Somehow, we weren’t quite right about our Oscar predictions on Sunday night and – for some reason – we didn’t win anything, but on the plus side, people noticed our little hotel (here, here, here, here, here). It’s not a close-up, but we’ll take it.
Oh, and apparently, we have fans in Scotland. Cheers!
It’s Oscar predictions time! Last year, the winner of best picture was… I can’t remember. Oh yeah, the Slumdog Millionaire movie. That was a fantastic movie but in the preceding 12 months, I have totally forgotten about it. In 2010, however, we’ve got movies that you’ll never forget: A Serious Hurt, Up In The Avatar, There’s Something About Basterds, A Precious Education, The Blind 9, and a few others.
Best Actor: James Cameron for Avatar. He made us believe in furry blue people called Na’vi in a far away land called Pandora, and then he revealed to our dismay that the movie was not a documentary like his last couple of pictures, and was instead entirely fictional. He duped us, and for that, he deserves an Oscar. Also, the whole symbolism of calling the planet Pandora – aka, the box full of bad stuff that we shouldn’t open; very nice, Cameron. I caught that. On my second viewing.
Best Actress: Meryl Streep for anything, because shouldn’t this award be named for her at this point? A more pressing issue, somewhat akin to women’s ski-jump, shouldn’t Streep just start competing against the men at this point? She could out-Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp any day of the week. Just wait. After that, she’s going to release a mixtape. Eat your heart out, Lil Wayne.
Best Original Screenplay:Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, simply because after the conclusion of Transformers 1, I saw absolutely no way for them to make a sequel. Everything was wrapped up so nicely. It was like a neat little bowtie, made of explosions. I’m sure you were just as surprised as I was.
Best Adapted Screenplay:District 9, but you know, I’m really tired of people adapting my life story to film. It’s getting old, guys. Next time, though, make sure to make my hair come down to my shoulders, even if you have to do it in post. That’s how it happened.
Best Animated Picture:UP, because I cried. And it didn’t even have unicorns.
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, because James Cameron should not be encouraged. Smurfs and Pocahontas do not mix, dude.
Best Picture: UP. This one is the hardest award to give out, simply because it’s the last and my fingers are getting tired from typing. (Editor’s note: This is a lie. Bruce doesn’t type. He dictates to a monkey.) Avatar made more money than any other movie ever, but technically – at least according to the rules I’ve never read – the Academy Awards is not actually a popularity contest. The Hurt Locker is another big contender, but as most of us learned in high school, and I learned in pre-school, popularity does matter, at least a little. So neither of those can win. Up In The Air was a good movie, full of empathy and flying, but if you have the chance to fire George Clooney in a movie, you just have to do it. I mean, come on, the man lives a dream life! While I assume there were other contenders, my monkey didn’t write very clearly on this napkin, so I’m not sure what else was nominated. Which leaves me with UP. Even though there were no unicorns. So congratulations, Pixar. Your first best picture win. All you had to do was make a movie about a crazy old man in a flying balloon house. How hard was that really?
Join us for this week’s Indie Thursday featuring the musical stylings of Chris Accardo, a singer/songwriter based in LA. Classically trained on the piano, this Kansas City native has a rich, booming voice that hooks his audiences, whether he is on piano keys or acoustic guitar. Check him out at MySpace or watch this video of Chris jamming live on NBC:
While enjoying the music, guests are encouraged to try the delicious appetizers, delightful entrees, and handcrafted signature cocktails available from the Lobby Bar.
All ages are welcome to these family-friendly events and, unlike a lot of venues in Hollywood, there’s no cover. That means free for everyone!
Good morrow, people! Did you hear all about the Oscar nominations? Yes, I’m a few weeks late, but I prefer my mail to be delivered by carrier moose, and apparently all the moose have been tied up with some sporting event in the arctic north. Somewhere around Canada and a place called Vancouver. Never heard of it.
While I will have plenty more to say about the nominations, what I want to concentrate on today is the wonderful indie movie business in this city. One of the greatest things about living (or visiting) Los Angeles is the ability to see classic movies, foreign hits, avant-garde cinema, and notable independent movies on the big screen. Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, anywhere else in the world, can you see Lawrence of Arabia in 70 mm. (Editor’s Note: Probably. Bruce hasn’t actually done any research to verify that fact.) Take that, Portland. And you too, New York. Yeah, I’m calling you out, San Francisco. In this area, you all got nothin’ on our fair city. Word. (Editor’s Note: Rad? Tubular?)
In honor of this, here are a few theatre venues and organizers who tweet their movie schedules:
Downtown Independent @DowntownIndie – Lots of old films, beer, wine, food, and a gorgeous building to boot.
The Cinefamily @cinefamily – Near Melrose and Fairfax, with interesting and unusual screenings in the restored Silente Movie Theatre.
New Beverly @newbeverly – One of the best places to see independent, foreign, and art-house cinema on the planet, at Fairfax and LaBrea. Now owned by director Quentin Tarantino.
Cinespia @cinespia – During the Summer, Cinespia puts on killer screenings of old classics on the lawn of the Hollywood Cemetery. Chilly, and chilling.
Arclight Hollywood @ALHollywood – Not independent by any means, but one of the best places to watch a movie on the planet, period. They respect movies and the audience as much as anyone.
Art Theatre Long Beach @ArtTheatre – Never been, but heard good things. A little out of the way, but looks like a very solid lineup with coffee and wine bars in a classic restored movie house.
Landmark Theatres @LTLosAngeles – Not really indie either, but this is all about the Nuart, one of the better small theatres in LA. At Santa Monica and the 405.
American Cinematheque @sidgrauman – Two theatres, the gorgeous Egyptian in Hollywood and the Aero in Santa Monica. Amazing lineups of films, great festivals, and frequently updated twitter feed.
El Capitan Theatre @ElCapitanThtre – This is the Disney-owned theatre in Hollywood, right across the street from the Hollywood & Highland Center. Big Disney movies, with fun bonus experiences as part of the ticket price. Definitely worth it, at least once.
UCLA Campus Event Commission @uclacec – New to us, but they twitter frequently about coming screenings on campus.
Laemmle Theatres @LaemmleTheatres – With a couple locations around Los Angeles, including the Sunset 5, these theatres are frequently the only place in the city to see a particular small foreign film.
That’s all for today. Make sure to follow these theatres and organizations (and us!), go see movies, and tip your moose when he brings you your mail.
We are very excited to announce that Angel Taylor, whose debut album “Love Travels” was named iTunes’ Best Pop Album of 2009, will be performing live at our hotel this Saturday night, February 20, 2010. Starting at 6 pm, the performance is free and open to the public.
A current VH1 “You Oughta Know” Artist On The Rise, Taylor is an extraordinary singer-songwriter and has been hailed as one of the brightest new artists of 2009, poised for a breakout year in 2010. Taylor is touring the country’s Renaissance Hotels as a part of her “Love Travels” Tour, and coming to Hollywood makes this performance something of a homecoming for Taylor, a Los Angeles native. You can see coverage of her previous travels here. To get a taste of her music, here’s her recent video for the single, “Like You Do,” which premiered on Yahoo Music:
Somehow, we weren’t quite right about our Oscar predictions on Sunday night and – for some reason – we didn’t win anything, but on the plus side, people noticed our little hotel (here, here, here, here, here). It’s not a close-up, but we’ll take it. 
