Surfacing

Working intensely hard on a screenplay for the past few weeks, which can make me rather boring. Not that I have nothing to talk about, or write in my blog about, but for the most part, I'm either reading, or watching something on Tivo, or writing. Or doing my jobby job, which is not interesting to talk about. So I'm left discussing the media I'm absorbing or the media I'm generating. Want to hear what I think of the book "China Inc."? Well, too bad, I haven't read it yet. I did read "Funny in Farsi", which is funny, and, even better, not in Farsi.

I missed Mr. Bush's speech last night, but caught Gov. Kaine's Democratic response slash commercial for Virginia. "In conclusion, America, there is a better way. And Virginia Is For Lovers!" I heard that LA Mayor Villaraigosa was supposed to give the speech, so maybe it was for the best - if there's one thing LA already has plenty of, it's publicity.

My girlfriend called me from work to tell me about the Oscar nominations. I had forgotten, which is because I was reasonably confident I wouldn't be nominated for anything. But if I wasn't, you can bet that I would be up at 5 am watching it live. I've been amused lately by all the calculated attempts that celebrities make to seem Just Like Us, completely Normal. Lately even Tom Cruise has nothing on Michelle Williams. The day after her Globe nomination she was on the cover of USA Today in an article titled "Globes? What Globes? Michelle Williams Just Wants To Be With Her Kids." It's weird to see celebrities gloating about their children, like Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of some fashion magazine with a quote like "Now that I have children, my life is perfect." I'm sure that makes you really relatable to the mother of six in the checkout line in Akron, Ohio.

The classic example of this feigned modesty is the fact that in 99% of post-Oscar-announcement interviews with actors, they say they were asleep. Always woken up by the phone, always forgot the nominations were being announced, even people who won awards for their work just weeks earlier. I've been on numerous film shoots, and they routinely have 5 am calls. But for some reason these actors and movie people just had to get a full night's sleep. "Oscars? I completely forgot what the Oscars even are. Is that some sort of award? I was volunteering at a soup kitchen when my cel phone rang..." Bla bla bla. I promise you, that if I even think there's a chance in hell of being nominated, if I directed "Cheaper By The Dozen 4", then I will be up watching. And if I'm nominated, don't worry - I'll be calling you.