Friday, March 29, 2013

Luxury Everything - Kind of Makes Me Sick

Have you seen this new commercial for the Acura RXL?

   

As soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but instantly find myself a little sickened.

Luxury Bed.
Luxury Sheets.
Luxury Shower.
Luxury Towel.
Luxury Suit.
Luxury Watch.
Luxury Coffee.
Luxury Coffeemaker.
Luxury Sugar.
Luxury House.
Luxury Car.

It's only 11 luxury items mentioned and for me it's over the top.

Maybe it's conviction because there's time when I like spending a little more for certain items. Who doesn't like a little luxury? I do. Whether it's a low end item like food or high end item like a house. Even if I don't have certain luxury's I can appreciate the quality and style of these items.

But this commercial is trying to say that the Acura RXL makes our other luxury item seem normal, which seems like a great campaign. But I'm left with the question of "Does everything need to be luxury?"

In fact, it makes me kind of sickened how everything (light fixtures, pastries, socks, vacations) can be marketed with luxury appeal...and we buy it.

Yet seeing it 10 seconds of luxury in this Accura commercial makes me want to drink Folgers Coffee out of a Mr. Coffee coffee pot in a matted bath robe from Walmart.

(Except I don't have Folger's Coffee, a Mr. Coffee brand coffee pot, or a bath robe - bummer!)

Monday, March 25, 2013

Reel People: Chadwick Boseman is Jackie Robinson

The film is 42. The sports biopic is directed and scripted by Oscar winner Brian Helgeland (Helgeland won the Oscar for his adapted screenplay L.A. Confidential, and was later nominated for his adapted screenplay for Mystic River).

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born on January 31, 1919 to sharecroppers in Cairo, Georgia. His middle name was given to him in honor of the late President Theodore Roosevelt who had died earlier in the month.

Jackie was the youngest of five children, and their father abandoned the family in 1920. His mother moved their family to Pasadena, California where the family lived at 121 Pepper Street.

Encouraged to play sports by his older athletic siblings (including his brother Mack Robinson who won the Silver metal at the 1936 Olympics in the 200 meter sprint), Jackie would play sports at the varsity level including baseball, football, tennis, track and field, and basketball. From John Muir High School, he would continue to play these sports at Pasadena Junior College.

While at Pasadena Junior College, major events included being arrested for vocally defending and disputing a fellow black classmate detention, as well as fracturing his ankle. He also grew and increasing reputation for being a great athlete and an involved student.

When he graduated from Pasadena Junior College in 1939 he transferred to UCLA. Continuing his success in four sports (Baseball, Football, Track, and Basketball), he became the first student at UCLA to receive varsity letters in four different sports. Many would say that Baseball was Robinson's worst sport of the four.

As a senior he would meet his wife, then a freshman, Rachel Isum, although they wouldn't marry until years later.

In the spring of 1941, shy of graduation, Jackie would drop out of UCLA and took a job with the government as assistant athletic director to the National Youth Administration (NYA), an agency created during the new deal that had started in 1935. The agency would fall apart, during WWII, and Robinson's time with the NYA was short. He left California in the fall of 1941 to Honolulu to play football for the racial integrated semi-professional team Honolulu Bears.

On the date of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, Robinson had just been in Hawaii for an exhibition game but was sailing back to California on the SS Lurline. He would cease his career with the Honolulu Bears and begin playing football for the Los Angeles Bulldogs, part of the Pacific Coast Football League. The Los Angeles Bulldogs season ended early though as the United States entered WWII.

In 1942 Jackie Robinson was drafted to Army Calvary unit and was stationed in Fort Riley, Kansas were he became friends with heavy weight boxing champion Joe Lewis. After some protest, Robinson and Lewis were allowed into the Officer Candidate School, were Robinson would be commissioned as Second Lieutenant in January 1943. Robinson would be then reassigned to Fort Hood, Texas where he joined the 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion.

Robinson's tank battalion was the first all-blank tank unit to see combat, but Robinson did not go to the battle front because while awaiting test from his junior college ankle injury he ran into an ordeal with a bus driver ordering him to the back of the bus, this was escalated to include a court marshal that caused him to be transferred to another unit and delayed his service due to awaiting court proceedings. He was acquitted in August of 1944, transferred to Camp Breckinridge Kentucky coaching Army athletics until he was discharged in November of 1944.

Upon discharge he had a short stint as athletic director at Sam Houston College in Austin  Texas, where he coached the school's basketball team.

The in 1945, Robinson was offered a contract to play for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Baseball league. Disatisfied with the disorganization of the Negro Leagues, Robinson was interested in professional baseball and tried out for the Boston Red Sox, a team which ended up being disinterested in racial integration.

Instead, he ended up developing a relationship with Branch Rickey, general manager for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey was interested in integration, and Robinson, but also wanted to ensure that Robinson would not fight back against antagonistic racial comments if signed. Rickey signed Robinson to their farm team, the Montreal Royals. This was publicly announced on October 23, 1945.

On February 10, 1946, that Robinson and Rachel Isum, whom he had met at UCLA were married.

In spring training in Daytona Beach, Florida, Robinson didn't stay at the team hotel, instead stayed with a local black politician. Johnny Wright, another black player Branch had drafted, played AAA baseball for the Montreal Royals in 1946 as well, and local authorities were resistant to allowing games be held if Robinson or Wright were going to participate. On March 17, 1946 Robinson played in an exhibition game against the Brookyln Dodgers, becoming the first black minor league player to play against a major league team.

It was in 1946 that Robinson would have his first over three children, Jackie Robinson Jr. (His other two children Sharon Robinson and David Robinson would be born in 1950 and 1952).

In 1947, six days before the start of the season, Robinson would be called up to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers where he played his first game as a first baseman at Ebbet's field on April 15, 1947. Robinson's presence on team had mixed reviews from other players on his own team, as well as others. He also received mixed reviews from fans, who were flocking to the games regardless of their opinion. Most notably, the St. Louis Cardinals threatened to strike if Robinson played. But National League President Ford Frick and Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler advised the Cardinals that striking players would be suspended.

In 1947, Robinson won the inaugural Rookie of the Year Award.

Later seasons saw a decrease in racial prejudice as other black players joined the league on the Dodgers and other teams in the National and American Leagues (Larry Doby broke the color barrier the same year as Robinson later in the season for the Cleveland Indians).

1949 was a great season for Robinson with a significantly improved batting average, he would take home the  MPV for the National League, as well as be the starting second baseman for the All-Star game.

In 1950 Jackie Robinson stared in a film adaptation of his life in The Jackie Robinson Story. Ruby Dee played his wife Rachel "Rae" Robinson. This didn't sit well with Dodger's co-owner Walter O'Malley who was not interested in this type of exploit. Around this same time Branch Rickey would leave the Brooklyn Dodgers and go to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Robinson continued to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, were he did experience racial prejudice, but also spoke out against prejudice's in sports and other areas of American life, such as hotels.

In 1955, the Brooklyn Dodgers won the world series against the New York Yankees, although this was not his best season.

At the end of the 1956 season Robinson was traded to the New York Giants, but before the trade was finalized he had retired from baseball accepting the postion as vice president and director of personnel at the New York coffee company Chock full o' Nutts. His retirement story was revealed through Look magazine.

Robinson in taking the job at Chock full o' Nutts would become the first black person to have the role of Vice President for a major American corporation.

Following his career he was diagnosed with diabetes.

In 1962, Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first year on the ballot. He was the first black baseball player given the honor.

In 1965 he served as analyst for ABC's Major League Baseball Game of the Week telecast, as well as other later television telecast of this nature.

The Brooklyn Dodgers would retire Robinson's uniform number "42" on June 4, 1972.

He continued to be active in politics and social organizations like the NAACP, encouraging integration and opportunity for African-Americans.

On October 24, 1972 Jackie Robinson would die of a heart-attack in Stamford, Connecticut at the age of 53.

42

The film 42 tells the story of Jackie Robinson, particularly his early days of baseball and signing with Branch Rickey to break the baseball color line.

In addition to Chadwick Boseman playing the part of Jackie Robinson, the film also features Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey. Nicole Behaire plays the part of Robinson's wife, Rachel. John C. McGinnley plays sports broadcaster Red Barber.

Baseball players portrayed in the film include Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni), Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black), Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk). Baseball player C.J. Nitkowski plays pitcher Dutch Leonard.

A relative unknown performer, will Chadwick Boseman receive award attention, maybe an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of this Reel (Real) Person?

Friday, March 22, 2013

Fun with words: Tricolons

Earlier this year I remember reading in the Guardian someone use the word tricolon referring to the rhetoric of Jodi Foster's Golden Globe speech.

The tricolon shows up in the emphasized portion of the sentence here: "If you had been a public figure from the time that you were a toddler, if you'd had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe you too might value privacy above all else."

In the same ways jokes and fairy tales seem better with characters (a priest, a rabbi and duck walk into a bar, or the three little pigs), somehow a sentence with three strong thoughts seem to stick out in a way that two simply cannot.

Julius Ceaser understood this, and in the year 47 BC he said "Veni, vidi, vici" which means "I came, I saw, I conquered." This tricolon is still repeated today.

Whether it's The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, or the three most important things to keep in mind when buying a house (Location, Location, Location), there's something powerful about the tricolon.

Two will do, three is better, and four is simply to crowded.

It can be famous film lines ("Lions and Tigers and bears, oh my"), or car slogans, like when Chevy said "Eye it, try it, buy it."

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Fun With Words: Controyms (or auto-antonyms)

Some people complain that English is complicated, I like to think instead that English is kind of fun. Here's a new word you might not know: "Contronym."

You probably know that synonyms are words that have similar meanings and antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. But a contronym is a single word that can have two opposite meanings.

For example the word "sanction" can mean either to show support of something (give permission, allow, bless) or to not support something (punish, to penalize).  Sanction is a contronym. You talk about a marriage being sanctioned, as well as countries being sanctioned, and it means opposite things contextually.

Here's some other example's of contronyms and some sentences that use the word both ways:

  • Cleave (Adhere, Detach): "She loves to cleave tree trunks with her father's old axe, when I tried to buy her a new one she cleaved to it and would not let the old one go."
  • Clip (Adhere, Detach): "After she got her hair clipped she clipped in a hair bow"
  • Dust (Remove particles, lay down particles): "He dusted off the crumbs before he dusted them with sugar."
  • Left (Departing, Remaining): "After the girls left the room only the boys were left in the room."
  • Variety (One type, many types): "There was a variety of pears at the farmer's market, but I only bought Red d'Anjou pears because they are my favorite variety."
  • Weather (Withstand, wear away): "After years of weathering big storms, the barn became weathered after last year's hot summer."

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Reel People: Daniel Radcliffe is Allen Ginsberg

The film is Kill Your Darlings which is the debut feature film directed and written by John Krokidas.

Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was born in New Jersey on June 3, 1926. His father, Louis, a Jewish school teacher and his mother, Naomi, a communist.

Allen Ginsberg had some unique influences including a father who was interested in poetry and his mother therapy for mental illness. Both of his parents also had a high degree of social concern which they passed onto their son, leading Ginsberg at a young age to take a stand on a number of social and political issues.

In 1943 Ginsberg attended Montclair State College shortly before attending Columbia University on scholarship. At Columbia, through an initial connection to Lucian Carr he had the opportunity to meet beat poets including Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs.

In 1948, a defining moment occured when Ginsberg had an auditory hallucination in his Harlem apartment where he heard various portions of William Blake poetry.

In 1954 Ginsberg moved to San Fransisco where in addition to being a part of the beat scene, he also met Peter Orlovsky. Peter had been drafted into the army during the Korean war but was transfered off the front by a psychiatrist to work as a medic in San Fransisco.

Ginsberg and Orlovsky fell in love and began a lifelong partnership in their openly homosexual relationship.

In 1955 Ginsberg stopped doing any sort of traditional work on the advice of his psychiatrist, and he focused strictly on poetry.

Allen Ginsberg had the opportunity to meet many of the famous beatniks of the era and established Beatitude a poetry magazine.

Artist Wally Hendrick approached Ginsberg about participating in a reading and October 7, 1955 an event "Six Poets at the Six Gallery" featured the reading of six poets: Phillip Lamantia, Michael McClure, Gary Snyder, Phillip Whalen, and Ginsberg. It was here that Ginsberg read "Howl." This is credited as Ginsberg's most famous and influential poem.

In 1957, Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky left San Fransisco and traveled the world primarily spending their time in Paris where they joined George Corso along with many poets in what was known as the Beat Hotel until it closed in 1962.

Ginsberg helped bridge a gap between the beatniks and the hippies in the 1960s as he traveled in Europe and the United States meeting, reading, and interacting with a variety of poets. Ginsberg also became interested in Buddhism and Khrishnaism at this time.

Ginsberg had gained a degree of fame that continued to grow as he continued to write and publish through out the rest of his career.

At the age of 70, Ginsberg died surrounded by friends as he died of Liver Cancer in New York.

Kill Your Darlings

The film Kill Your Darlings deals with parts of aftermath of the murder of David Krammerer by Lucian Carr in 1944. Lucian Carr was a close friend of Ginsberg at Columbia. Carr had been stalked throughout his life from the older Krammerer. On August 13, 1944, Carr and Jack Kerouac were kicked off a boat they were attempting to sneak on board a merchant ship and when Krammerer later caught up with Carr, Krammerer is said to have made aggressive sexual advances on Carr and Carr killed him.

The event had a dramatic effect on the beat community include Ginsberg who is a key focus of the film.

In addition to Radcliffe playing the part of Ginsberg, the film also features Elizabeth Olsen as Edie Parker. Edie Parker married Kerouac when in jail as a successory of marriage. Dane DeHaan plays the part of Lucien Carr, Jack Huston plays Jack Kerouac, and Ben Foster plays William Burroughs. Allen Ginsberg's parents Louis and Naomi are played by David Cross and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Michael C Hall plays the part of David Krammerer.

Will Daniel Radcliffe's portrayal of the famous poet in his young formative years earn him critical attention and even an Oscar nomination/win for portraying this Real (Reel) Person?

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Wearing Green - The Saint Patrick's Day Identity Crisis

I have this dilemma.

I could care less about St. Patrick's Day.

I don't dislike it, but I don't feel the need to connect to an Irish heritage I don't have. I recall hearing once or twice about the real St. Patrick, which if I recall is an impressive story, but I am not going to fake it with a quick Wikipedia check, because St. Patrick is simply not someone I celebrate.

I feel like many people use the holiday as an excuse to drink green beer, which I don't think has anything to do with the real St. Patrick either.

Yet, every year I find myself in an identity crisis in which St. Patrick's Day comes and I feel like I have no choice but to wear green.

To me the choice is either:
1. Seem like a buzz kill not interested in harmless fun
2. Or seem like someone who cares

To most it seems, the choice would be easy. In the end, I settle on wearing green because I decide I don't want to seem like a party-pooper wearing a red shirt that turns a crowd of people into a Christmas scene.

Maybe it's having kids, but this year it doesn't really both me the idea of wearing green, although I still somehow worry people will think that I actually care enough to consciously choose my outfit around the day...but the truth is, I am, be it ever so reluctantly.

But don't worry, if you're free of green I will keep my pinching fingers to myself. You don't need to feel shame at all if you're wearing blue, black, khaki, orange or any color in between.

*Picture from OffBeatBride

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Leave It To Beaver

I recently complained/whined about my lack of TV I was interested in watching these days (that would be a #FirstWorldProblem)

And a cure has been discovered. One of the random digital antenna stations Antenna TV (owned by Tribune Broadcasting). So we're watching channel 31-2 these days and even if it's just in the background enjoy trying to catch some of Leave It To Beaver. Not entirely sure why, but it's intriguing, relaxing and entertaining -- night after night.

The TV blues are cured.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Reel People: Dakota Fanning is Effie Gray

The film is Effie. The film is directed by Richard Laxton, the screenplay is written by Emma Thompson.

Effie Gray

Euphemia "Effie" Gray was born in Perth, Scotland in 1828. As a young girl she became closely acquainted with John Ruskin, a family friend and also a very famous art critic and philanthropist of the Victoria era.

Almost 10 years older than Effie, John wrote the fantasy novel The King of Golden River for her when she was only twelve. The book written in 1841 would be formally published in 1851 and would go through a number of printings.

John Ruskin and Effie Gray would get married in 1848. Though married, they did not consummate their marriage. John had a tendency in marriage to be more reserved, while Effie was more flirtatious. It said that John gave a number of reasons for not consummating the marriage including not wanting children, to preserve Effie's beauty, and religious motives. When they were divorced five year's later the annulment proceedings indicated that John had found some "circumstances in her person" that prevented him from consummating the marriage.

Prior to the annulment in 1854, she met the painter John Everett Millais, for whom she modeled for during her marriage to Ruskin. She fell in love with Millais, and this helped motivate her desire to file for the annulment. After a public scandal, she would go on to marry Millais in 1855.

John and Effie Malias would have eight children between 1856 to 1868.

Effie was also publicly not allowed to attend certain functions due to the scandal, including not allowed in the presence of Queen Victoria.

In August of 1896 John Millais died. Effie would die just over a year later on December 23, 1897.

Effie

The film Effie explores the love triangle between Effie, John Ruskin, and John Millais. In addition to Dakota Fanning playing the part of Effie, the role of Ruskin is performed by Gary Wise and Millais by Tom Sturridge.

In addition to Emma Tompson having written the script, she will also co-star as author and critic Lady Eastlake, with James Fox and Sir Charles Eastlake. The film also feature Julie Walters, Robbie Coltran, Claudia Cardinale, and Derek Jacobi.

Only 19 herself, Dakota Fanning has had a great career. Will see receive awards attention, maybe even an Oscar nomination for portraying this Reel (Real) Person?

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Reel People: Felicity Jones is Nelly Ternan

The film is The Invisible Woman, about Charles Dickens and his mistress. It is directed by Ralph Fiennes with a screenplay by Abi Morgan. The screenplay is based on the book The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin.

Nelly Ternan

She was born Ellen Lawless Ternan on March 3, 1839 in Rochester, Kent to Thomas Lawless Ternan and Frances Elanor Ternan. Ellen ("Nelly") was one of four children, although her brother died in infancy. Her other siblings were female, and the three of them quickly took to acting on stage.In 1842, at the age of three, she had her stage debut in the German melodrama Menschenhass und Reue by August von Kotzebue.

The children's involvement in the theater was considered essential for the family's survival and Nelly's acting skills were regarded to be lesser than her sisters.

During the week of Christmas in 1844 Nelly's father was involved in a fight which seemed to lead to a period of depression which lead him to be placed in an asylum. In 1846 Nelly's father died of suspected suicide.

Nelly's sisters and mother continued to act, and in 1857, after just turning 18, Nelly met Charles Dickens when he spotter her performing in London's Haymarket Theatre. Charles Dickens cast Nelly along with her mother and one of her sisters in Wilkie Collins' The Frozen Deep.

Charles Dickens was forty-five at the time that they met, and it is believed that shortly after there first encounter Nelly became Charles Dickens' mistress. In 1858 this secret affair was exposed when Charles Dickens' wife Catherine "Kate" discovered a gold bracelet mailed to Charles that was intended for Nelly.

This incident ended Charles and Kate's 22 year marriage.

The relationships between Nelly and Charles remained a secret, although Nelly left the stage in 1860 and traveled with Charles, often giving a fake name. It is believed that Nelly inspired many of Charles Dicken's characters in stories he wrote during this period of his life. Even in Dicken's death in 1868 he left enough money to Nelly to support her the rest of her life.

Nelly would marry six years after Charles Dickens died. Her husband, George Wharton Robinson, was fourteen years younger than Nelly, although she misrepresented her own age to him, pretending to be 23 when she was actually 37. They would have two children, Geoffery and Gladys. Together they ran a boys school in East Kent.

George died in 1910. She would spend the years following with her sister Frances in the seaside town of Southsea, until Frances died in 1913.

Nelly died in London on April 25, 1914 of a reoccurring case of breast cancer.

The Invisible Woman

The Invisible Woman tells the story Nelly and Charles relationship together. In addition to being directed by Ralph Fiennes, Fiennes stars in the role of Charles Dickens.

In addition to Jones and Fiennes, the cast also includes Tom Hollander as novelist/playwright Wilkie Collins and his girlfriend Caroline Graves is played by Michelle Fairley. The film also feature Kristin Scott Thomas.

Will Felicity Jones receive awards attention, maybe even an Oscar nomination for portraying this Reel (Real) Person?

Saturday, March 09, 2013

Reel People: Chris Hemsworth is James Hunt

The film is Rush, directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay to the film is written by two time Oscar nominee Peter Morgan.

James Hunt

James Hunt was born in Surrey, England on August 29, 1947. Born to Sue and Wallis Hunt, he was the second of six children. He attended prestigious schools and engaged in a number of sports as a child such as cricket, soccer, skiing and tennis. He is said to had an angry temper as a child, and had frequent run ins with his parents.

When he was eighteen his tennis doubles partner Chris Ridge took him to a car race and he was hooked. He would go onto race British Motor Corporation Minis until being picked up to race Formula Ford in 1968, and then onto Formula 3 in 1969. Hunt had some success in Formula 3 as well as controversy after a crash with Dave Morgan that resulted in Morgan receiving a 12 month suspension.

Hunt during his time with Formula 3 was developing a reputation for being reckless and causing cars to be totaled, adding cost to to the team and investors.

Hunt was also known for a reckless behavior off the course as well such as doing drugs and having sex with women before races.

In 1972 Hunt was dropped form his team, and would eventually be picked up by the eccentric Lord Alexander Hasketh who was starting a team, and decided to take a risk at starting a Formula 1 team in 1973 on account that the cost for Formula 1 was not significantly higher than Formula 2 and the Formula 3 cars had been ruined.

The Hesketh Racing team began Formula 1 in 1973 with a party-boy style of fancy cars, celebration, and and fine accommodations. Hasketh's team image matched Hunt's lifestyle. The team would go on to place 2nd in the 1973 Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York. James Hunt had the fastest lap of that race.

In 1974 Hunt would meet Suzy Miller in Spain, after few weeks after meeting Hunt would propose. Suzy Miller would become Hunt's first wife whom he would marry that same year. Suzy Miller would leave James Hunt a year later for Richard Burton. Burton would pay the $1 million dollar divoce settlement

In 1975, Hunt had a huge win in the 1975 Dutch Grand Prix in which he would beat Niki Lauda, a good friend of his off the track.

In 1976, Hunt would leave Hesketh Racing when he became the lead driver for McLaren, particularly as Hesketh's team was low on funding. Hunt's contract was lower than many other lead drivers and he created a stir when he didn't want to sign a clause requiring him to wear his racing suit to sponsored functions, preferring to arrive to functions often in jeans and barefooted.

1976 was Hunt's best year having six grand prix wins racing for McLaren. In addition to those wins, he also came in first in the 1976 British Grand Prix but his win was disqualified. In the first turn of the first lap, Hunt had an accident with Niki Lauda and Hunt would go onto win with a space car. Yet Ferrari (Luada's sponsor) contested the win and two month's later the win was given to Niki Lauda instead, creating much frustration for British race fans.

In race which followed the British Grand Prix, was the 1976 German Grand Prix in which Niki Lauda had a near fatal crash and Hunt was won the Grand Prix. Lauda would be out of subsequent races for which helped remove his biggest competitor for some future races. In the last race of the 1976 season James Hunt would came in third place in the Japanese Grand Prix which gave Hunt just enough points to win the World Championship in Formula 1 Racing for 1976.

The next two years Hunt would race for McLaren again and finished those seasons in 5th and 13th place overall. Part of his decline was due to technological advances that his team did not have, as well as a fetal accident of fellow race driver Ronnie Peterson in 1978.

In 1979 he switched to Wolf Racing team but after a number of technical difficulties and accidents, he made a statement retiring at the 1979 Monaco Grand Prix.

Hunt was going to re-enter the 1980 season at the US Grand Prix, but after a skiing industry did not re-enter Formula One racing. He instead relaunched his career as a commentator for BBC sports, commentating alongside Murray Walker on BBC2 Formula One racing program Grand Prix.

In 1982 Hunt would meet his second wife Sarah Lomax in Spain with friends. James and Sarah would be married December 17, 1983. They had two kids Tom and Freddie. They would seperate in 1988 but continue to live together for the interest of their children, and were diveroced in 1989 on the grounds of adultery committed by Hunt.

In 1989 he would meet Helen Dyson a younger waitress whom was credited for helping James clean up his life. He would propose to her on June 14, 1993. The following day (June 15, 1993) he died of a heart attack at the age of 45 at his home in Wimbledon.

Rush

The film Rush focuses on the 1976 Formula One Racing season, particularly the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt and the final race of the season in Japan.

In addition to Chris Hemsworth playing the part of James Hunt, the film also features Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda, Olivia Wilde as Suzy Miller, and Christian McKay as Lord Hasketh.

Will Chris Hemsworth receive awards attention, maybe even an Oscar nomination for portraying this Reel (Real) Person?

Real (Reel) People Win Oscars: 2013 Edition



When it comes to win an Academy Award, recent years have shown that not any bio-pic performance means a guaranteed nomination, but if you get nominated for your performance playing a real person, then there is a good chance you will win.

Of the past 10 years (20 Lead Actor/Actress winners), 12 of these winners have won for playing real life people. That's 60% of winners since the 2003 ceremony.

• In 2012 Daniel Day-Lewis played Abraham Lincoln and won the Best Actor award (his third Oscar win)
• In 2011 Meryl Streep played the well known British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and won the Best Actress prize (her third Oscar)
• In 2010 Colin Firth played King George VI, stuttering British royalty at the dawn of the radio era and won for Best Actor.
• In 2009 Sandra Bullock played a surprise hero as the Southern mother Leigh Ann Tuohy and won for Best Actress.
• In 2008 Sean Penn played controversial politician Harvey Milk and won the Oscar for Best Actor.
• In 2007 Marion Cotillard played French singer Ediath Piaf and won the Oscar for Best Actress.
• In 2006 Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth II and won the Oscar for Best Actress.
• In 2006 Forrest Whitaker played Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and won the Oscar for Best Actor
• In 2005 Reese Witherspoon played country music celeb June Carter and won the Oscar for Best Actress.
• In 2005 Philip Seymour Hoffman played author Truman Capote and won the Oscar for Best Actor.
• In 2004 Jamie Foxx played musician Ray Charles and won the Oscar for Best Actor.
• In 2003 Charlize Theron played prostitute/serial killer Aileen Wuornos and won the Best Actress Oscar.

The non-biopic winners from the past 10 years: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Lining Playbook), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Kate Winslet (The Reader), Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), Sean Penn (Mystic River).

I wouldn't expect 2013 to be different. As a result we can almost plan on either Best Actor Oscar winner or Best Actress winner going to a performer who played in a biographical film as a "Real (Reel) Person."

2013 Real (Reel) People Performances:

Reel People: Chadwick Boseman is Jackie Robinson
Reel People: Steve Carrell is John du Pont
Reel People: George Clooney is George Stout
Reel People: Benedict Cumberbatch is Julian Assange
Reel People: Matt Damon is James Rorimer
Reel People: Judi Dench is Philomena Lee
Reel People: Leonardo DiCaprio is Jordan Belfort
Reel People: Chiwetel Ejiofor is Solomon Northup
Reel People: Idris Elba is Nelson Mandela
• Reel People: Dakota Fanning is Effie Gray
Reel People: Tom Hanks is Captain Phillips
Reel People: Tom Hanks is Walt Disney
Reel People: Chris Hemsworth is James Hunt
Reel People: Felicity Jones is Nelly Ternan
Reel People: Michael B. Jordan is Oscar Grant III
Reel People: Ashton Kutcher is Steve Jobs
Reel People: Matthew McConaughey is Ron Woodroof
• Reel People: Sean Penn is Mickey Cohen
Reel People: Daniel Radcliffe is Allen Ginsberg
Reel People: Channing Tatum is Mark Schultz
Reel People: Emma Thompson is P.L. Travers

Click the following links to see the previous Real (Reel) People projects from 20122011201020092008 and 2007. Or check the reel people archive.

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

TV Withdrawal

I don't know about you and your TV schedule, but at our house we've been in a little TV withdrawal.

There's certain shows we watch, often on DVD, and look forward to a new season when it comes out. Most of our shows we watch have ended their TV run with a series finale (example: House MD), and then there are other shows we watch live, namely NBC's Parenthood and Downton Abbey. Both of those shows we watch live have ended their season as well.

In January we watched season 1 of Showtime's Homeland, and season 2 has not yet been released on DVD, before that we had watched the most recent season of Fox's Fringe, and are waiting for the final season. We also watched all the seasons of BBC's Sherlock, but that's not coming back forever, it seems.

So, we truly have nothing we are interested in watching on TV (as far as television, not movies) are concerned, and not even something we're dying to start.

I wish one of the mid-season replacements had caught our eye, but alas, none did. And so, we are experiencing TV withdrawals.

If only there were TV show personal ads: "Man seeks TV Show with fun and engaging personality."