The director of this minor classic is a fashion photographer named Terry Richardson. Someone who apparently has friends in all the right places and can buddy up to some pretty stunning women. You would think that his access to such women was built on a solid reputation but interestingly enough, Richardson has his detractors…and some of them are models who find him downright creepy.

Whatever the case, the guy managed to film this little dance, performed by the most popular body in the world right now…and we appreciate it.

Shimmying and shaking like a “hippy” with a cool back up band, Megan sang in French and preened in front of all his colleageus for his surprise birthday party. It’s nights like this where those who didn’t wish they were Don, had another reason to hate him.

 

Click on the video below and you’ll get to enjoy the boys in concert.
Enjoy…\

Their biggest hit is called “Barbara Striesand” and it’s an homage to the Diva herself, but also a tribute to the people of New York. You may recognize the music as it was part of a nationwide ad campaign for Vitamin Water.

We’re going to share two videos by Duck Sauce, but must warn you that the second video, “Big Bad Wolf” is pretty outrageous and definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK.  There should be other warnings extended as well, but they would probably only inspire you….

BARBARA STRIESAND

BIG BAD WOLF (we warned you)

Today, we’ll stray from the norm…and see how we did.

Best Picture went to The Artist. This felt like a foregone conclusion, but the appeal of this movie is confounding. Perhaps the Academy wanted to celebrate the unique nature of the film and felt the need for a story to be secondary or not important at all.  This movie won at the Golden Globes, and that made more sense. We didn’t get this one.

The Best Actor award went to Jean Dujardin. We didn’t know who to expect, but aside from some excellent dancing and that’s just with his eye brows, it was hard to imagine this guy getting the big prize.  It was reasonable to expect that Clooney would have won so everyone in attendance could soak up a bit of his charm in what would have been a delightful acceptance speech. Not the case. Consider this another wrong pick.

The Best Actress award goes to Meryl Streep.   Viola Davis was clearly a sentimental favorite and was expected to win this one.  Streep however was given her third Best Actress award and it’s hard to cry foul. The movie, The Iron Lady, was unique in that it was particularly unflattering to it’s subject, but for an actress there was a good amount of material to work with. We got this one right.

The Best Supporting Actor award went to Christopher Plummer. This one seemed easy. The guy is only two years younger than the  Oscars themselves. He played against type (a man in his 70′s coming out of the closet), and the role was truly fantastic.  The movie was called, “Beginners” and it’s due to be out in DVD soon. It’s something you should be seeing.

The Best Supporting Actress award went to  Octavia Spencer, for “The Help”.  This proved to be the emotional victory that we expected for the Best Actress award. The acceptance speech was heartfelt and emotional which is certainly what the Academy likes to see here. We thought McTeer would get something for a very daring performance, but Ms Spencer was clearly a favorite and likely to enjoy some meaty roles over the next year. Roles that passed her by up until now.  Definitely got that one wrong.

Michel Hazanavicius won the Best Director award for his film, “The Artist”.  The victory here confirms what was pretty clear from the start…”The Artist” was a much more popular film than we thought. Though the film felt like a film student’s uninspired final project, it’s now part of motion picture history. It is worth noting that Hazanavicius won the Director’s Guild award as well and that tends to forecast the inevitable winner.  That being the case, look at who he beat. Woody Allen, Terrance Malick, Alexander Payne and Martin Scorsese.

The Best Animated Film was Rango. The best thing about this truly entertaining and visually stunning film is that it won’t likely have a sequel or turn up in a McDonalds Happy Meal. Got this right.

The Make Up award went to Iron Lady. Meryl’s favorite make up guy who’s been working on that face since Sophie’s Choice (’82),  not only got a statue but was given some props by the lady herself in her acceptance speech.As we mentioned in our forecast, the transformation of Streep to Thatcher was pivotal to the success of the performance.

The Best Original Score went to “The Artist”.   As the evening seemed to celebrate this film’s firm grasp of the mundane, it only makes sense that “The Artist” would win. Not our choice.

Best Cleavage for the evening is always a close race. This year the most buzz on decolletage concerned Jennifer Lopez and the hint of areola that made her one of the favorite presenters of the evening. Only Angelina’s right leg got more attention.

In the end, it was much ado about not much. If there was a shadow of anything…it was good old double sided tape.

Best Picture

The Artist  (We just don’t understand the appeal. Old story, boringly conveyed. )
The Descendants  (Clooney did better elsewhere)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Met anyone who liked this? We neither)
The Help (Possible surprise winner here)
Hugo ( Let Nickelodeon give it an award)
Midnight in Paris (Most entertaining of the bunch. Won’t win)
Moneyball (Any other year and it wouldn’t be here)
The Tree of Life (An Oscar goes to the person who understood this.)
War Horse (More schmaltz than in any ten butcher shops)

Actor in a Leading Role

Demian Bichir – A Better Life (Apparently he couldn’t believe he was nominated either!)
George Clooney – The Descendants (See above, then see Ides of March)
Jean Dujardin – The Artist (If there were an award for Best Use of Eyebrows)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Best in the crowd, won’t win)
Brad Pitt – Moneyball (Any other year, he wouldn’t be here)

Actress in a Leading Role 

Viola Davis – The Help (If it wasn’t for Meryl, this is your winner)
Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs (Not enough people saw this, plus the Meryl thing)
Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Deserves some praise)
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady (Like watching a slugger during batting practice)
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn (Deserves some praise, some will find it more compelling to impersonate Thatcher than Marilyn)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn (More like a cameo role)
Jonah Hill – Moneyball (Any other year he wouldn’t be here. Perhaps his last film at over 200 lbs)
Nick Nolte – Warrior (As in HBO’s Luck, it’s Nolte’s world-weary face that deserves some sort of award).
Christopher Plummer – Beginners  (This is one of the rare times the guy who should win…can).
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close  (The folks in the silent movie, The Artist, had more lines. A great actor getting some props)

Actress in a Supporting Role 

Berenice Bejo – The Artist (Best use of a mole. Very pretty, can’t wait until she’s in something entertaining)
Jessica Chastain – The Help (Busiest actress in the world. Should get some attention but not for this)
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs (Outside chance to win due to late PR push. She was every bit as convincing as a man as Close, if not more so.)
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids (She won’t win, but if she did, it would be fabulous. Whatever the case, she’s the breakout movie comedy star of the year)
Octavia Spencer – The Help (Will split votes with Chastain)

Directing 

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (A win here sends the wrong message)
Alexander Payne – The Descendants (The Academy loves this guy for his smarts)
Martin Scorsese – Hugo (This would send the wrong message to Mr. Scorsese)
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris (This would be nice, but doubtful).
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (The fact that no one understood the movie should hurt. Got great performances out of Chastain and Pitt)

Animated Feature Film 

A Cat in Paris (not familiar)
Chico & Rita (not familiar)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (too familiar)
Puss in Boots  (Is this the only way we’re going to get Banderas? How much money do you suppose Mike Myers gets every time one of these things gets spit out?)
Rango (Best thing Johnny Depp has been involved with in a while. Great animation with a fair story. Of all the movies on this list, it’s the most likely to have any DVD shelf-life)

Make up  (Strong year for this! Note that the horrendous make up used on DiCaprio for J.Edger didn’t even warrant a nomination).

Albert Nobbs (Validates the “less is more” camp)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (consistently good)
The Iron Lady (The winner. Hard to deny the impact of the make up on the movie)

Music (Original Score)

The Adventures of Tintin (Should be part of the Indiana Jones collection)
The Artist (Nothing you couldn’t hear in an elevator)
Hugo  (Likely to win. Not as forgettable as Tin Tin or War Horse)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Unlikely to win anything but this is definitely a soundtrack you’ll want to buy. Lovely 60′s tunes)

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.