Super Bowl Update

Y'all, I gotta come right out and say that the Oscars weren't so bad. They are long and boring every year. This year was really no different. And in some ways, I found it more enjoyable than usual. I realize I'm in the minority here, but I don't care. Just like Firthy said in King's Speech, or as I now like to call it, Stutter Island, "I have a voice!" Here's 11 things i dug about it.

1. James Franco being James Franco. Some people didn't like his aggressively i'm-so-over-it, is-he-actually-stoned?, perhaps-he's-appearing-via-satellite-from-another planet delivery but I totally enjoyed it. Furthermore, what else did you expect from James Franco? That's right in line with how he behaves ALL THE TIME. I definitely think the game plan was Anne Hathaway was gonna be turned up to 11 with being eager to please, and he was gonna be totally indifferent to hosting AND to his own nomination, and while they both knew they wouldn't be "funny" they'd at least balance each other out and enjoy themselves. I don't know what James Franco found so interesting to look at way up in the rafters of the Kodak Theater, but it amused me when he looked up there after delivering every single one of his lines. I wasn't surprised by his demeanor and i wasn't disappointed in it either. Also, I knew he'd show up for at least one bit in drag and I was right. Good on me.

2. The opening montage. It could've been stale since it's an Oscar tradition now to have the hosts show up in all the nominated movies. But an Alec Baldwin-centered Inception spoof complete with an Ambien Capri Sun-style drink box? That was totally giggle-worthy. Also bonus points for the outfits the hosts wore while exploring Black Swan and True Grit. Double eye-patches rule!

3. Autotune the Movies. He doesn't own a shirt. Short but sweet. And made me laugh out loud. Well played, Oscars.



4. Firthy, FTW! How can you not love Colin Firth? He's such a class act. If anybody deserves an Oscar on his mantle, it's that dude. A lot of ladies love him for Pride & Prejudice or Bridget Jones, as they should. But he was fantastic last year in A Single Man, and again just so great this year in The King's Speech. Just a lovely thing to see this guy have his moment.

5. Kirk Douglas extends the show by 10 minutes, but is not boring. Kirk comes out, hits on Anne Hathaway, delays announcing the winner of Best Supporting Actress in a delightfully excruciating way for the nominees in a way maybe only he could get away with, and then trades his walking cane for the arm of the F-Bomb spewing Melissa Leo. Awfully nice to see you, Kirk!

6. Writers give good speech. Aaron Sorkin won adapted screenplay for The Social Network and David Seidler won original screenplay for The King's Speech. Both men gave eloquent well-crafted speeches under pressure that reflected the very reason why they just won those awards. Sorkin was gracious and heartfelt and closed it out by telling his daughter, ''Roxy Sorkin, your father just won the Academy Award. I'm going to have to insist on some respect from your guinea pig.'' Hee! And Seidler, for my money gave the best speech just by starting with, ''My father always told me I would be a late bloomer. I believe I am the oldest person to win this particular award." Damn. Can you imagine? Plus as a stutterer, The King's Speech was a very personal story to him. It's nice to see that dreams come true at any and every age.

7. Cate Blanchett says what everyone's thinking. Cate, dressed in probably the most polarizing dress of a not-too-crazy fashion year, introduced the award for best make up and after the clip for Wolfman played, showing the wolfy change, Cate said just two simple words, "That's gross." Gross it was, and a funny moment it was, and Wolfman won, so it's no skin of his gross wolfy nose.

8. Luke Matheny needs a haircut. The Live Action Short Film winner looks amazed, delighted and slightly self-conscious when his NYU-thesis film God of Love took home a statute and he took to the stage ''Oh, I should've gotten a haircut,'' he said. Yes, he should've. Maybe you don't need to write a speech on Oscar Night, but you do need to get your hair did.

9. Best Song had a rough year. I didn't think any of the nominees were particularly strong songs. None of the live performances were anything to get excited about. The winner was Randy Newman for a song that sounded exactly like every other song he ever wrote. Newman has been nominated 20 times but has only won twice. Because there is almost always a better song out there than what Randy Newman came up with. But not this year. Newman acknowledged the lameness of the category even as he accepted the award. His candor was refreshing, even if the songs were not.

10. Dreams Come True, Kids Edition. Okay, so I'm heartless, but my initial reaction to the Staten Island kids singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow as the big finale to the show was, "They're not singing live? They're lip-syncing? Whaaat?" But then after thinking about it, it is such a sweet moment for all those kids to be part of the Oscars and I'm sure it was an incredible dream come true to fly across the country and be with movie stars and sing and close out the show. What a great memory for them all. So that's really great... even if I hate when people sing to a track at a live event. I'll cut the kids some slack. This time.

11. Miss Hathaway as the Universal Cheerleader. Anne Hathaway has a really strong "wooo!" She didn't miss an opportunity to "wooo!" for an upcoming presenter, or winner or clip package the whole night. It didn't matter if they cut her mic, there was a live mic somewhere on stage and Hathaway was loud enough to project and find it. I love her for her unbridled enthusiasm. She really wanted everyone involved to feel appreciated and supported. Bless her heart.

As for my voting, I only guessed 15 of 24 categories correctly. I'm not pleased. I should've been at least at 18 or 19. So it just goes to show that seeing all the movies doesn't always translate into knowing who's going to win. Still I think the ones that I missed were more a result of so many of some races running pretty even, and they could've gone either way. It was a strong year in movies, I think. So even if people wound up being bored by the ceremony, it wasn't for a lack of entertaining and intriguing films to honor. Can't wait to see what makes it to the top of the list next year!

State funding for public radio will drop by 50% in the coming fiscal year.  The General Assembly reported that it had restored 90% of funding for public broadcasting, but that figure is misleading.   

I'll try to make this brief but clear... 

The Assembly restored all of the money, more than $1 million, that Governor McDonnell had proposed cutting from the Instructional Television Service (ITS) grants to public television stations.  Then the Assembly added almost $550,000 more to those grants.  The grants are used to produce and distribute instructional programming and materials to schools, not for broadcast programming. 

The Governor also proposed cutting 50% of the Community Service Grants (CSG) that public radio and television stations use for broadcast programming.  Although the Senate countered with a smaller, 20% cut, the House-Senate conference committee finally settled on the 50% figure. 

Because the ITS grants increased so much, the Assembly was able to say that the overall cut to public broadcasting was only 10%.

However, for WMRA, we still get hit with a 50% reduction - about $43,000. 

Additionally, we are losing $10,000 that originally was budgeted for us to air messages supporting the Virginia tourism.  So our total reduction in state funding this July will be $53,000.  We expect that the remaining $43,000 will be gone in July, 2012.

Helping you is my favorite part of my work. I like to give you my undivided attention. As I was thinking about this, Marlene suggested we might offer individual "fittings" to our customers. "Let them set up an appointment with you like models do before our fashion shows," she said.

I thought that was a great idea! And I'd like to try it out! With you!

So here's the plan: Email me at reneesclothing@yahoo.com to make an hour-long appointment with me. Choose any time and any day that works in your schedule.

Before you arrive I'll select from our colorful new spring arrivals with you in mind. I'll also check the sale rack, the accessories, shoes and jewelry that might go with your collection. I'll gather whatever I think will look great on you.

When you come in you can try on what I've selected. That's it! It's that simple. We can decide together what items look best on you based on your feedback.

Bring a friend(s) with you to watch (the fashion show) and give opinions. Or I can arrange a fitting for them, too!

There is no charge for the service, and no obligation to buy anything. Just have fun, ("let's play dress up!") and try something new.

Ready? Email me!! reneesclothing@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

New spring arrivals now in from Nic and Zoe:

Martha note: This e-mail from State Senator Mark Obenshain was in my in-box this Monday morning. And I thought it might interest you.

Greetings!  I don't like to send out emails quite this often, but since yesterday's email, we've received the conference report on the budget and will be voting on it later today. Since searching the two hundred page conference report for noteworthy amendments is probably not on your to-do list, my office has prepared a two-page summary that may be of interest.... feel free to share your thoughts with me!

Note: This is an unofficial working document from the office of Senator Mark Obenshain, prepared in advance of the vote on the conference report on the budget. Although we strive to represent budget actions as accurately and completely as possible within the confines of a two-page summary document, the conference report should be consulted where an authoritative account is required.
K-12 Education

• Overall, provides $75.6M in additional K-12 funding
• Includes $87.8M increase for school operating costs (Item 132 #6c)
• Maintains hold harmless provisions for composite index (Item 132 #3c)
• Contains a $5.9M decrease in textbook funding (Item 132 #3c) 
• Backs out allocation for increased state share of funding for teacher retirement contribution 
• for savings of $22.3M as part of the larger 5-for-5 plan (Items 132 #2c and #5c) 

 Higher Education

• Distributes the $50M the introduced budget sought to provide in competitive grants to base 
• operating support, STEM funding, and financial assistance
• [Local note] For JMU, provides an additional $3.2M in STEM funding (Item 161 #1c), 
• $1.1M in TJ21 monies (#2c), $0.9M in CISCO Partnership funding (#4c), $0.5M in base 
• operating support (#5c), and $0.4M in financial assistance (Item 162 #2c), and provides 
• $4.7M debt authority for Centennial Hall (Item C-85 #1c)

 Health and Human Services

• Takes the House position of 375 ID at $14.4M plus federal match (Item 297 #12c) and 150 
• DD waivers ($2.2M plus federal match at Item 297 #16c)
• Restores Medicaid respite hours with $13.4M plus federal match (Item 297 #14c) 
• Provides $50.6M plus federal match to restore Medicaid reimbursement rate (Item 297 
• #13c)
• Restores $1.9M plus match for prescription reimbursement levels (item 297 #24c)
• Adds $30M to the Behavioral Trust Fund (Item 305 #3c)
• Appropriates $20M NGF (federal funds) for Medicaid electronic health records incentive 
• program (Item 295.1 #1c)

 Public Safety & Judiciary

• Restores $6M for sheriffs, divided between Financial Assistance for Local law 
• Enforcement and Financial Assistance for Court Services (Item 67.20 #1c) 
• Provides $12.4M in HB 599 funding for localities with police departments (Item 386 #1c)
• Fills many judicial vacancies at cost of $3M (Item 52 #2c) 
• Adds $3M for trooper overtime pay (Item 408 #1c)
• Restores $0.3M for foresters and firefighters (Item 93 #1c)
• Language extends deadline for localities to opt out of Line of Duty Program, as they will 
• continue to be required to contribute to the support of the program (Item 258 #1c) 
• Cuts $10.1M proposed for the Sexually Violent Predators program (Item 319 #1c)
•  Eliminates bonding authority of $7.3M for a new SVP facility 
• Includes budget language conforming to 2010 clerks office funding changes (Item 248 #1c) 

 Economic Development & Conservation

• Reduces proposed Research Commercialization Fund from $25M to $10M (Item 96 #2c) 
• Reduces additional funding for Motion Picture Opportunity Fund from $1.5M to $0.5M 
• (Item 96 #3c)
• Adds $2.5M for the Enterprise Zone Program (Item 101 #1c)
• Removes all Wet-Lab funding (Item 114 #3c) 
• Eliminates a proposal to provide $7.5M to purchase properties around the Oceana Master 
• Jet Base (item 96 #1c)
• Provides $1M additional funding for Soil and Water Conservation Districts (Item 351 #2c)
• Restores $1.2M for state park funding (Item 352 #2c) 
•  Eliminates $1M for the Land Conservation Fund (Item 352 #3c) while restoring $0.7M in 
• Purchase of Development Rights funding for farmland preservation (Item 84 #5c)
• Local Governments & Social Services
• Restores $5M for CSA services to non-mandated children (Item 274 #1c)
• Provides $7.5M to restore funding for therapeutic foster care services through CSA (Item 274 #4c)
• Reduces to $2M a proposed $4M for local crisis stabilization services (Item 305 #1c) 

 Government & Central Accounts

• Adopts 5-for-5 plan, with associated costs of $40.1M for pay raises (Items 469 #1c and 
• plus $15.1M to cover additional associated taxes to hold employees harmless with 
• change (Item 469 #6c)
• Embraces House proposal for VRS repayments, adding $41.7M to eliminate one quarter of 
• the deferral (Item 469 #5c)
• Reduces GF capitalization of Transportation Infrastructure Bank from proposed $150M to 
• $32.7M (Item 452 #2c)
• Raises threshold for vendors subjected to Accelerated Sales Tax from $1M to $5.4M, 
• eliminating 80% (leaving 1,736 retailers in program), with one-time revenue loss of an 
• estimated $45.7M (Item 3-5.08 #1c)
•  Adopts House's $64M added contribution to Revenue Stabilization Fund (Item 256 #1c)
• Saves $10.5M with an executive branch hiring freeze (Item 469 #3c)
• Reverts the VDH food establishment fees to their lower FY08 levels at loss of $4.3M (Item 
• 287 #2c), while eliminating the other tax and fee increases in the Senate budget 
•  Requests the Liaison Office to seek a continued deferment of interest payments on our 
• Federal Unemployment Account debt; if unsuccessful, Virginia will face an unbudgeted 
• $11.9M in interest payments (Item 115 #1c)
• Eliminates Senate budget's bonding authority for Capitol Complex improvements 
• Contains $67M less in overall debt authorization than did the Governor's budget
• Removes all direct funding for private non-profits like OpSail, food banks, etc.

 Miscellaneous

• Restores 90% of funding for public broadcasting (Item 123 #1c)
• Provides $0.2M additional monies for the Capitol Guides program.

Note from WMRA:  Although 90% of public broadcasting funding was restored, it appears that the Instructional Television Service was the beneficiary of that action, and that the Community Service Grants (operating funds) for public radio and public television may still have been reduced by the originally-proposed 50%.  We are seeking clarification and will update this blog post when we get that.

I was inspired while shopping for you in New York City this week! I came home feeling energized and excited more than ever about the clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories finds. I can hardly wait until you can see them, too!




It’s a given that Renee's provides classic, quality apparel. On the other hand I like to introduce you to new and innovative items that you haven’t seen anywhere else. After all, a boutique is all about unexpected finds and beautiful surprises in a collection of clothing you love to wear.






So what were some of the highlights? Jewelry artist Amy Leiner, whose original designs are earthy yet colorful, describes her jewelry as "a unique blend of color, balance, texture and style." Her pieces will top off an understated outfit perfectly. In recent years, Amy was invited to sponsor such events as the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Emmy Awards.




I couldn’t pass up the cool shoes and boots from Donald Pliner and Aquatalia (new!).
Ian Mosh’s collection from the Basque Country in Spain was also spectacular.





Of course Annette Gortz, the German designer is always a delight. Her ever beautiful and avant-garde clothing is the best.

I found a new German handbag line called Liebeskind, which I loved! I also ordered special pieces from Louben, Sympli, Vanilia, Planet and Fabrizio Gianni.



It was my pleasure to search through thousands of lines for the perfect outfit, shoes and accessories for you in New York. I just know you are going to love it, too! Thank you for allowing me to shop for you in New York City, the most exciting fashion city in the world! Stop in soon to see the many new and colorful spring arrivals.

Robert Kent and his fiancée, Chuck

In October of 2010, in response to Rutgers student Tyler Clementi's suicide after being outed as gay by his roommates on Twitter, I blogged about watching a young man, Robert Kent, introduce his male fiancée on Wheel of Fortune.

Just to take you back . . . 

. . .I sat up straight up in my chair and and  looked at my husband. “Charlie,” I said, “this is truly a memorable month to be alive and American! First we inaugurate a black President; now we welcome an engaged, same-sex couple onto Wheel of Fortune.”

I remember so clearly being stirred to my counter-culture, anti-war demonstrating toes while listening to Bob Dylan sing that “The Times They are a Changing.” I watched Robert and Chuck celebrating their good fortune on Wheel of Fortune and asked myself if it could possibly be, after all these years, that the times have finally, really changed. 

If so, I guess, that change has yet to trickle down from Wheel of Fortune into college dorms. Let's just hope we haven't degenerated as a culture to the point that people find the kind of cruelty visited upon Tyler Clementi entertaining.

This morning, poking around the internet, looking for anything worth passing along to you on a Saturday morning, I noticed that a comment had come in about that long-ago post.

And low-and-behold, it was from the Man, himself, Wheel of Fortune Champ Robert Kemp, and it was about his (and his fiancée's) experience on that very family-friendly television show.

Thought you would both enjoy it and miss it, if I didn't repost it. So, here 'tis.

ok so that episode was great, I mean the staff at wheel was supportive and friendly to both me and chuck... they never edited out anything and they knew he was there and he was my fiance cause they ask ahead of time before the taping they never once regulated how I acted or what I said and I am grateful to have this opportunity, I mean they knew from the beginning I was gonna be myself and make no quams about it... and I thank everyone for their feedback about the show... thinking about it now I was not trying to make a statement I was just being who I normally am with no apologies.... my philosophy has always been take me as I am or not at all.... and the Wheel of fortune Show did... thanks a bunch everyone, Robert A Kent..

We are past the halfway point! 7 episodes down, 6 left to go. When I'm running a marathon, just being over halfway there is a really good part of the race for me mentally, because I know that every step I have left is less than the amount I've already taken. So no matter what fatigue I might be feeling, I know I've already done the majority of the work and can totally make it to the finish line. This show is definitely like running a marathon.

Last Time on Fifteen: Ashley and Jake debate the likelihood of turning into an alcoholic by age 15. Jake continues to pressure Ashley to talk to Matt about his DRINKING PROBLEM. Courtney's new intense love for Dylan started to scare her (as well as everyone else. Including me.) The Principal decided to let Dylan play a concert during lunch hour. Brooke makes a play for Dylan now that his popularity is rising. Courtney could not handle the competition.

Episode 7 - Temperature's Rising. Hillside's having a heatwave! A Canadian heatwave! The Temperature's Rising. It isn't surprising. Brooke certainly can - Can Can!

Avalon The Hang out of people we've never met. Some of Matt's Douche Bag Basketball Friends are celebrating their recent victory and they talk to a strange-looking girl we've never seen before.


Seriously, who are these people? Where's the real cast? Oh here they come. Matt doesn't look happy. Oh, Ashley and Jake don't look thrilled to be there either.


They sit at the Loser's Table, even though they are technically winners. Hillside pulled out the victory 61-60. Problem is, Matt scored 14 points in the first half and then Coach Williams benched him because of his suck-ass attitude and selfish play. Jake's all, "yeah... that was weird how the Coach stood up to you..." Ashley is even less helpful, telling him he should be happy the team still won, since Matt cares about the team so much. Matt hates Jake and Ashley so much. He gets up to go play pinball. Jake tells Ashley this isn't the night to bring up Matt's DRINKING PROBLEM. Ashley hangs her head wishing she had better, smarter friends.


Hillside - Main Hall. Brooke and Kelly come in and Brooke tells Kelly about the amazing face Courtney made when she walked in on Brooke and Dylan together at the garage. It was pretty awesome.


Kelly's like "So you're into Dylan now?" And Brooke's all "No, Dylan is into ME." Kelly makes this face that says"Bitch, you certainly are a piece of work." Then Brooke demands to have the English Paper she had Kelly's sister write for her last night. Kelly hands it over, but not before she gets the $10 Brooke owes for it. Smart girl. They talk about the high quality of the work, and Theresa sticks her head up into the back of the shot, as she so often does when entering a scene. She stomps over to Brooke demanding to know what's going on, and Brooke shamelessly spells it out for her. She's handing in a plagiarized paper written by Kelly's sister. Theresa is totally scandalized. Theresa is also wearing a sweater with some strange writing knitted into it. I can't read the words and I suspect it might be written in the Black Speech of Mordor. Brooke can't deal with her Little Sister's whining, and leaves Theresa and Kelly alone together so they can start to plot Brooke's demise.


Avalon - Stools of Stank Attitudes. Matt starts yelling at Jake about how he's gonna go to school and tell Coach Williams off for benching him during the last game. Jake tries to talk him down, but that only makes Matt more intent to have it out with the Coach - even if he gets cut from the squad! Jake is finally like "fine, go get kicked off the team so we don't have to talk about it anymore." That makes Matt decide he can wait a few more days. Matt walks away from the register allowing Jake to pay for his... breakfast? Lunch? I can't tell what time of day it's supposed to be. Jake and the cashier handle the whole transaction without ever speaking to each other. It's totally weird because they stare at each other the whole time but nobody says anything. This show is a mess.


Hillside - Olaf's Corner. Olaf is trying to teach Billy chess strategy but Billy can't keep up. He's feeling all twisted up inside because he doesn't want to live with his Dad. He wants to move back to his house with his mom and Courtney. Things must be pretty bad if living with Courtney seems to be the better option. Billy and Olaf talk, but I'm distracted by a sign promoting "Romanoff and Juliet" in the background. That seems like a strange choice of play for a Canadian Middle school/High school to stage.


Olaf thinks Billy should talk to his family. Billy's parents didn't ask him where he wanted to live in the first place and Courtney can only think about Dylan lately, so Billy's kinda on his own. Olaf tells Billy he can always talk to him until his family stops sucking. Aww, something tells me someone's gonna throw a wrench in their bromance really really soon.


Hillside - Locker Labyrinth. Speak of the devil, in swooshes Courtney - all fire and brimstone. She stops at her locker... which is now two lockers away from Brooke? Oh my god, Show. I can't take it anymore!! How can this locker situation make any sense to anyone? Every episode it's something new. Anyway, these two bitches are off to the races. Who can be a bigger bitch? Brooke, but Courtney comes in a close second. Courtney is so angry for having found Brooke at Dylan's place after Courtney went and told Brooke that she liked him. Brooke is like "No, girl. You got it all wrong. Dylan's all yours." Courtney totally buys this because she is a fool, and Brooke giggles to herself as she goes off to find Dylan and make out with him.

Hillside - Girl's Locker Room. Courtney is explaining to Ashley how she got Brooke all wrong and that her dreams of happiness with Dylan haven't actually been crushed. Ashley thinks this whole drama with Dylan is beyond stupid. She leaves abruptly, forcing an end to the conversation. Hooray!

Hillside - Student Lounge. Dylan waits there for Brooke to come seduce him. And here she is! Brooke pretends to be a human with feelings and a sense of compassion, and has a decent conversation with Dylan until she gets all totally bizarro and gives him a SILVER MUSIC BOX FOR NO REASON!


And Dylan must get random music boxes as gifts all the time because he takes it in stride. Brooke goes away and Dylan winds up the music box. As it starts to play that's when Drunk Matt and his Douche Bag Basketball Friends stagger into the lounge. Matt slurs at Dylan about his wussy music box. Dylan calls Matt out on being benched. Matt AGAIN mentions the music box and this is too much for Dylan. They lunge at each other. Douche Bags try to pull them apart. Sadly, no one gets hurt.


Drunk Matt shouts at Dylan that one of these days Matt is gonna take Dylan's head off. It would've been more threatening if he wasn't walking backwards up a flight of stairs while saying this. It's just a little awkward. Nonetheless, Dylan stares him down and very dramatic music plays, as if someone just got killed in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie.

Avalon - Pinball Wizard Room. Jake and Ashley discuss Matt's latest drunken outburst and altercation. In case you couldn't guess, they are concerned. Ashley resolves she needs to whisper to Matt about this problem... NOW. But "now" meaning "later." First we have to deal with Courtney and Dylan.


It's the Main Hall! Pick a locker! Any locker! Courtney is all riled up in defense of her man. Matt had no right to start a fight with Dylan! Courtney is gonna talk to Matt about it right away! Dylan laughs it off and tells her he's fine and she doesn't need to involve herself. Courtney flirts with Dylan really strong and then tries to invite herself over to his garage that afternoon. He turns her down and then bails. I think the scene will be over but, oh dear god no! It's a Courtney Simpson Dream Sequence! I do not want to go to there...


Courtney dreams about Dylan giving his lunch hour concert and being pulled up onstage as if he's Bruce Springsteen and she's Courtney Cox. Hey, they have the same first name at least! Courtney is wearing mom jeans and dancing like she's the precursor to Elaine on Seinfeld. This is painful. This is the best this girl can do for herself in her own fantasies? So so sad.

Hillside - Olaf's Corner minus Olaf. Brooke and Kelly have taken over Olaf's spot just to talk shit about him. Booooo! Olaf's so much better than these two bitches. Billy comes over and wants to know what the problem with Olaf? Both of them pretend there's nothing wrong with him, except that he's weird and a geek and foreign and awful. This conversation shakes Billy to his core. Don't listen to them, Billy. Who are they to judge a person's character?


Courtney comes over and pulls Billy from the jaws of those two jackals. Billy asks Courtney what she thinks of Olaf and she's like "What? I don't know that dude. Who cares? I need you to spy on Dylan for me!" Billy finally clues into the fact that Courtney has a crush on Dylan, which seems so strange to me that it would take this long, since she's been making moves on him right in front of Billy for two episodes now. But whatever. Billy thinks it's hilarious, but agrees to do recon as long as Courtney rents him videos that weekend. You can't get something for nothing, Courtney!


Brooke's Gigantor Bedroom. This show really likes to shoot people watching their own reflections. There are mirrors everywhere! The sisters are fighting again. Theresa bitches at Brooke for toying with Dylan. Brooke plays innocent, but Theresa isn't having it, not while her feelings for Dylan are super real and Brooke is just a total fake. Theresa thinks someone should tell Dylan what's going on, and then should go tell Brooke's English teacher that she bought that paper. This sets off Brooke's warning alarm, and she gets tough on Little Sis. Theresa backs off... for now. She'll bide her time and wait for Kelly to come up with a plan to take Brooke down once and for all!!

Avalon - Pinball Wizard Room. Courtney is waiting for Billy to return with news about Dylan. Unfortunately, it's bad news, since Brooke is all up in Dylan's grill right now. Courtney is scandalized. Billy says she doesn't have to rent him the videos this weekend.

(Brooke just got a message from Alpha that Zordon's in trouble. Brooke makes up a story about a fake boyfriend to get away from Dylan and back to the Command Center before it's too late!)

Dylan's Garage Band. Brooke and Dylan discuss the hideous silver music box, she gave him for no reason. Dylan likes it. Brooke wants Dylan to play her a song. How about one by The Grapes of Wrath? They are her favorite band and they are playing in town next week... she REALLY wants to see them. Dylan finally takes the bait and asks her if she wants to go. Brooke's like "Whaaaat? Oh, sorry. I'm already going with my made-up boyfriend Terry who's in the 12th Grade! I'm supposed to be meeting him now. Byeeeee!" And then she runs away and he's all confused. Dylan, you're being played!!

Avalon - Conspirator's Corner. Brooke is retelling the whole story to Kelly about how she is playing hard to get with Dylan. Kelly can't believe Dylan fell for it. Me nether. Brooke isn't ready to reel him in yet either. She's gonna make him flop around on the line and get really jealous about fake ol' Terry before she snatches him up. Don't forget - she doesn't actually like him though. Brooke, you are so eeeeevil!


Avalon - Pinball Wizard Room. Ashley tells Matt they need to talk. Matt says fine and then goes to start playing pinball so that he'll have something to occupy his attention during their dumb conversation. Ashley's like, "no give me your full attention for once! You'll never be able to hear my soft voice over the whirring and chimes of the pinball machine!" Matt thinks the lecture that's coming is about his fight with Dylan, but no, Ashley tells him its about her thinking he's an alcoholic. Wow, she feels SO much better having said it! She explains to Matt that he drinks every night on the weekends, and now he drinks on weekdays AND he's carrying around that giant flask in his book bag. Matt wants to know how she found his flask. It's because she's a snoop going through his things! Matt wants them to drop the conversation immediately. Ashley isn't dropping the conversaion, because Matt needs to face his DRINKING PROBLEM. Ashley is worried sick and can't handle it anymore! Matt tells her if that's how she feels she can get a new boyfriend, and with that he bounces. Ashley stares after him... rather expressionless. Did they just break up? I can't tell, but it's not looking good for them. Hooray!


Next time, on Fifteen: Courtney is throwing a party! She tells Brooke that she hopes Dylan will come. Brooke tells her that Dylan is definitely going... because he already asked Brooke to be his date! Courtney shatters into like a million pieces. Billy starts to give Olaf the cold shoulder, putting their bromance on ice. Brooke and Dylan full on make out in his garage. As Dylan describes it, it's going to be "totally nuts." Can't hardly wait!

The Oscars are almost here! Awards season is almost done! HOORAY! I actually saw all the Best Picture nominees this year AND all the acting nominees, so I feel I can fairly rank all those categories - even if the Academy felt it unnecessary to solicit my opinion. So below you will find how I rank all the top contenders, a brief explanation of why I put them in that order, and then in gold is my prediction for who I think will actually win the award Sunday night. For the technical categories and some of the lesser known categories I just listed my choice for who I think will win on Oscar Night. (* - indicates a pick I'm totally guessing, having not seen enough of the nominees in that category to make an educated guess.)

Best Motion Picture of the Year:
1. “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight)
2. "The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
3. “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight)
4. “Inception” (Warner Bros.)
5. “Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney)
6. “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
7. "The Fighter” (Paramount)j
8. “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
9. “True Grit” (Paramount)
10. “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)

My absolute favorite movie of the year is "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" and though it was a critical success, it's total flop at the box office meant it had no chance in this category. I think it really should have landed in the technical categories though - for special effects, editing and music categories - and it's disappointing it was overlooked there as well. It's also too bad that "Blue Valentine" couldn't find a space at the top. I think that film's amazing. As for these 10, i actually enjoyed them all. Not a lot separates them in my mind in terms of quality, and I actually think any of them would make a respectable Best Film winner this year. So in ranking, it just came down to personal reaction and emotional resonance. While I believe "The King's Speech" will take home the trophy, the movie that really was the most rewarding experience for me was "127 Hours." I thought what they did technically with the source material to turn it into a cinematic story was phenomenal. James Franco's performance is outstanding. This film provoked the most emotional response from me. Black Swan and Inception both bent my brain backwards and twisted it up in glorious ways, Toy Story 3 made me cry and cry with its brilliant conclusion, and the others were all really great films too. I know Social Network is the other front runner here, but for me, I enjoyed it without really feeling one way or another about it, so it falls closer to the bottom for me on the list.

Achievement in Directing:
1. “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Darren Aronofsky
2. “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) David Fincher
3. “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Tom Hooper
4. “The Fighter” (Paramount) David O. Russell
5. “True Grit” (Paramount) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

If Christopher Nolan was on this list for "Inception," or if Danny Boyle was here for 127 Hours, I'd have voted for either of those, because I thought both of them were stunning achievements. Since they are not, I'm still thinking about Black Swan months later in a way that I'm not for Social Network or King's Speech. So I'd put that first. But conventional wisdom says Fincher, and a King's Speech Sweep would indicate Hooper.

Original Screenplay:
1. “Inception” (Warner Bros.) Written by Christopher Nolan
2. “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features) Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
3. “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Seidler
4. “Another Year” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Mike Leigh
5. “The Fighter” (Paramount) Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson, Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

I think "The King's Speech" might steal this one, but Inception was CRAZY and the dialogue in TKAAR was note-perfect, so I'd go for either of those first.

Adapted Screenplay:
1. “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
2. “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
3. “Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Michael Arndt Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
4. “True Grit” (Paramount) Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
5. “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions) Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

I think much of the good will granted to The Social Network can be attributed to the writing in that first scene between Eisenberg and Mara at the bar. It really set the stage for the exciting fast-paced movie about nerds at computers that was to come. Even people who aren't huge fans of the movie overall really admire that scene, and that's all Sorkin.

Achievement in Cinematography:
1. “True Grit” (Paramount) Roger Deakins
2. “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Matthew Libatique
3. “Inception” (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
4. “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company) Danny Cohen
5. “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth

True Grit didn't top my list in a lot of categories, but I like Deakins for the win here. Tough tough category though.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
1. Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
2. James Franco in "127 Hours" (Fox Searchlight)
3. Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions)
4. Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
5. Jeff Bridges in “True Grit” (Paramount)

These are all great performances, and I really connected emotionally with those I ranked 1-3, but there's something special about Colin Firth in "The King's Speech." Plus, he was absolutely stellar in last year's "A Single Man." Personally, I would've traded Eisenberg and Bridges for Ryan Gosling in "Blue Valentine" and Aaron Eckhart in "Rabbit Hole." Nothing against Bridges or Eisenberg, I just Gosling and Eckhart really nailed each of their dramatically difficult roles in their respective movies. Plus their on-screen wives who were nominated for Oscars wouldn't have had those great performances without them.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
1. Christian Bale in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
2. Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
3. Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
4. John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
5. Jeremy Renner in “The Town” (Warner Bros.)

Christian Bale and Geoffrey Rush are both stellar in their roles. I really think Bale completely disappears into Dickie though, so I give him the edge. The other three actors are all really worthy nominees as well. I wasn't really taken with "The Town" so I might have liked to see that 5th slot go to Matt Damon for "True Grit."

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
1. Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight)
2. Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company)
3. Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
4. Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate)
5. Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone” (Roadside Attractions)

This was a very strong and diverse category this year. I give it to Portman because she was riveting as she went batshit crazy - and she had to dance! Williams, I think, gave the most brutally real performance. The other three were all fantastic and there deserves to be a 6th slot for Julianne Moore for her work in "The Kids Are All Right" alongside Bening. And a 7th for Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit. More on her in a minute.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
1. Amy Adams in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
2. Melissa Leo in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
3. Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
4. Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom” (Sony Pictures Classics)
5. Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit” (Paramount)

Hailee Steinfeld is the lead in True Grit. It is her character's story. It is her character's narration. I feel she should not be judged in a Supporting Category, which is why I placed her last. This is a little like when Zeta-Jones won for Chicago in this category when she was really a lead, but at least in that scenario you could argue that the movie version of Chicago's narrative really does follow Zellwegger's Roxie and not Zeta-Jones' Velma Kelly. With "True Grit," that argument just does not hold up. It's pure movie politics to get an award. Steinfeld is great, but this is not her category. I would've liked to see Barbara Hershey here for "Black Swan." Of all the performances nominated, I thought Amy Adams in "The Fighter" was the most deserving.

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year:*
“Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions) A Menage Atroz, Mod Producciones and Ikiru Films Production - Mexico

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year:
“Toy Story 3” (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich

Best Animated Short Film:
“Day & Night” (Walt Disney)

Best Live Action Short Film:*
“The Confession” (National Film and Television School)

Best Documentary Feature:*
“Exit through the Gift Shop” (Producers Distribution Agency) A Paranoid Pictures Production Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz

Best Documentary Short Subject:*
“Sun Come Up” A Sun Come Up Production Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger

Achievement in Film Editing:
“Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum

Achievement in Sound Editing:
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Richard King

Achievement in Sound Mixing:
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick

Achievement in Visual Effects:
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and
Peter Bebb

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song):
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score):
“The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in Makeup:
“The Wolfman” (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey
(Alice in Wonderland was somehow not nominated for this which seems crazy)

Achievement in Art Direction:
“Inception” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas, Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat

Achievement in Costume Design:
“Alice in Wonderland” (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood

So that's hows I calls 'em. We'll see how good I did with my predictions in my Monday morning recap. Will anyone wear a take on Bjork's infamous swan dress in an attempt to show support for Black Swan? Will that person in fact be host James Franco? Will everybody be thanking union workers in order to be political and stuff? Will the show run less than 4 hours? Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night!!

Another successful week without cookies and soda has come and gone! And now we are right on March's doorstep. That means it's almost 2 months without these sugary vices. Although this week saw plenty of other sweets in chocolate form being consumed. Brownies galore. Mini-chocolates too. And there was this delicious brownie bite thingy that bestie Sammy introduced me too. Mmmmm! I know I can't just overcompensate for a lack of cookies by packing on more kinds of sugary snacks. But cookies are an every day struggle and brownies and chocolate bars are more of a seasonal mistress. Now that Runaways Reunion and Oscar Awards Season are behind us, so go the need to have tasty dessert treats on hand. BFF commented last night that I looked thinner than usual. She knows the way into my heart.

This week I had a bit of a cold and when my throat hurts, I usually turn to ginger ale for soothing comfort. I had some in the house following Runaways Reunion, but I opted to stay soda-pure and stuck to drinking water, tea with honey, and Gatorade for relief. Now I'm back to feeling fine. Woohoo! I didn't even give in to my sickness crutch. I am stronger than ever. I know I can make it to double digit weeks! I know I can!

Martha note:  Hilary White Holladay, who teaches African American Literature at James Madison University, had what I thought was a great idea. She suggested that the last two Civic Soapboxes of Black History Month feature two of her students reading poems that are meaningful to them. Here is poem #2, offered to honor all the contributions of persons of color to our nation's history. 

The introduction is transcribed from a conversation I had with Thomas about his chosen poem. To listen to this conversation and to Thomas reading "Freedom Candy," click here.

My names is Thomas Estes. In my English 362 class, African American Poets, I was assigned E. Ethelbert Miller. So I was just reading it one day, and I liked it, and the next day someone said, hey, you want to read something on the air? And I said you know what? I know just what I'm going to read. I've read it all ready. And it's the perfect poem. 

I like it because in this book, How We Sleep on Nights We Don't Make Love, E. Ethelbert Miller created this character Omar. There's 6 consecutive poems about Omar. And this is the first one. And I read it. And I really liked the part where he said, "you know we should tell Mrs. Greenfield about herself  since it's Black History Month." I was like, yeah! 

I guess I was kinda like that person in school. Always  rebellious. I read this poem and felt the energy from it. 

I am close to being Omar. I laugh all the time. I could say I am Omar

E. Ethelbert Miller

Freedom Candy
        by E.Ethelbert Miller 

What kind of name is Omar
I asked this new boy at school.
You named after a candy bar or what?
You know you’re too light to be milk chocolate. 

Omar looked at me and laughed.
Since that first smile, he’s my best friend.
Maybe my best friend ever.
Folks call us the Inseperables
Like one of those old singing groups my daddy is always talking about. 

Omar’s a Muslim name, Omar tells me.
I think it sounds like a candy bar.
Like O’Henry. Baby Ruth. Mars. Or Almond Joy.
Maybe his mamma should have named him Snickers ’cause of the way he laughs. 

Omar’s name sounds like candy.
And the way he acts is sweet to me.
Every teacher except Mrs. Greenfield thinks so.
Mrs. Greenfield, she don’t like Muslims.
And the rest of us she calls natural born sinners cause of the way we talk and behave. 

Omar says, we should tell Mz. Greenfield about herself since it’s Black History Month.
So Omar stands up and says to Mrs. Greenfield,
How come you don’t lead us somewhere?
How come you’re not like Harriet Tubman?.
Why no field trips? Why no trips to the museum or zoo?
Why we never go nowhere?
Why? 

Mrs. Greenfield, she don’t say nothing.
She just looks at Omar as if he is the last Muslim on earth and is about to die.
I think about how Omar says, Muslims pray five times a day.
And how cats have nine lives.
And just maybe Omar might make it to three o’clock.
Or maybe he won’t. 

Suddenly Mrs. Greenfield has one of those fainting spells
Like old Moses Tubman.
She has to sit down behind her desk,
So she tells me to go get her some water. 

I feel free as I race down the hall,
Wondering how Omar can be sweet sometime,
And get on everyone’s nerve the next. 

My daddy once told me M & M’s melt in your mouth
And your hands.
Especially if you’re colored.
Wait until I tell Omar.

 --Thomas Estes is from Washington D.C. He’s a junior, studying English, at James Madison University.