Snowiest Winter Ever

The Super Storm 0f 2010 hit the D.C. Area Feb. 9-10 with over 31 inches of snow

The Winter of 2009-10 has been nothing short of historic. With a Blizzard hitting the area in mid-December 2009, everyone thought that would be our big storm of the season. Then the Super Storm in February came. The December storm dumped 26 inches of snow on the ground, no miniscule amount. The February 2010 storm: 31 inches of snow with an additional 12 inches piling on top of it Feb. 9-10. Over 3 1/2 feet of snow. The result: shoveling for 7 straight days, schools closed for the week, the Federal Government shutting down early Friday, Feb. 5 and not reopening until Friday, Feb. 12 on a 2 hour delay.

Now I love winter and snow (I was born in December) but this was historic and scary. Most people lost their power with this winter storm. I was lucky to have my power on the entire time. The other costly results with this storm was snow budgets ballooning to shattering levels, not having enough equipment to remove the snow, the heavy snow causing damage to roofs that eventually caved in or caused leaking and trees collapsing due to the weight of the snow. My parents even had a tree that was over 30 years old in between their house and the neighbors that came down.

Are we done with this extreme winter weather? Experts at Accuweather.com say unfortunately no as a storm is set to form that will hit us sometime this week or next. With the arctic cold air coming back this week from the north, be prepared and stay warm D.C. area.

"Avatar", "The Hurt Locker" lead 2010 Oscar Nominees

With 33 days until Oscar Night, the nominees for the 82nd annual Academy Awards were announced this morning (Photo Courtesy of Oscar.com)

Every year, the Academy Awards shine a light on Hollywood and reward actors, writers, producers and directors with accolades of greatness. To be etched into the historic nature that is the Academy Awards is nothing short of extraordinary. This year, the Oscars decided to go back to the way things were and nominate 10 films for Best Picture. Clearly this is because of what happened in 2008-2009 when Christopher Nolan's masterpiece "The Dark Knight," one of the best films of the decade, was left out of the Best Picture category. This and hoping to boost ratings is why the category was expanded. Now the drawback in doing this is that there won't be 10 worthy films that can be nominated every year. Also, the 10 movies will be split into a top tier for the films that have a chance to win and the bottom tier where a nomination will help boost DVD sales. Nevertheless, here are the nominees in the top categories for the 82nd Academy Awards:

Best Picture

* Avatar
* The Blind Side
* District 9
* An Education
* The Hurt Locker
* Inglorious Basterds
* Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
* A Serious Man
* Up
* Up in the Air

Thoughts: It's fairly easy to see the top tier of these 10 films: "Avatar," "The Hurt Locker," "Up in the Air," "Up" and "Inglorious Basterds." "Precious" would have been a top tier film but not winning any major awards except for Mo'nique really hurts its chances to be rewarded with a Best Picture Oscar. "District 9" is a pleasant surprise to the list and well deserved. I don't agree with putting "Up" or "A Serious Man" in this category as they stole nominations away from "500 Days of Summer" and "Star Trek." The Cohen Brothers are a favorite of the Academy but "A Serious Man" got no recognition whatsoever from the Golden Globes or BAFTA's. Also, what is the point in having a seperate animation feature category if "Up" is nominated here? Another shocker is "The Blind Side" getting a Best Picture nod when it hasn't had any accolades except for Bullock. Look for a two movie race between "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker."

Best Director
* James Cameron "Avatar"
* Kathryn Bigalow "The Hurt Locker"
* Quentin Tarantino "Inglorious Basterds"
* Lee Daniels "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
* Jason Reitman "Up in the Air"

Thoughts: What a powerful group of Directors. All worthy of this award, it will be a close race with Reitman garnering his second nod in three years after "Juno." Tarantino earned his second nomination along with James Cameron. Newbies are Bigalow and Daniels for their impressive films. Bigalow is the interesting story because she is trying to become the first ever female director to win the award. This one is anyones game.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
* Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
* George Clooney "Up in the Air"
* Colin Firth "A Single Man"
* Morgan Freeman "Invictus"
* Jeremy Renner "The Hurt Locker"

Thoughts: Great group of actors nominated in this category. Same nominees the Golden Globes had except replace Tobey Maguire with Jeremy Renner. Two actor race but I see Bridges locking up the category unless Clooney pulls a Sean Penn and upsets him.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
* Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"
* Helen Miren "The Last Station"
* Carey Mulligan "An Education"
* Gabourey Sidibe "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire"
* Meryl Streep "Julie and Julia"

Thoughts: Great group of actresses nominated. Same nominees as the Golden Globes except replace Emily Blunt with the surprising Meryl Streep who captured her record 15th Academy Award nomination as Julia Child in "Julie and Julia." This category is all but locked up with Sandra Bullock winning every major award. Better prepare a speech Sandra.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
* Matt Damon "Invictus"
* Woody Harrelson "The Messenger"
* Christopher Plummer "The Last Station"
* Stanley Tucci "The Lovely Bones"
* Christoph Waltz "Inglorious Basterds"

Thoughts: Carbon copy of the Golden Globe nominees. Tucci is nominated for an uncredited role. Waltz has this one wrapped up and should get his speech ready.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
* Penelope Cruz "Nine"
* Vera Farmiga "Up in the Air"
* Maggie Gyllenhaal "Crazy Heart"
* Anna Kendrick "Up in the Air"
* Mo'Nique "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

Thoughts: This category is already decided. Mo'Nique has dominated winning the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Gulld and many critic awards for her protrayal of a gritty, abusive mother. All the other ladies are definitely worthy of this award but Cruz won for Woody Allen's film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Farmiga and Kendrick will cancel each other out and Gyllenhaal should just enjoy the nomination. Her time will come but this year it's Mo'Nique!

Shockers: "Star Trek" not earning a Best Picture nomination, "500 Days of Summer" getting no nominations at all.

So who will win Oscar Night? My predictions will be posted towards the end of February.
What are YOUR thoughts on the nominees? The expansion of the Best Picture Category? Post comments below!

Top 10 Films of 2009 (UPDATED!)

The Star Trek and the (500) Days of Summer casts have reason to celebrate as both movies make the Top 5 of Chris's Best Movies of 2009 (Courtesy Photo)

It's hard to believe the year has passed us by in a blur and we're already into a new decade. Yes, 2009 had a lot to offer, although the Summer season seemed a bit lacking compared to 2008 and the year of "The Dark Knight." Without further or do, here are my top 10 movies of 2009: (Keep in mind, I have not seen a few movies on every critics Top 10 list so bear with me.)

#10 - Paranormal Activity (R) Starring Kate Featherson and Micah Sloat

This indie movie horror hit made people think "Blair who?" After a young, middle class couple moves into a suburban 'starter' tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to. With a budget of only $15,000 and a total box office gross of $108 million (not including rentals and sales), this film proves to Hollywood that a great concept and story are worth more than any visual effects you can splash on the screen. The only thing really to fear is a sequel is coming in 2012 that Hollywood is sure to screw up in some way.

#9 - Funny People (R) Starring Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler

Judd Apatow's third film after huge hits "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up" was a disappointment in the box office but I thought it was a very well made film. George (Sandler) is a very successful stand up comedian who learns that he has an untreatable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira (Rogen) is a struggling up-and-coming stand up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One night, these two perform at the same club and George takes notice of Ira. George hires Ira to be his semi-personal assistant as well as his friend with both learning what life really is about. Great performances by Sandler who has a fantastic version of The Beatles "Real Love" in the movie.

#8 - The Hurt Locker (R) Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty

Three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad battle insurgents and one another as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad—in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike. Their mission is clear—protect and save—but it's anything but easy, as the margin of error when defusing a war-zone bomb is zero. Most people are saying this is the best movie of 2009. I have to disagree. It's top 10 and will get nomnated for sure. "The Hurt Locker" is a fantastic eye-opener about what bomb defusers go through in Iraq and how insane one must be to do it. But this movie really left me feeling that it doesn't deserve a Best Picture win. Kind of like "Crash" in 2004, it was a good movie but not great but went on to win. You never know with Hollywood.

#7 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG-13) Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon

The sixth movie in the Harry Potter franchise finds Harry (Radcliffe) inching ever so closer to Voldemort. In the sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and in both wizard and muggle worlds Lord Voldemort and his henchmen are increasingly active. With vacancies to fill at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore (Gambon) persuades Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent), back from retirement to become the potions teacher, while Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) receives long awaited news. Harry Potter, together with Dumbledore, must face treacherous tasks to defeat his evil nemesis. As the kids get older, the movies get better and darker. Here's hoping they keep most of the elements of the last book, seeing it's being split into two movies.

#6 - Watchmen (R) Starring Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley

"The world will shout SAVE US! And I'll whisper...NO!" The greatest graphic novel of our time finally comes to the big screen in this very well done adaptation. "Watchmen" is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach (Haley) sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity... but who is watching the Watchmen? Brilliant suspense thriller where even if you didn't read the novel, you can still follow it.

#5 - District 9 (R) Starring Sharlto Copley

This is where my list gets tough. All these movies in the Top 5 could easily be number one. In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns," appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe (Copley) in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new 'Prawn' friends Chris Johnson and his son. The most original movie of 2009. The story behind this is nothing I have seen and flows really well. The unknown actor, Sharlto Copley, shines as Wikus, trying to save himself from transformation and get back home to his wife. Highly recommend this film that was produced by Peter Jackson.

#4 - Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) Starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law

Guy Ritchie's best to date brings Sherlock Holmes back to the big screen for the first time in the U.S. since 1985's "The Young Sherlock Holmes." After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes (Downey, Jr.) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Law) can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler. Very well done and just an enjoyable film. Holmes is back and a sequel is in the works with Brad Pitt set to star as Holmes nemisis Professor Morriarty.

#3 - (500) Days of Summer (PG-13) Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel

"This is not a love story," the narrator says before plunging you into this 1 1/2 hour masterpiece. He's Tom, from New Jersey, working in L.A. writing greeting cards even through he's an architect by training. She's Summer, in from Michigan. Day one is her first day as an AA in Tom's office. We jump back and forth in time: by day 67, they've become an item when she decides to put aside the lovemaking and just be friends. Tom, a romantic who's sure Summer is the one for him, wallows in self pity. We go back to the early days and see the relationship begin. Summer tells him right away that she doesn't believe in love. He mopes well past day 100. Then, as day 500 approaches, they find themselves at a wedding together. Does the old flame rekindle? Is Tom right that destiny controls love?

What a fresh, original comedy. Guys, we've all been in this situation at one time or another. Boy meets girl. Girl says she doesn't believe in love or wants a relationship. It turns into one. Someone gets hurt along the line. After watching this film, it took me a while to ponder what I thought. I think it brought back some painful memories at first. But the movie shines and Gordon-Levitt should get an Oscar© nod for his well placed performance.

#2 - Avatar (PG-13) Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver

James Cameron does it again. When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Worthington) decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri (Saldana), the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.

Visually stunning with a wonderful cast and pretty decent storyline. The front runner (according to all industry experts) for the Best Picture Oscar with nothing coming close, Cameron is on pace to break his unbreakable record of nearly $2 billion dollars gross for a film. Currently, "Titanic" is at the top with $1.8 billion.

and the #1 Movie of 2009 is: Star Trek (PG-13) Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto

Yes folks, my number one film is Star Trek. Why? Because J.J. Abrams has rebooted the nearly dead franchise and brought it back to the land of living. Critics universally adored this film and it will surely get a Best Picture Oscar nod now that the field has been expanded to 10. On the day of James Kirk's birth, his father dies on his ship in a last stand against a mysterious alien vessel. He was looking for Ambassador Spock, who is a child on Vulcan at that time, disdained by his neighbors for his half-human nature. Twenty years later, Kirk (Pine) has grown into a young troublemaker inspired by Capt. Christopher Pike to fulfill his potential in Starfleet even as he annoys his instructors like young Lt. Spock (Quinto). Suddenly, there is an emergency at Vulcan and the newly commissioned USS Enterprise is crewed with promising cadets like Nyota Uhura, Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov and even Kirk himself thanks to Leonard McCoy's medical trickery. Together, this crew will have an adventure in the final frontier where the old legend is altered forever even as the new version of it is just beginning. The cast was pitch perfect. The characters we knew and loved in the original show had the same mannerisms and zing that has made Star Trek stand tall for 40 years. I for one thought this was the best movie of the summer season as well.

Now before people berate my list, I have not seen the following: "Inglorious Basterds," "Up in the Air" and "Up." When I do, I might update my list if they deem to change the list in anyway. What is your top 10? Thoughts on mine? Comment below!

At the Movies: Avatar (PG-13)

James Cameron's first film in 12 years is as grand as "Titanic" was
(Photo Courtesy 20th Century Fox)

In 1997, James Cameron made his imprint in Hollywood History as "Titanic" soared to a record box office run no movie will ever repeat. Besides winning 11 Oscars© including Best Picture and Director and having a streak of 15 weeks at #1 in the box office, the film grossed over $1 billion dollars (world and domestic gross total) to become the most successful film of all time. Looks like Cameron is up for a sequel.

His latest opus is "Avatar," a movie that took him well over 20 years to realize and create into a 3D epic adventure. When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge's (Giovanni Ribisi) intentions of driving off the native humanoid "Na'vi" in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland.

In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang), while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na'vi people with the use of an "avatar" identity. While Jake begins to bond with the native tribe and quickly falls in love with the beautiful alien Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), the restless Colonel moves forward with his ruthless extermination tactics, forcing the soldier to take a stand - and fight back in an epic battle for the fate of Pandora.

If you go see this movie, see it in 3D. Sure it costs more but it is so worth it to see the visual colors and 3D imagery of the planet. The visuals alone make this a must see. The story is "OK" as it mixes a lot of movies like "Dances With Wolves" and "Fern Gully" together with a central story that the humans are wrong to want to strip this place of its resources and the Na'vi people need to fight to save their world. A bit environmental true, but a well pieced story that flowed really well.

Great performances by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang who stole the show as the Colonel. This movie is sure to be up for Best Picture when the Oscar© nominations roll around.

Chris's Rating: 3 1/2 out of 4 Stars -- Would have given it 4 but the story seemed a little lacking. Other than that, Cameron cements his status as the "Gamble that always pays off."

At the Movies: "Sherlock Holmes" (PG-13)

The newest incarnation of "Sherlock Holmes" is one of the best films of 2009
(Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Ah the Holiday season. Hollywood saves the best for last as the bulk of the great and high-budgeted movies are released around this time. "Avatar," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and now "Sherlock Holmes."

One of the most cherished detectives of our time, "Holmes" has appeared in over 122 films with the last being "The Young Sherlock Holmes" in 1985 (grossing around $20 million after opening in 5th place.) After the demise of the last Sherlock movie, would Guy Ritchie and his all-star cast reboot this franchise much like J.J. Abrams rebooted "Star Trek"?

After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Law) can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler (McAdams).

What I really liked about this film was how it jumped right into the action. No need to bore the audience with a background on Holmes and Watson. Everyone should know by now the story of how they came to be and how they are best friends and colleagues. Downey Jr. was fantastic as Holmes and brought a rugged quality not seen in previous films. Holmes has always been seen as clean cut and in fancy clothing. Law was spot on as Watson.

Chris's Rating: 4 out of 4 stars - One of the best films of 2009. As close to perfection as you can get with Sherlock Holmes. Sure to be Guy Ritchie's greatest film and was set up perfectly for a sequel.

DVD Movie Review: "The Hangover" (R)

Most overrated movie of 2009: "The Hangover"

When you see the trailer to "The Hangover," you see four guys (2 best friends, a groom and his future brother-in-law) living it up in Vegas. A typical storyline that has been done since the dawn of time, the hype that built around this movie was so huge, it cast itself in the light of all-time best comedies. This $35 million dollar comedy grossed $277 million dollars in the U.S. alone, so I thought to myself "This must be a great comedy to have grossed this much!" How wrong I was.

Angelenos Doug Billings (Justin Bartha) and Tracy Garner (Sasha Barrece) are about to get married. Two days before the wedding, the four men in the wedding party - Doug, Doug's two best buddies Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper) and Stu Price (Ed Helms), and Tracy's brother Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) - hop into Tracy's father's beloved Mercedes convertible for a 24-hour stag party to Las Vegas. After a night of partying with no memory of the previous nights events, they try and piece together what happened hoping they can find their friend Doug. As they find clues to his disappearance, things seem to get weirder and weirder leading them all over Vegas trying to get back in time for Doug's wedding day.

The first 20 minutes of this film are grueling. You have all the characters getting setup as to who they are, what their homelives are about, etc. Once they get to Vegas, the tempo picks up only to come back to a hault as they try to piece together the events of the previous night and find the groom Doug. Throughout the film, the jokes are flying but I really only laughed at a few of them. The gross-out humor just isn't funny in an adult comedy. It might work in "American Pie" but not on this level.

I think the breakout acting in this movie has to go to Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Galifianakis made the role of the strange, isolated person named Alan shine and had more laughs than anyone else. Helms was good as "whipped" Stu who refused to dump his controlling girlfriend who cheated on him with a cruise ship worker. Bradley Cooper's performance was ok but the typical "mid-life crisis" guy trying to hang on to his youth.

Chris's Rating: 2 Stars out of 4 - Overrated comedy that had a very lame ending. Has a sequel on the way next May. Hope it's not as overhyped as this one was.

University of Florida: Land of the Wimps

Florida Men's Basketball Coach Billy Donovan (Top) and Football Coach Urban Meyer (Bottom) have a lot in common after crawling back to Florida less than 24 hours after vacating those jobs [Courtesy Photos]

What a crazy weekend in the world of college sports. News Saturday night that Florida Football Coach Urban Meyer was resigning due to health concerns and wanting to be with his family. Then the next day Meyer recants his press release to the media and says he is taking an "indefinite leave of absence" but hopes to be back before the 2010 season. WHA???

Let's give a little background as to what happened. After the Southeastern Conference championship game three weeks ago, Meyer spent several hours in a Gainesville, Fla., hospital because of chest pains. Meyer said Sunday he had experienced similar problems at times this season but had not had a heart attack. Meyer also told Sports Illustrated last month that he suffered from persistent headaches caused by an arachnoid cyst that becomes inflamed by stress, rage and excitement.

Pat Forde describes the situation..."After handing in his resignation Saturday night, Meyer's mind was made up. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said when he went to sleep Saturday night he did not think there was any chance Meyer would change his mind.

Meyer then apparently went out to practice and decided that burnout is for losers, and his family may or may not come before his players. They had a spirited practice in unseasonably cold weather and, shazam, Urban's not resigning after all!

Meyer also said family and health come first but clearly, he has put neither first during his intensely successful run as a coach. On Saturday night, Meyer told The New York Times that oldest daughter Nicki rejoiced at the news of his impending resignation, saying, "I've got my daddy back." Now it appears daddy is only back on temporary loan."

Forde sums it up best by stating that Meyer's judgement is a bit cloudy. When he made a sincere resignation from the heart on Saturday, that was the right thing to do. But to go behind your families back and change your mind is a pretty harsh and selfish thing to do.

I hope he takes time to heal from his medical issues and takes time to heal his family where he seems to be non-existant. Whatever the case may be, Meyer must air on the side of caution and not risk his life for a game.