and the winner is...

Well the votes have been cast and the ballots counted, and it looks like BOSTON is the big winner!

As I'm sure many of you heard (interrupting your favorite morning news shows, no doubt), the nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards were announced this morning! Settled among films that I absolutely adored (ahem...."Toy Story 3" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1") and those I wasn't able to catch quite yet but definitely will ("True Grit" and "The King's Speech"), nominations for actors, actresses, directors, and entire films from and about my beloved Boston seem to be abounding this year!  Statistically speaking, we're likely to be well represented (I hope!) on the big night, February 27th. 

"'The Town' only got a measly 'supporting actor' nomination!" you're screaming at me. I know, I know. And while my heart is sad--Ben's cinematography and ab work were both quite impressive--we've still got a pretty strong representation out there! Let me explain....

As previously mentioned, Jeremy Renner was nominated for his supporting (and sometimes too scarily convincing) role in "The Town." Christian Bale, nominated in the same category, was also acknowledged for his spectacular performance in "The Fighter" as a drug-addicted ex-boxer living in Lowell, MA. 

Also in "The Fighter," Amy She's-Come-A-Long-Way-From-"Enchanted" Adams and Melissa Leo are going toe-to-toe (or is fist-to-fist more appropriate, here?) for their parts as actresses in supporting roles.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen Natalie Portman in "Black Swan" but I know she's definitely deserving of her actress in a leading role nom...especially if her performance was anything like Jim Carrey's rendition shown on SNL a few weeks ago! But why the Boston nod, you ask? Well, she's a Harvard grad, thank ya very much.

And speaking of Harvard, I can hardly leave out the fabulous (and surprising) cool, calm, and collected performance by Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," which was mostly set at the Ivy League school. Eisenberg's showing--approved by Zuckerberg or not--is most certainly worthy of all the buzz its gotten and more...including his nomination for best actor in a leading role.

All of these spectacular Mass films--with the exception of "The Town," sad face--were also nominated for best cinematography, best film editing, best picture, and best director (you were robbed, Benny Boy, but that's karma for ya). So take that cheese and put it on your cracker!! Check it out for yourselves here. 

Now I realize that most of you geographically-intelligent folks out there are trying to think of a quick quip to point out that the majority of these wonderful films weren't actually set in Boston and that the ones worth anything were actually placed outside of the city itself. And I totally know that! But I'm proud to be in (or near, geez) a place creating so much hype and inspiring everyone from ballerinas to computer geeks to bank robbers! 

So even if ya can't come visit me, you can sorta-kinda-just-a-little-bit experience what I get to see everyday by watching one of those great films that the Academy so aptly nominated! Just take out the millionaires, shoot-outs, and boxing titles and basically you've got my little life here...which is technically in Allston, but what's the point in taking territorial lines into consideration now??

say cheese,

katy