"I Got You"

Two years ago, Leona Lewis was the biggest name in pop music. Her debut album Spirit, and its lead single, "Bleeding Love," took the world by storm. One would think her insane success would guarantee automatic sales of her sophomore album, Echo. That hasn't been the case. Her sales have sagged, especially in the U.S., even though Echo is flat out better than Spirit. Lewis just released the video for the album's second single, "I Got You." The song is fantastic, just try not getting the chorus (And when you need a place to run to/ for better for worse/ I got you) stuck in your head -- it's impossible. It's definitely one of her best.

Video:

And for those who missed out on "Happy," the catchy yet (slightly) schmaltzy lead single, watch the video. It's good stuff. Embedded below:

"You're All I Need"

It's Valentine's Day, so it's the perfect excuse for me to post two of the best scenes from my all-time favorite television pairing, Alias' Sydney and Vaughn. They likely won't mean much for anyone who hasn't seen the show, but they're adorable nonetheless.

Vaughn: Syd, this watch belonged to my father. It's broken now, but it used to keep perfect time. And when he gave it to me, he said, "You could set your heart by this watch." It stopped October first -- the day we met.

Clip:



Vaughn: We're not gonna make it out of here. There's something I need you to know.
Sydney: Vaughn...
Vaughn: In my life, there's only one person...
Sydney: Don't do this.
Vaughn: Look at me.
Sydney: Vaughn...
Vaughn: The only reason I pushed you away...
Sydney: Please...
Vaughn: The only reason I didn't know how to be around you...
Sydney: They're coming.
Vaughn: Sydney...
Sydney: I know, Vaughn. I know. We'll find each other. We always find each other.

Clip:

"In My Book You'll Always Be Client #1"

I've always loved Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, but these crass Valentine's Day cards from Eliot Spitzer might actually make V-Day more enjoyable.

Video:

If I Were an Academy: 2009 Edition

It's that time of year again: Oscar nomination time. Tomorrow the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will announce the 2010 Oscar nominees, and as always, I am stoked. Unlike many critics, I think 2009 was a fantastic year for film. Better than most years in recent memory. It was a year that contained crowd-pleasing comedies (The Hangover, Julie & Julia), animated films with multi-generational appeal (Up, 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox), gut-wrenching dramas (The Hurt Locker, Precious, A Single Man), and, oh yeah, what will soon be the highest grossing film of all-time (Avatar). With that, what follows is my "ballot" if I were an Academy member, as well as my 2010 Oscar predictions. (And as a note, I've seen almost everything worth seeing, but not quite.)

Top Ten / Best Picture
1. Up. Without question, Pixar's best and most moving film. The film's opening 15 minutes are some of the best ever.
2. A Single Man. The best "gay movie" I've seen. Yes, better than Brokeback Mountain. Tom Ford's directorial debut is beautifully shot, incredibly acted, and utterly moving.
3. Precious. This wake-up call for all of America features two dynamite performances from Mo'Nique and newcomer Gabourey Sibide.
4. Avatar. The story isn't the most original, but the groundbreaking visuals are an absolute spectacle, and worth seeing again, and again, and again.
5. The Hurt Locker. A Single Man may be one of the best "gay" movies ever made, and The Hurt Locker may be one of the best war films ever made. Kathryn Bigelow's detailed direction makes The Hurt Locker the definition of a nail-biter.
6. Up in the Air. The movie of the moment. Jason Reitman's third film is the perfect film to describe the state of America in 2009.
7. Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak's beloved short story becomes an even better film that brings out the child in all of us.
8. (500) Days of Summer. The year's best romantic comedy, and it isn't even a feel-good love story.
9. Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino rewrites history and it couldn't be more fun. As with Up, the film's opening sequence is absolute brilliance.
10. District 9. The rare sci-fi flick that's both intelligent and entertaining.

What Will Actually Be Nominated: An Education, Avatar, District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Tom Ford, A Single Man
James Cameron, Avatar
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Pete Docter, Up

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Bigelow, Cameron, Lee Daniels (Precious), Reitman, Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

Best Actor
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
Max Records, Where the Wild Things Are
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer
George Clooney, Up in the Air

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Clooney, Firth, Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Renner

Best Actress
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
Gabourey Sibide, Precious
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Blunt, Bullock, Mulligan, Sibide, Streep (We agree! Go figure.)

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Peter Calpadi, In the Loop
Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
Zach Galfanakis, The Hangover
Stanley Tucci, Julie & Julia

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Alfred Molina (An Education), Waltz, Tucci (The Lovely Bones)

Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique, Precious
Julianne Moore, A Single Man
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Diane Kruger, Inglourious Basterds
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

Who Will Actually Be Nominated: Farmiga, Kendrick, Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Mo'Nique, Moore

Original Screenplay
Up
(500) Days of Summer
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover

What Will Actually Be Nominated: A Serious Man, (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Up

Adapted Screenplay
Up in the Air
A Single Man
Where the Wild Things Are
Precious
In the Loop

What Will Actually Be Nominated: An Education, District 9, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Precious, Up in the Air

2009's Best (and Worst) of the Rest
11. An Education
12. Star Trek
13. Julie & Julia
14. The Hangover
15. In the Loop
16. Fantastic Mr. Fox
17. Zombieland
18. Adventureland
19. Food Inc.
20. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
21. Paranormal Activity
22. I Love You, Man
23. The Proposal
24. 9
25. Sunshine Cleaning
26. The Blind Side
27. Earth
28. The Road
29. The Princess & the Frog
30. Invictus
31. Duplicity
32. The Time Traveler's Wife
33. Coraline
34. The Invention of Lying
35. The Young Victoria
36. The Informant!
37. Bruno
38. Surrogates
39. Taken
40. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
41. Law Abiding Citizen
42. G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra
43. He's Just Not That Into You
44. 2012
45. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
46. The Men Who Stare At Goats