My Predictions for the 84th Academy Awards

Posted on by georgefattell

I have not seen the all the films that earned nominations, but I have seen several of the most highly acclaimed films of 2011, including the following: The Descendants, Midnight in Paris, The Artist, Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, Warrior, Moneyball, Margin Call, The Tree of Life, Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

I have not seen these films yet: The Help, The Iron Lady, Beginners, Hugo

I have based my Oscar picks on my impressions of the films that I have seen, as well as several other factors, such as other awards won to date (Golden Globes, SAG, etc.), and more intangible reasons, such as how I think the Academy perceives the reputation and overall body of work of the actor/writer/director. The values and politics of the Academy certainly comes into play for some awards so I attempted to include that in my choices.

My favorite films of 2011 wereThe Artist and The Descendants and I think those two films will battle for most of the top awards, but there were several other strong films, including Moneyball, Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life, among others, so I look forward to Academy Awards with great interest.

BEST PICTURE

The Artist

DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

BEST ACTOR

George Clooney – The Descendants

UPDATE: I think momentum has swung. My new pick is:

Jean DuJardin – The Artist

BEST ACTRESS

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Octavia Spencer – The Help

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Descendants

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Midnight In Paris

2012 Super Bowl : Post Game Thoughts

Posted on by georgefattell

New York Giants 21, New England Patriots 17

More often than not it seems that the Super Bowl does not live up to expectations, but this year’s Super Bowl certainly did. It was a great, hard fought game and really one that could have gone either way. I’m happy that the Giants prevailed because they are one of my two favorite teams (Chargers are the other) and I did pick them to win. I found picking games in the playoffs this season vs the spread to be pretty tough. I’m glad I got the Big Game correct. I now regret not going to Vegas and putting some money on the Giants, although I’m not sure I would have been able to watch the 4th quarter of this game if I did.

I was expecting a little more scoring by both teams, but I wasn’t at all surprised that the final margin of victory for the Giants was 4 points. I predicted a Giant win by 3. I thought Eli Manning would be able to throw on the Patriots and he did rack up nearly 300 yards passing, but NE’s defense did play well. Eli really had to thread the needle a few times to complete passes. I also thought RB Ahmad Bradshaw would play a key role and he did, scoring a key TD and generally keeping the Patriot defense honest with his threat to run. The Giants defense did their part too, holding Brady & Co. to 17 points. Each team had a few players that were not 100% due to injury, but I must admit that the Giants were lucky that NE’s star TE Rob Gronkowski was slowed due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in NE’s previous game against the Ravens. Gronkowski was the best TE in the league this season and if he was completely healthy the outcome of this game might have been different. Normally, Gronkowski frequently commands a double team because of his speed, but he clearly was not as mobile as he normally is and that allowed the Giants to single cover him and use another defender elsewhere.

This Super Bowl victory was a great achievement for the entire Giants organization, but it was especially important to Head Coach Tom Coughlin and QB Eli Manning because it will probably ensure that both of them are inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame. It will be very interesting to see if the Giants can build upon this victory. Coach Coughlin is committed to returning and Eli is in his prime as a QB, at 31, so it is very possible this Giants team may challenge for more Championships within the next few years. It will tough though because the top 5 or 6 teams are pretty close, but it will be very interesting to see if the G-Men can pull it off.

iPad App Review: Photogene

Posted on by georgefattell

Photogene is a photo-editing app for the iPad. It has been around for a few years, but it was just updated a few days ago. I’ve used it for well over a year and I thought it was a great app before the most recent update, but it is even better now. The update has added many new features, such as new filters and other tools for modifying photos, including a feature that enables you to make collages. I think this app is an outstanding value at only $2.99. You can buy it at the iTunes store.

Here are a few examples of photos that I have modified using the Photogene app….

Rocky Mountains in Aspen, CO
Balboa Park Collage
Toll Bridge in Easton, PA - Night Vision
Toll Bridge in Easton, PA - Pencil

Super Bowl XLVI Prediction: The Giants Will Win!!

Posted on by georgefattell

Well, I’ve been going back and forth on the Super Bowl, but I now think the New York Giants will defeat the New England Patriots.

The point spread in Las Vegas opened at Patriots -3.5, but most books in Vegas are now at Patriots -3.0 and at least one Vegas book now has the Patriots at -2.5.

This game is a tough call because it is easy to make an argument for either team, but I think the Giants look like the stronger overall team right now. The Giant D is playing much better than they were in the regular season and the Giant offense looks good too, especially with RB Ahmad Bradshaw back.

Of course, if you read a few of the many pro-Patriot articles on some of the most popular sports websites you would think this game will be a rout and that NE wins 45-10, with TE’s Gronkowski & Hernandez scoring 4 or 5 TD’s, and a few other guys chipping in for the rest. .

Hey, if the Patriots are so good why didn’t they annihilate the Ravens? I know, I know, Brady had an off game and it won’t happen again. Oh, and, of course, Bill Belichick is greatest coach of all time…/sarcasm. Seriously, the Patriots are very good, I recognize that. Brady and Belichick are future Hall of Famers, but I think the Ravens demonstrated that a strong defense can disrupt NE’s offense and that an opponent with a QB who is a superior passer can move the ball and score on NE’s defense. Eli Manning should be very encouraged after seeing Joe Flacco throw for 300 yards on NE. Let’s not forget that the Giants defeated the Patriots during the regular season 24-20, in Foxboro, MA and they did it without Ahmad Bradshaw, who was injured at that time.

It is unrealistic to think that the Giant D can shut down Brady & Co., but I think they can slow them down a bit and that will enable the Giants to win. The Giants are peaking at the right time: The G-Men totally shut down a pretty good Atlanta team, then they went to Green Bay to knock off the Champ’s at home and followed that impressive feat by going on the road again and beating San Francisco, the team that arguably had the best defense in the league this year. Head Couch Tom Coughlin and his staff deserve major kudos for that performance. A victory over the Patriots would be a fitting end for a truly great season.

Final Score: Giants 34, Patriots 31

Articles: It’s Not About Newt

Posted on by georgefattell

Articles: It's Not About Newt.

The link above is to an article on the American Thinker website. The author of this piece believes that the Republican Establishment is still out of touch with the rank and file Republicans. I have to agree. I’ve felt that way for about 20 years now, going back to the election of 1992, when I voted for Ross Perot. I still have not decided who I am going to support 2012. I am disappointed that the Republicans do not have a stronger field. It is possible that I will vote 3rd Party in 2012, but right now I don’t see any viable 3rd party candidates.

Key quote:

While it is true Republicans control only one chamber of one branch of the federal government, the change the American people sent them to Washington to effect has not happened. The frustration that led Tea Partiers to demonstrate in public squares and dominate town halls around the country has not been alleviated. The debt limit battle was lost, the economy continues to stagnate, and the GOP establishment is once again pushing a candidate that fails to inspire hope that he can actually make real change happen in Washington.

Unlike many of the Occupy Wall Street movement protestors, the Tea Party conservatives had businesses to run, and jobs to return to, but the frustration and anger they felt is still very real. They are tired of sending people to Washington, Republicans claiming to be the party of fiscal responsibility, only to see things continue to get worse.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/its_not_about_newt.html#ixzz1ksZjjCaQ

UFC 2 on Fox – Chicago, IL

Posted on by georgefattell

The second installment of UFC on Fox will present 3 fights instead of 1 and all three of those look like they have potential to be very good fights. Of course, the HW fight in UFC 1 on Fox, pitting Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos, looked like it could be a classic and it lasted about one minute, as a result of a Dos Santos KO punch that destroyed Cain Velasquez. The quick KO’s of that kind seem to happen more frequently in the HW fights, but they can happen in any weight class, although that kind of outcome seems a lot less likely for any fights tonight.

Light Heavyweight: Rashad Evans (16-1-1) vs Phil “Mr Wonderful” Davis (9-0)

A lot is on the line in this LHW battle. The winner will probably next face LHW Champ Jon Jones. Evans is the favorite for this fight. Both fighters are very accomplished former NCAA Div I wrestlers. Evans has been in the MMA game longer and has developed a more well rounded MMA skill set at this point than Davis. Evans has good striking skills and I don’t think Davis can match him in that department. Davis is probably the better athlete, but not the better pure fighter right now. Davis may challenge for the Belt at some point in the future, but not yet. I think Evans wins by TKO/KO in the 3rd Rd.

Middleweight: Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) vs Michael “The Count” Bisping (22-3)

Sonnen is the heavy favorite and should win this fight in my opinion. Bisping, a very cocky Brit, is a very good striker and has a puncher’s chance of winning with a KO. However, in order to get a KO Bisping will have to keep this fight standing and that will be very difficult for him to do. Sonnen, a world-class wrestler, has proven he can take down anyone in the UFC and there is no reason he won’t be able to take down Bisping, who will then be subjected to Sonnen’s relentless ground and pound attack. Sonnen wins by submission in the 2nd Rd.

Middleweight: Demian Maia (16-3) vs Chris “The Hangman” Weidman (7-0)

Weidman is the favorite here, despite having much less experience. Weidman also comes from a wrestling background and has been impressive so far, but I’m not so sure I would take him in the fight. Maia has world-class jiu-jitsu and judo skills and is considered one of the the best fighters on the ground in all of MMA. Moreover, Maia has improved his striking skills markedly in the last couple of years. I think Maia wins by submission in the 2nd Round.

The Reading Room 25 Jan 12

Posted on by georgefattell

Here are a few links to articles that I have read recently and think are interesting. That does NOT mean I necessarily agree with authors of these articles in part or full. The same goes for links that I post via my Twitter account. A ReTweet does not equal an endorsement. For the most part I post links to articles and essays that I think are well written and I am in agreement with, but again, that is not always case. However, if I do strongly endorse the views of a particular author or organization I will state that. Most recently, I did that with the IBD editorial in opposition to SOPA/PIPA.

Iran’s Asymmetric Threat

By Raoul Heinrichs in The Diplomat blog

So Why Read Anymore?

By Victor Davis Hanson, PJ Media

The Once and Future Liberalism

By Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest Magazine

Visit to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

Posted on by georgefattell

I went hiking at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego a couple of months ago and shot some video of a few portions of the hike, which I have posted below.

Ocean View at Torrey Pines Reserve

I have hiked at the Torrey Pines Reserve at least a half a dozen times before and it is one my favorite locations in the San Diego area for hiking and photography because of the stunning views that many of the trails in the Reserve provide. The Reserve is located on the coast, immediately to the north of the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course and just south of Del Mar. The size of the Reserve is 2,000 acres and it is one the few places on the coast of Southern California that remains undeveloped. It is an interesting place to visit because it gives visitors a good idea of what large parts of the Southern California coast must have looked like prior to the arrival of man. There are eight miles of trails that crisscross the Reserve, including several that bring you to Torrey Pines State Beach.

Stairway to Torrey Pines State Beach

I made the trip to the Reserve on this particular occasion because I wanted to shoot some video using my Steadicam Smoothee, which is a hand held rig for small video recording devices such as iPhones, iPods or Flip video cameras. I purchased the Smoothee last year and used an iPhone 3GS with it to take these videos. The Smoothee helps stabilize the video and enables the user to move about on uneven surfaces, walking or running, and shoot fairly stable video. It takes practice to use the rig effectively, but it does work. The videos below are among my first made using the Smoothee and I need more practice with it, but I had fun out there. On the second video posted below I also used the stabilization tool that is now included as part of the You Tube video editing tools.