And the Oscar Goes To...

Because the red carpet will be rolled out this Sunday night for the Oscars and since I have a passion for the movies, I thought it would be appropriate to give you some of my thoughts on films I have seen over the past year...

Must See
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The Departed - This was hands down the best movie I have probably seen in the past 3 years! Martin Scorsese is one of my favorite directors and with credits like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Color of Money, Goodfellas, Casino, Gangs of New York, and The Aviator, it's hard to believe this guy hasn't taken home a statue yet. Even if the Academy didn't like The Departed, they should give him the bling for his history of epic contributions to the movie industry alone. Like most of his works, I walked out of The Departed thinking - now that's why you go to the movies. I hope he not only wins Best Director, but I hope it takes home the Best Picture nod as well.

Apolcalypto - I thought this was another excellent piece of work that had me walking out of the theatre knowing I had gotten my money's worth. If you're not into gore, then it's not for you, but Mel Gibson's story of one man's journey during the Mayan decline is epic enough to say the least. Gibson continues to stray from the Hollywood norm and despite the naysayers, he consistently delivers in the quality of his work. If you stayed away from this one because of your differences in opinion with him or because of his recent off camera image problems, you are simply missing out. Suck it up and check it out. You won't be sorry.

Blood Diamond - Lately I have come to think Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the best young actors out there. He delivers in every role he is in. I was hoping he would get the best actor nod for his role in The Departed, but I was happy to see him get recognized for Blood Diamond as this was another great performance. DiCaprio plays a South African mercenary in search of a rare pink diamond amidst the civil war in 1990's Sierra Leone. I have heard the front runner for the Best Actor title is Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland, and although I haven't seen this movie yet, I wouldn't be opposed to his winning as he has been a solid performer through the years who has never gotten enough due credit.

Little Miss Sunshine - Other than The Departed, this is the only other movie that I have seen that is up for Best Picture this year. This dark comedy follows the exploits of an overly dysfunctional family as they travel by Volkswagen van across the country so that 7-year old Olive can participate in the "Little Miss Sunshine" pageant in California. Although I like the no-brainer, slapstick comedies just as much as the next guy, I think most of those people might not prefer this one. Steve Carell is hilarious in The Office and I dug The 40-Year Old Virgin so it was hard not to like his role here as the somewhat suicidal, psychotic uncle. You will laugh out loud.

Definite Renters
=================

The Illusionist - Edward Norton rocks in this tale of a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna.

Rocky Balboa - Stallone goes back to his roots and rekindles the glory that made the original so good.

Invincible - This is the inspiring true story of a Philadelphia Eagles fan (Mark Wahlberg) who makes the team after open tryouts in the 1970's.

Movies to Enjoy while Drinking
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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - Sorry Nascar fans...They're laughing at you, not with you. Best line...While at the dinner table, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) threatens to divorce his wife. After hearing this, one kid (named Walker) tells his brother (named Texas Ranger) - "Yay...2 Christmases!!!"

Snakes on a Plane - Typical Samuel L. Jackson one liners.

Lucky Number Slevin - Mistaken identity mob flick.

Movies to Enjoy while Passed Out
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The Benchwarmers - Rob Schneider & Jon Lovitz - enough said!

Poseidon - A forgettable remake.

The Pink Panther - Steve Martin, aside...another forgettable remake.

The Lake House - You better get lucky if you have to sit through this chick flick from hell!!!

I would love to hear your opinions on your favorites from the past year, even if you disagree with mine. Just click on the comments link below.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday(s)!

Technically, I am an only child. I don't particularly think of myself as one, however, because of the close relationships I have had with my cousins growing up. I consider all them my brothers and sisters. Two of them are celebrating birthdays this weekend so I felt it necessary to give them props on their big days.

Helen turns 31, resides in Dallas, and is one of the coolest chicks you would ever want to know. She never has a bad word to say about anyone (note to self - maybe that's b/c she's talking about me???), yet she is as tough as nails. She grew up with 2 older brothers and hung around myself as well as her other male cousins so she learned at a rather young age that if she wanted to hang with the boys, she was going to have to be tough. I can think of numerous stories growing up that reflect this fact so I'll tell one of those here.

It was a hot summer day in Houston in the early 80's and like most weekends at the time, we spent them together. It was Helen, her two brothers and me. Her mom (my aunt) was taking us for our usual jaunt over to The Forest Club for a day of swimming. As usual, we were all excited to be together and we couldn't wait to get to the club to hit the high dive. We all sat in the car in the driveway waiting for Helen's mom to come out and take us there. Finally we see her come out of the house, but instead of her usual calm demeaner, she was fuming mad! Uh oh! She proceeds to head straight for us and, come to find out, she was not taking us anywhere until one of us fessed up to making a complete mess of her bedroom with peanut butter and crackers. Needless to say, it wasn't me...I didn't live there for Pete's sake so why the hell would I eat peanut butter and crackers in my aunt's bedroom? No-one wanted to say a word since no-one wanted to get in trouble so my aunt promptly decided that we weren't going anywhere until someone confessed, so she went back inside while we were left to hash it out in the driveway.

Since nobody wanted to come clean, it came down to the natural pecking order of things. Helen, being the youngest one, was volunteered by us to go inside and tell her mom that it was her that made the mess. Being the trooper that she was, she graciously accepted (Our 3 feet kicking her out of the car helped too!). After about 30 minutes and a heated tongue lashing, we were all on our way to another fun filled day at the club. Fast forward 20 years and it finally came out in a family gathering that her brother, Christopher, was the culprit! Thanks again for taking one for the team, Helen! You rock! I look forward to seing you next month on our trip to the slopes in Aspen!

I know I surely sound partial being that he is another one of my psuedo-siblings, but Patrick is another true example of an extraordinary human being. He's a husband to a classy gal, a father to two beautiful kids, and a patriot to 300 million people.

I can remember playing basketball with he and his dad (my uncle) over at their house as kids. I specifically remember my Hakeem Olajuwan skills as a shot blocker since I was able to swat away his shots like a pro, myself being 7 years older and 2 feet taller notwithstanding. Needless to say, he is now a marine and flies harriers for a living. He's also a little taller than he was then and just slightly (cough cough) in better shape than I am in now so a rematch will not be in order since I think I would like that trophy's spot to remain on my mantle.

Patrick turns 30 today and I cannot be prouder of someone than I am of him. He exudes kindness and resonates humility. We can all learn a lot from this guy. As much as you want to know what's going on with his life and his crazy world of fighter jets, he would much rather know what's going on with yours. That's just the kind of person he is. He not only sets a wonderful example for those two lovely kids of his, but I feel he sets one for anyone who is lucky enough to be around him. I am happy to say that I am one of those lucky individuals.

So Helen and Patrick...All I can is thanks. Thanks for being you. Thanks for continuing to be a part of my life and thanks for being my friend!

Happy Birthday!

Super Sunday

Bottom line...I love football. Always have, always will. There are days that I still bleed Columbia Blue in honor of my childhood dreams of the Oilers winning the big one. After a second devastating loss in the AFC Championship game during the 1979-80 season in Pittsburgh, Bum Phillips promised the fans they would be back to "knock the door down" to get into the Super Bowl.

A few years later while I was in high school I had an incredible experience when two of my passions collided. I grew up saltwater fishing in Matagorda Bay since my parents had a vacation home there. On this fateful occasion, we went to pick up a close friend of the family and his houseguest in our boat for another journey on the bay. Although I knew who would be joining us, I still couldn't believe who was climbing into our boat 10 minutes later. It was Dan Pastorini, ex-quarterback of the Houston Oilers! In between the dirty jokes and the fishing I finally got up the nerve to ask him about what it was like to play those two championship games in Pittsburgh. His answer was short and sweet but it was obvious that he was frustrated with the outcomes of those games as much as the fans were. All he said was, "It was cold!"

The Oilers had a few down years before emerging as another frontrunner during the era of Warren Moon and the run and shoot. The Astrodome became the House of Pain and once again the Oilers were the talk of the town. All of that came crashing down in 1992 when the Oilers were a good bet to make it to their first Super Bowl. In the 3rd quarter of their playoff game with the Buffalo Bills, the good guys were cruising to victory with a 35-3 lead. Somehow (and don't ask me how since that 90 minutes of my life is like a black hole) the Oilers folded like a wet blanket and ended up losing that game in overtime 41-38. They were never the same after that and 4 years later the owner packed up and left for Tennessee.

The Titans did make it to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 but fell just short in one of the best Bowl games ever played when Kevin Dyson was tackled 1 yard short of the goal line for the tying score as time expired. St. Louis 23 Houston ( I mean Tennessee ) 16. It certainly wasn't the same as pulling for the Oilers, but I was quietly rooting for my old team as I waited anxiously for 2002 - the year I would once again have a team to call my own. The Texans arrived and I quickly remembered what it was like to have an upset stomach for 4 months out of the year. Despite the numerous bottles of Tums and Alka Seltzer, Sundays were the same again.

I know there are those people out there that whine about the players being overpaid and the league being out of control, but you know what? Despite all the naysayers, the market is there and if someone was going to pay Joe Smo $5 million a year to make copies, do you think he would turn the money down? Hell no! The NFL has arguably become the most popular sport in America. The Super Bowl alone is watched by nearly half of all US television households. Watercoolers have become havens for Monday morning quarterbacks and everyone loves to talk about the teams they hate (Cowboys?) and the mentally unstable players (TO?) that make up those teams. In light of the big game this Sunday a friend of mine sent me this funny article that I thought hit home pretty good.

So it's time to blow up those inflatable armchairs, pop open a cold one, line the table with wings and hope that you hit the squares on the office pool. And although my team still seems a long way off from knocking that door down I will still be rooting each year in the hopes of being on that doorstep again. There will always be a special place in my heart for the cheering pom poms of those Luv ya Blue days, but for now I am content with Luv ya Deep Steel Blue, Battle Red, and Liberty White...Go Texans!

Super Bowl XLI Prediction
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Indianapolis - 27
Chicago - 21

Cheers!