Oscar Nods

This morning the Oscar Nominations were announced by Monique, who deservingly won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Precious last year. There were no surprises or people of color in the major Academy Award nominations. I would have liked to see Kimberly Elise nominated for her amazing performance in For Colored Girls even though the movie was horrible. However, I sincerely say congratulations to all the nominees. I 've seen most of the films already (the ones I've underlined). My favs so far are Black Swan and The Kids Are Alright. I'll see all of the nominated films, performances and screenplays so that when I half-heartedly watch the show, I'll have an educated opinion:)  What do you think of this year's nominations? Check them out after the jump.

Inspirational Artist: Katherine Hepburn

Style icon. Stellar actress. Author. Oscar winner. All around ballsy woman.

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun” ”- Katherine Hepburn

More Katherine Hepburn fabulousness after the jump!

Artistic Inspiration... for Ballers on a Budget

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre

Inspiration is a precious commodity for an artist of any discipline. And while those knifed-up broads on the Real Housewives of...Whatever and those crazy Kardashians can make you feel better about your own life, inspirational... they are not. So it's important that we step away from the telly for a spell and seek out art that can inspire us to be better and "fill the creative well" as  Ms. Julia Cameron likes to say. I get so inspired to write when I see a great film or a well-written play. I get ideas for characters while at a Kara Walker exhibit or seeing a great ballet. You don't have to be ballin' to live a cultured life. There are many ways that you can experience great art on a budget, babies. 

Quotation Motivation: It's All About The Audience

Writing is communication, not self-expression. Nobody in this world wants to read your diary except your mother. 
-Richard Peck


As artists, it's easy to get wrapped up in ourselves. We ARE our work. That book or script came out of our head, dammit! From our lives. From our experiences. However, feeling emotion is not the same as communicating emotion. We must remember that if we are concerned with the experience of our audiences, we must choose words and images that communicate that emotion. We've all seen those indie movies where the director makes us look at a drop of rain for two minutes, totally out of context. When I see this kind of thing, I always think: this dude/chick either really likes this shot and wants us to see how great it is for as long as possible. Or this means something to her/him and he/she doesn't care that it means nothing to me. And at that point they've lost me and probably most people watching.

Writer's Resource For the People

I'm surprised that I've come across a quite a few writers that don't know about this invaluable resource. So, even though y'all buggers are my competition, I'll share:) Movie Bytes is a great site that catalogues screenwriting contests, giving you deadlines, entry fees and all the pertinent details. You can even sort, by genre, significance and read comments by people who have entered each contest. The comments can be a little snarky because, some of the commenters are pissed they didn't win. However, you can get an idea of which contests give you feedback and if the finalists or semi-finalists get calls from agents and managers.

**In my Biggie Smalls voice**So, scribes, if you don't know, now you know!

Hottie Obamas

OK, so maybe this doesn't go along with the whole artist theme of the blog, but how freaking hot and gorgeous are the Obamas right here? And the Prez is totally checking Michelle out. Giving her some bedroom eyes. God, am I...getting a little...?!  NO! Maybe I would like to watch-  No, no, no! Not appropriate, Grace! Respectfulness! Wait think...of Republicans....worse....Cheney doing... anything! Whew, like jumping into a cold lake.

Tina Fey Got Boobs at Ten

"I was a mostly happy child, though I had a pretty rough puberty. Growing up as a girl is always traumatizing, especially when you have the deadly combination of greasy skin and getting your boobs at ten. But I think it's good to grow up that way. It builds character.” -Tina Fey


Me too, Tina! I was the first one to get boobs in like third grade! Does this mean I get a wildly successful, Emmy-Winning sitcom that I also star in too? If so, getting called to the principal's office to discuss my training bra with Sister Patricia Marie might have been all worth it! Sort of...

The Gracy Globes

Golden Globes, Smolden Globes. Total Snore-fest and not many surprises there etc. The Social Network, Walking Dead blah, blah, blah.

BUT, I KNOW the awards ceremony that you are really waiting for is the Gracy Globes. The categories may be SLIGHTLY different. So here it is folks! My picks for the best film and television of the year.

Check them out after the jump.