One of the more entertaining books you’ll read this year is a particularly  gruesome, exceptionally well-written western.   Truly one of those books you can’t put down and likely you won’t be able to forget.

Take one part Coen Bros’ re-boot of  “True Grit”,  add the eloquent vulgarity of   the prematurely departed, “Deadwood”, then a dash of backwoods alchemy and you have “The Sisters Brothers” by James DeWitt.

Eli and Charles Sisters are a notorious pair of sibling assassins making their way along the West Coast in 1851.  The Gold Rush is in full bloom, having turned “thousands of previously intelligent men and women to abandon their families and homes forever.” Eli and Charles are the muscle for ‘The Commodore’, an ornery megalomaniac ruling the territory from up in Oregon City.

At the beginning of the novel, ‘The Commodore’ assigns the boys some nasty business down in Sacramento. They’re to kill a gold prospector named Herman Kermit Warm.  The brothers have no idea why this man has earned the wrath of their employer, but it’s not really their business to worry about such things.

The novel is their vivid and remarkable, pistol-whipped journey.  They engage with the insane, wicked, ruthless and starving. From saloon to whorehouse, deep woods to the wicked streets of the Barbary Coast, the Sisters brothers proceed with deadly determination.

Seen through the eyes of Eli Sisters, who narrates with a mixture of melancholy and laconic repose. He’s a reluctant murderer — preferring to be a shopkeeper — rather than a killer, but it’s the only work he knows and it keeps him close to his brother, which he enjoys. Eli describes their ride toward Sacramento with a deadpan accounting that is at times both humorous and horrifying.

For those who like their fiction soaked in whiskey and blood , this is something you should start reading tonight.  Check out this “book trailer” put out by Harper Collins.

The Academy Award nominations are expected to be released tomorrow (Tuesday the 24th) and so rather than wait for the inevitable disappointments and obvious bit of pandering…DailyHelping brings you it’s anticipated nominees with a few comments about what or who should win.

Best Picture

“The Artist” (It’s hard to understand why this is so popular!)
“Bridesmaids”
“The Descendants”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris” (Loved this!)
“Moneyball”
“War Horse” (This was a parody of Spielberg, by Spielberg)

This year the list of nominees could balloon to ten movies, but that doesn’t matter this year. “Ides of March” and “Drive” could also end up here but the winner is likely to be the unbelievably dull silent movie. In a perfect world, Brad Bird would get some recognition for raising the “Mission Impossible” franchise from the dead.

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Ryan Gosling, “The Ides of March”
Brad Pitt, “Moneybal”l

Anyone who saw “The Descendants” knows that Clooney phoned this one in. DiCaprio is burdened by bad make up despite the fact the Academy loves biographies. Moneyball was enjoyable, but Pitt is not going to win. Ryan Gosling could actually get a nomination for “Drive”, though he shows more range in “Ides”. Personally, we’d have prefer seeing Gary Oldman here from “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”.

Best Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Meryl Streep,” The Iron Lady” (Even if Ms Streep didn’t have a movie out, you would still have to expect her to garner a nomination)
Charlize Theron, “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Glen Close has been working at getting this movie made for more than ten years. That guarantees a nomination. Michelle Williams is very hot these days and so she could be considered a lock for a nomination and a wild-card among winners. The DailyHelping would love to see Charlize Theron nominated for her incredibly unpleasant character in “Young Adult”. Her performance was pitch perfect and nasty enough that she may actually turn off voters. That’s saying something for a woman who actually won an Oscar for portraying a monstrous serial killer a good number of years ago.

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Albert Brooks, “Drive” (It’s great to see this!)
Patton Oswald, “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Viggo Mortensen, “A Dangerous Method” (A DailyHelping favorite!)

Christopher Plummer is a slam dunk to win this category. Jonah Hill may slip in here as a nominee for “Moneyball” and Viggo makes our list because he was the best part of a dreary film. Patton Oswald deserves to be nominated for a heartfelt performance that has not gotten the acclaim that it was due.

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

This is the same list of nominees that you saw at the Golden Globe.
Berenice Bejo could make a case for getting a Best Actress nomination, but DailyHelping believes she belongs here. “The Help” will suck the air out of the room and Octavia Spencer is a slam dunk winner.

Best Director

Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
David Fincher, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist “(He’ll be there, and probably win if his movie doesn’t take best picture).
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants” (The Academy loves this guy!)
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” (Don’t reward the man for making a 3D movie)

Terrance Malick could get a nomination for “Tree of Life” but the fact no one  understand what his movie was about, may prove his undoing. Clooney could get a nomination for “Ides of March” and DailyHelping favorite, Woody Allen is a dark horse but more likely to get the screenplay award.

Best Screenplay, Adapted

Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, Nat Faxon – “The Descendants”
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – “The Ides of March”
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian – “Moneyball” (DailyHelping loves Aaron Sorkin!)
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan – “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
(A smarter script you will not find)

The Tinker Tailor script challenged some viewers, but hopefully that won’t be a problem. There are other nominees for this category, but we can’t imagine what they’ll be.

Best Screenplay, Original

Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist” (This nomination should be a joke, but it isn’t).
Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig – “Bridesmaids” (Wouldn’t you love to see Wiig up there getting an Oscar?)
Woody Allen – “Midnight in Paris”
Thomas McCarthy – “Win Win”
Diablo Cody – “Young Adult”

About 20 people saw “Win Win” and that’s a crime. It was wonderful and hopefully it sneaks a win here. Woody or Diablo (sounds like a pair of wranglers, doesn’t it?) both deserve some recognition for two of the smartest scripts on screen all year.

Matthew McConaughey emits charisma like the Saudis pump out oil. A certifiable nut (arrested for late night bongo session. Nude and high) with the kind of charisma that Charlie Sheen wishes he had, McConaughey seems to be one of those stars who can laugh at himself and enjoy all that life has to offer.

His reputation as an actor appears to be burdened by the roles he chooses, but he will generally be the best thing on the screen, even making middle of the road vehicles like “The Lincoln Lawyer” or “We Are Marshall”  modest box office successes.

McConaughey first made his mark with a small but highly memorable performance in Richard Linkletter’s cult hit,”Dazed and Confused”. It’s a Texas high school saga of the mid- 70′s. He plays the kinda- sleazy older guy who still has an appetite for the high school gals. His character proved more iconic amidst other young stars in the cast, yet to be discovered. Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Parker Posey and Adam Goldberg to name a few.

McConaughey seems to appreciate and understand the appeal of his politically incorrect character and seems quite amused by the opportunity to reprise the role 20 years later in this music video by Butch Walker and the Black Widows.  The song is “Synthesizers” and we think you’re going to enjoy this….

Lost in Tokyo from Mark Bramley on Vimeo.

You didn’t need us to tell you that.
The minute the last Batman movie ended you were wondering when the next one would be coming. Who would be the next super-villain? The guessing game being fueled by Heath Ledger’s brilliant performance.

With the movie about 7 months away, we already know the story. Batman has been away from Gotham for eight years, but called back to action to face what we are led to believe is a particularly brutal nemisis, Bane.

You’ve heard it all already and are now just waiting for the July 20th release date. Until then, there’s the amazing trailer.

Let’s face it.  Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are the coolest of the cool these days. Though this little ditty is perhaps a bit sugary for those of you decompressing from Christmas and bracing yourself for the New Year hype…this feels harmless, if not a bit pleasant…

It’s difficult to say why the wheels fell off this wonderful site. The fact that the last entry was a soulful tune from American Idol may have been a sign of ambivalence to come.

The content will become more discerning and edgier and the editorial content will rise above intros and captions.

A little effort is coming back to DailyHelping and it’s very exciting for all of us, and we hope you find the results worth coming back to.

And now, in what could be regarded as a commemorative launch of DailyHelping’s return to the Information Highway, some T and A.
Thank You.
DailyHelping

(For more pictures of the lovely Imogen).

American Idol, some will say, has overstayed it’s welcome. Others will say that the astounding ratings are proof that the show still has something to offer it’s public. Losing Simon Cowell to another show may have hinted that the end was near but then every so often something will happen on the show that has people talking.

This performance may very well be the best in the show’s 9 year history. Enjoy Mr. Jacob Lusk singing Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need To Get By.”

The DailyHelping prides itself on avoiding negative content. The internet is awash in gossip, innuendo and paparazzi-type photos showing celebrities at their worst.  Though the DailyHelping has a healthy appetite for the absurd, crude and pornographic,  certain standards must still prevail.

Case in point, Charlie Sheen. Though more a fan of his work in Platoon, Wall Street and Eight Men Out. The fun-loving star of the insipid “Two and a Half Men”, continues to raise eyebrows given his voracious affection for porn stars, drugs and bad marriages.  Some say Charlie is crying out for help. The DailyHelping would love to be his “wing man”.

A recent co-celebrant, porn thespian Kacey Jordan, recently fired off into the tweetisphere a picture of a coffee table and all the supplies necessary to help make the night something special. Included in the picture, (shown below) is Ms Jordan’s crotch. This is perhaps to give the picture perspective.

(shown)

• Mouthwash
• Coca-Cola
• Lysol wipes
• Prescription drugs
• Fiji water
• Marlboros
• Cologne
• “Bedhead After Party” hair cream
• Lube
• An Ikea “Magiker” coffee table
• Ms Jordan’s crotch.