Oscar Nominations Announced: Button gets 13, Slumdog Gets 10! Dark Knight has 8!

Hello World Family,
Well, the Oscar nominations are out and most of the films you and Falcon and Dove have been discussing since the beginning of November are in the mix.

On the one year anniversary of his death, Heath Ledger gets a nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. There are seven additional noms for The Dark Knight including Visual Effects, Film Editing, and Cinematography, to name a few. This was the number one film at the box office for 2008, and it should be honored for the hard work and superb acting that came out of this project.

Slumdog Millionaire is rocking and rolling! Falcon and Dove consider this to be the front runner for Best Picture, although the films selected are top notch: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, Frost/Nixon, and The Reader round out the category. This will be a bit of a horse race, and all of these films are excellent! See them all at matinee if you can.

Some surprises:

Kate Winslett did get her Best Actress nom, but in The Reader. Falcon and Dove discussed this on the blog and in our podcasts that we thought she might get a Best Actress and a Best Supporting Actress nom, and that possibly The Reader would go Best, rather than Supporting. That is exactly what happened...but she only got one nomination. She is endearing and strong in this film, we think she is a frontrunner to get the win, even with Meryl Streep in Doubt. Anne Hathaway is in the mix, and we are so happy to see her there.
Revanche from Austria got in the Best Foreign Film finals, and we are glad to see that one rise to the top. It will have some serious competition from the animated Golden Globe winner,Waltz With Bashir.

Courtney Hunt's original screenplay is nominated for the film Frozen River. We are so proud of you! It will have some heavy competition from Martin McDonagh for In Bruges (Falcon just saw this film and it is hysterical), and Dustin Lance Black for Milk.
Pete Docter getting a nom in this category for WALL-E surprised us greatly, especially considering some of the 'plot' was considered a bit controversial (and cruel) by some. Ironically, that probably helped it. Our opinion: it wasn't that good, and there are a lot of original screenplays that could have made the cut in place of this one.

Tropic Thunder nominations for OSCARS? Well, we guess it's good to have a sense of humor, too.

Falcon and Dove are not surprised that Gran Torino didn't get one of the top main category nominations...wasn't even on our radar. There were lots of excellent films this year, so the competition was just too stiff for something like that to be in top consideration.

Michael Shannon for Best Actor in a Supporting Role was a nice surprise. He is with a tough group, including Heath Ledger.

Milk got a ton of nominations in many categories across the board, including Best Costuming. It should be. We hope this film gets a couple of Oscars before the night is over on February 22, 2009.

Art Direction is an extremely difficult category, maybe the toughest of the entire year. Changling, The Dark Knight, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road and The Duchess are all competing for top honors. Yikes! We are glad that we won't have to decide the winner, otherwise there would be five Oscars handed out right here. Can we have a tie?

Falcon and Dove wanted Taraji P. Henson to be part of the final group for Best Supporting Actress, and she made it!!! This is a world class performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The range she had to play was extreme, and she is with some very talented actresses in this category, but we believe she has a chance to win.

Let us know who you think will win. We will discuss more about these nominations as the date approaches. Again, if you can, see some of these incredible films.

Personally, Falcon and Dove thinks there should be an "Oscar Season" discount on nominated films on weekdays so that more people could go to see quality films with their families.

As an aside...this is far from an Oscar nom, but if you get a chance, go see Hotel For Dogs in theatres with your kids. This is a fun, heartwarming film full of talented teens and a variety of great dogs. This film shines a light on the issue of homeless pets, and a portion of the movie ticket purchase goes to help shelters.

Next post: After nearly 8 months of periodically looking at this list, narrowing and agonizing over choices...in celebration of their forty years (almost 41 now) of progressive rock music, we will have our YES Top 40.

I am sure we will get some feedback about that one: which songs made it, which didn't and why...

Enjoy the rest of this great week, World Family!

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Movies, Music, and Giving Thanks for the Holidays

Hello Everyone!
Falcon here. The Holiday Movie Season has started, and there should be some interesting choices in theaters this year, since some major movie releases were moved to next summer. That has allowed some smaller, independent films to get attention and additional screens that would have been difficult under normal circumstances.

First, I would like to make a music update. Apparently, there are a lot of Rik Emmett fans out there who read Falcon and Dove's blog! Wow! We have posted one of the comments that was pretty typical of what we received: fans for years, seen many a Triumph and solo show...must see this guy in concert! Thanks to everyone who wrote or emailed, or friends who just called and said they didn't know there as a show last Saturday night, and how they wished they would have known because they would have gone to see him. I almost didn't go myself because I had plans to go to New York, and things changed at the last minute, so I probably didn't do my duty of broadcasting the event in advance the way I should have...we will NOT let that happen again.

There will be Triumph reunion tour shows apparently in 2009, so everyone hold on...or "Hold On...(that pun really wasn't intended) and when we have news and tour dates, Falcon and Dove will let you know here!

Now...movies, movies, movies. I think everyone saw Quantum of Solace last week for opening. Is there anyone left who hasn't seen it? Great opening numbers...this weekend is Twilight the extremely popular books by Stephenie Meyer and starring Harry Potter's Cedric Diggory, Robert Pattinson. This is hard to describe. It you like the books, or the eye candy, you will love the film. If you don't know anything about it, and you go to the movie...you may enjoy it, maybe not. I wouldn't take young children to this, I don't care if they have read the books. Take them to see Bolt. There are some delightful animated features coming out this season with some great voices provided by veteran performers. We will cover them as they come along.

The Punisher has been cut by 30 minutes. Ugh! What I have seen leaves me wondering if it will still hold up. There are some projects that if you undertake them you do so with an understanding that some aspects cannot be compromised. The Punisher is violent and a little complicated. It is what it is. If you don't explain that well, the movie will not fly. Let's see how it looks, but I am hesitant at this point.

For stocking stuffers, make sure you get Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Ironman for those fans of comic delight. These look fierce and have great offerings in their home packages. Those who get Hellboy on Blu-Ray will have an opportunity to open some special features in the package, fill in some questions, and submit them to Guillermo del Toro who is being interviewed on Universal's HD link (Sunday at 9pm, EST)and shown on the Sci-Fi Channel next week. go to www.UniversalHiDef.com

Other up and coming films include a remake with Keanu Reeves of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Looks like the outcome is the same. Star Trek the younger...starring Pittsburgh native from Central Catholic high school (and villain on Heroes) Zack Quinto looks really impressive as Mr. Spock. There are a couple of distinctly Glasswegian accents in this younger group, and nice on the eyes for the female viewers (okay, I like rugby players, too...they're hot), but it really is hard to tell where the plot is going by the trailer. We have been waiting a long time for this one...I hope it lives up to all the hype.

Benjamin Button...well, I don't know what to say. This could fly high or drop like a rock; hard to tell. The cinematography looks great, strong actors, panoramic view through various cultures and history... but the plot is weird...weirder than weird. Baby born old and shriveled gets younger as he grows older and looks like Brad Pitt by the time he's middle-aged. Falls in love with Cate Blanchett's character, and is getting younger looking while becoming older. I don't know how this could possibly end well.

Dove and I will cover these and other films on the Thanksgiving weekend podcast next week in more detail.

Many of you are traveling for the holidays beginning this weekend, so we would like to wish you and your family well this holiday season. Stay safe, strong, happy and healthy. From our family to yours, we wish you well, World Family.

You know, Thanksgiving for us is a special, solemn holiday. It's not about football games, and stuffing ourselves over the feast (okay, maybe a little).

Thanksgiving is literally about Giving Thanks. It is a time when my daughter and I share with other friends and family members how much we appreciate their presence in our lives. We review our gratitude journals together and talk about what we are thankful for: the gifts, the blessings, and the trials, because the trials we survive teach us so much.

These are hard times for many families. Some people are losing their jobs, their savings, their livelihood. I know that it is hard to be positive at this time of year when so much is expected. The most important gift you can give anyone, is yourself: free from the burden of doubt, self deprecation, and pity. You may not be able to buy the gifts you want for your family this year, but you are not your money...you are a sacred gift and what you have to offer from your presence in your loved ones lives is more important than money will ever be. You are the priceless gift. Do not allow pettiness, competitiveness among friends and family members, etc. distract you or make you doubt your strength and fortitude. You will get another job, even if it doesn't feel that way right now. You are NOT just your occupation; you are what you dream, share, and actualize with others.

Volunteer this holiday season, you may meet your next employer standing beside you as you pass out the holiday dinner. Put a dollar in the red kettle, if you have one to spare. Sing carols to elders in nursing homes and children in hospital beds; you cannot imagine how much that means to those families. Help send gifts to our troops overseas and away from home. Coordinate events that make people smile, small or large. As you know, Falcon and Dove love these kinds of events. We meet so many cool people every event we do. Make your own celebrations for your own accomplishments. Reward yourself with down time, a good book, nice relaxing baths, or a vigorous workout that you love. Don't forget you during the holidays.

Celebrate the simple things: making meals together, playing in the snow, watching the games on television,listening to music, singing, dancing, sharing. See a movie with the kids for a dollar; most cities have bargain theatres. Celebrate your faith genuinely. Give somebody a hug. Give a lot of somebodies a hug. Tell someone you have never told that you love them. Remind those that you love what a joy they are to have in your life. Be bold and unafraid of rejection or judgement. Forgive past wrongs. Really...what does holding on to all that do for you anyway? It poisons you, and brings no joy. Let go of it and see how much better you may feel.

For those with loved ones far away, know that they love you and know that they know you love them. Distance does not make love any weaker; sometimes it actually makes it stronger. Keep you faith and your prayers high.

Dove is coming home for holiday break, and it looks like we may make a quick road trip to Philly. There's someone she would like to see...

Have a great weekend, Brothers and Sisters!
Peace,
Falcon

Hancock owns the world on July 4 weekend

Hello everyone!
We hope you had a wonderful holiday week. Many of you around the world have holidays during the first couple of weeks in July, so we hope wherever you are, that you are enjoying your special days.

Apparently, many of you around the world went to see Hancock, with Will Smith and Charlize Theron. Falcon and Dove liked it a lot: laughed, was impressed with the special effects and would give it 3 stars. It made a boatload of money: 186.7 million dollars since last Wednesday worldwide.

It did get poorly edited in plot detail in the last 40 minutes of the film... advice to director: just let the product run over 2 and a half hours. If it's important to the plot, keep it. Will Smith is pure money when opening in July, so have no fear. I got it (the backstory)...but a lot of people would have liked the background on these characters, and some of the period history could have been depicted in the film. That would have been particularly nice considering that the last time Will and Charlize were together was in beautiful Savannah in "The Legend of Bagger Vance".

Hellboy II is coming out this weekend, and should completely rock! The commercial spots have been hysterical: from public service featuring a long haired cat to American Gladiators and "In the Actor's Studio" interview.

We will be featuring some additional summer reviews shortly, so stay tuned...
Be safe, World Family,
Falcon and Dove