My 11 year old sister went to go see Swift in concert this summer and came away even more in love with her (if that were possible). Swift has the amazing ability of writing songs that speak to people twice her age while still maintaining a youthful shock to how successful she actually has become. Here's to looking for forward to even more from the amazing singer/songwriter.
9. Distant Relativesby Nas and Damian Marley
The Marley family has been making amazing music for generations. I think if you were born in the 70's, Bob Marley's Legend album was required owning. I'll never forget driving around Cape Cod in high school during the summer listening to Bob. In college, things slid into Ziggy Marley and his amazing spin on Reggae music, touring with his father's backing band - The Wailers. Damian Marley has taken his career into hip-hop and "Distant Relatives" is an amazing album. That doesn't mean Nas isn't a star on this album as well. I prefer listening to rap music that has purpose and a message. I don't like hearing about ho's and drugs in every other line. The track above is my favorite off the album.
8. Mt. Desolation by Mt. Desolation
I've written about this album before on this blog, but if you like country with a different spin - this album is amazing. Keane writer Tim Rice-Oxley and member Jesse Quin joined forces with members from The Killers, Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, and others to form this new band that released their first album in October. Being a huge Keane fan, I knew of this album and was counting down the days till it was released. "State of Our Affairs" is the best track on the album in my opinion but there are several really interesting tracks to discover.
7. Night Trainby Keane
If you have read this blog before, you knew this album was going to be on this list. However, it's lower than I probably would have thought it would have been after I put it all together. The EP did not sell well in America and I'm not sure what the future for this band will be in the US. Regardless, Keane is currently in my top 3 for favorite artists and seeing them twice and then meeting the band in Minneapolis this summer was a huge deal to me. Night Train is different than other Keane albums but the song above was released here and should have been a bigger hit than it was. It's my favorite on the record. "We won't be leaving by the same road that we came by" .... exactly!
6. I Speak Because I Canby Laura Marling
To continue the run on British bands who released albums this year, Laura Marling's second full studio album (third overall) is probably a little higher on this list because how much I love all her work. The 20 year old is kinda like the Brit version of Taylor Swift with a little more attitude. Her guitar playing is tremendous and her voice is haunting. Her songs will stick with you for a long, long time if you are kind enough to expose yourself to her. I Speak came out in March and is filled with songs about women and their role in society. The album reached number 1 on the Brit charts .... Hello America? Wake up to this woman's talents.
5. Recoveryby Eminem
This is another album that caused me to write a long entry on this blog after listening to it. Eminem's newest album returned him the level of the elite performers of our time. His honesty on this record brought millions of his fans into his life and showed the vulnerability that caused his explosion in the first place. Em speaks to so many different people through his music that his appeal is nearly universal. I love the beeps in the track above (LOL) but The Roots rocked the backing band!
4. Lungsby Florence and The Machine
Ok - technically this album was released in 2009 but there were some issues getting it out in America and really didn't hit until January of this past year. So, I put it in 2010 ... and BOY what a year for this band. Florence's voice is one of the most unique I've ever heard. There are so many amazing tracks on this album and yes, The Killers are easily heard inside of her music but her lyrics are gripping and the notes she hits are awesome. Fiercely original, I can't wait to see what she does with her second album. On my top list of 5 bands I haven't seen yet, Florence and the Machine sit at number 2.
3. Brothersby The Black Keys
No, not The Black Eyed Peas ... this band from Ohio had a big year in 2010. Brothers came out to mass critical acclaim and the video above is my favorite of the year. Their sound is very easy to distinguish from other rock bands from the Midwest with their mix of blues and rock. Spin Magazine named the band their artist of the year in 2010. Rolling Stone picked this album for the second best of the year. I completely love it. Highly recommend it.
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasyby Kayne West
By most publications, this is the album of the year. I don't argue with anyone who says that. It is flat out inspiring and amazing on all levels. Intense, personal, and passionate, the first four tracks of this album might be the best beginning to any rap album I've ever heard. It simply explodes in your head. Power is picked by some for the song of the year as well. You might hate Kayne as a person, but as a performer - the dude is sick.
1. Sigh No Moreby Mumford and Sons
In February, Mumford and Sons' album finally made out in the US. The date you see in the clip above is exactly two years before America would get to hear the talents of this amazing band officially. The confusion on when this album officially came out is one reason why you don't see it listed by most publications. However, in December, it was nominated for 2 2010 Grammy Awards. Laura Marling is close to this band and together they are producing music in England that crushes anything I've heard in America from folk bands over the past year. If you don't own this album, I suggest you run to your computer to download it. Simply put, it's the best work of the year from start to finish.
In my opinion, I chose from The Black Swam, The Social Network, Inception, and The King’s Speech as legit contenders for the award tonight. This was really hard to pick but I have to go with my first blush reaction to the movie after screening it and only one completely blew me away after viewing it.
