Quick clips for Tuesday February 24

Alright, we got Winslet outta there: Who's next?

It's not a slow news day, but I'm in a startlingly and somewhat inexplicable good mood (roll with it, people). Thus, we're going to have a fun little bit this morning (fun for me anyway, but everyone reading this is more silent than people with good ideas in elected office, so I'm going to assume you agree). A few years ago, my number one "Oscar needer" was Martin Scorsese. Okay, me and the entire rest of the world agreed on that one, but you get the idea. Next for me was Kate Winslet. As her dad-whistling, pseudo-humble, nudity-prohibiting win a few days ago established, she's now an "elite" actress. So, that's my question: Who's next on your list? Again, with the impending silence from y'all (hint "comment button"), I'm going to present some musings on who is on my list (and by "on my list," I am not referring to the list of famous people you get to doink even if you're married...if you don't have one of these lists, it's imperative that you make one, as all men and women with sexual capabilities should be aware George Clooney will be in Omaha shortly...honest).

These are in no particular order, if only because I'm too lazy and indecisive to make order happen. We'll do 2 actors, 2 actresses, and 2 directors, because I want to.

• Julianne Moore - Quite simply, Oscar does better things (often) for the career of women. It is a well known fact that, for no good reason whatsoever, there are very few good parts out there for ladies. You pretty much have wife of the guy doing things, girlfriend of the guy doing things, eye candy, stripper, whore, or murderess. I'm sure I'm missing one or two, but you get the idea. At the top of the list of females I think deserve this meaningless trophy (meaningless until you need to sell your movie as quality, by the way, then the commercials are all "Oscar Winner" this and "Oscar Winner" that...so maybe they do matter, doubting public) is Ms. Moore. Now, lately she's tried to make some crap. But she was also staggering in Boogie Nights (still can't believe she didn't win there), Short Cuts, Children of Men, and I could keep going. We tend to forget about her, but we really shouldn't.
  
  
• Naomi Watts - She's doing a smart thing next, as she's going to be working with Woody Allen. As Penelope Cruz noted, Allen is one of the few who writes good parts for women and, go figure, when these women get those parts, they kill it and win Oscars. Again, this doesn't explain the dearth of roles for talented actresses. Sure, she was Ms. King Kong and fought the creepy Ring chick, but DAMN 21 Grams and Eastern Promises. She's crazy talented and, when she finds the right role (hint, not The International), she's gonna kill it.
  
  
• Director Paul Thomas Anderson - All this guy has done is crank out perhaps 4 of the best films of the modern era: There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, Punch Drunk Love, and Magnolia. Holy. Effing. Crap. I mean, I KNOW this guy's going to get one before his career is over, but let's not take it for granted. Remember what we did to Hitch (that's Alfred Hitchcock and not the movie Hitch...what we did to that was make it one of the top-grossing films of the year...shudder). He goes away for awhile, comes back with a masterpiece, rinses and repeats. I cannot possibly praise this guy enough.
  
  
• Director Darren Aronofsky - I will go out on a limb here and say he's not getting gold for his next film, a Robocop remake. Still, Requiem for a Dream and The Wrestler were critically beloved and The Fountain remains in my all-time top 5. It can reduce me tears if I remember it strongly enough. Brilliant and ballsy, the only thing that may keep Aronofsky out is his rambunctious nature and attraction to weirdness. Flipping off the camera at the Golden Globes and sci-fi obsession don't usually spell Oscar, but whatevs. Dude rocks.
  
  
• Will Smith - Yeah, I said it. I like Will Smith. He's one of those guys who is so incredibly likable that some people start hating him just to be different. He's crazy talented, has such charisma that I think I'd hear him out if I saw him wailing on my Grandmother's face, and generally makes fun (if not high quality) movies. He was on the right track when he paired with director Michael Mann, but Ali was just a misfire for both. You can tell he wants it, as nothing else on this planet explains 7 Pounds (or, as I call it, "Bwahahahahahaha"). He deserves one, honest he does.
  
  
• Brad Pitt/Tom Cruise - Here's the thing, I don't really care if either of these guys gets the trophy, because they don't particularly need it. Neither are obsessed with hunting it down (Pitt seemingly makes movies to support his legion of children, and Cruise is concerned with back end...I MEAN BOX OFFICE GROSSES, you sickos) and neither are really going to have a huge benefit from it. Still, the reality is, these are two of the more famous actors of our generation, we should have some kind of award record of that. Yes, I know this is technically three male actors, but if you combined Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, I think you'd have one good human being.
  

So, at the risk of screaming into the void...who would be on your list?

If there's no Gozer, I won't go, sir

When I was a kid...I friggin' looooooved The Ghostbusters. From the animated cartoon that sucked like a nuclear-powered vacuum to the sequel that is less loved than a middle child, I adored the group. One of the few memories that time or some degenerative condition yet to be diagnosed hasn't stolen from me is my insistence upon trick-or-treating despite a fever of a thousand exploding suns because I wanted to wear my sweet Ghostbusters costume. Mom had made the costume (of course) and bought me the honest-to-God REAL looking backpack and trap. It was perfection itself. So, forgive me the optimism if I'm eagerly anticipating Ghostbusters 3 and delighted(ish) that Dan Ackroyd has recently said they're targeting a fall shooting date. I wish they had more time to hammer out the perfect script...but the guys penning it are TV writers (from "The Office" no less), so the quick turnaround really shouldn't ding them too much. Plus, how hard is this idea? Introduce your new group of bustin' younguns, have them train with the older, grumpier, pudgier original crew and get to bustin' the ghosts dammit. You know John Krazynski (that spelling isn't right at all and I don't give a damn) is angling for a role, and he should. Everyone wants the Peter Venkman-esque role, but I think you need to spice it up a bit and not think of younger versions of the older guys. He'd have a bunch to add to the movie, as he does the "I can't believe this crazy shit...but I'm going to participate in it anyway" schtick quite frequently. I'd also like to see someone like Chris Evans, who has a lot of personality, and (gasp) a female! What about Rachel McAdams? Not just because I want to see her everywhere at all times, but because she could use a big ole hit to get back on the map (why did she leave again?). Point is, I don't give a squirt or drip when, where, how, or who, I just care that Ghostbusters are coming back. This makes me happy. Dammit.