Non-Fiction, used here as a catch-all for television, film, and web experiences not manipulated within an inch of their life (like competitive Reality TV, worthy of its own day), is just as much fun as fictional entertainment, only based in reality. But not overly scripted reality.
Let's get to it.
Is awarding Reality TV as outstanding an oxymoron? Some would say so. Me? I'm hooked on it like a drug. Let's get to it.
Let's get right to it. As always, I base my awards off of what I experienced. Therefore, games like Left 4 Dead 2 and the like have not been played and are unaccounted for.
Our honorees:
Batman: Arkham Asylum(PS3 and XBOX360): Do I need to say anything else other than it's a Batman game without crippling control issues or massive bugs? How about a focus on the darker aspects of the universe by exploring the mental asylum all the bad guys are in? It's too much fun to play, is what it is.
Shields of Gemland(online):How do you make the old Bubble Bubble game mechanic and make it engaging again? Add a sprawling map and quest for gems to fill mystical shileds, obviously. Shields of Gemland is one of the best free online puzzle games you'll find released this year.
The Beatles: Rock Band(XBOX360, PS3, Wii): I'm a sucker for a good rhythm game. The Beatles: Rock Band takes the intimidation factor away from the expert button mashing factor in other guitar peripheral games and replaces it with beautiful animation and excellent music. The addition of 3 part vocal harmony is more than welcome. I can only hope future Rock Band releases will follow that feature.
Speaking of awesome Rock Band games…
Rock Band Unplugged(PSP): One of my favorite PS2 games has to be a rhythm game called Frequency. This is basically a remake of that excellent build-up-the-music-track-by-track game with a more expansive song catalog and no JPop. That's the only downside. It's still a fun game mechanic and the new graphics are slick and not seizure-inducing like the original. It's a winning situation for all involved.
Scribblenauts (DS): Scribblenauts is a nerd's dream. Imagine a video game where practically any solution you can think of for a puzzle is available for you? That's Scribblenauts. You write out what you want to use – bike, plane, dragon – and it comes to life on the screen. The possibilities are seemingly endless for solving the levels, and the mistakes you can make are hilarious.
And now the winner. It was an easy decision for me, though some will find it an insane choice.
Plants Vs. Zombies (PC):Popcap consistently make fun games with a steady learning curve that does not intimidate. When the difficulty amps up about halfway through your first play of Plants Vs. Zombies, you're ready. Then, when you beat the game, there are tons of modes to play. This will be the best $9.95 you spend before 27 Decemberwhen all PopCap games are 50% off. What are you waiting for? Start killing zombies with plants on Christmas Eve. It's totally worth it. I'm not getting any money for tossing this link out there. I just want more people to enjoy this game.
Music videos are a misunderstood form nowadays. Cynicism over lack of airtime on music networks has led some to question the quality of the entire medium. Further confusing the dialog is the fact that music videos are simply advertising tools for records. Some artists attempt to go beyond that and create engaging products, but that is not always the case.
Here are the honorees for Outstanding Achievement in Music Video.
I’ll finish this series up before the end of the year. I wasn’t going much further with it, anyway. I have Album after this and a few of the more interesting categories and that’s it.
Record of the Year reads very similar to Song of the Year on paper, especially this year, but the awards are responding to two very different things. Song of the Year is the composition: how well the song is written; the award goes to the songwriter. Record of the Year is the actual product itself: the recording; the award goes to the artist, the producer, the recording engineer, and the mixer. That means everything from performance to arrangement to recording technique is up for consideration, in theory. Exposure also plays a big part in this category. A record with a higher presence has a better chance at winning here than a smaller, less heard recording.
Here are the nominees:
“Halo” by Beyonce:
If anything, I think Beyonce’s big nominations should be reversed in Song and Record. “Halo” is a better composition, while “Single Ladies” is a better record. The latter would have been unstoppable in this category. “Halo” had great crossover appeal, becoming Beyonce’s most successful single to date. It went to number 5 on the Hot 100, but stayed in the top 40 for 30 weeks straight; that’s impressive. The single only recently fell off the charts. It received Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40, Pop, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Dance airplay consistently; even some adult contemporary and easy listening stations went along. The song is catchy and easy to remember, the production clean and distinctive, and the balance between vocal, strings (synth), and drum track nicely arced. If they want to award Beyonce something big, it will be here. She’s either going to walk away with most of her nominations or very few. I don’t see an in-between situation here.
“I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas:
It’s groups like The Black Eyed Peas that benefit from the Song/Record distinction. They’ve been nominated all over the Rap, Pop, and Dance categories, but Record remains their most consistent nomination. They were previously nominated for “Where is the Love?” and very similar song “Let’s Get It Started.” The group is the proof that airplay impacts this category. “I Gotta Feeling” is still a monster single. This is the first time since Digital Downloads were counted that a band replaced themselves at number one on the Hot 100 (the others: only three – The Beatles, Boys II Men, and Outkast). The single has been number 1 in 25 different countries and is tied with five other songs for second longest run at number 1 on the Hot 100. It did, however, only chart on Pop and Hot 100 charts. You could not escape this song this summer and only recently has it begun to fade on the radio. Do not be surprised if it wins on the big night: it’s instantly recognizable, fun, slick, and practically ubiquitous in American culture for now.
The next three are identical to Song of the Year and have a better chance of winning:
“Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon:
Speaking of ubiquitous singles, here is the likely winner of the category: “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon. Here’s why. It’s not a dance recording, country recording, or R&B recording. It’s pop/rock, which gave it the most crossover appeal on the radio. There are Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40 stations, for example, that refuse to play dance or remotely R&B/Hip-Hop tracks, but jump on anything rock like it’s the second coming. It’s currently still charting on the Hot 100, Pop, Rock, Radio, Digital, Adult Contemporary, Alternative, and Adult Pop charts. It peaked at number 4 on the Hot 100 Here’s what the song has going for it: it’s very repetitive and easy to sing along to, it’s by a band the Grammys have liked in the past (previous winners with new crossover appeal – Rock Vocal Performance by Duo or Group for “Sex on Fire”), the production has a great energy to it (even more so than Beyonce’s), and the singer really sells the emotion of the song without making it too sentimental.
“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga:
If Lady Gaga had received a single Pop category nomination, I’d be comfortable calling her the winner here. The fact is that NARAS views her as a Dance artist with crossover appeal. She’ll likely only win in the Dance categories unless the academy is far more receptive to The Fame and/or recognizing the next big thing in Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40, I don’t see her winning a big category. Maybe here if they feel as bad as they claim about her being ineligible for Best New Artist thanks to a previous nomination. The song has already been parodied on South Park, for goodness sake, and sampled on a charting Rap song (Kid Cudi’s “Make Her Say”). It went to number 1 in 17 countries, plus the EU chart. It also topped all three US Dance charts in a single week. Lady Gaga can be a very polarizing force, but the people who love her really love her. If there are enough, this would be the category she could squeak out the win in. It’s a memorable song and the production is unique among the nominees here.
“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift:
Taylor Swift’s year has been huge. She’s scooping up country music awards like rain drops in a barrel (bad simile, my apologies, it’s early and I’m not firing on all cylinders yet). “You Belong With Me” is directly connected to the VMA incident. That incident could easily win to a big category win out of sympathy and appreciation for her strength of character in not smashing a certain rappers head in with a large silver moon man trophy for being a jackass. The song topped the Adult Contemporary and Country charts, and hit number two on the Hot 100 and Pop charts. It is a sweet love song with great crossover appeal and simple arrangement. It’s probably the best written song among the nominees here, but this category is about everything. Country artists are hit or miss with the big awards, and to be blunt, Taylor Swift’s presence is as tricky to analyze as Lady Gaga’s. Sometimes NARAS embraces a country crossover act, other times they don’t. Like Beyonce, it’s almost an all or nothing situation for Swift. She’ll have a huge night or a disappointing night.
Winner: It’s not as easy to pick out as some of the other categories, but I’ll go with Kings of Leon for the win, though the Black Eyed Peas have an outside chance; Swift is the dark horse. Beyonce’s category placement for her Record/Song nominations will probably result in two misses and Lady Gaga is in the ghetto of Dance recording.
Writing is a broad category, and I will be addressing it that way. We write books, we write screenplays, we write teleplays, and we write music. All shall be represented here.
First, an honorable mention. This is another one of the no one really knows or cares so why bother recognitions, but I must say it. Stew, badass rockstar and composer of one of the best rock musicals of all time Passing Strange, composed an original score for an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's beautiful. You can sample it at CDBaby. It's not what you would expect for Shakespeare, but I can hear how it would work.
Our first honoree in Outstanding Achievement in Writing is a book that apparently came and went with no one noticing: Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow. Based on the lives of the infamous Collyer Brothers, a pair of hoarders in NYC who literally died in their own filth, Doctorow captures the desperation the men must have felt and accepted before allowing their lives to become overrun with hoarded objects. It's funny, it's touching, and it's entertaining. The extension of their lives through the Vietnam War and beyond was a smart touch to allow for a more believable arc of destruction. Sometimes, reality is too weird to be captured in print and seem real.
Our next honoree in Outstanding Achievement in Writing is the score to a motion picture that I simply fell in love with: Karen O and Carter Burwell's original score to Where the Wild Things Are. This is certainly a polarizing score. I was charmed by the simple melodies, complex arrangements, alt/folk/rock/pop influences, and emotional content performed by Karen O and a group of children. Others can't get past Karen O's signature voice and repetition. Here's a sampling of the score:
I'm a sucker for an original vocal score and Karen O and Carter Burwell delivered here.
Speaking of great original scores, I would be mad at myself if I neglected to mention another of my favorites of the year: John Ottman's original score for Orphan. "Orphan," you ask, "isn't that the one where the little girl turns out to be a [removed for spoiler free post]? That movie's stupid." I'm not arguing the screenplay here. I'm arguing the score. Beautifully written, largely sustained horror scores play me like nothing else. This one just worked for the film. Samples are available at Amazon. It's a little Goblin (Argento's go-to composing band), a little Danny Elfman, and a whole lot of strange and ominous. Truly an Outstanding Achievement in Writing.
Back to more easily understood forms of writing, our next honoree for Outstanding Achievement in Writing is a screenplay: (500) Days of Summer written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. What Neustadter and Weber did to the romantic comedy is to be praised. Who could imagine what an impact believable characters and genuine circumstances could make in this kind of film? The time-jumps are just the icing on the cake. Aside from a very strained board room scene, the dialog is natural to the characters and the story compelling. Yes, an architect working for a greeting card company is intended to be quirky just because, but it works beyond the wacky gimmick. It's certainly a film worth watching for the writing.
Our next honoree is an original song that will send people clicking away from my site in droves. That's ok. I can take it. Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance." What happens when pop and/or dance music becomes totally self-aware? Lady Gaga happens. I've bought into the performance art hook, line, and sinker, and feel "Bad Romance" is easily the best new pop song of the year. It's disturbing, features half a verse dedicated to Hitchcock references, and only features a human voice as a real instrument (how modified is another matter of debate). So what's so great? It's a catchy pop song embracing the darker side of choosing a romantic partner, has a unique sonic identity, and stands out. See for yourself:
Freaky video, right? The song is even stranger. And I love it.
Now our winner. I struggled to pick a singular Outstanding Achievement in Writing since what I was drawn to this year was so weird. I opted for a mix of different writing elements combined to perfection in a television series. That would be the "Pilot" episode of Glee written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The key moment of the episode is "Don't Stop Believing." The arrangement of the song is still the strongest written of any presented on the show. The lead up to this grand unveiling of the students actually being talented in all things Glee Club is predictable, but handled with so much charm and genuine enthusiasm that the scene works better than I could imagine. The super clean processed vocals and unrealistic rate of learning these characters demonstrate in every other episode is not a detriment in the pilot. Shoot, I'm willing to overlook the clearly orchestrated diversity of the Glee Club (which only expands) because the "Pilot" episode is so much fun. Having such clean elements and familiarity was the smartest way to launch a weekly musical series on American TV and that is why this wins Outstanding Achievement in Writing.
You can thoroughly blame Pajiba for this. I appreciate Dustin giving us the business for criticizing the Pajiba Top Whatevers of the Aughts by choosing our more questionable suggestions. I think it's hilarious. I don't care for being called out by other readers for something I planned on admitting immediately (my love of The Village), especially since it was exaggerated by way of Dustin's joke.
I don't rank, and I'd probably write a different list tomorrow. Here are some of the Top 10 Films of the Aughts in no particular order. All links below to IMDB pages.
My apologies to Sigourney Weaver for omitting her from the Actressing List. Had I seen Avatar before making the list, she would have been on it. I'll be making it up to her and the film later.
And the omissions by virtue of not having seen the film: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in Invictus, Sam Rockwell in Moon, Stanley Tucci in Julie and Julia or The Lovely Bones, Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, and Colin Firth in A Single Man. Joseph Gordon Levitt and (500) Days of Summer will be recognized elsewhere; same with Woody Harrelson and Zombieland. I did not like Up in the Air and especially did not like George Clooney in it.
Today is the obvious counterpart to Actressing: Outstanding Achievement in Actoring. It was a strong year (for once) for Actoring, even if the awards bodies and best-of list would convince you otherwise. Let's get right to it.
We have two honorable mentions. The first is only placed here because I'm still processing the film: Sam Worthington in Avatar. His accent is inconsistent at times, but he gets his character. There is a subtlety to his highly physical role that might have been missed by another actor. His work is strong, sharp, and appropriate. You go from feeling sorry for him as a lost soul to actually caring about him to actively rooting for him. It's a great performance that is obviously overshadowed by the technological advancements in the film.
The second honorable mention is placed here because most people have not heard of the film and will not see it anyway so what difference does it make? I struggle to describe Patton Oswalt in Big Fan. It's a strange film with an even stranger character where basically only one thing happens in the entire plot to set off a character study of a lonely little man no one should care about. Oswalt makes you care.
Our first honoree is an outstanding newcomer in a film that will probably go ignored except for technical aspects: Sharlto Copley in District 9. Yes, people are rightly talking about the effects and to a lesser extent the screenplay. Do you know what sells all those effects and allegorical screenplay? Sharlto Copley. As the appointed head of a government mission to relocate an alien race to a new location who just doesn't know when to leave things alone, Copley shines in a thankless, emotionally draining role. He runs the full gammot here and never feels artificial. The following scene is a game-changing moment for the character.
Obviously, things aren't going to go well from here. You know things are going bad five minutes into the film. And it's all because Copley sells it so well. He truly demonstrated an Outstanding Achievement in Actoring this year.
Our next honoree's film built in buzz for months and then evaporated upon release: Matt Damon in The Informant!. The film is a bit of a mess, but what works only works because Matt Damon does strong work as a complicated character. The narrative issues are a direct result of the character Damon portrays and everything clicks into a confused focus because he sells it so well.
For a possibly crazy but not outrageous, histrionic-driven crazy performance, Matt Damon deserves to be recognized for an Outstanding Achievement in Actoring.
Our next honoree is horribly miscast in a film about Italy, yet makes it work for him: Daniel Day Lewis in Nine. He has a good, clean singing voice and makes the watered down psychology of the adaptation work for a more subtle mental breakdown. DDL sells the charm like no one's business but doesn't oversell the fact that it's a musical. It's a tricky balance and he hits it well. He also gives hope to all of the obviously Irish actors out there that we, too, can overcome set casting boundaries.
Truly an Oustanding Achievement in Actoring that may or may not sneak in at the Oscars. It should, but Nine is confusing people overall more than I expected.
Our next honoree is really great in the best film of the honorees: Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker. What could I possibly say about this powerful film and Renner's performance that hasn't been covered elsewhere? The film is easily one of the best of the year and Renner does remarkable things in it.
Imagine acting through a helmet like that and still standing out? Wonderful work.
And now for the winner. I'm going with my gut instinct after changing my mind for a simple reason: my blog, my rules. Our winner is a newcomer in a film that might be recognized in the music categories and possibly for costumes: Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are?. Max plays the the young boy who cannot control his emotions and winds up journeying into a far away land populated by vicious monsters that only want to be friends, play, and sleep together in a big pile. It's a great film that will age well, in no small part because of Max's performance.
He's made me cry again from a short clip. Sniffle.
Only a few scenes are really wow moments in the performance (and this isn't one of them, but the greatest moments are unavailable online, like the vampire story). The true impact is from the sum of all the parts. Max does everything right, leading to a truly Outstanding Achievement in Actoring. I look forward to his career and hope he doesn't fizzle out like other child actors.