January 5, 2000

I updated my 1990s retrospective. I had the Nicole/Ron killings happening in the wrong year (thanks, Hayley!), and I added some more events, because I found a better site with historical information (see sidebar).

So I was going to do a Grammy picks entry, or a People's Choice picks entry, but then I realized that the People's Choice Awards are ridiculous, and the Golden Globes come before the Grammys. So I'm doing the Golden Globes movie categories today, and the television categories tomorrow. So here we go:

Best Motion Picture: Drama

• American Beauty
• The End of the Affair
• The Hurricane
• The Insider
• The Talented Mr. Ripley

Well, I've only seen the first and last nominee on the list. I did like American Beauty, so I would vote for that. However, I think The Hurricane will win.

Best Performance By An Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama

• Annette Bening, American Beauty
• Julianne Moore, The End of the Affair
• Meryl Streep, Music of the Heart
• Hilary Swank, Boys Don't Cry
• Sigourney Weaver, Map of the World

Are they kidding me with the Meryl Streep? I think they just figured she has to be nominated. There's a law, no matter how crap her movie was. Anyway, I think Hilary Swank will take this one because I have heard amazing things about her performance. Take that, Next Karate Kid!

Best Performance By An Actor in a Motion Picture: Drama

• Russell Crowe, The Insider
• Matt Damon, The Talented Mr. Ripley
• Richard Farnsworth, The Straight Story
• Kevin Spacey, American Beauty
• Denzel Washington, The Hurricane

This one is a battle between Spacey and Washington, I think. I have heard good things about Russell Crowe's performance, but no one saw the movie. I'm going to say Spacey will get the win here, but Washington might get the Oscar nod.

Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Analyze This
• Being John Malcovich
• Man on the Moon
• Notting Hill
• Toy Story 2

Are they kidding me with Notting Hill? That is actually the only movie I have seen on this list, and it was hardly award-worthy. A good waste of time? Sure. But hardly award-worthy. I'm going to say Being John Malcovich.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Janet McTeer, Tumbleweeds
• Julianne Moore, An Ideal Husband
• Julia Roberts, Notting Hill
• Sharon Stone, The Muse
• Reese Witherspoon, The Election

Julia Roberts does not deserve an award for playing herself. Plus, she was much more appealing in Runaway Bride. Sharon Stone won't win because she tried to buy off the jury, plus she shouldn't have even been nominated in the first place. I'm going with the dark horse: Reese Witherspoon.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

• Jim Carrey, Man on the Moon
• Robert deNiro, Analyze This
• Rupert Everett, An Ideal Husband
• Hugh Grant, Notting Hill
• Sean Penn, Sweet and Lowdown

Jim Carrey. I didn't see the movie. I have no desire to see the movie. But I still think he will win.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Cameron Diaz, Being John Malcovich
• Angelina Jolie, Girl, Interrupted
• Catherine Keener, Being John Malcovich
• Natalie Portman, Anywhere But Here
• Chloe Sevigny, Boys Don't Cry

How was Natalie Portman's role supporting? She was definitely a lead in that movie. This one depends on how well the jurors embrace the weirdness of Being John Malcovich. I'm going to say they won't, and Chloe Sevigny will win.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Michael Caine, The Cider House Roles
• Tom Cruise, Magnolia
• Michael Clarke Duncan, The Green Mile
• Jude Law, Talented Mr. Ripley
• Haley Joel Osment, Sixth Sense

Geez, this is a tough one. I saw Magnolia last night, and Tom Cruise was amazing. But Haley Joel Osment has gotten such buzz for his performance, and more people have seen that movie, so I think he will win.

Best Director - Motion Picture

• Norman Jewison, The Hurricane
• Neil Jordan, The End of the Affair
• Michael Mann, The Insider
• Sam Mendes, American Beauty
• Anthony Minghella, The Talented Mr. Ripley

Please don't let Minghella win. That movie was soooo long and so in need of editing. I'm voting for Sam Mendes.

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture

• Alan Ball, American Beauty
• John Irving, The Cider House Rules
• Charlie Kaufman, Being John Malcovich
• Eric Roth & Michael Mann, The Insider
• M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense

They might give it to John Irving, just because he's John Irving. And they might give it to Shyamalan, just because of the twist. But I think it will go to Charlie Kaufman for the most bizarre screenplay to come out of Hollywood in a long time.

Best Original Score - Motion Picture

There are nine nominees in this category. Nine! How am I supposed to choose, especially when I've only seen two of the nominees. I'm going to pass on this one.

Best Original Song - Motion Picture

• Beautiful Stranger - Austin Powers 2
• How Can I Not Love You - Anna and the King
• Save Me - Magnolia
• When She Loved Me - Toy Story 2
• You'll Be in My Heart - Tarzan

"Save Me" was used to great effect in the movie, but I don't know that it was the best song. Plus Randy Newman has gotten robbed the last few years, so I'm going to pick "When She Loved Me".

Tune in tomorrow for the television picks!

Warning: These links will open a new browser window. Previous days' links are archived.

I thought about doing a history of e-commerce for one of my classes last semester, but I couldn't find enough information. This site is attempting to put together a history of the web. This is where I got a lot of the information for my 90s retrospective.

Reading about people's New Year's experiences on The Fray made me a little more hopeful and helped me to remember what a global experience it was. Now let's all join hands and sing "Give Peace A Chance"!

So you're feeling kind of smug because you made it through the change of the year without any major problems? This website has screenshots of various websites that DID have problems and there are a lot of them!

Time Digital makes some predictions about technology in the year ahead. Most of them are pretty safe predictions, or things that have already started happening.

The Blair Witch creators are coming back for a sequel and a prequel. I have to say that while I might see a prequel, I don't think a sequel is a good idea.

Annette Bening is pregnant again? Seriously, how old is she? I thought she was like 50. The IMDB has her at 42. I'm not buying it. Anyway, she's pregnant again.

People are thinking the whole Y2K think was a hoax. I think that, while there were certainly companies that spent more money than they should have, or used it as an excuse to buy new systems, overall things went so smoothly because of our preparations and not in spite of them.

The Year2000.com domain name garnered a $10 million dollar bid on eBay. Except it was a hoax.

So what's the deal on that Congress e-mail, where it lists how so many of them have been arrested, indicted and committed various crimes. Is it true? Sort of.

Clinton to propose additional spending on education. The money is targeted for upgrading the school buildings themselves.

If you got a digital camera for Christmas, check this site out: They will store your photos for you in a digital photo album, and then you can order prints of some of the photos -- sign up now and get 100 prints free!

As if it wasn't bad enough that I read so many journals, now I'm reading someone's journal from the 1970s that she is transcribing to the web. [via mrpants]

Bookmark this page. The next time you get an e-mail from a friend offering you free money, or telling you to send it on to 10 friends, go here first. Please, for the love of God.

Looking at the stuff at dafridge.com makes me want to redesign this pitiful little site. But I won't children, I won't.