I'm a ridiculous liberal. Like... insanely. But, knowing history, I just have to say...

Reagan... was a hardass.

Honestly, the man made Eisenhower look like a sissy. Prove me wrong.

Love,
Chris

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Well here we go with my predictions for the 80th Oscars Ceremony, of course I will tell you the nominees, who will probably win, and who I think should win:

Best Actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Tommy Lee Jones - In The Valley of Elah
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Probable Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Who Probably Should Win: Dead tie for me between Danny Day-Lewis and George Clooney

Best Supporting Actor
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War

Probable Winner: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Who Probably Should Win: Javier Bardem, I thought maybe Tom Wilkinson for Michael Clayton, but c'mon. "You Can't Stop What's Coming"

Actress in a Leading Role:
Ellen Page - Juno
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Laura Linney - The Savages
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Mome

Probable Winner: Julie Christie - Away From Her
Who Probably Should Win: Ellen Page for Juno. She covered a huge range in that film, but Julie Christie is over 60 and British, so start chiseling her name in the Oscar. But then again I'm secretly in love with Ellen Page.

Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Probable Winner: Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Who Probably Should Win: Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone. Watch her performance and tell me otherwise.

Animated Feature Film:
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

Probable Winner: Ratatouille
Who Probably Should Win: Nobody because this is a ridiculous catagory. If Beauty and the Beast got a best picture nod, there shouldn't be an animated catagory.

Best Director
The Coen Brothers - No Country for Old Men
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno

Probable Winner: The Coen Brothers - No Country for Old Men
Who Probably Should Win: Toss up between The Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson with Jason Reitman back there in third.

Best Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody - Juno
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco - Ratatouille

Probable Winner: Diablo Cody - Juno
Who Probably Should Win: Diablo Cody, she was a blog writer who was told to write a movie and she came up with Juno. However, a huge argument could be made for Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton.

Best Adapted Screeplay
Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Sarah Polley - Away From Her
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - La Vie en Rose

Probable Winner: Joel and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Who Probably Should Win: The Coen Brothers or Paul Thomas Anderson. By the way, does anybody else sense the intense rivalry between these directors coming up?

Best Picture:
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Juno
Atonement
Michael Clayton

Probable Winner: No Country for Old Men
Who Probably Should Win: No Country for Old Men. I refuse to see Atonement, but all of the other flicks were dynamite. This will go down as one of the best nominee lists in Oscar History.

All of the other catagories don't mean much to me. So, I'm gonna go ahead and predict Transformers and The Bourne Ultimatum coming away with Oscars at some point in the night, and beyond that, I got nothing.

Now all that's left to do is watch people.

Love,
Chris

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So.

In 10 hours, I will be standing at a cemetary watching a coffin that is much to small being lowered into the ground.

The coffin belongs to Jake. Jake is the younger brother of one of my friends from high school. He was seven years old ten days ago when he succumbed to cancer.

There are so many words to describe what Jake was and will remain to all of those who were lucky enough to meet him. He was hilarious, brave, strong, tough, but most importantly, he was a lot older than seven.

I say that, because when Chae (Jake's sister) called me last Wednesday when it happened, she was obviously upset, but she told me that Jake was telling her not to cry, and that he would always be with her.

A seven year old kid, accepted his own fate. Just like that. He was more concerned for his family, when his life was about to be cut way too short. He was such a bright kid, who knows what he could have done?

But now it's over. And I understand that yes, he is in a better place now, and that he is not going to suffer anymore. But somebody will have to explain to me one day how it is fair in the first place for any life to be cut that short.

Jake is the third person I know to be taken by cancer. But it was never this difficult before. My grandfather was first, he lived with me in his last years, and it was almost a relief when he passed because he had deteriorated so much. The disease did a number on him and caused him constant pain. My grandmother was living with it for years and she went into the hospital, and everybody knew what was coming, it was a matter of time. She was the last of my grandparents to go, and still it was not that rough on me.

Jake, however, was just seven years old. And yes, he lived with cancer for a large portion of his life, but things were finally looking on the up and up for him. in fact, Tuesday of last week was a very hopeful day because they figured out a way to treat him, he had a chance, and a damn good one.

But they figured it out too late. And he passed the next day.

I know at this point I'm simply rambling. But I just had to say this somewhere, and this was my best available outlet.

I guess the point is, that though I find it unfair that Jake was taken so early in life... that I am glad I knew him. And, I just wish everybody got a chance to meet the kid with the smile who could light up a room and warm anybody's heart.

R.I.P.
November 6, 2000 - February 13, 2008

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A central Illinois couple face first-degree murder charges in the death of their 5-month-old baby, who was found unresponsive in a car seat that had been placed in a crib.

Both 21-year-old Tracey Hermann, 21, and James Sargent, 23, on Wednesday were in Peoria County Circuit Court in the death of Benjamin Sargent.


The 5-month-old was dropped off Feb. 4 at his parents’ house, strapped into his car seat. Eight days later, he was found in the same position, said Peoria County State’s Attorney Kevin Lyons during a bond hearing for the parents.

“He died from starvation due to neglect from these two defendants, his parents,” Lyons said. “It’s the worst case of child neglect we have seen since the turn of this century.”

And here's where things get ridiculous

During the eight days the baby was strapped in the seat, Hermann and Sargent were home “playing video games, watching TV, feeding and caring for themselves,” Lyons said.

Now if it's up to me. These sick fucks go through their trial, and if they lose which they most assuredly will, waterboarding will not be enough torture for what they deserve. These people should be imprisoned for life, and then life again, and then life again. And then maybe we can discuss other options. Absolutely sickening. You are a parent, I don't care if you are a young parent, you are a parent. You now have a life in your hands. You may not have had a good upbringing, but at least your parents fed you, and paid enough attention to you so that you could live to reach 21 and 23.

But no. Videogames were more important. TV was more important. Than a HUMAN LIFE.

I can't even keep talking about this without wanting to vomit. Last week, one of the bravest kids I ever got a chance to meet died of cancer. Devastating news to me, let alone his family who cared for him.

And these fucking scumbags, can leave a kid in a carseat in a crib.... for eight days without even CHECKING ON HIM?! ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

I may be a liberal, I may stand against the death penalty most of the time, but these people, should jailed, and kept there for 30 years, and told that they are going to die in prison. And then one day get thrown in solitary confinement, seperated from each other, and they shouldn't get food, they should be strapped to a chair just like their son was, but don't stop at eight. Let them go for a month, and see how they're doing at the end.

Fucking unbelievable.

Love,
Chris

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This is addressed to Senator Arlen Specter and anybody else I may reference within:

KNOCK IT OFF!

The Patriots are currently under a lot of fire due to videotaping the defensive signals of the Jets before week one of this past season. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had Coach Bill Belichick turn over all of the tapes and fined him $500,000, and took the Patriots 1st Round Draft Pick in 2008.

Just so turns out that the Patriots went 18-0 through the season before losing to the Giants in the Super Bowl. Through this time, Tom Brady threw 50 touchdown passes, 23 to Randy Moss. Both of which are single season records.

Slightly before the Super Bowl, Senator Specter came up with the idea to investigate the New England Patriots for te illegal videotaping as he believes it has been an issue for several years and may effect two teams that the Patriots beat in 2004 (The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles). He made these allegations with no proof, but that is not the issue here.

I gather that Senator Specter is taking advantage of the investigations Congress is doing involving baseball. Those investigations involve illegal drugs like steroids. Users of these drugs set a terrible example for young people, because they are at the highest level in their sport. And the kids start to think maybe they have to do it too.

However, videotaping teams is not breaking a federal law. It is breaking a league rule. Which means the only person with any right to hand down discipline or launch a full on investigation is Commissioner Goodell. He handed down his discipline, and was ready to leave it alone until Senator Specter brought it up and made allegations.

Now, what Belichick did was wrong. Incredibly wrong. He's been punished. But in the long run, those defensive signals wouldn't have changed the Jets game that started this whole mess.

And ERIC MANGINI a former assistant in New England was the coach that brought it up. And these latest allegations say it's been going on since 2000. Which means that at some point, it was Mangini holding the camera. So now that he has a head coaching job and is making tons of money he can clear his conscience? Scumbag. Thankfully he's proven to be a shitty coach so far.

In the long run, I don't care if the Patriots did videotape the Rams, the Panthers, and the Eagles. Because you still have to win the game. The Rams were a far superior team. They lost. The Panthers were lucky to have gotten there, but guess what, they still lost. And the Eagles, played a decent game, and if they played at their best they probably would've had more of a case in this, but they still turned the ball over too much and lost.

So Senator Specter. Stop trying to get votes by discrediting the Patriots. Philly is not going to get it's parade for a game that was played 4 years ago that they didn't win. At this point you're just embarassing yourself, and I can't wait for you to be out of a job.

Why not focus on the real issues that Congress should be facing? Instead of worrying about the NFL, think about Iraq, Afghanistan, or Iran. How about the Social Security problem, or the fact that the homeless are STILL HOMELESS?!

Sorry, the NFL is not your problem. Get over yourself, and do your fucking job.

Love,
Chris

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SERIOUSLY!

Somebody fucking remind me to rant about Arlen Specter's crusade against the Patriots soon.

Love,
Chris

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