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I make it a point to watch award shows when they’re on TV. I tune in to the Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes, People’s Choice, Oscars, you name it. So naturally, I watched this year’s MTV Movie Awards. I like to see this more casual show where stars aren’t so uptight and can be fun and silly. One thing that shocked me this year, however, was the amount of bleeping needed to cover the swearing. It was a lot even for MTV. None of it really added much to the show. Peter Facinelli, who stars in the Twilight movies, also made a point of mocking this during his cast’s acceptance speech for Best Movie. Although the speech was mocking the use of swear words, it actually rang true for how we have incorporated these words into our everyday vocabulary.

Why do we swear? There are lots of reasons really. The Association of Psychological Science published an article with this question in mind. The article stated that we swear in order to express our emotions. We swear when we’re happy, sad, angry, frustrated and more. It also is a way to relieve pent-up emotions. We feel a genuine release by throwing out a naughty word here and there.

Yet it seems we’ve grown so accustomed to these words that we just randomly interject them when they are not needed. Even for things that shouldn’t elicit a larger-than-life curse word, people seem to drop an F-bomb. Most of us usually just swear in social situations where we are comfortable with the people present, but if it becomes a bad habit, it could slip out in front of company we don’t want it to.

So how can we stop these nasty little words from intruding into our everyday conversation? First, we need to recognize in what situations we are saying these words and how often. Then comes the tough part of actually noticing and stopping ourselves. Some tricks to break bad habits include substituting the behavior for something else. We can train our brain to use new words in place of nasty ones. We also can learn to express and articulate our feelings in a more appropriate way.

It seems like it’s time to reverse our trend of cuss words in everyday conversation and return to more refined ways of speaking. Instead of using these words in every-other sentence, we should challenge ourselves to see how little we can use them. We can have meaningful conversations that allow us to express ourselves without all the four-letter interjections. Let’s leave the bleeps out.

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Gabourey Sidibe is truly the Cinderella story of this past awards season. She was a newcomer nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, had Oprah backing her up, and a whole lot to look forward to. Or so it seemed.

Sidibe’s weight has always seemed to be a topic since she hit the scene. Now, after the fairy-tale glamour and glitz, Sidibe’s future in acting is coming cruelly into focus.

Just a few weeks ago, radio host Howard Stern took to the airwaves on his Sirius satellite radio channel and blasted the 26-year-old actress. He openly and harshly criticized Sidibe’s weight.

“There’s the most enormous, fat black chick I’ve ever seen,” Stern said. “She is enormous. Everyone’s pretending she’s a part of show business and she’s never going to be in another movie.”

A weight loss company has even reached out to the actress saying they will give her a year’s supply of their product for her to endorse it ― if she loses the weight.

What does this say about the Hollywood industry and what is has come to? We live in a world where how you look on the silver screen trumps the way you act on it. Even the late starlet Marilyn Monroe would seem “pudgy” (she was reportedly a size six) compared to the likes of Hollywood glam girls today like Jessica Alba, Nicole Richie, Keira Knightley and others.

Maybe the tides are starting to turn, however. Sidibe is praised for her outstanding personality, charm and confidence. Those in the business also recognize how much she put into her role in Precious. Her resume before was nothing more than a few college plays. She also didn’t come from a background even remotely close to the one she had to portray.

In an interview, Robert Ulrich, a Hollywood casting director, said there is a trend for different roles and characters in Hollywood.

“We hear over and over to think outside the box. I’ve been in the industry a long time, and it’s never been as open to people being something different than now,” Ulrich said. “I work on ‘Glee,’ and those actors never would have been cast on network television a few years ago. It’s a show about diversity, and it’s a hit.”

What it comes down to is the work Sidibe has done. With an Oscar nomination already under her belt and obvious skill, she will undoubtedly have writers and directors seeking her out.

In fact, Sidibe has another movie coming out where she will star opposite Zoe Kravitz and a role in The Big C, a new Showtime series. (Heads up Howard Stern!)

Vivian Cannon, executive producer of Sidibe’s show, says, “Gabby can play whatever she wants to play ― she’s that good. I’m hard-pressed to see anyone else like her.”

There may be room for the size of Sidibe’s talent in Hollywood after all.

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Hollywood’s biggest night is finally here!  The buzz has built throughout awards season and along the road to the Oscars, but the wait will shortly be over when the 81st Annual Academy Awards are presented at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater this weekend.  So who should be practicing their acceptance speeches and who will go home empty-handed?  Well, the votes have been tallied and the envelopes sealed, but I Am That Girl’s MovieQT is here to offer some predictions about who the winners will be….

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger for his shocking portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.  Ledger has swept this award throughout the season from the Globes to the Screen Actors Guild and the Oscars will be no different.  When his name is announced on Sunday (and it will be,) Ledger will become the second actor in history to win a posthumous Oscar.

Best Supporting Actress: Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  Her performance was one of the highlights of the film for me and probably the strongest of those nominated. Yep, I’m going against the grain though Penelope Cruz seems to be the favorite for her role as Javier Bardem’s eccentric ex-wife in Woody Allen’s Vicky Christina Barcelona.

Best Actor: Sean Penn who seems to be neck and neck with Mickey Rourke.  Rourke took home the Globe for his role in The Wrestler, but with Penn’s recent triumph at the SAG Awards for his stand out performance as Harvey Milk, I’d bet he’ll be taking home Oscar number two.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet.  It’s hard to bet against Meryl Streep for anything, but this really seems to be Kate’s year.  Having been nominated six times previously and never won, Winslet is almost a shoe in for her sympathetic portrayal of Nazi guard, Hannah Smitz in The Reader.

So who will win Best Picture?  Do you even have to ask?  Slumdog Millionaire!  It was my fav film of 2008 and it’s turned from the little engine that could into a steamroller powering through award season and picking up top honors along the way.  It’s also the favorite for five of these six categories.
Director: Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Song: “O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire

So what else is left?  I’m not going to tackle the short film categories as I haven’t seen most of them and I’m guessing you haven’t either.  As far as Best Documentary, the Academy seems to love Man on Wire and there is nothing but praise for Waltz with Bashir, which will likely take home Best Foreign Language Film.

Other picks….
Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Costume Design: The Duchess
Best Original Screenplay: Wall-E
Best Animated Film: Wall-E

Do you agree with my picks?  Got some opinions of your own?  Sound off in the comments!  And tune in to the 81st Annual Academy Awards this Sunday on ABC at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET to see who the winner is….

photo by sylvia ortiz domney

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The nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning and the Hollywood is abuzz with talk of the surprises and the snubs.  So who made the list and who didn’t?  Well it’s a good thing that I Am That Girl’s MovieQT is here to spell it out for you.  And the contenders are…

Best Actor: Noms went to the usual suspects, with the exception of a surprise nomination for Richard Jenkins for The Visitor.  Jenkins undoubtedly delivered a great performance, but his nom meant a snub for another stellar performance, Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road.  But alas ladies, our hearts must go on….

Best Actress: Both Merly Streep for Doubt and Angelina Jolie for Changeling were expected, as was Anne Hathaway who was phenomenal as a recovering drug addict in Rachel Getting Married.  We all knew Kate Winslet would get a nom, but it’s a surprise that she didn’t end up with two, considering she won the Golden Globe in both the leading and the supporting categories just a few weeks ago.   Interestingly enough, Kate was nominated for her performance in The Reader over Revolutionary Road, so looks like Kate, Leo, and the film in general were not well received by the Academy.  So who’s the fifth nominee?  That would be Melissa Leo who received critical acclaim for her performance in Frozen River, a film that won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance last year.  Considering this film was in very limited release, Leo was certainly not a front runner in the Oscar race, but you never know with the Academy…

Supporting roles: Since Winslet didn’t score a nom for Supporting Actress, this one seems to be up for grabs.   I was pleased to see Taraji P. Henson nab a nod as I would argue that she delivered a stand out performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and apparently the Academy agrees.  As for supporting actor, Heath Ledger’s shocking portrayal of the Joker has been the favorite in film circles across the board.  In fact, it will hands down earn him one of only two Oscars ever awarded posthumously.  I was also extremely happy to see Michael Shannon take home a nomination for his crazy yet comedic portrayal of the neighbor in Revolutionary Road.  And finally, two words: Tropic Thunder… I mean we all love Robert Downey Jr. , but really, what was the Academy thinking?

And last but not least, Best Picture: All 5 nominated films made my Top 8 for 2008 and 3 of them were in my Top 5, so clearly I don’t have too much to unhappy about.  That said, I can’t help but express my huge disappointment that The Reader beat out The Dark Knight in this category.  I thought for sure that this would be the year that the blockbuster took back the Awards, but it was a dark day for The Dark Knight. Beyond these complaints, I am very pleased that Milk was given the acknowledgment that it rightfully deserves.  It was previously ignored in this category at the Globes, but as perhaps the most socially relevant film of the year, it absolutely belongs among the nominees.  And, of course, I couldn’t be more thrilled about my favorite film of the year nabbing yet another Best Picture nom. Slumdog Millionaire recently won at the Globes and I’m pretty certain it’s headed for Oscar glory as well.

Well that’s a wrap. Check back for MovieQT’s Oscar Predictions and let us know who you think will win!  Don’t forget to tune in for Hollywood’s biggest night when the Academy Awards air live from the Kodak Theater on Sunday, February 22 at 5pm PT/ 8pm ET on ABC.

Click here to check out the complete list of nominees.

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