Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
AND THE WINNERS ARE - - -

Two of my all time favorites: Anything Clint Eastwood does and the Ray Charles story, which was completed with his total approval, shortly before his death. One of my friends said: "The last time I watched any of that was the time Billy Crystal was wheeled out as Hannibal! And I really didn't care about the Hollywood self-congratulating circle-jerk even then!" And then: "I love reading biographies, never been big on watching them because of the "liberties" they take to make a good story." There shouldn't have been many liberties taken with the Ray Charles biography, since he supervised the script and the filming. And as to reading, I like to read a good biography too, but I've never heard Ray Charles' singing coming out of a book!! However, I must agree with my friend as to his general thesis. I haven't watched the Academy Awards for years either. Not being the slightest interested in the majority of the categories, I stopped watching the annual event long ago. But this year was special to me due to "Ray" being in the running. The movie did not disappoint me and I was even more hopeful for Jamie Foxx after having seen it. I haven't seen "Million Dollar Baby" yet, but I'm looking forward to it. But by and large, it was an Eastwood night, and the small burst of exuberance for Foxx was anticlimatic. Not having seen the Eastwood movie yet, I'll try to curtail my admitted bias, but I just don't see how anybody in "Million Dollar Baby" could have out-acted Jamie Foxx in "Ray". [For instance, did you know that he insisted that his eyes behind the dark glasses be covered so he could better get the "feel" of being blind?] I already admitted I might be a bit biased and any critique I have on the Academy's recognition of "Ray" would have to be that it was all about Foxx and almost nothing about the wonderful man -- no, not just a man, a National Treasure! - that the film portrayed. Oh Well. Nuff sed.

Other than that and the return of the Grouchy Old Cripple in Atlanta, it was just another dull, rainy Sunday on the Crystal Coast!
posted by HCL at 5:01 PM