F**kin’ Perfect – P!nk

This is one of the best music videos I’ve seen in a while. The song is empowering. Brilliant. Check it out. You have to.

Stillborn Nation?

You’re Lebanese. You wake up every day and, wherever you are, your mind revolves around the same thing: what’s happening in your country. If things are going well, you worry they’d go bad. If they’re bad, you worry they go even worse. We always worry. We always try to imagine we can get things to change. We try to make things change. We have tried. We felt we succeeded at one point. And then everything came crumbling apart.

Life in Lebanon is like a chess game. Those who stick it out till the end mentally are those who triumph. I’d like to think this is not the end. I’d like to think that everything all the thousands of martyrs died for is not going down the drain. I’d like to think the people we looked up to did not lose their lives for a country that was always stillborn.

I mean, who are we kidding? Have we ever been truly a nation? We, Christians, ruled for a while. We did not rule fairly. So the civil war erupted. You can believe the cause of the civil war to be whatever you like. But what is definitely sure is that conflict is rooted in injustice. People who feel they are equal do not need to revolt. Then began the Sunni rule of the country. And soon enough, other people “felt” they were subject to injustice, issuing a cascade of events leading to what’s happening today. Have we ever been truly united? Ever since I can remember, I’ve never heard of my country other than being a division of camps. You remember those movies about rival summer camps across the river competing for a certain prize? that’s how things have always been. That’s how things will always be.

I’d like to imagine that a radical change in the “operating system” of this nation is enough to kick it into high-gear. But then we can’t even agree on what type of alternate nation we want.

I know many people who feel sad today. They feel sad because they see their country crumbling and they can’t do anything about it. I am one of those people. You put up a face through the mess. But deep down, you don’t remotely feel well. You feel as if your vote has been taken away. You feel as if all your work in the past five years is suddenly worthless. And because of what? because a certain group felt “as subject to injustice”?

You – we – are now the Opposition again. I believe we always were the Opposition. We excel at being the Opposition. There is nothing we do better than being the Opposition that inspires people’s need to change, instilling in them the will to fight for their country, for their rights, for their every being.

And honestly, even though the previous opposition called itself that way, I believe it did not even deserve the title. An opposition is basically in power when it was the power to crumble a government, which it did.  An opposition does not use the street in an abusive manner via a fully conscious decision, which they did. An opposition does not cry wolf every time it thinks something might possibly happen if a certain scenario were to unfold, possibly damaging its status – and with crying wolf we mean making everyone freak out. An opposition does not really get to choose who runs what in the country. But they did. An opposition should not get a choice in who takes on certain legislative positions, but they were given a choice and their choice was acted upon because, as I’ve said many times before, March 14 felt that certain rights of certain parties need to be respected – like deciding who gets to represent them.

So for all matters and purposes, Hezbollah and Co were not an opposition. They were as much in power as the March 14 movement was. Following Newton’s third law of motion, they were the action and March 14 were the reaction. March 14 couldn’t act because anything they did meant an implicit threat using an arsenal of weapons that’s all too frightening – even for a military power, such as our neighboring state. Hezbollah and Co were not oppressed. They were actually enjoying a stay in power since the early 1990s, even calling for a demonstration on March 8, 2005, to thank Syria for its work in the country – a work that left at least a major sect of the country, Maronites, in ruins after years of political persecution. Hezbollah and Co even lost a general election, even after being shown as frontrunners in many polls.  This means the majority of the Lebanese people didn’t want them to rule. And that was not respected as well.

So for those who are pissed, let me say this… I understand you. And I feel you. But don’t be. We, as people and movement, will be triumphant. Because at the end of the day, what is right and correct will be triumphant. And we are the only ones who, in time, can bring out this country from its everlasting stillbirth.

2011 Oscars Nominations

The 2011 Oscar nominations are out. The King’s Speech leads the pack with 12 nominations, including best picture, best actor, best supporting actor, best supporting actress and best editing.

Missing in the best actor category are two notable names this year: Ryan Gosling for Blue Valentine and Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter. Also Mila Kunis not getting a nomination for best supporting actress is surprising.

The best actress category included, as expected, Natalie Portman and Annette Bening.

However, I’m glad Hailee Steinfeld (the fourteen year old in True Grit) got recognition for her awesome performance. Jennifer Lawrence, another newcomer with Winter’s Bone, also got a nomination for best actress and deservedly so. Winter’s Bone itself got four nominations and I believe the movie deserves every one of them, including a best picture nod. I’m also glad Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows got a couple of nominations in technical categories.

The biggest snub, however, and one that I cannot even begin to fathom is Christopher Nolan not getting a nomination for best director. I cannot even start to analyze how he did not get enough votes to – at least – get a nomination. Maybe the voters didn’t understand Inception?

Also, my inner Carrie Underwood fan is revolting at having only four songs nominated for best original song. A fifth slot would have given Carrie her first Oscar nomination!

Full nominee list:
Best motion picture of the year

  • Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) A Protozoa and Phoenix Pictures Production
    Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
  • The Fighter (Paramount) A Relativity Media Production
    David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
  • Inception (Warner Bros.) A Warner Bros. UK Services Production
    Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers)
  • The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features) An Antidote Films, Mandalay Vision and Gilbert Films Production
    Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) A See-Saw Films and Bedlam Production
    Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
  • 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) An Hours Production
    Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Columbia Pictures Production
    Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
  • Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production
    Darla K. Anderson, Producer
  • True Grit (Paramount) A Paramount Pictures Production
    Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
  • Winter’s Bone (Roadside Attractions) A Winter’s Bone Production
    Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

Performance by an actor in a leading role

  • Javier Bardem in “Biutiful” (Roadside Attractions)
  • Jeff Bridges in “True Grit” (Paramount)
  • Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
  • Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
  • James Franco in “127 Hours” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

  • Christian Bale in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
  • John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
  • Jeremy Renner in “The Town” (Warner Bros.)
  • Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
  • Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

  • Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right” (Focus Features)
  • Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole” (Lionsgate)
  • Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone” (Roadside Attractions)
  • Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” (Fox Searchlight)
  • Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

  • Amy Adams in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
  • Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech” (The Weinstein Company)
  • Melissa Leo in “The Fighter” (Paramount)
  • Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit” (Paramount)
  • Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best animated feature film of the year

  • How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
  • The Illusionist (Sony Pictures Classics) Sylvain Chomet
  • Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Lee Unkrich

Art Direction

  • Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney), Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O’Hara (Set Decoration)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.), Stuart Craig (Production Design), Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration)
  • Inception (Warner Bros.), Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration)/span>
  • The King’s Speech (Paramount), Eve Stewart (Production Design), Judy Farr (Set Decoration)
  • True Grit (Paramount), Jess Gonchor (Production Design), Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Cinematography

  • Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Matthew Libatique
  • Inception (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) Danny Cohen
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeff Cronenweth
  • True Grit (Paramount) Roger Deakins

Achievement in costume design

  • Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Colleen Atwood
  • I Am Love (Magnolia Pictures) Antonella Cannarozzi
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) Jenny Beavan
  • The Tempest (Miramax) Sandy Powell
  • True Grit (Paramount) Mary Zophres

Achievement in directing

  • Black Swan (Fox Searchlight), Darren Aronofsky
  • The Fighter (Paramount), David O. Russell
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company), Tom Hooper
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing), David Fincher
  • True Grit (Paramount), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Best Documentary Feature

  • Exit through the Gift Shop (Producers Distribution Agency) Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz A Paranoid Pictures Production
  • Gasland Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic A Gasland Production
  • Inside Job (Sony Pictures Classics) Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs A Representational Pictures Production
  • Restrepo (National Geographic Entertainment) Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger An Outpost Films Production
  • Waste Land Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley (Arthouse Films) An Almega Projects Production

Best documentary short subject

  • Killing in the Name Nominees to be determined A Moxie Firecracker Films Production
  • Poster Girl Nominees to be determined A Portrayal Films Production
  • Strangers No More Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production
  • Sun Come Up Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger A Sun Come Up Production
  • The Warriors of Qiugang Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon A Thomas Lennon Films Production

Achievement in film editing

  • Black Swan (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Weisblum
  • The Fighter Paramount Pamela Martin
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) Tariq Anwar
  • 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Jon Harris
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Best foreign language film of the year

  • Biutiful Mexico
  • Dogtooth Greece
  • In a Better World Denmark
  • Incendies Canada
  • Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) Algeria

Achievement in makeup

  • Achievement in makeup (Sony Pictures Classics) Adrien Morot
  • The Way Back (Newmarket Films in association with Wrekin Hill Entertainment and Image Entertainment) Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng
  • The Wolfman (Universal) Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

  • How to Train Your Dragon (Paramount) John Powell
  • Inception (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) Alexandre Desplat
  • 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

  • Coming Home from Country Strong (Sony Pictures Releasing (Screen Gems)) Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
  • I See the Light from Tangled (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
  • If I Rise from 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
  • We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best animated short film

  • Day & Night (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production Teddy Newton
  • The Gruffalo A Magic Light Pictures Production Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
  • Let’s Pollute A Geefwee Boedoe Production Geefwee Boedoe
  • The Lost Thing (Nick Batzias for Madman Entertainment) A Passion Pictures Australia Production Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
  • Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) A Sacrebleu Production Bastien Dubois

Best live action short film

  • The Confession (National Film and Television School) A National Film and Television School Production Tanel Toom
  • The Crush (Network Ireland Television) A Purdy Pictures Production Michael Creagh
  • God of Love A Luke Matheny Production Luke Matheny
  • Na Wewe (Premium Films) A CUT! Production Ivan Goldschmidt
  • Wish 143 A Swing and Shift Films/Union Pictures Production Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Achievement in sound editing

  • Inception (Warner Bros.) Richard King
  • Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney) Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
  • Tron: Legacy (Walt Disney) Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
  • True Grit (Paramount) Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
  • Unstoppable (20th Century Fox) Mark P. Stoeckinger

Achievement in sound mixing

  • Inception (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company) Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
  • Salt (Sony Pictures Releasing) Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
  • True Grit (Paramount) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Achievement in visual effects

  • Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney) Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.) Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
  • Hereafter (Warner Bros.) Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
  • Inception (Warner Bros.) Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
  • Iron Man 2 (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment, Distributed by Paramount) Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Adapted screenplay

  • 127 Hours (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
  • The Social Network (Sony Pictures Releasing), Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
  • Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Michael Arndt. Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
  • True Grit (Paramount), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
  • Winter’s Bone (Roadside Attractions), Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Original screenplay

  • Another Year (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Mike Leigh
  • The Fighter (Paramount), Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson. Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
  • Inception (Warner Bros.), Written by Christopher Nolan
  • The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features), Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
  • The King’s Speech (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Seidler

Burning Tires

I’ve read many people saying that what certain protesters did today, burning tires and blocking roads, is hypocritical seeing as these same protesters “defamed” similar protests, albeit on different grounds.

I have a few things to note regarding this. The protests Lebanon saw today were a spontaneous act by a group that saw its choice at how this country should be running, one it clearly expressed through national parliamentary elections a year and a half earlier, going down the drain. These people felt oppressed. They were scorned. For a whole day of demonstrations, which ironically falls almost on the same day the other protesters burned tires, no one died, property was not damaged and the expression of anger simply resulted in excessive traffic on certain roads.

On the other hand, when the “defamed” people protested, people died. I know of at least one man from my own district who was killed through a sniper’s job. The whole protest at that point was to prove a point against the government at the time by the opposition. Wouldn’t you think that people would be given a choice to participate or not in the “strike” as it was called at the time? The answer is no. The whole strike was shoved down our throats. Some people had to close down their business in order for them not to get trashed. People were forbidden from going to work. Some were banned from seeking medical help. I personally know of one woman they did not let pass to go to her chemotherapy. Her husband, a supporter of the movement at the time, pleaded but to no avail.

On that day, I was in my senior year of high school. The school gave us the freedom to do whatever they want. If you support the movement, you can not attend. If not, then come to class. Classes were supposed to be held. So I went to school. Imagine going on a side-road from my village and seeing tires burning there. I mean, what’s the point of burning tires on a road that’s not even that important? They simply wanted to have fun. I got to school. Classes were not held, simply because the headmistress, who incidentally announced this supposed “choice” we had, did not show up. This headmistress’s uncle was an MP with Aoun at the time. Another example of shoving the “strike” down my throat.

As far as I know, the people demonstrating today did not shove it down people’s throats. And I repeat, they did not kill anyone nor have they damaged property. The outer shell might the same. And I disagree with this outer-shell in all circumstances, meaning I refuse this way of protesting in absolute value. But the foundation is much, much different. It’s so different, in fact, that I believe a comparison based on the outer shell becomes null.

Let me conclude by saying something I shared with a friend today. Hell has no fury like a sect scorned.

Enough is Enough

This ad aired on TVs across Lebanon in the midst of the May 2008 events. I won’t go into the details of what happened. I’m sure they’re still imprinted in everyone’s memories.

However, for anyone who might stumble here and not understand what comes up in the ad, here’s a translation:

Over 200,000 martyrs

Over 3,700 “rigged” vehicles

Over 1,000,000 immigrant

And we still have not learned. Enough is enough.