4 4B - Thursday, February 21, 2008 OSCARS From Page lB BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY "Atonement" "Away from Her" "Le Scaphandre et le Papillon" (a.k.a. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" Should Win: "No Country for Old Men" Will Win: "No Country for Old Men" As deeply contemplative and esoteric as its source material (a novel by Cormac McCarthy) and yet superb by every con- ventional standard of drama, the Coen Brothers' screenplay for "No Country for Old Men" should emerge as a winner from the tight race in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. Featuring the three most talked-about films at the awards ("Atonement," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" - all nomi- nated for at least seven Oscars, including Best Picture), this category could very well be a preview of things to come later in the night. The buzz for "There Will Be Blood" is considerable, but "No Country for Old Men" is the (slightly) more acces- sible, easily appreciable choice between two near-equals. The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com BEST PICTURE "Atonement" "Juno" "Michael Clayton" "No Country for Old Men" "There Will Be Blood" Should Win: "300" but I'll settle for "No Country." Will Win: "No Country," but watch out for "Atonement." We finally have a good selection to choose from this year. That said, let's start with "Juno." It's cute that it's nomi- nated, but a travesty considering "Super- bad," a true comic masterpiece that doesn't feature the phrase "honest to blog," also came out this year. Moving on to real contenders ... "Michael Clayton" is probably the most overlooked movie of the year and won't win. "There Will Be Blood" could take it, but Daniel Day Lewis is that movie, so it'll be enough when he wins Best Actor. "Atonement" could be the sleeper to upset clear favorite "No Country for Old Men," and stranger upsets have occurred ("Crash"? Seriously?). "The Savages" - Tamara Jenkins Will Win: "Juno" - Diablo Cody Should Win: "The Savages" - Tamara Jenkins Say what you want about the greatness of "Juno," but you have to acknowledge the grating dialogue and the annoying- ly ubiquitous plotline. "Juno" will win because it will make the Academy seem cool and progressive, but it bypasses one of the most honest scripts in ages. "The Savages" is bleak, true and more real than all of its competitor's pseudo-hip- ness and hamburger phone. SARAHSCHWARTZ BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" Ruby Dee, "American Gangster" Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement" Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone" Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton" Should Win: Cate Blanchett Will Win: Amy Ryan MA\.ucu-Lts MUSIC 4 IMRANSYED BEST DIRECTOR Nominees: Jason Reitman, "Juno" Tony Gilroy "Michael Clayton" Joel and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men" Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell & the Butterfly" Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will be Blood" Who Should Win: Joel and Ethan Coen Who Will Win: Joel and Ethan Coen It's great seeing first-time nominees P.T. Anderson, Tony Gilroy and Jason Reitman get a shot at the golden guy. But they're all a tad green, and they can return. Julian Schnabel's been gaining momentum, and his cerebral opus "Div- ing Bell" might just pull out an upset. But it's the Coen brothers - like Scorsese last year - who have been making too many good films for too long to be ignored for directing (and editing, for that matter). As previous winners in screenwriting, thesetwo displaytrue filmic competence and craft in "No Country" that deserves recognition. BLAKE GOBLE BEST ACTOR INA ROLE Casey Affleck - "T of Jesse James byft Ford" Javier Bardem - "N Men" Philip Seymour Hoffr son's War" Hal Holbrook - "Into I Tom Wilkinson - "Mic Should Win: Javier Ba Will Win: Javier Bard It's been a goody Bardem has already p Globe and SAG Awar of psychopathic assa urh, and it's lookin will carry him to t] horse Casey "Ben's Br Philip Seymour Hof at Bardem's heels, bu Spaniard's trophy to can make a convincin - while rocking thatI nothing less. BEST ORIGINAL S "Juno" - Diablo Cody "Lars and the Real Gii "Michael Clayton"-I "Ratatouille" - BradI PAUL TASSI It's easy to look at Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Jude Quinn - one of the A SUPPORTING six personas of Bob Dylan - as gim- micky. Cross-gender roles are often easy targets for scrutiny. That said, she rhe Assassination embodies the iconoclastic musician dur- he Coward Robert ing one of his most emotionally inaus- o Country for Old picious periods, combining director nan - "Charlie Wil- Todd Haynes's vision with the Wild" her diverse chael Clayton" abilities and taking the 3rdem role to a new em career pinna- cle. Amy Ryan, year for bad boys. however, play- picked up a Golden ing a distraught d for his portrayal mother and drug assin Anton Chig- dealer, doesn't g like momentum go without merit. he big win. Dark- Her accent and other" Affleck and demeanor are fman are nipping authentically it this is really the South Bostonian. lose. Anyone that With her recogni- gly terrifying killer tion as a gifted new- haircut - deserves comer, she may take ANNIELEVENE the statue. NOAH CREENPLAY DEAN STAHL rl"- Nancy Oliver Tony Gilroy Bird By DAVID WATNICK Daily Arts Writer It's the anti-Christmas. No, not Hanuk- kah, but good guess. It's at winter's opposite end, when the evil merchant of feeling-like- shit swoops into the lives of the unlucky and gives them the gifts of high fever, chills, nausea, aches, pains, congestion and aca- demic apathy. It's flu season, and it's now upon us. Those lionhearted enough to forgo a pre-season flu shot now sit alert, await- ing the pathogens preparing to invade and test the resolve of their immune system. My membership in this gallant category was brief and unglorified. I fell to the flu in the first wave last week. I was arrogantly cava- lier, and I paid for it. My fault for not getting the vaccine. Anyway, I woke up last Tuesday feeling like I had been run over by a train. After pathetically crawling out of bed, I decided I needed a soundtrack to contemplate how bad I really felt as I laid at home all day. But when I browsed through iTunes, I felt so awful that nothing looked appealing. There's music for every situation, but in the case of the flu, the list is pretty short. Face it, no matter how big of a Stooges fan you are, if you're sick enough, Fun House will probably make you puke. After a week of agony, I found a few albums suitable for this compromised condition. Belle and Sebastian: If You're Feeling Sin- ister Perhaps the prototypical sick-day album. Not that you're having any problem remain- ing immobile, but for clich6's sake, sit back, relax and allow yourself to be engulfed in its overwhelming melancholy. Stuart Mur- doch's melodies are sweet enough to soothe but never overly optimistic, which is good because you don't exactly have anything to look forward to in the next few days. The understated, mostly acoustic arrangements create a gentle ambience that won't com- pound your headache. Sure it's a bit woe-is- me in places, but hey, woe is you. Suck it up and start feeling "good" about feelingbad. Galaxie 500: On Fire Any Galaxie 500 record could fit here, but On Fire earns the nod because it's the best. Saturated in reverb, the guitars and bass buoy a cloud that invites you to jump on and float away into ache-less bliss. Underneath it all, a soggy organ washes in to fill out the three-chord, major-key progressions. The ethereal vocals carry simple, gorgeous melodies and always remain distant enough to let you fall back asleep. Dean Wareham often closes the songs with extra verses of bluesy guitar soloing, a revitalizing shot in the arm if you're trying to shake your mala- dy and start being productive. Radiohead: Amnesiac Sure it's Radiohead, so it's great, but it's actually poignant here. If it's possible to "enhance" the experience of being sick, this is the album that can do it. Embrace your disoriented malaise by drifting down this gloomy river and plunging to the depths of despair in Thom Yorke's fractured dysto- pian nightmare. The trance beats left over from Kid A will leave you hypnotized, as will the indecipherable mumbled vocals. Your journey to the center of confusion will peak with "Morning Bell," when the golden chimes underpinning Yorke's rising chorus pleas will give you the "release" that he desperately begs for. From there, recede into the disarray and ride it out to the jazzy fade. Grateful Dead: Europe '72 I know what you're thinking: "Youexpect me to drop acid and listen to this hippie hoe- down shit when I'm sick?" Wellthe acid's up to you, but hippie shit it's not. At the zenith of their live prowess, the Dead turn in some of their tightest and sunniest material ever with the melodic rockers that populate the first few sides of this triple-LP. Jerry Gar- cia's jubilant soloing is smile-turning, and Robert Hunter's American folktale lyrics evoke a warm nostalgia even if you've never heard the songs or their stories before. If that's all too stimulating, flip on the second and third sides and zen out to the tranquil- izing guitar jams. If your spiking fever has you hallucinating, this album will do it. Jim O'Rourke: Bad Timing With only four instrumental tracks over the course of 44 minutes, it's like a jazz album without the jazz. If you're still depleted, resign to bed, turn off your mind and wallow in its endless, therapeutic, sonic waters. Or, if your self-imposed bedroom quarantine has you hopelessly bored, spin it on repeat and pick apart the instrumen- tal nuances emerging from the mix in the perpetually morphing movements. Don't worry, the corrosive experimental edginess that O'Rourke dabbled in with Sonic Youth is just a far-off memory. Here, the only thing experimental is the challenging structure, as he opts for acoustic guitars and pianos; just what you need. Easy to listen to, but never easy listening. I I I I F U "The professors in Oakland's master of training and development program were always willing to share their personal perspectives with the students. By relating their own experiences in the field, they helped us understand the many ways we would be able to put the skills we were learning into practice and the types of careers we would be able to pursue after graduation." Michelle Serafino Human Performance Specialist Accenture Master of Training and Development program You'll earn the distinction. Whether you want to expand your skills, reach personal or professional goals, or make your next career move, Oakland University is the place for you. Offering nearly 100 graduate degree and certificate programs, Oakland delivers a challenging, flexible and affordable education. With a graduate degree from OU, you'll distinguish yourself with the: * Credentials of a nationally recognized and respected institution, where faculty members are experts in their field * Respect you deserve from employers and colleagues alike * Independence that comes with developing new skills, securing a promotion or launching a brand- new career path Oak and UNIVERSITY h