I Think I Need to Get Out of the Prediction Game

I picked the Pittsburgh Steelers to win this year's Super Bowl.

I only predicted two of tonight's Oscar winners correctly. Aaron Sorkin for adapted screenplay (The Social Network) and a lucky guess on Natalie Portman for best actress in Black Swan. I didn't even see her performance.

I suck at predictions. Based on my track record, I am not picking the Cincinnati Reds for this year's National League Central Division Champs.

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My Oscar Picks! Best Actors and Picture (and some random thoughts)

OK, some more picks:

Best Actress: This is a big guess, as I didn't see any of the actresses this year, so going with Natalie Portman, Black Swan based on my son Brian's review

Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network (tough pick over Colin Firth in The King's Speech and Jeff Bridges in True Grit)

Best Picture: The Social Network (True Grit is my second pick)

Rooting for Aaron Sorkin to win for Adapted Screenplay, The Social Network.

Finally, it would be very cool if Exit Through The Gift Shop would win for Best Documentary. One of the most original concepts for a documentary film I have ever seen. He has been invited to the ceremony, and as I understand it, can show up masked to keep his identity a secret.

My Oscar Picks! Supporting Actors and Director

Here are my picks for Supporting Actors and Director for tonight's Oscar broadcast on ABC:

Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit (loved Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech too)

Supporting Actor: Jeremy Renner, The Town (shout out to Geoffrey Rush of The King's Speech)

Director: David Fincher, The Social Network (Joel and Ethan Coen of True Grit could win)

Black Text, a Short Story by Brian Sell

I'd like to see my son Brian write more stuff! This is quality!

Black Text

I picked my head up and opened my eyes at that too familiar sound. The reaction to a text tone is sort of Pavlovian, an immediate learned reaction to that certain personal sound of a personal message received. The anticipation of another’s immediate thought, response or proposition, sent in the moment, rarely left to simmer. The specific reaction may change but there is always the quick jerk and thought, the shift of focus, an excitement or dread, sadness or salivation. Even wasted.

I looked around whatever room I was in, my head and eyes weighed down by too much to remember. Everything was slow and heavy, the night had taken its toll.

I didn’t see my phone anywhere in my blacked-out vicinity. Three bodies I couldn’t identify were on the floor to the left of the too-uncomfortable chair I guessed I had passed out in. Two of the bodies embraced.

A few sudden vibrations shook my leg and another tone rang out, much more clearly from around my groin this time. A closely following second tone is usually attached to much stronger feelings, good or bad, but I couldn’t remember which way I was supposed to feel. What was I talking about?

I felt around on my thighs where the pockets of my jeans would be. I bumped into the candybar bulge of my phone on my left leg. It took every ounce of concentration and strength, plus an audible groan, to shift my weight and reach into my pocket. As I grabbed my phone, I could feel the quick succession of short vibrations leading up to a third tone.

“Fuck,” I mumbled to myself, fighting the urge to vomit from just speaking. As my phone emitted another of its twinkling tones, I wriggled it from my jeans, pockets tight. I was either in some deep shit or doing something cute, or funny, or just right in some way. And all on auto-pilot. I hoped for anything close to the latter but expected the former as I tapped the power button on the top edge of the phone to turn on the screen. Who was I even talking to?

My mind knew it should’ve felt more nervous, or anticipated at least, but it didn’t care, staying tucked in its warm blanket of intoxicants. The screen flicked on and my finger automatically glided in the pattern to get past the lock screen.

I opened up the string of messages and attempted to read but could barely understand anything I was seeing. The first sentence was only half a sentence. I could read words separately but couldn’t comprehend full sentences. I skipped over words entirely and forgot others as soon as I read them. Feeling frustrated and illiterate, my attempt at reading turned into a skimming, catching words sporadically. There were numerous words in all-caps, a few “love”s, more “hate”s, every explicative I could think of and a disconcerting lack of emoticons.

I stopped and took a breath, slowing down and reminding myself that this was serious and no time for skimming. Triple-tone. I started to reread the first sentence which was still unusually cut-off at the beginning. I realized I had been attempting to read the thread in reverse order, the truncated first sentence being the continuation of the message before. I flicked up to the top and gathered myself to start reading once again, this time in the right position. But before I could get past the first “I”, my phone vibrated again, letting out another tone that lost impact every time I heard it. A notification popped down from the top of the screen and quickly disappeared.

The sound, vibration and what I thought was a quick glance in attempt to catch the dropping notification threw me off balance again. I looked back at the messages and noticed I had been bumped down to that most recent text in the thread. I hadn’t even thought to check who I was talking to. I was quickly snapped out of all intoxication when I saw who it was.

The newest message was much shorter than the others, and much easier to comprehend.

“We’re over. Goodbye.”

FEB
201125

For more from Brian: 

Sell Your Soul: http://www.briansell.com/

Movie Review-Toy Story 3 (2010)

I've done my best to try to see all the movies that have been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar this year, but I'm not going to make it. I have The Kids Are All Right DVD is sitting on the counter via my Netflix subscription and I might get a chance to watch it before tomorrow night's Oscar broadcast, but I did recently watch Toy Story 3, so a review is in order.

Andy has turned 18 and is headed off to college. The Toys are accidentally donated to a day care center as Andy is cleaning out his room as he prepares to leave home. Woody, Buzz and the gang run into a gang of rogue toys at the day care center led by Lotso, a stuffed bear who accidentally was lost by his former owner and is jaded by the experience.

Typical of the Toy Story franchise, #3 is has a great screenplay, with very smart dialog between the characters. For those of us who have seen all three of the Toy Story movies, the ending is bittersweet, but ultimately works well as is typical of a Disney/Pixar production.

My son Brian is 20 and grew up with the Toy Story movies. Anyone with a son in the 17-20 age group will find this movie to have real significance as they have watched their sons grow up.

Movie Review-Inception (2010)

I realize Inception was released in theaters this past July, but having just seen the movie and based on the fact that it has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture I thought it would still be relevant to write a review.

This movie takes work to watch. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the concept of the movie is that a technology exists that allows a person to invade the human mind through another person's dreams. Cool concept and the special effects in the movie are outstanding, especially at the outset when Mr. DiCaprio's character, Cobb is explaining the concepts to Ariadne (played by Ellen Page of Juno fame) as he is recruiting her for a major corporate espionage effort.

My initial comment about "work" was based on the fact that one has to really concentrate on this movie as the characters work through multiple layers of their target's dreams to plant an idea which will lead to their final goal. It can get complicated. Don't multi-task while you are watching.

Ultimately Inception is a story of redemption, with a very interesting and heartfelt ending.

Is Inception a good movie? Yes. Does it deserve the Oscar for Best Picture? No. But definitely worth the effort to watch.

Columbus Crew vs Real Salt Lake CONCACAF Quarterfinal First Leg-Opportunity Lost For The Crew

2/22/11: Sitting in my hotel room trying to warm up after attending the first leg of the CONCACAF quarterfinal match between the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake in Columbus, Ohio. Don't know what the temperature was, but at least it wasn't windy. I'm guessing 25 degrees at best.

I'm a Crew season ticket holder so please excuse my bias towards the Crew as I write this.

I really didn't expect much from the Crew this match. Their roster has changed dramatically since last season and based on the fact that Real Salt Lake was very strong last year and fielded essentially the same team as last year I felt that a 1 goal loss was the best that the Crew would do tonight.

I was pleasantly surprised and ultimately disappointed in how the match turned out. It ended in a 0-0 draw. Suprising in that the Crew was missing William Hesmer in goal, Shaun Francis at left back and Chad Marshall at centerback, yet played very well in the first half in dominating Real Salt Lake. Disappointing in that Real Salt Lake was a man down for the last 38 minutes of the match (a second caution resulting in a red card in the 52nd, then both teams receiving red cards in the 72nd) yet the Crew couldn't mount a sustained attack to get a home goal. They looked pretty tired in the second half.

The Crew will have a chance to advance when they play the second leg March 1st in Salt Lake City. Away goals are a tie-breaker in the elimination rounds this year, so a 1-1 draw would do the trick for the Crew in the match.

Who stood out for the Crew tonight? Rich Balchan at center back, Sebastian Miranda at right back and Emmanuel Ekpo in the midfield.

Who struggled for the Crew? Josh Gardner at left back

Match report: http://www.thecrew.com/news/2011/02/crew-rsl-finish-scoreless-testy-ccl-opener

Ryan Widmer Found Guilty by a Third Jury of His Peers

Ryan Widmer, is led away in handcuffs by Warren County Sheriff deputies after the jury came back with a guilty verdict Tuesday, Feb 15, 2011 in Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, Ohio. Staff Photo, The Pulse-Journal, Mason, Ohio

If you live in the Cincinnati, Ohio you are very aware of the case of Ryan Widmer, accused of killing his wife Sarah in their Hamilton Township, Ohio home on August 11, 2008.

This afternoon, a jury of Ryan's peers found him guilty of the murder and the Judge sentenced him to 15 years to life in prison.

Story: http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/local-news/widmer-found-guilty-of-murder-1082027.html

This was the third trial of Mr. Widmer for this crime. In the first trial, Mr. Widmer was found guilty, but that verdict was thrown out due to juror misconduct. The second trial ended with a hung jury after a decision could not be reached.

This case has been debated in the Internet and on talk radio in Cincinnati for almost 2 1/2 years. It was also featured on an episode of Dateline NBC in 2009.

It seems as though the case against Mr. Widmer was strengthened in the latest trial by a witness named Jennifer Crew, who claimed that Mr. Widmer called her in October of 2009 and told her he had killed his wife Sarah. Ms. Crew came forward after the second trial.

I don't know Ryan Widmer and the death of Sarah Widmer at such a young age is horrible. It just seems to me with evidence that was circumstancial at best, and a supposed confession given to a witness who only came forward after the second trial that there would have been reasonable doubt as to whether Ryan Widmer was guilty. But Mr. Widmer and his lawyers decided not to have him take the stand to defend himself.

If Ryan Widmer was truly guilty, then justice is served. If not, then his lawyers failed him and the jury failed by not understanding the concept of reasonable doubt.

In the end, only Ryan Widmer knows what happened that night.

Friday Night Lights-I Am Going To Miss This Show!

Cast of the final season of Friday Night Lights

One of my all-time favorite television shows just ended a 5-year run. Because I subscribe to DirecTV I was able to watch the final season of Friday Night Lights over the last couple of months and the show's finale tonight.

The cast has changed over the years, but the show has remained excellent! A review at this point is a little useless. I just need to say thank you to the producers, cast and crew for giving us a great show!

Clear eyes, full hearts...can't lose!

Super Bowl Prediction Updated

I was wrong. Congratulations Packers.
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