Home Game Update...

   This Thursday's poker tournament actually began in two homes. We drew 11 players! $30 re-buy + add-on. Total prize pool was $780!! Our biggest game so far! Week 1 drew 9 players, week 2 drew 7 players. Week 1 winner was Fallon taking in $100. Week 2 winner was Natasha who pulled in $120, and this week's winner was the quiet, but crafty, Jay Brown taking down the $350 first prize.

   Although I was one spot out of the money (5th), I'm still up $50 over the first 3 weeks. Lots to be excited about. 2 new players were added to the mix, with more newbies to come. I envision the game getting up to 19 players soon.

   One thing I need to work on and adjust is the blind structure. This week's tournament ran long. We began at 7pm and didn't finish until 1am. That's just too late for most of us who have day jobs (although $350 IS worth staying up for). Unfortunately I'll have to wait until next week to see how it goes. I'm bartending for the Country Club this Thursday where the popular Irish band The Wolfe Tones are performing. I'll have an update next week on how things play out. Until then...

2011- And The Nominees Were...

127 Hours
Black Swan
Inception
The Fighter
The Kids Are Alright
The King's Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

And the winner was: The King's Speech. Starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, and Helena Bonham Carter, and directed by Tom Hooper. This film also won for Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper), and Best Original Screenplay.

2010- And The Nominees Were...

A Serious Man
An Education
Avatar
District 9
Inglorious Basterds
Precious
The Blind Side
The Hurt Locker
Up
Up In The Air

And the winner was: The Hurt Locker. Starring Jeremy Renner, and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. This film also won for Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.

2009- And The Nominees Were...

Frost Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Reader

And the winner was: Slumdog Millionaire. Starring Dev Patel and directed by Danny Boyle. This film also won for Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Song.

2008- And The Nominees Were...

Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

And the winner was: No Country For Old Men. Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Tommy Lee Jones, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. This film also won for Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen), Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

2007- And The Nominees Were...

Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Departed
The Queen

And the winner was: The Departed. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, and Jack Nicholson, and directed by Martin Scorsese. This film also won for Best Director (Martin Scorsese), Best Screenplay Adaptation, and Best Film Editing.

Sidebar: This film is on my top 10 of all-time list. If you haven't seen it, you should!

2006- And The Nominees Were...

Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night And Good Luck
Munich

And the winner was: Crash. Starring Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Matt Dillon, and directed by Paul Haggis. This film also won for Best Film Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.

2005- And The Nominees Were...

Finding Neverland
Million Dollar Baby
Ray
Sideways
The Aviator

And the winner was: Million Dollar Baby. Starring Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman and directed by Clint Eastwood. This film also won for Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hilary Swank), and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman).

2004- And The Nominees Were...

Lost In Translation
Master And Commander
Mystic River
The Far Side Of The World
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

And the winner was: The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Astin, and directed by Peter Jackson. This film also won for Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Original Music Score, Best Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, and Best Writing.

2003- And The Nominees Were...

Chicago
Gangs Of New York
The Hours
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
The Pianist

And the winner was: Chicago. Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Richard Gere, and directed by Rob Marshall. This film also won for Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, and Best Costume Design.

2002- And The Nominees Were...

A Beautiful Mind
Gosford Park
In The Bedroom
Moulin Rouge
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

And the winner was: A Beautiful Mind. Starring Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, and Jennifer Connelly, and directed by Ron Howard. This film also won for Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Best Director (Ron Howard), and Best Adapted Screenplay. A Beautiful Mind is the story of a schizophrenic Princeton University math genius, and his struggle with the disease.

2001- And The Nominees Were...

Chocolat
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Erin Brockovich
Gladiator
Traffic

And the winner was: Gladiator. Starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, and directed by Ridley Scott. This film also won for Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design.

2000- And The Nominees Were...

American Beauty
The Cider House Rules
The Green Mile
The Insider
The Sixth Sense

And the winner was: American beauty. Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening,and Mena Suvari, and directed by Sam Mendes. This film also won for Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), Best Director (Sam Mendes), Best Cinematography, and Best Original Screenplay.

Back In The Game

   Last Thursday I had my first home game at the new apartment. I invited 8 people to play and all 8 showed up. Since it was the first game I've had in quite some time, I decided to keep the buy-in relatively small given that most of us are poor. Everyone played great. We had a 9 person $20 buy-in tournament. 3 players got paid. 3rd place $30, 2nd place $50 and 1st place $100. I came in 2nd.

   We're having another game on Thursday at a different venue across the street from where I live. I only have an 8 person table, but my neighbor has a 10 person table. Much more fitting for our group I think. I didn't expect all 8 players to play so the change of venue is perfect. Plus if we get more than 10 players we can have two tables going. Hopefully this is the beginning of a long and prosperous home game.

   Also, this weekend there is a local charity tournament going on which I'm entering. My friend Matt won $200 on a scratch ticket a couple of days ago and made an extremely generous donation by covering my $75 buy-in. Thanks Matty! More good news, I'm saving all of my tax return money which puts my current bankroll just over $3000! Feels great to be playing and winning at live poker again. I'll keep you all updated on the results from this weekend, and I'll try to put up more pics on my next post. Until then...

1999- And The Nominees Were...

Elizabeth
Life Is Beautiful
Saving Private Ryan
Shakespeare In Love
The Thin Red Line

And the winner was: Shakespeare In Love. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ralph Feinnes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, and Judi Dench, and directed by John Madden. This film also won for Best Actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score.

1998- And The Nominees Were...

As Good As It Gets
Good Will Hunting
L.A. Confidential
The Full Monty
Titanic

And the winner was: Titanic. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and directed by James Cameron. This film also won for Best Director (James Cameron), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Score, Best Sound, Best Song, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

1997- And The Nominees Were...

Fargo
Jerry Maguire
Secrets And Lies
Shine
The English Patient

And the winner was: The English Patient. Starring Ralph Feinnes, Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, and Willem Dafoe, and directed by Anthony Minghella. This film also won for Best Director (Anthony Minghella), Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing.

1996- And The Nominees Were...

Apollo 13
Babe
Braveheart
Il Postino
Sense And Sensibility

And the winner was: Braveheart. Starring and directed by Mel Gibson. Braveheart also won for Best Director (Mel Gibson), Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Sound Effects. This film is a 3 hour epic about Scottish war hero Sir William Wallace.

1995- And The Nominees Were...

Forrest Gump
Four Weddings And A Funeral
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
The Shawshank Redemption

And the winner was: Forrest Gump. Starring Tom Hank and  Gary Sinise, and directed by Robert Zemeckis. This film also won for Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Best Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.

1994- And The Nominees Were...

In The Name Of The Father
Schindler's List
The Fugitive
The Piano
The Remains Of The Day

And the winner was: Schindler's List. Starring Liam Neeson, Ralph Feinnes, and Ben Kingsley and directed by Steven Spielberg. This film also won for Best Director (Steven Spielberg), Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score. Schindler's List is a 3 hour black and white film about the Third Reich's holocaust.

1993- And The Nominees Were...

A Few Good Men
Howards End
Scent Of A Woman
The Crying Game
Unforgiven

And the winner was: Unforgiven. Starring Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Richard Harris, and directed by Clint Eastwood. This film also won for Best Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), and Best Film Editing. Unforgiven is an 1880s western showdown between a retired bounty hunter and a corrupt sherriff.

1992- And The Nominees Were...

Beauty And The Beast
Bugsy
JFK
The Prince Of Tides
The Silence Of The Lambs

And the winner was: The Silence Of The Lambs. Starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster and directed by Jonathan Demme. It also won for Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), and Best Writer/Screenplay. This film is a psychological horror/thriller about a cannabilistic serial killer, and his strange relationship with a newbie female FBI agent.

Sidebar: This was the first film in the horror genre to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Even more surprising is it's the last Best Picture to date to win for both Best Actor and Best Actress.

1991- And The Nominees Were...

Awakenings
Dances With Wolves
Ghost
Good Fellas
The Godfather Part III

And the winner was: Dances With Wolves. Starring and directed by Kevin Costner. This film also won for Best Director (Kevin Costner), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing. Dances With Wolves is a three hour epic western which tells the story of a Civil War Union officer who becomes disillusioned  and heads west finding peace in nature with the Lakota Sioux Indians.

1990- And The Nominees Were...

Born On The Fourth Of July
Dead Poet's Society
Driving Miss Daisy
Field Of Dreams
My Left Foot

And the winner was: Driving Miss Daisy. Starring Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman and directed by Bruce Beresford. This film also won for Best Actress (Jessica Tandy), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Makeup. Driving Miss Daisy is about the twenty-five year complex relationship between a Southern white widowed grandmother and her simple black chauffeur.

1989- And The Nominees Were

Dangerous Liaisons
Mississippi Burning
Rain Man
The Accidental Tourist
Working Girl

 And the winner was: Rain Man. Starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise and directed by Barry Levinson. Rain Man also won for Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Best Director (Barry Levinson), and Best Original Screenplay. This film is about two brothers, one an adult autistic, the other an ambitious hotshot car salesman, and the relationship that gradually develops.

My Super Bowl Pick...

Patriots by 10 or more. Done.

1988- And The Nominees Were...

Broadcast News
Fatal Attraction
Hope And Glory
Moonstruck
The Last Emperor

   And the winner was: The Last Emperor. Starring John Lone and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. This film also won for Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Art/Set Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design. The Last Emperor is about the life of Pu Yi, China's last Manchu dynasty emperor.

1987- And The Nominees Were...

A Room With A View
Children Of A Lesser God
Hannah And Her Sisters
Platoon
The Mission

   And the winner was: Platoon. Starring Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen, and directed by Oliver Stone. This film also won for Best Director (Oliver Stone), Best Sound and Best Film Editing. Platoon is a gritty violent interpretation of what it was like for foot soldiers in Vietnam.

1986- And The Nominees Were...

Kiss Of The Spider Woman
Out Of Africa
Prizzi's Honor
The Color Purple
Witness

   And the winner was: Out Of Africa. Starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, and directed by Sydney Pollack. Out Of Africa also won for Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Art/Set Direction, Best Sound, Best Original Score, and Best Director (Sydney Pollack). This film is a romantic biopic based on Danish author Karen Blixen.