My Dream Emmy Ballot (Drama)

Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Kristen Bell, “Heroes”
Janel Moloney, “Life on Mars”
Lizzy Caplan, “True Blood”
Adina Porter, “True Blood”
Lois Smith, “True Blood”
Elisha Cuthbert, “24”

Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Bob Odenkirk, “Breaking Bad”
Jimmy Smits, “Dexter”
Gaius Charles, “Friday Night Lights”
D.W. Moffett, “Friday Night Lights”
Stephen Root, “True Blood”
Jon Voight, “24”

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Ginnifer Goodwin, “Big Love”
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters”
Julie Benz, “Dexter”
Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights”
Alison Pill, “In Treatment”
Elizabeth Mitchell, “Lost”

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Aaron Paul, “Breaking Bad”
Bruce Campbell, “Burn Notice”
Zach Gilford, “Friday Night Lights”
Jeremie Davies, “Lost”
John Slattery, “Mad Men”
Nelsan Ellis, “True Blood”

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jeanne Tripplehorn, “Big Love”
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”
Evangeline Lilly, “Lost”
January Jones, “Mad Men”
Elisabeth Moss, “Mad Men”
Anna Paquin, “True Blood”

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Jeffrey Donovan, “Burn Notice”
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”
Kyle Chandler, “Friday Night Lights”
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Stephen Moyer, “True Blood”

Drama Series
“Breaking Bad”
“Dexter”
“Friday Night Lights”
“Lost”
“Mad Men”
“True Blood”

Dream Emmy Ballot (Comedy)

Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Oprah Winfrey, “30 Rock”
Amy Ryan, “The Office”
Kristen Bell, “Party Down”
Elaine Stritch, “30 Rock”
Kristen Wiig, “Flight of the Conchords”
Christine Baranski, “The Big Bang Theory”

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Will Ferrell, “Eastbound and Down”
Steve Martin, “30 Rock”
Alan Alda, “30 Rock”
Jon Hamm, “30 Rock”
Stellan Skarsgard, “Entourage”
Albert Brooks, “Weeds”

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Cobie Smulders, “How I Met Your Mother”
Jane Krakowski, “30 Rock”
Lizzy Caplan, “Party Down”
Jane Lynch, “Party Down”
Pamela Adlon, “Californication”
Kristin Wiig, “Saturday Night Live”

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage”
Rhys Darby, “Flight of the Conchords”
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”
Ray Wise, “Reaper”
Tracy Morgan, “30 Rock”
John Corbett, “United States of Tara”

Comedy Writing
“Woooo!” – Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, “How I Met Your Mother”
“Reunion” – Matt Hubbard, “30 Rock”
“Work” – Diablo Cody, “United States of Tara
“Pilot” – Victor Fresco, “Better Off Ted”
“The Nightman Cometh” – Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”
“My Finale” – Bill Lawrence, “Scrubs”

Comedy Directing
“Pilot” – Mike Fresco, “Better Off Ted”
“In a Lonely Place” – Jake Kasdan, “Californication”
“Chapter Four” – David Gordon Green, “Eastbound and Down”
“The Naked Man” – Pamela Fryman, “How I Met Your Mother”
“Weight Loss” – Paul Feig, “The Office”
“Retreat to Move Forward” – Steve Buscemi, “30 Rock”

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, “30 Rock”
Toni Collette, “United States of Tara”
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”
Kaley Cuoco, “Big Bang Theory”
Selena Gomez, “Wizards of Waverly Place”
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?”

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Jay Harrington, “Better Off Ted”
Jim Parsons, “Bing Bang Theory”
David Duchovny, “Californication”
Ken Marino, “Party Down”
Adam Scott, “Party Down”
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Comedy Series
Big Bang Theory
Californication
How I Met Your Mother
Party Down
30 Rock
United States of Tara

Oscar Predictions

Just the big ones this year, for my artistic and techs check out the best of 08 list below.

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Should Win: Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Should have been nominated: Rosemary DeWitt for "Rachel Getting Married"

Best Supporting Actor
Will Win: Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight"
Should Win: Michael Shannon for "Revolutionary Road"
Should have been nominated: James Franco for "Milk"

Best Animated Film:
Will Win: Wall-E
Should Win: Wall-E
Should have been nominated: Nothing but Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Win: "Milk"
Should Win: "In Bruges"
Should have been nominated: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "Synecdoche, New York"

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Will Win: "Slumdog Millionaire"
Should Win: "Doubt"
Should have been nominated: "The Dark Knight"

Best Live Action Short Film:
Will Win: Toyland
Should Win: Newboy or The Pig

Best Animated Short Film:
Will Win: "Presto"
Should Win: "This Way Up"

Best Actress:
Will Win: Kate Winslet for "The Reader"
Should Win: Kate Winslet for "The Reader"
Should have been nominated: Sally Hawkins for "Happy Go Lucky"

Best Actor:
Will Win: Tough call but I'm going with Sean Penn for "Milk"
Should Win: Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler"
Should have been nominated: Clint Eastwood for "Gran Torino"

Best Director:
Will Win: Danny Boyle
Should Win: Gus Van Sant
Should have been nominated: Darren Aronofsky

Best Picture:
Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire
Should Win: Milk
Should have been nominated: The Wrestler

Favorites in Film and Television 2008

10. The Wackness
9. Iron Man
8. Frost/Nixon
7. Gran Torino
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
5. The Dark Knight
4. Milk
3. Wall-E
2. In Bruges
1. The Wrestler

Director
Darren Aronofsky for The Wrestler

Actor
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Actress
Sally Hawkins for Happy Go Lucky

Supporting Actor
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Original Screenplay
Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York

Adapted Screenplay
John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt

Animated Film
Wall-E

Art Direction
The Fall

Cinematography
The Dark Knight

Costume Design
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Editing
Milk

Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Original Score
Thomas Newman for Revolutionary Road

Original Song
“The Wrestler” by Bruce Springsteen for The Wrestler

Visual Effects
Iron Man

Documentary
Man on Wire

Television Drama
Mad Men

Television Comedy
30 Rock

Actor – Drama
Michael C. Hall - Dexter

Actress – Drama
Connie Britton – Friday Night Lights

Actor – Comedy
David Duchovny – Californication

Actress – Comedy
Tina Fey – 30 Rock

Supporting Actor – Drama
Michael Raymond-James – True Blood

Supporting Actress – Drama
Lizzy Caplan – True Blood

Supporting Actor – Comedy
Tracy Morgan – 30 Rock

Supporting Actress – Comedy
Pamela Adlon – Californication

Guest Star – Actor
Steve Martin – 30 Rock

Guest Star – Actress
Judy Greer – Californication

Direction - Drama
Matthew Weiner – Mad Men, “Meditations in an Emergency”

Direction – Comedy
Mark Mylod – Entourage, “Fantasy Island”

Writing – Drama
Alan Ball – True Blood, “Strange Love”
Vince Gilligan – Breaking Bad, “Pilot”

Writing – Comedy
Tina Fey – 30 Rock, “Cooter”

Ten Favorite Albums of the Year

Twenty Favorite Songs of the Year

Tuck Fwitter.

A number of my friends have joined the social networking site Twitter. I had previously only been on Michael Bay's Twitter. Check it out, it's pretty chuckle worthy. To be completely honest, I don't really understand what Twitter is supposed to be. On the surface, it looks like a page devoted to Facebook status updates. Is it sad that I am condemning a website because, in my mind, it just rips off a concept from another website. How meta is that? I suppose it is possible that the Facebook update was just a rip off of Twitter. Now I'm all confused and shit. With its growing popularity among my social circle, I'd be stupid not to get involved with Twitter. Right? Besides, I'm not doing anything with my life.

Note: Since that post about getting wasted and waking up covered in white paint, I have failed to get that incredibly drunk (save my lackluster twenty second birthday).

The year is almost over, and I have done absolutely nothing worth noting. For a film student, I have managed to get away with an undergrad career almost completely devoid of making a film. I want to believe that is a good thing because I look around at a majority of my peers and feel simultaneously depressed and better than them. I justify my existence in film school by donning the moniker "Film Theory Student." The truth is I am still a film production student. People can't wrap their heads around the fact that I am not interested in making shitty low budget, independent films.

I am trying to find people around campus to go cook a meal with me for Ronald McDonald House. Too bad everyone I know here is disinterested in helping anybody but themselves.

School ended for me nearly two weeks ago leaving me with absolutely nothing to do. Work has been absolutely miserable for me lately and I don't know why. Probably just ready to close this rather banal chapter and start another one. I am officially a certified advanced mediator and facilitator. It sounds a lot cooler than it is, but it might look good on law school applications. Speaking of law school, I did manage to take the LSAT last weekend. Fuck me, no amount of practice and preparation prepares you for that beating. The scene was so absolutely depressing as everyone filed out of the building and headed toward the gravel parking lot, gallon size baggie in hand filled with pencils and erasers. There were a whole hell of a lot of empty scantron bubbles on my answer sheet. I will most certainly be taking the test again come February, I just hope my score isn't too embarrassing to say out loud.

As far as movies I have seen, there have been plenty as awards season has finally begun. Over the past week I have managed to see Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, Happy-Go-Lucky, Gran Torino and Let the Right One In. My list of favorite films will be posted within the next month or so. Look forward to that, although I'm pretty sure nobody reads this.

Shambles.

The other day I got sick of all the music I had in my iTunes so I deleted it all. Literally, every piece of music on my hard drive was wiped away and I'm starting fresh. I just got a hold of the new Kings of Leon album. I really like it. I'm also miserable. My room is a mess, there are clothes all over. I got shithoused on Friday night and woke up covered in white paint. I have never been so hungover in my life. Only now, at 3 p.m. on a Sunday do I start to feel better. The worst part is the voice in my head saying that I never want to drink again butting heads with the fact that I know the same thing is going to happen next weekend.

Similarly, there was a time when I talked about my life and how miserable I am on this blog and then systematically deleted any personal blog posts a little less than a year ago. I'm writing again...sort of stream of conscious. It's weird because I feel like I can't relate to anyone anymore. The second things start to look up socially and professionally I find something to bring me down. I wish I was grown up, and wealthy and successful and most of all happy.

There was a time in high school when people told me I was so mature. Now, I get blackout drunk and do stupid things that nobody would be proud of. I'm supposed to be writing a screenplay for one of the stupidest classes I've taken in college. Movies are my first love, but lately I feel like we're being unfaithful to each other. I don't even know who to blame.

An Animal In Your Care: Wolf Parade Live @ La Zona Rosa

My best friend from high school came to visit me down in the great state of Texas this past weekend. In between drinking some potent margaritas and munching on chips and queso we were able to take in a phenomenal performance from Montreal's Wolf Parade. Hot on the tracks of their latest album release (At Mount Zoomer -- go buy it, download it or hell give me your address and I will send it to you, it's that good) they put on one hell of a show. It was, according to the band, their first real show in Austin. They had played Austin City Limits before, but this was the first time playing a stand alone show. La Zona Rosa was the perfect place to see a band that prides itself on their raw energy and tense sound. As Spencer hunched over his keyboard primed to play "An Animal In Your Care," he stopped the show concerned that him sweating profusely on his equipment was casing it to malfunction. Not more than half way through the show each member of the band was drenched in sweat. Someone from the back of the venue shouted "Welcome to Texas!" but they really were welcomed by the hundreds of screaming fans who seemed to give the band enough encouragement to continue the show despite the technical and climate difficulties. Although the tracks of Mount Zoomer were exceptional, it was when playing the tracks off of their debut album Apologies to the Queen Mary that the crowd really went wild. If you have a chance to catch Wolf Parade, take it. It was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time.