3/30/2006

2006 Sitcom Tournament Judges Panel - Part 3

Posted by Brandon |

This is the last group of Sitcom Tourney judges. Watch for the results of the first round sometime next week... Go Mason! Whoops, wrong tourney. Go Seinfeld!

Rob S.
As a child, Robert set his parent's yard on fire trying to make disaster videos. Mr. Schrader has recently become obsessed with the world of speed skating and is currently in training for the 2018 Olympics. The humble Mr. Schrader is also interested in cooking the perfect meal, skiing as many slopes as possible, acting with professional wrestlers and documentary films about trains and the history of rail travel. Rob is the 2006 Sitcom Tournament director.

Scott B.
Solid, dependable, and with a nose for what's funny. Those things, and then some, explain Scott, now of the "Big D," Dallas, TX. Scott isn't afraid to travel, whether that is around the world or with his TV remote. Hailing from the great town of Prior, OK, Scott is a big time Sooners fan, and expects OU football to return to prominence soon.

Shane D.
Shane (not to be confused with Gold Medal speed skater Shani Davis) enjoys the simple things in life - family, sports, and a good laugh on the boob tube. As Shane puts it: "I've been watching sitcoms most of my life, I've watched many funny ones and many not so funny ones. I have my list of favorites and have ones I hope to never see again, see Alf!" Don't worry, Shane. Alf didn't make the cut!

Stacey G.
Legal mind Stacey, of Garrison, NY, isn't too pregnant with her and Craig's first child to participate in this tournament. While others in her condition may opt out, Stacey feels that her TV sitcom knowledge base is too important not to be used. We are grateful that she volunteered to judge.

Vanessa V.
Vanessa, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, grew up with television. Another legal mind for our panel and a graduate of Duquesne University, Vanessa likes to cook, travel extensively, and keep up on the best of TV, film, and books, both fiction and non-fiction.

3/29/2006

Hungover

Posted by Brandon |

The wife and I drink so infrequently anymore that because I made her take a couple shots of Nyquil so she wouldn't cough all night and keep me up like she did Monday night, she woke up this morning with a massive hangover.

That 20 proof licorice liqueur really did her in. She is now convinced that Nyquil is actually Jagermeister, which wouldn't surprise me at all.

Webster's just called. They have informed me that in the new edition of their dictionary, next to the definition of the word "lightweight", you will find a picture of a pissed off and belligerent Death?

3/29/2006

2006 Sitcom Tournament Judges Panel - Part 2

Posted by Brandon |

J.R. W.
Is there anything about television this guy doesn't know? New York City's J.R. is a game show guru (he works on the show "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"), but his sitcom knowledge is equally impressive. J.R. loves to entertain, whether that be hosting the legendary 'Superbia in Suburbia,' or parties in 'The Big House' up on 101 St.

Replicant
Published film critic and sitcom enthusiast Replicant resides in the "oil city" of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He's as enthusiastic about sitcoms as he is about University of Oklahoma sports. Replicant isn't afraid to pollute his mind with hundreds of films per year, countless hours of TV, and a few novels a month. But, somehow, he manages to still have Connie Hawkins-like moves on the basketball court and cat-like tennis moves. Visit Cinerobot for more.

Jason B.
"Jay" is a musical genius. His band, The Negatones, have a cult-like following, and have been written about favorably in "Time Out New York" and "Spin" magazine. Jay has an unorthodox sense of humor and broad television knowledge that makes him perfect for this contest.

John B.
John, of Los Angeles, CA, knows a thing or two about sitcoms. After all, he writes for a current sitcom (one that is not in this field due to 'conflict of interest' concerns). John is flamboyant and theatrical, equally comfortable with satire, slapstick, and screwball style comedy. A Native of Erie, PA, John brings a solid “rust belt” work ethic to all his endeavors. John was also a UUTV General Manager.

Matt P.
When we think of the word 'media,' Matt, originally of Jamestown, NY, is one of the first people who should come to mind. Matt has experience in television, advertising, and 'new' on-line media. Like Brooke S. and John B., he was General Manager of UUTV at Syracuse University. His golf game is equally impressive, as he can make any shot in the bag at any time. In a four ball match, you'd better hope he's on your team.

Nicole A.
Nicole, another "Emerald City" resident, studied film at the Evergreen State College and the Polytechnic of Central London. When she lived in NYC, Nicole made the pilgrimage to the Museum of Television and Radio and managed to stump an employee 3 times with her viewing requests.

3/28/2006

2006 Sitcom Tournament - Games 17-32

Posted by Brandon |

The bottom half of the bracket doesn't have as many big names, but nearly all of the matchups are very even and hard to call. Again, my votes are in green...

17. Mork & Mindy vs. M*A*S*H - I personally would list M*A*S*H as one of the favorites in this tournament, possibly a #1 seed? But the star power of Robin Williams alone could give the docs a run for their money in the opening round. - My vote: M*A*S*H

18. Leave it to Beaver vs. Sex and the City - This is a great first round matchup for, um, interesting reasons. My vote: Sex and the City

19. Curb Your Enthusiasm vs. Mary Tyler Moore - Wow, now this is a first round barnburner. A cult cable classic against one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. I don't know which way to go with this one so I'm just going to flip a coin. Heads, CYE. Tails, MTM...It's tails. My vote: Mary Tyler Moore

20. Home Improvement vs. One Day at a Time - Home Improvement

21. Get Smart vs. Family Ties - I have always been a fan of Michael J. Fox but neither of his sitcoms do much for me. I loved Family Ties when I was young, but it lost something along the way. Get Smart wins more or less by default. My vote: Get Smart

22. Who's The Boss vs. Diff'rent Strokes - Diff'rent Strokes

23. Seinfeld vs. Malcolm in the Middle - I know there are those that really don't like Seinfeld, but this should be a slaughter of epic proportions. My vote: Seinfeld

24. Newhart vs. Bewitched - I hate to vote against Newhart but the wife and I watched a bunch of Bewitched episodes recently and loved every minute of them. My vote: Bewitched

25. Will and Grace vs. I Dream of Jeannie - Will and Grace

26. Father Knows Best vs. The Odd Couple - The Odd Couple

27. Friends vs. Alice - I hate the Friends so much, every single one of them. Except Jennifer Aniston who at least starred in Office Space. My vote: Alice

28. Gilligan's Island vs. Mad About You - Gilligan's Island

29. Two and a Half Men vs. I Love Lucy - I saw my first episode of Two and a Half Men last night. Pretty funny, but it sure isn't Lucy - My vote: I Love Lucy

30. Golden Girls vs. Partridge Family - Golden Girls

31. WKRP in Cincinnati vs. Murphy Brown - Murphy Brown

32. Beverly Hillbilies vs. Designing Women - Designing Women

3/28/2006

2006 Sitcom Tournament Judges Panel - Part 1

Posted by Brandon |

And quite the panel it is. Thanks to tourney director Rob for putting this list together...

A.J. M.
What a performer. What a creative mind. That's how to describe A.J. It makes sense that he's a success in one of the entertainment capitals of the world - Atlantic City, at one of the most prestigious casino hotels on the planet. A.J. entertains a crowd like no other, whether it is NY Mets fans, improv theatre audiences, or fantasy football participants.

Brooke S.
Brooke, originally of Staten Island, now lives a ferry ride from where she grew up. Brooke was the General Manager of UUTV at Syracuse University. Brooke was accused of not having a sense of humor by an individual who, because of his highly-offensive comments, was not asked to be a judge here. Brooke is a big-time New York Rangers fan, and expects the team to return to championship form very soon. In the mean time, she has honed her TV knowledge.

Craig C.
Craig, of Garrison, NY via LaGrange, GA, is like the Clark Kent of this panel. He wears that suit and tie to work most every day at the lawfirm. But at a moment's notice, he turns into the 'Superman' of any gathering with his imagination and wit. He also has a flair for dramatic adventure, with his world travels and adventure races in the backwoods of Canada. Craig has copies of many obscure and short-lived sitcoms on video tape.

Deb S.
Deb just plain knows what's good, and what's crap. Even after a quarter century on the board of directors of a public corporation and having raised two very difficult kids, she still left time to hone her sitcom expertise. She has possibly the best aesthetic instinct when it comes to television programming as anyone in this field. Deb has seen shows come and go, through the decades. No one is better qualified to judge than she.

Gary G.
Playwright, actor, distance runner, and pop culture aficionado are just a few ways to describe Gary of Astoria, Queens. Gary is so well-versed in pop culture and sitcoms, he and his team dazzled the audience in a soon-to-be televised game show on the VH1 Classic network. Visit Forgone Conclusion for more.

3/27/2006

2006 Sitcom Tournament

Posted by Brandon |

Somehow or another, I volunteered to be a judge in the 2006 Sitcom Tournament run by a guy named Robert. I won't lie to you, I know absolutely nothing about this tournament other than I am judging, it is being held over what may be a massive email list, and to give it a home on the web, I volunteered Down With Pants! to be the official host blog of the tournament.

The tourney consists of 64 great sitcoms broken into four regions just like the NCAA tournament. However, the judges have no idea what each sitcom's seed is or what region they are in, guarding against us looking forward to matchups in later rounds. Each round will take a week or so to count all the votes.

The first round is a doozie. Some of these matchups are tough. There are 32 games (no play in game, maybe next year). Today I reveal the first 16 games, with my vote in green...


1. The Dick Van Dyke Show vs.The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - This has to be the premiere matchup of the opening round. The Dick Van Dyke Show broke new ground by being goofy and just plain fun whereas many sitcoms to that point were straightlaced and stuffy. The Fresh Prince was basically the same, fun and goofy but with an added poignancy dealing with issues of race and class. In the long run though, the Fresh Prince was a pretty basic sitcom that was propped up by the immense talent of Will Smith. The Dick Van Dyke Show was innovative and launched not one, not two, but three stars (Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore and Carl Reiner) into the upper echelon of fame in the 60's and beyond. My pick: The Dick Van Dyke Show

2. What's Happening vs. Frasier - What's Happening

3. Laverne & Shirley vs. Charles in Charge - Laverne & Shirley

4. All in the Family vs. Addams Family - Can you believe that the Addams Family was only on for two years? I know All In The Family was very important because of the issues that it tackled, but for a show to be on such a short time as the Addams Family and still be so well known and loved is quite the feat. My pick: Addams Family in what might be a huge upset.

5. Taxi vs. Good Times - Taxi

6. Facts of Life vs. Happy Days - Happy Days

7. Brady Bunch vs. Mama's Family - There is no way that I could ever pick the awful Mama's Family, but it might be possible that the Brady hatred runs strong in people, could this be an upset of Northwestern State proportions? My pick: Brady Bunch

8. The Honeymooners vs. Night Court - 39 episodes to 193. Which of these two shows would you believe lasted longer? If you picked Jackie Gleason and "to the moon!" then you would be wrong. Harry Anderson and Bull lasted for nine inexplicable seasons while The Honeymooners lasted two. My pick: The Honeymooners despite the domestic violence.

9. Welcome Back, Kotter vs. Everybody Loves Raymond - My pick: Everybody Loves Raymond. I am unapologetic for my love of this show.

10. Coach vs. The Andy Griffith Show - The Andy Griffith Show

11. Cheers vs. Ellen - This has to be the #1 seed vs. the #16 seed, but due to the groundbreaking nature of Ellen it could pull off the upset easily. It was very funny, but I think the juggernaut that is Cheers will rally and eventually bury Ellen. My vote: Cheers

12. Married, With Children vs. The Jeffersons - Wow, this is a really tough one. My vote: Married, With Children

13. The Cosby Show vs. Petticoat Junction - The Cosby Show

14. Barney Miller vs. Spin City - Barney Miller

15. Three's Company vs. Roseanne - As much as I want to pick Three's Company for kitsch value, it doesn't hold a candle to Roseanne in the long run. My vote: Roseanne

16. Sanford and Son vs. Full House - Sanford and Son

So what are your picks? Am I completely wrong about any of these? I'll admit that there are a couple of these shows that I have never watched (Barney Miller being one of them, but I never thought Spin City was any good). I won't submit my picks to the tournament director until Wednesday so I can be convinced to change my vote if a compelling argument is given.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow we unveil the second half of the 2006 Sitcom Tournament.

3/24/2006

I Really Hate College Basketball Tonight

Posted by Brandon |

I'm heartbroken. I have hit rock bottom. What an awful couple of days to be a college hoops fan from the State of Washington.

I hate to rip on one player, but how fitting is it that one of the biggest game changing plays was a foul by Mike Jensen. How many times in his career has he fouled someone like that in big moments. The peroxide has obviously soaked into his brain. He has to be the most frustrating player I have ever watched.

That was a goaltend by the way. The officials blew that call and many, many more. Seriously, how can a team foul so much more than the other? 33 Washington fouls to 20 for UConn? 47 free throw attempts by UConn? What a joke. It was a shameful night for the officials. Calhoun's bullying and bitching got to them.

In many ways I am so glad that the season is over because I can't take the drama anymore. Not after the last two nights. If you will please excuse me, I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now.

If you have a second go visit my new renter A Yoga Coffee Outlook. She seems very nice and has been calling me macho has been calling my ranting macho, so I like her already. I hope you think crying is macho, because that is what I am set to go do.

3/23/2006

Tonight I Hate College Basketball

Posted by Brandon |


No other sport makes me happier than college basketball, and no other sport makes me more upset than college basketball.

Last week I was higher than a kite with both my Washington Huskies and the Gonzaga Bulldogs pulling off big wins on my birthday. Tonight, my bipolar relationship with college basketball swung the other way after watching the Zags blow it down the stretch.

The Huskies are still alive, so I could swing back the other way tomorrow night, but I'm not sure if I can take another close game like that. I'm not quite at rock bottom, but another heartbreaker could easily send me there.

By the way, the above picture is one of the saddest picture that I have seen in years. Nothing makes me more upset than seeing anyone from Los Angeles happy, especially at the expense of us Washingtonians. We Washingtonians are better than anybody from Los Angeles, even if our teams lose to them, and I still would rather go home to Spokanistan, Olympia or even Othello than have to live in the cesspool that is LA.

Fuck UCLA, fuck LA and fuck California. Yeah, I said it.

While we're at it, fuck Connecticut. Go Dawgs!

3/22/2006

I Heart Peter Stormare

Posted by Brandon |


I am so glad that Volkswagen hired veteran character actor Peter Stormare to play VDub in their latest series of commercials. It is a genius job of casting, albeit an obvious job, to cast him as the German (representing Deutschland) to "unpimp" these automobiles.

Peter Stormare was born as Peter Storm in his home country of Sweden. He was forced to change his stage name early in his career, because there already was a Peter Storm in his acting academy, thus foiling what could have been a very successful career as an anchorman in Sioux Falls. As Stormare, Peter went on to star in a couple of Swedish films and television shows before making his first appearance as a neurochemist with Robin Williams in 1990's Scientology friendly flick, Awakenings.

Stormare has gone on to star in over fifty TV shows and films usually playing creeps, thugs or idiots of eastern European descent such as his roles as Dieter in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Lev Andropov in Armageddon, Serge Muscat in Chocolat, Alexei in Bad Boys II and Gaear Grimsrud in 1996's Fargo where he hooked up with the Coen brothers. In 1998, the Coen brothers cast Stormare in what would become a career defining performance...


Stormare will forever live on in cinematic history for his performance in The Big Lebowski as the nihilist Uli Kunkel, AKA Logjammin's Karl Hungus. Blessed with lines like "We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your johnson..." and "we don't care. we still want ze money, Lebowski, or we fuck you up", Stormare made the most of having to act with Flea and with apologies to the rug, really tied the room together whenever he was on screen.

In fact, he really ties the room together as Uli, VDub, Dieter or even Slippery Pete in a Seinfeld episode I saw the other day. I Heart Peter Stormare. He can fix my cable anytime.

(Sorry Cinerobot for stealing your "I Heart" somebody series.)

3/21/2006

I've Got Nothing

Posted by Brandon |

I've tried to write probably three different posts tonight and nothing has come of any of them. So I'm resigned to point you to a little slice of American consumerism that made me chuckle to myself for like, ten minutes. Glarkware's counter-hippie stop sign stickers...



I can't wait to get a "Collaborate And Listen" sticker on my neighborhood stop sign. I think that no matter how tired I am in the morning or how late I am running, if I see that while heading to work everyday I would feel a whole lot better.

3/20/2006

Haloscan Can Suck It

Posted by Brandon |

Yeah, I said it...

Update: My evening was spent trying to figure out how to dump Haloscan off of my blogs. It wasn't nearly as easy as one would expect. It was embedded deep into my template fucking everything up.

So now I'm using Blogger comments so I have a few questions...

1. When using Blogger comments do you prefer a popup or going to the Blogger comment page in your current window?

2. Why does it hurt so much when I go like this?

3. Are you less likely to post a comment if you have to do the word verification thing?

4. If Kentwood is closer to Marshall than Bershire, and Marshall is closer to Kentwood than Bershire, then Bershire is closer to: a. Kentwood b. Marshall c. It is impossible to know

5. Are there any other, better options than Haloscan (I'm totally sick of them) or Blogger that won't cost me a dime?

3/17/2006

If You Do One Thing This Weekend

Posted by Brandon |



V For Vendetta - Go see it!

3/16/2006

Rent My Blog

Posted by Brandon |

I keep forgetting to do this, sorry Panthergirl. Please go visit this week's tenant, The Dog's Breakfast. Always a very good read if you have a moment.

GO ZAGS!!! GO HUSKIES!!!

3/15/2006

Tailgate This, Bitch!

Posted by Brandon |

Nothing pisses me off more than someone who comes flying up on my ass on the freeway. Typically it's some douchebag in his new BMW or Mercedes trying to be the big shit on the freeway to compensate for his itty-bitty, teeny-weeny peeny. Well, I don't like taking that shit, but what am I going to do.

Every once in a while I am able to do something about it, albeit something small and stupid, but still, it makes me very happy. I love to annoy! In the following pictures I'm the lite green car and the asshole is the red car...


In the above picture you see itty-bitty peeny man tailgating me. All three of the lanes are blocked so Mr. Impatient tries to send me a message by riding my ass.


So I speed up giving dude some hope that he will be able to make the pass and continue on his 90 MPH way.


But just before he is able to cut off the guy in the top lane, nearly taking him out because of his need for meathead speed, I back off the gas, slowly letting the brown car pull ahead of me.


Of course homeboy then changes lanes and starts tailgating the brown car. I continue to drift back a little bit until the asshole almost has a clear shot of cutting me off.


But as soon as it looks like he is ready to make his move, I speed up, block his way, pass the brown car up causing the Beemer to change lanes again and start tailgating me in the hopes that he can make his move. Thus, the whole process starts over again.

As long as the two cars in the the other lanes cooperate (and usually, if there isn't any other traffic, the other drivers catch on and help) I will keep this up for as long as I can. I know it's kind of an asshole thing to do in it's own right and can be extremely dangerous depending on how little the guys penis is, but I don't really give a damn. It's one of the few things I can do on the freeway to punish the assholes. It's time that somebody does some punishing. The California Highway Patrol sure as shit won't.

3/14/2006

Not Before The Madness!

Posted by Brandon |

I live in constant fear. Everyday I come home and have to do a double check to make sure that the dream isn't over. Occasionally a van rolls by my apartment ominously or sits empty in our driveway, the driver gone, out somewhere doing the devil's work and my stomach starts to ache, my brow starts to sweat and my heart starts to race.

Today was one of those days. I arrived home at 5:30 only to find not one, but two vans sitting outside. One driver was missing while the other talked on a cell phone, which he quickly hung up upon seeing me step out of the car. I hustled ass upstairs, fumbled with my keys for what seemed like ages, scampered in the door and went into stealth mode crouching down below my window to get a glimpse of what these guys were up to.

The missing driver finally appeared in the doorway to the apartment complex across the driveway, jumped in his van and flew down the street with the second van close on his tail. Relieved to see them go, I sprinted over to the remote control and turned on the TV to confirm that no damage had been done. Thankfully, college basketball in all of it's play-in-game glory appeared on the screen.

I haven't paid for cable even once since moving in. It was just on when I curiously hooked it up one day nine months ago. Adelphia keeps sending out their goons to hook up other people's cable, but so far, they have let me be. But I get really nervous every time I see their van, especially today, what with March Madness only two days away. This is my Christmas people, how would you feel if you thought someone was going to steal your tree and all the presents underneath.

3/13/2006

Fan Dance

Posted by Brandon |

At the Big West Championship last night between Long Beach State and Pacific we witnessed one of the great fan dancers of all time. These teams were busy trying to get to the big dance, but this guy was already there. Notice the impeccable rhythm...


This was actually him at his weakest. I missed all of his really good moves trying to figure out how to work my camera's video feature. Oh well, at least I ran into him later and got a picture...


I figured dude would be a Long Beach State student, 18-22 years-old. Turns out he's at least as old as my ancient ass, if not much older. I guess he just loves to dance, and there is nothing wrong with that.

3/10/2006

Scientology

Posted by Brandon |

I missed almost the entire second half of the Oregon vs. California Pac-10 Tournament game tonight reading this incredible article about Scientology. I've always been creeped out by Scientologists ever since I saw those weird commercials for Dianetics on TV when I was really young. But I always thought they were just kind of goofy and harmless. Apparently, I was wrong. Thank you Mom and Dad for not raising me Scientologist. Thanks to XTine for the link.

3/09/2006

The Luther

Posted by Brandon |



"This is what crack must feel like"


This one is for all the vegetarians in the house. I just found this little juicy nugget of disgusting information over at Ballparkdigest.com...

"The Gateway Grizzlies (independent; Frontier League) and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts have teamed up to create 'Baseball’s Best Burger.' The burger...consists of a thick and juicy burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. The burger is then placed in between each side of a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed doughnut."

So somebody with the Gateway Grizzlies is a Boondocks fan, huh, and now they have stolen the idea for The Luther. Well that kicks ass! I personally never in a million years would eat a Luther, but I am glad that the option exists somewhere.

As someone who used to work in minor league baseball and loves the creative and crazy ideas that some teams kick around everyday, I have to say kudos to the Grizzlies for trying something wild at their concession stand. So what if you may have to have extra paramedics on hand for all of the heart attacks that inevitably will follow. Keep up the good work!

3/08/2006

Happy Birthday Down With Pants!

Posted by Brandon |

Holy crap, I totally and completely forgot about the two year birthday/anniversary of Down With Pants! back on the 3rd. I was too excited about Lebowski Fest I guess. I had thought about doing something cool for the big day, but obviously, that didn't really pan out.

It has been a really fun two years of writing. You have to love a hobby that doesn't cost a dime. I have spent maybe $20 on this blog and it has given me hours upon hours of entertainment. Although I feel at times like I am in a rut or get a little down that I'm not doing a better job or have more readers, I still love doing it and can't imagine quitting anytime soon.

To celebrate I invite you to visit my new renter,
Mystickal Incense. I don't really know what that has to do with DWP!'s birthday but whatever. I won't lie, I'm not sure what to make of her blog but she paid me a good amount of credits and my only other choice was a Republican blog, what choice did I have?

3/06/2006

RIP Kirby

Posted by Brandon |


One of my favorite baseball players of all-time, Kirby Puckett, passed away today at the age of 45. It has been said many times today, but I have to say it again. Kirby Puckett was the man. That's all there is to it. If you wanted a storybook, heroic performance in the clutch, all you had to do was look at the Twins center fielder and chances were you wouldn't be disappointed.

It turns out that Kirby wasn't perfect, in fact, he was probably far from it and we will most likely learn all about his problems in the near future. But it doesn't really matter in the long run. Kirby will always be the man to me.

I'm not religious but I sincerely hope that there is a heaven solely so that Kirby can patrol center field once again. I'd be willing to bet that he quickly becomes the most popular player up there just like he did in Minnesota.

3/05/2006

Oscar Wrap

Posted by Brandon |

Despite the fact that DWP! Movie Week fizzled out, I was going to write a big long post about the Oscars tonight. Then Crash won for best picture and my enthusiasm for the event also fizzled out. What a joke. That movie blows.

3/01/2006

DWP! Movie Week - Part 2

Posted by Brandon |

We continued to prepare for Lebowski Fest West by watching the movie and trying to think of good costumes to wear on Saturday. I think I will probably just wear my Kaoru Betto t-shirt and call it good. Some of these people put a lot of work into their costumes. Click here to check it out.

Now, the picks...

Original Song
"In The Deep" - Bird York - Crash
"It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" - DJay (Terrance Howard) - Hustle and Flow
"Travelin' Thru" - Dolly Parton - Transamerica

My Pick: "Travelin Thru"
Their Pick: "In The Deep"

This is a very tough category to figure out simply because you don't know what the Academy is thinking. There are two ends of the spectrum (Dolly and DJay) and then one song smack dab in the middle (Bird York). I think they will go with the middle, and "In The Deep" probably deserves it, it's a very pretty song, but because I hate Crash so much there is no way I can pick it.

Visual Effects
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
King Kong
War Of The Worlds

My Pick: King Kong
Their Pick: King Kong

If they don't pick King Kong in this category I will definitely think that there is a conspiracy afoot against this film. Something would certainly be fishy. There has never been a movie that did what King Kong did visually. I still think it deserved a best picture nod solely because of where it has set the bar for visual effects.

Best Actress
Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman - Transamerica
Keira Knightley - Pride & Prejudice
Charlize Theron - North Country
Reese Witherspoon - Walk The Line

My Pick: Felicity Huffman
Their Pick: Reese Witherspoon

I liked Walk The Line and Reese Witherspoon, but Felicity Huffman was incredible in Transamerica as the lead character whereas Reese was the secondary character. But I still get the feeling, for no particular reason, that they will give the award to Reese.

3/01/2006

DWP! Movie Week - Part 1

Posted by Brandon |

This week is all about movies here at Down With Pants! All week long I will be picking the winners for the Oscars on Sunday, not that my opinion means much. Later in the week I will give you my report from the should-be-a-fucking-blast Lebowski Fest West. By the way, if anybody is attending Lebowski Fest please drop me a line and let me know. I'm going stag to Friday night's pre-party and wouldn't mind knowing at least one person there.

Anyway, onto my Oscar picks. I'm going to pick three categories each day and pick who I think should win and who I think will win. I haven't seen all of these films, so take it for what it's worth...

Documentary Feature:
Darwin's Nightmare
Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room
March Of The Penguins
Murderball
Street Fight

My pick: Murderball
Their pick: March Of The Boring Ass Penguins (cute birds, boring movie)

Costume Design:
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Mrs. Henderson Presents
Pride & Prejudice
Walk The Line

My pick: Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
Their pick: Memoirs Of A Geisha (the academy loves Asian costumes, what can I say)

Animated Feature:
Howl's Moving Castle
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Wallace & Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit

My pick: Wallace & Gromit
Their pick: Corpse Bride (all three are highly deserving candidates, so I won't be too upset if Wallace & Gromit loses)

Subscribe