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Prior to the official announcement of nominees from “The Academy” here are my
picks for Oscar’s top slots (and my pick for the winner*, and who I think will win
+): Best Picture:
Finding Neverland*
The Aviator +
Ray
Million Dollar Baby
Hotel Rwanda Best Actor:
Jamie Foxx – Ray +
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Aviator
Don Cheadle – Hotel Rwanda*
Johnny Depp – Finding Neverland
Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Best Actress:
Uma Thurman – Kill Bill 2
Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby* +
Annette Bening – Being Julia
Imelda Staunton – Vera Drake
Kate Winslet – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Best Supporting Actor:
Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby*
Clive Owen – Closer +
David Carradine – Kill Bill 2
Jamie Foxx – Collateral
James Garner – The Notebook Best Supporting Actress:
Natalie Portman- Closer
Laura Linney – Kinsey +
Cloris Leachman – Spanglish*
Sophie Okonedo – Hotel Rwanda
Meryl Streep – The Manchurian Candidate Best Director:
Martin Scorsese – The Aviator* +
Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster – Finding Neverland
Zhang Yimou – House of Flying Daggers
Taylor Hackford – Ray Best Original Screenplay:
The Aviator* +
Hotel Rwanda
The Incredibles
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Kill Bill 2 Adapted Screenplay:
Finding Neverland*
Million Dollar Baby
Spider-Man 2
Sideways +
The Motorcycle Diaries Best Animated Picture:
The Incredibles* +
Shrek 2 Best Foreign Language Film:
House of Flying Daggers* +
The Sea Inside
A Very Long Engagement
Maria Full of Grace Best Costumes:
Phantom of the Opera* +
House of Flying Daggers
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Album of the Year: Daft Punk, “Random Access Memories”

Record of the Year: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams

Song of the Year: “Royals,” Lorde

Best Country Album: “Same Trailer, Different Park,” Kacey Musgraves

Best Pop Vocal Album: “Unorthodox Jukebox,” Bruno Mars

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: “Holy Grail,” Jay Z and Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Solo Performance: Lorde

Best Rock Song: “Cut Me Some Slack,” Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk

Best New Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

*********************************************

Pre-Telecast Winners:

Best Pop Instrumental Album: Stepping Out, Herb Albert

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: To Be Loved, Michael Buble

Best Reggae Album: Ziggy Marley In Concert, Ziggy Marley

Best Spoken Word Album: America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren’t, Stephen Colbert

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: Summertime Sadness, Cedric Gervais, Remixer (Lana Del Rey)

Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance: “Break Every Chain [Live]“, Tasha Cobbs

Best Gospel Song: “If He Did It Before� Same God [Live]“, Tye Tribbett

Best Gospel Album: Greater Than [Live], Tye Tribbet,

Best Latin Pop Album: Vida, Draco Rosa,

Best Song Written For Visual Media:  “Skyfall,” Thomas Newman

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: Brady Wells and Roomful of Teeth, “Roomful of Teeth”

Best New Age Album: Love’s River, Laura Sullivan

Best Jazz Vocal Album:  Liquid Spirit, Gregory Porter,

Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue, Terri Lyne Carrington

Best Latin Jazz Album: Song For Maura, Paquito D’Rivera And Trio Corrente

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album: Sound City: Real To Reel, Butch Vig (Compilation Producer)

Best Musical Theater Album: Kinky Boots, Cyndi Lauper

Best Song Written For Visual Media: “Skyfall”, Adele

Best Americana Album: Old Yellow Moon, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell

Best Folk Album: My Favorite Picuture of You, Guy Clark

Best Dance Recording: “Clarity,” Zedd ft. Foxes

Best Dance/Electronica Album: Random Access Memories, Daft Punk

Best Comedy Album: Calm Down Gurrl, Kathy Griffin

Best Rap Performance: “Thift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Best Rap Song: “Thift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Best Rap Album: “The Heist,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Best R&B Performance:  “Something,” Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway

Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Please Come Home,” Gary Clark Jr.

Best R&B Song: “Pusher Love Girl,” Justin Timberlake

Best Urban Contemporary Album: Unapologetic, Rihanna

Best R&B Albu: Girl on Fire, Alicia Keys

Best Blues Album: Get Up!, Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite

Best Music Film: Live Kisses, Paul McCartney

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: “From This Valley,” The Civil Wars

Best Country Solo Performance: “Wagon Wheel,” Darius Rucker

Best Country Song: “Merry Go Round,” Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne

Best Rock Performance: “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons

Best Alternative Music Album: Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Pharrell Williams

Best Metal Performance: “God Is Dead,” Black Sabbath

Best Rock Album: Celebration Day, Led Zeppelin

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I’m so happy and excited to welcome our new CoffeyTalk contributor Yogi Akal!  He will be posting blogs in the category of Health and Happiness and you can visit his page to read his bio and blog posts here: https://www.coffeytalk.com/yogi-akal/

Yogi Akal asked for my birthdate so that he could give me a reading, and of course I couldn’t pass that up!  Here’s what he had to say… I think this describes me rather well! 

 LET’S LOOK AT THE SIX QUESTIONS OF LIFE:

WHAT DO I HAVE TO LEARN?  Neutrality.

Four is your biggest challenge and achievement. This is the power of your word, your ability to work hard, your organizational skill. These are themes that will surface and re-surface, as you are developing mastery in life.

 

WHO AM I?  An Inspiration.

SEVEN is your real strength. You are an analytical and patient personality, shining through a soul than uplifts everyone, including your Self. You keep growing, whether you are alone or busy in a relationship.

 

WHY AM I HERE?  To create and disseminate knowledge.

SEVEN is also your reason for being alive at this time in this place in this form. You have chosen to make others successful and will always benefit from that effort.

 

HOW DO I CHANGE MY LIFE?  Finish what you start.

TEN is your lever for success. This is your courage, radiance and dynamism. Although the seven makes you thoughtful, the ten makes you impactful. You can never hide, because you are always standing out.

 

WHAT MUST I DO?  Heal.

EIGHT is your minimum performance. This is the number of executive power and spiritual energy. When you combine these two forces, you are very effective. Be open to criticism and praise, as both will always follow you around. It is  NEVER personal, no matter how biting or complimentary. When you are grateful, your ability to transform anything increases.

 

WHERE AM I GOING?  To Partnership

In 2013 there are important partnerships unfolding. These may be related to work, service or home. But in each case, they will require your best attention. When you know your heart and you see the heart of your colleague, you know exactly what to say and do.

 

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Like the buggy whip, typewriters and 8-Track tapes, some things just don’t last. HomeRight announces that the paint tray is the latest tried and true product to become obsolete. HomeRight new EZ-Twist PaintStick offers tray-less painting and draws paint directly from the can – no tray, no bending, and no mess or drips on floors or carpets.

Paint a room with professional results with the EZ-Twist in one-fourth the time compared to using a roller and messy paint tray.

On average, with the EZ-Twist you can paint 50′ of wall length that is 8′ high in under 10 minutes. It will take on average about 40 minutes to paint the same square footage, going back and forth to your paint tray, reaching down and rolling paint from the paint tray onto your roller.

The PaintStick holds up to 18 ounces of paint in the handle. Simply twist the paint through the tube onto the roller and paint up to an 8′ x 8′ area without refilling. A small twist applies a small amount of paint for precision painting. A larger twist applies more paint to cover a larger area quickly. The twisting action provides control for easier painting.

The EZ-Twist is sold with a high-quality roller cover. This roller offers a virtually lint-free finish with flat, satin, velvet, semi-gloss and gloss paints. Tackle the difficult project of painting a ceiling, the roller’s spatter shield reduced dripping and spattering.

The EZ-Twist handle provides an ergonomic fit for greater comfort. The long tube extends reach for walls and ceilings – almost no need for a ladder when painting. Even paint ceilings without worrying about getting paint on you, your clothes or the floor by snapping on the Spatter Shield.

Also from HomeRight, the Easy Wash Stick.]]>

10 Qs from Justin Sachs
I’d like to introduce you to Justin Sachs who is the author of a new book, Your Mailbox Is Full and is the founder of the Creating Possibilities Coaching Program in which Justin helps teenagers to increase their grades, eliminate procrastination, and create balance in all the areas of their life. 1.    What do you do?
I work with teenagers to increase their grades, eliminate procrastination, create balance in their lives, and overcome any obstacles standing in their way of success.
2.    Tell us about your new book.
Your Mailbox Is Full is a book for teenagers, that teaches them the tools they need to become successful in school and throughout their lives. They learn things like goal setting, time management, living a healthy lifestyle, and modeling and attracting success.
3.    Why did you write it?
When I was 14 years old I went to my first Tony Robbins Seminar and I was in a room full of thousands of adults thinking, “Where’s all the teenagers?” “Why aren’t other youth here getting these powerful tools and strategies?” It was with that realization that I found my passion: Empowering teenagers with life-skills and leadership development tools for success. That’s what my book is all about: Teaching youth the most powerful skills they need to know to create enormous success and fulfillment in life! Now, teenagers don’t have to wait until they are 30 or 40 to get these tools and strategies, they are available to them within Your Mailbox Is Full.
4.    What makes you an expert in your field?
After going to Anthony Robbins seminars for 3 years, I began working for his product sales team and non-profit organization at all his events worldwide.  I then began working for Mark Victor Hansen, the co-founder of Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, and learned even more about life-skills, writing a book, and supporting people in bringing possibility into their lives. I then read everything I could get my hands on from The Secret, to Jack Canfield, to Stephen Covey, to Eckart Tolle, among many others. I learned everything I possibly could about personal development and transformation such that I can now create transformation in others!
5.    What type of people should read your book?
The book is designed for teenagers and young adults, but parents throughout the country are reading the book and loving every page! The contents of the book are limitless, this is the perfect book for anyone looking to take their lives to the next level, especially youth!
6.    Are you on any social networks? Eg. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Yes, on www.Twitter.com/JustinSachs or http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=511068642
7.    Advice for Teens or Parents of Teens
Follow your passions and never give up on your dreams! If you have a goal, a vision, or a hope for the future, hold on to it, focus on it, and take action to make it happen! You’ll be amazed at how quickly your dreams will manifest themselves when energy is focused on them.
8.    Favorite Quote
Every day, every week and every month, you must challenge yourself to continue to grow to new heights and to take your standards to higher and higher levels. ~ Justin Sachs
9.    Favorite Theme Park
Walt Disney World of course!!!
10.    How can we purchase your book? Learn more about you? Do you have a blog?
My book is available on my website: www.YourMailboxIsFullBook.com To learn more about my coaching services visit www.JustinSachsOnline.com and be sure to check out my new radio show at www.MotivationalMindsRadio.com

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You might notice a big “hole” in our blog entries.  All of the blogs from July 07 to right now are gone.  There are also hundreds of “Letters to Lissa” missing off the site.  What happened?  We were hacked!

A hacker is a vandal, basically like a burglar, who figures out how to break into websites and goes in and wreaks havoc with the code destroying files and in turn, content.  This website was recently the victim of a hacker.  Fortunately, we had a back-up system in place, so we were able to save a lot of our files.  But no system is 100% and we lost a ton of information.  We lost all of our surveys, and our news entries – it’s really sad.  A lot of work.  A lot of time.  A lot of energy.  Just destroyed for no apparent reason.

Some of the entries we’ll never be able to get back.  It’s just pieces of history lost forever.  It might not mean anything to some people, but it means a lot to me.  It’s devastating.  It’s a violation.

So, if any of you happened to have saved any blog entries from 7-07 to present, please send them to me so I can re-post.  Thanks!

Saturday night we’re at the movie theatre in Calabasas settled in to see “The Prestige.”  This is a popular theatre with its stadium seating, located in “The Commons” where there’s upscale shopping and nice restaurants.  I had dinner with my husband at Marmalade and sat at a table next to Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and his family.  We’re always seeing Hollywood people there.  Anyhow, previews come on, mostly ones we’ve seen before, no reaction from the audience.  Then… here comes a preview of “Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto.”  It plays all the way through.  I don’t understand it, there’s no dialogue, no recognizable faces, but I know which movie it is right away.  The last screen shot is the title – it comes up full screen: “Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto” – and something happened I have NEVER experienced before in a movie theatre.  The audience BOOED!  They actually booed… not just one, but several people, it was bad.  And then they started throwing out comments.  Negative comments.  About Mel and the movie.  And I heard one woman say: “He was drunk when he made it!” Wow.  Overnight Mel Gibson went from being one of the most beloved leading men in Hollywood, Mr. Family Man, “Sexiest Man Alive,” to being the butt of jokes, disrespected, and disliked… even hated. I have to stay neutral on this.  I think what Mel did was stupid, and the way he handled the aftermath was even worse.  But I can’t discount all the good work he’s done up to this point.  I wouldn’t boo his movie!  I probably won’t go see it, but I hadn’t planned on seeing it anyway, it’s just a little too “out there” for my taste. If I were advising Mel I’d say apologize, again and again, and put your money where your mouth is – contribute to some great causes.  And then apologize again – and be humble, not goofy on TV like you were with Diane Sawyer strangling a toaster.  That’s just not flattering.  And lay low for awhile.  It is possible to change people’s opinions.  It’s happened many times.  But you can’t come off all cocky and arrogant, you have to be sincere.  And remember that actions speak louder than words. Just trying to help! 🙂