FBC 2024 Oscars Coverage, Part V: Predicting the winners, part 1- Animated & International Feature

FBC 2024 Oscars Coverage, Part V: Predicting the winners, part 1- Animated & International Feature

As we are days away from the Oscars, let’s get into predicting! All this week, I’ll be laying out my choices for who will (and who should) be winning the nominations. I used to have a category called “Upset Special”, but I’m now changing that to a simpler question: “Does anyone else have a chance to win?” And, as always, I’ll be letting you know who got absolutely snubbed by not even being nominated (and, for every snub, I saw what should have replaced it).

Who will be walking home with Oscars on Sunday, March 10? Let’s do some predicticating!!!!

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FBC 2024 Oscars Coverage, Part IV: Ranking Robert De Niro’s acting nominations

FBC 2024 Oscars Coverage, Part IV: Ranking Robert De Niro’s acting nominations

With his nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Killers Of The Flower Moon, Robert De Niro moved into a tie for tenth of most acting nominations by an actor or actress. And while he is nowhere close to Meryl Streep and her TWENTY-ONE fucking nominations, he’s still in some pretty good company, including Cate Blanchett, Jack Lemon and Marlon Brando. De Niro has two Oscar wins, and while there doesn’t seem like much of a chance he’ll be getting his third this year, when you’re talking about the greatest actors to ever do it, you have to include Bobby D.

Where does his nomination for Killers rank amongst his work? Let’s rank, baby!

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An open letter to comedy…

An open letter to comedy…

My name is Matt Drufke and I have been doing standup comedy while based in the Chicago suburbs for almost eighteen years. I love being a suburban comedian. I have always found the scene out here so supportive and caring and filled with people who care as much about how you’re doing as they care about how much you make them laugh. And perhaps this is why I find myself needing to write this. Because something happened this week and it bothered me enough where I wanted to write this.

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FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part III: Recapping the nominations- Winners and Losers (and something in-between)

FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part III: Recapping the nominations- Winners and Losers (and something in-between)

When it was all said and done this morning, we got all of the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards. Overall in my predictions, I did ok (43/55). There were a lot of surprises, so let’s just get into who is happy right now, who is bummed out, and who is feeling… well, kind of muddled.

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FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part II: The nominations predictions…

FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part II: The nominations predictions…

We have come, everyone, to my favorite thing I get to write all year. Usually, I rock about 80% for my predictions of the Oscar nominations. If that number is any higher, I am insufferable until the ceremony, where I am sure to crash when predicting the winners. If that number is any lower, I am inconsolable until the next year. So, most people hope I hit that 80% mark exactly so I’m not a pain in the ass one way or another.

This year, the locks seem to be unfuckwithable and the remainders seem to be a dogfight. Currently, voting is open so me turning in my predictions right now seems like a mistake. But mistakes is where I thrive. Also, any sort of late push now will probably not do a lot. So, let’s cross our fingers and see where the chips fall when the nominees are announced on January 23rd. Just a reminder that I only do nominations for the ten major categories (Best Picture, Best Director, the four acting and two screenwriting categories, Best Animated Feature and Best International Film).

Without further ado, I believe the nominations will be…

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FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part 1: Early Contender Power Rankings!

FBC 2024 Oscar Coverage, Part 1: Early Contender Power Rankings!

That is correct, it is time for the Oscars, my babies! Movies are better than football and more satisfying than politics, so let’s set those things aside just for a few moments and get into the moving pictures!

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Not All Who Yondr Are Lost: Chappelle, comedy and camera phones…

Not All Who Yondr Are Lost: Chappelle, comedy and camera phones…

When something happens with Dave Chappelle, it’s a near guarantee that my Facebook feed will be littered with my comedian friends all wanting to give their thoughts. An event that happened last week got some traction, so last night, I started seeing all kind of thoughts and comments about what happened to the comedian this week. You, dear reader, are now stuck hearing my thoughts.

This is the vicious circle.

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The Top 25 Songs Of 2023

The Top 25 Songs Of 2023

2023 was, by all indicators, an incredibly horny year for pop music.

Maybe there was some kind of full moon or maybe this is the first time people are feeling more safe in public spaces post-COVID. But, goodness gracious, if you had a pop star making an album, they were- as the kids would say- DTF. Because of that, this year’s batch of songs feels like they need a cold shower. However, there is still plenty of good stuff here.

The year wasn’t all about sexy sexy time. There were also great songs about loss and heartache and anger. As always, there was tons of good music if you knew where to look for it.

Here are the 25 best songs of the past twelve months:

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Fargo. Is. Back. (with 200% more pierced Jon Hamm nipples!)

Fargo. Is. Back. (with 200% more pierced Jon Hamm nipples!)

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written anything on this site. And, for me, when I stop writing, it takes a lot to get me writing again. Something has to have a deep emotional impact in me to get me to find the motivation to start typing on the keys. Anger. Depression. Confusion. All of these things have resonated in me so strongly that I have found myself writing. Today, however, what has caused me to stir from my doldrums is pure, unadulterated joy. And what has caused that in me.

Ladies, Gentlemen, and my Non-Binary Friends, season five of Fargo is now three episodes deep. And it is fucking amazing.

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Rocktober Roundup: Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers

Rocktober Roundup: Some Of It Was True by The Menzingers

To start their fifth record, 2017’s After The Party, Scranton’s The Menzingers gave us the blistering track “Tellin’ Lies”, with it’s simple, oft-repeated sing-along chorus: “Where we gonna go now that our twenties are over?” Guitarist-singer-songwriters Greg Barnett and Tom May have always spent most of the band’s songs in that anxious grey area wondering when they were going to have to grow up, what that would look like, and what it would mean. And while I believe After The Party is the band’s best album, here we are now in 2023. The Menzingers are now all well into their fourth decade of life, and have a new album, Some Of It Was True. So what has changed now that the band’s twenties are, truly over?

Thankfully, not much.

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