2007 Diva Cup Awards: Breakthrough Performance

I decided this year to change this category up a bit. Anyone who was nominated for one of the Top 4 acting awards wasn't eligible for this category. The reason I changed it is because after J. Hud won in both Best Supporting Actress and here, it didn't really give anybody else a chance. I know I don't have to be so democratic, since it's my personal awards, but I'm in a giving mood. Just call me Jesus.

And the nominees are...
Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
This is a debut?! Holy mother of God! Blonsky sings and dances like a hoofer who's been doing this for 20 years. Definitely excited to see what she does next.

Michael Cera, Juno, Superbad
With two opportunities to display his off-beat comic timing, Cera took full advantage and stood out among A+ ensembles in both films.

Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
She works hard to make you hate her...not an easy thing for a kid actor to do. Can't wait for The Lovely Bones to see if this was a one-shot performance or just the beginnings of an amazing career.

Ed Sanders, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
I'm not usually one for kid performances, but Sanders goes above and beyond the usual child actor tricks. As soon as I left the theater, I looked over at my friend Jill and said, "This kid needs to be in a remake of Oliver!...now!"

Carice van Houten, Black Book
She turned me on and gave a fantastic performance in the same film. What will she do as an encore?

If Only There Were Six: Elijah Kelley, Hairspray "Run and Tell That!" was phenomenal...and the rest ain't too shabby either.

Rest of the Top 10: Zac Efron, Hairspray, High School Musical 2...Dillon Freasier, There Will Be Blood...Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild...Reece Thompson, Rocket Science

BRONZE
Michael Cera

SILVER
Nikki Blonsky

GOLD
Carice van Houten

Top 5 Albums of 2007

5. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black
All you need to do is listen to Winehouse on "Rehab" and you'll understand what makes the rest of the CD work.

4. Mark Ronson, Version
Normally I hate concept albums, but something about Mark Ronson's sophomore album Version really connected with me. From the sublime cover of Britney's "Toxic" to the double shot of Ronson's muses Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen on "Valerie" and "Oh My God" respectively, nearly every song is a weird amalgamation of electro, soul and hip-hop that somehow blends together and works.

3. Various Artists, Hairspray Soundtrack
Forgive my initial bitching about it- it often takes me many listens for me to truly love an album- because the Hairspray Soundtrack is one of the strongest of the year. Everyone brings their A-game and no song is completely butchered (the only meh song- "You're Timeless to Me"- is still listenable): John Travolta grew on me, his little idiosyncrasies becoming more tolerable and even loveable; James Marsden makes the insignificant role of Corny Collins all the more important with his fantastic and smooth voice; Michelle Pfeiffer lays into "Miss Baltimore Crabs" with all the divaliciousness she can muster; Elijah Kelly hits all the highs and lows in "Run and Tell That"; and newcomer Nikki Blonsky makes such a splash on this album that it's not blasphemy to compare her to J. Hud last year on the Dreamgirls Soundtrack.

2. Britney Spears, Blackout
How in the hell, amid public meltdowns, a high profile divorce, a bitter child custody battle and that horrid VMA performance, did Britney manage to pull of an album every bit as amazing as Blackout? I guess we'll never know the answer to that one, but what we do know is that Blackout is, hands down, Britney's best album to date.

1. Kelly Clarkson, My December
Why is Kelly Clarkson's My December the best album of the year? Because even though it's not compulsively listenable like Britney's Blackout, Kelly Clarkson took risks, pissed people off, alienated fans of Breakaway and American Idol and delivered the most all-around impressive album of the year. All of the songs compliment each other so well that you almost have to listen to the album in track order to get the most out of it.

Zac and Nikki: Match Made in Heaven?

I was flipping through some trashy tabloid a few days ago and I came across this article that said that Hairspray co-stars Zac Efron and Nikki Blonsky were a couple. At first, I was a little surprised by this announcement because for years Hollywood has pounded into my head that skinny white boys like Efron only date skinny white chicks like Lindsay Lohan or Hillary Duff, but now I'm totally in love with this relationship. We all know my dream couple and this is basically them except a few years younger and Nikki Blonsky just sings like a black girl. Unfortunately, there might be some problems in the future because of their different religious faiths: Zac is Jewish (I had no idea) and Nikki is some kind of Christian (Catholic I think, but don't quote me). Maybe they can overcome these differences because they like to talk about serious things like the war in Iraq and global warming, which Zac never could with his ex Vanessa Anne Hudgens (I'm not making this last part up---it was in that article).

"Hairspray" Soundtrack

Postives About the Hairspray Soundtrack:
1. The music, as always, is a ton of fun.
2. James Marsden can sing. His character, Corny Collins, only has two songs (“The Nicest Kids in Town” and “Hairspray”) but he makes them so much more interesting than they ever were on the Broadway soundtrack. If his acting is anywhere near as good as his singing, this will be Marsden’s breakthrough performance with the public and will lead to truly interesting roles.
3. Newcomer Elijah Kelley’s version of “Run and Tell That.” This could do for him what “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” did for J. Hud. It’s that good.
4. The orchestration on “Good Morning Baltimore” is bombastic, over-the-top and fantastic to the extreme. Just listen to that wailing saxophone in the beginning and tell me you‘re not in love.
5. Nikki Blonsky (as Tracy) is fabulous. Bravo!

Negatives About the Hairspray Soundtrack:
1. John Travolta. Oh God, I hate to say it, but his singing practically ruins “Welcome to the 60’s” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” The awkward way he says “fabulous” in “Welcome to the 60’s” makes me cringe every time and I really don’t know why. It makes me miss Harvey Fierstein even more and I wish they had taken a chance and hired him instead.
2. This version of “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” The song is as catchy as ever, but the aforementioned Travolta and the elimination of my favorite verse (the Von Tussle verse towards the end) dampens the spirit of it.
3. The new songs aren’t that great. Sure “Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)” is a ton of fun and the way Zac Efron nasally wails on “Ladies’ Choice” makes me laugh every time, but they don’t seem to really add anything to the film.