"The Artist" and "Hugo" win five awards each?

The 2012 Academy Awards were tonight. "The Artist" and "Hugo" won five awards each.
It was surprising to see both movies tied for the most awards. It was great to see
Christopher Plummer win for Best Supporting Actor for "Beginners." Kudos to Octavia Spencer for winning the Best Supporting Actress for "The Help."

But, there were people that were robbed of awards. Two people were George Clooney and Viola Davis. Jean Dujardin beat George in the Best Actor category for "The Artist." Meryl Streep won her third Academy Award for "The Iron Lady", by beating Viola Davis in the Best Actress Category.

The Artist won for Best Picture, and Michel H. won for Best Director (for "The Artist")
also. It was good to see "The Descendants" and "Midnight in Paris" win one award each. But, "The Descendants" deserved to win another award. That's all RSG has to say for tonight. Billy Crystal was marvelous as usual. Way to Go, Billy!

Seeing Will.i.am Up Close!

Last night, RSG saw Will.i.am at the Bird's Nest Tent in Scottsdale. It was great to see William James Adams,Jr.(aka Will.i.am) mixing some great songs. His beats were raw, and my friends wanted to see him up close & personal. His show was part of the Coors Light Bird's Nest entertainment tent, across the street from the TPC Scottsdale (site of Waste Management Open). Many people were crowded in a gigantic tent, as Will.i.am came on to mix some phat beats.

Will.i.am performed (did his DJ set) for 100 or 105 minutes. There were four beautiful dancers dancing on the stage, while Will.i.am was mixing songs from current hits and old school tunes too. RSG got about two handfuls of pictures, and some of them were as close as it gets. RSG had not seen a concert (or DJ set) that up close, since his college days. But, the ticket for Will.i.am was steep. Parking was ridiculous also.

All in all, it was a good concert experience. RSG saw some nice females there, and it was cool to dance with some of them. Peace!

Handing out Movie Awards (Pre-Golden Globes, Pre-Academy Awards, etc.)

It's that time of the year in which the Golden Globes and Academy Awards are approaching quickly. The Golden Globes are on January 15, 2012. This year, "The Artist" is leading all nominations with six golden globe nominations. "The Descendants" has five nominations, and I saw it last month. It is a great movie. Also, the Producers Guilds Awards, Screen Actors Guilds Awards, and Art Directors Guild will have their awards shows. This is all leading up to the Academy Awards in late February (February 26, 2012 to be precise).

Furthermore, "The Artist" and "The Descendants" look like clear frontrunners. But, other movies like "The Help" and "My Week With Marilyn" could get some nominations as well when the Academy Awards nominations are announced. Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 24, 2012. This time of the year is very exciting for RSG. Hope this awards season is another great one!

NBA season starting on Christmas Day!

It appears the 2011-2012 NBA season may start on Christmas Day. The lockout has been lifted. Players need to vote on the new agreement this week. But, there are five games slated for Christmas day.

The Lakers will play their first game with new coach, Mike Brown, on Christmas day. Hope the Lakers can go farther than their 2nd round playoff exit of last year. It will be against the Chicago Bulls at the staples center. Last year's NBA MVP, Derrick Rose, will be tough to guard. Hope the lakers have an answer.

Free agents are going to sign with new and old teams in the next two weeks. There may or may not be a preseason in this 66 game nba season. Let's hope the nba season is a good one, even though it will be shortened by 16 games. I am sure Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are ready!

Seeing Harvey Mackay!

Today, I saw Harvey Mackay at a Barnes & Noble in Scottsdale, Az. I read his book, We Got Fired!: . . . And It's the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us.
I read this book in 1999, and it is a great book. Harvey Mackay is a motivational speaker, and his books hit #1 in four categories: Job Hunting, Counseling, Vocational Guidance and Education.

I am a fan of Harvey's, and it is exciting to see someone you admire. Harvey was signing his new book, The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World. He gave many autographs, and he spoke for about 15 minutes. He gave advice to everyone on all sorts of topics.

It was truly eventful, and worth anyone's time. If you get a chance, read one of Harvey's books.

http://www.harveymackay.com/

NBA Lockout blues!

Well, the NBA has been locked out for more than 90 days! It's a bummer, as RSG was hoping to see the NBA season start on time. It appears that the season will not start on time, and it may not happen at all. :(

Some nba players (Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko, etc.) have decided to play overseas. Lately, Kobe Bryant seemed to be the next big star to play overseas. But, his deal with Virtus Bologna appears to hit a snag. The players are negotiating with the owners on basketball related income, but negotiations are not going well. If there is no agreement by Monday, October 10, the nba season is in major jeopardy.

Lastly, the 1998-99 season was shortened to 50 games. Let's hope this NBA season is not shortened. With preseason games cancelled, the nba season is on hold. The owners and players need to come to an agreement. Let's hope Derek Fisher and the rest of the players can work out a deal with the NBA owners soon.

Remembering 9-11-2001!

Today is Labor Day (September 5, 2011). In six days, it will be the ten year anniversary of 9/11/01. Ten years ago, RSG lived in Northern Virginia. Living in falls church, the pentagon was only 4 miles away from me. It is a place, which I have not visited, since it was attacked on 9-11-2001. This year, the 9/11 memorial will open on September 12, 2011 in lower Manhattan. This memorial is located at the World Trade Center, the same location as the twin towers were once located.

The next time RSG is in NYC, the 9/11 memorial is a place for me to see. As for the pentagon, there is a memorial here also. It was opened on September 11, 2008. This is another place for RSG to see. 9-11-2001 will always be a day that RSG remembers. Long live the people who lost their lives on this unforgettable day! Finally, the picture above is from the 9/11 memorial in lower Manhattan.