Peter is exploring Southeast Asia

Peter is currently on the other side of the world -- Bangkok, at the moment. He is meeting today with his nephew Erik and will spend the next month exploring Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, places he has long dreamed of visiting. Follow his adventures on his travel blog:

http://wayfaringrambles.blogspot.com

What a night at the Oscars! And "Sound Editing" wasn't the only tie...

So we stayed up extra-late last night (on a school night!) to watch the Oscar telecast to the bitter end. You see, if you’ve been paying attention, there was a somewhat heated competition going on between me and my colleague over at Blobby’s blog. For the second year in a row, Mr. Blobby has challenged me to a contest that puts our knowledge of everything Hollywood to the test. And for the second year in a row – amazingly enough – the competition has ended in a tie! Go figure! How did Blobby even get CLOSE to me?

I must admit – there were a few nail-biting moments during last night’s Oscars. At one point, Blobby was two points ahead of me (Hello Sheer Luck? It’s Blobby calling.) But then because I had smartly tapped deep into my exhaustive knowledge about what it takes to pull off a win in the “Sound Mixing” and “Documentary – Short Subject” categories, I was able to tie things back up. From that point forward, the game was over, as we had pretty much selected the same answers in the major categories.

So about that wager…the winner was supposed to receive a free, frosty beverage of his choice this summer, when Blobby and 710 visit Boston on their way to their summer getaway in Maine. But now, because of the tie, Blobby writes on his blog: “I’m happy to go dutch on drinks and dinner this July when we are back in Boston.”

Yes, I’m happy to go dutch too. Why don’t you let me get the first round? I think a nice tall glass of water with a healthy slice of lemon would suffice, just to make sure you’re sufficiently hydrated. Then you can pick up the second round. I’ll have a double Bombay Sapphire martini, straight up, dirty, with extra olives and a side of chicken wings. Thanks in advance, my friend!

Blobby ended his Oscar wrap-up post by saying something very nice – proof that inside, deep, deep, deep inside, he’s a decent guy. I’m happy to call him a friend and even happier that he’s buying the second round.

So a few thoughts about the Oscars…

• Am I the only one who thinks Adele was lip-synching? Catherine Zeta-Jones certainly was during the Chicago number.
• Does Anne Hathaway read ANY of the negative coverage she’s been receiving this entire award season, with her over-the-top, doe-eyed, fake humility, “Oh my god, this is happening” schtick? So tiresome. You think she might have tried something different at the Oscars.
• Shirley Bassey rocked “Goldfinger” no?
• What tragedy has befallen Renee Zellweger’s face? Not to sound mean, but sheesh…
• What was with all the facial hair? Ben Affleck. George Clooney. Hugh Jackman. Catherine Zeta-Jones…
• Never knew much about Seth McFarlane, but he did a decent job hosting. The opening number went on a little long, and I could do without William Shatner. His “Flying Nun” spot with Sally Field was hilarious.
• Heard a clip on the radio this morning of Barbra Streisand singing her tribute to Marvin Hamlisch. Perfection. Watching last night? Totally distracted by her jewelry and Morticia Adams get-up.
• Poor Jennifer Lawrence tripped up the steps. She was a good sport and handed it with grace and wit but it made me wonder why ladies who wear these long gowns don’t practice walking up stairs.
• Best acceptance speech of the night? Daniel Day-Lewis.
• Is Jack Nicholson creepier than ever or is it just me?
• Say what you will about Blobby, but he totally owned Bjork’s swan dress. I told him he didn’t have the gams to pull it off, but he proved me wrong.

Who will win at the Oscars?

So over at Blobby's blog, I'm sure there is much snark and some sharp taunts pointed in my direction. You see, it's time for each of us to pick the winners that will announced at the Oscar telecast one week from tonight.

I did receive a personal e-mail from Blobby -- saying that he had made his picks. But because I don't want to be swayed or mis-directed by his random choices, I'm going to stay away from his blog until I'm done selecting the winners myself.

An update: Seems Blobby won't be posting his selections until later this week. Scaredy cat.

I haven't seen most of the nominees this year. We did catch "Lincoln", "Zero Dark Thirty", and "Les Miserables" in the theater, but am waiting for the video release of everything else. But i've done countless hours of research (I looked at two websites, flipped through an industry magazine, and looked at the critic's choices in today's Boston Sunday Globe) and feel quite confident in my choices below.

To re-cap: we each need to select the winner in all 24 categories. No "shoulda's", "couldas" or "woulda's" will be counted, although comments are welcome. The winner will be determined via a  straight tally of the results as each gold envelope's contents are revealed. And much rides on our decisions -- a cold frosty cocktail (or three) will be awarded to the winner of this year's race, which last year, ended in a tie.

Here's the full list of what we'll be voting on. I've marked my predictions in bold blue. Take a look and let me know what you think in the comments section below. Then check out Blobby's predictions (I'll add a link here after I finish posting my votes). Who do you think is going to win? All I know is that I'm feeling awful thirsty...

1. Best Picture: "Amour," "Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty."
Comment: Things seem to be swinging Ben Affleck's way recently -- and with a snub in the "Directing" category, the Academy just might award him the night's biggest prize.

2. Actor: Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"; Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"; Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"; Denzel Washington, "Flight."
Comment: Everyone is saying this a "lock" for Day-Lewis. Who am I to argue?

3. Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"; Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Naomi Watts, "The Impossible."
Comment: Never have seen her in any movies, but seems to be the "darling" of the Hollywood circuit right now.

4. Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, "Argo"; Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"; Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"; Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained."
Comment: Lee Jones is an old crab, so I won't vote for him. De Niro seems to be getting some buzz and although I think he plays the same character in every movie he's in, I think he's going home with Oscar next Sunday night.

5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Master"; Sally Field, "Lincoln"; Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"; Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"; Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook."
Comment: Hate to make Hathaway's name bold, but her win for her bloated performance seems inevitable. She's so very annoying. You did see this video of her complaining about her name being misspelled at the Critics Choice Awards, didn't you?

6. Directing: Michael Haneke, "Amour"; Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"; Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook."

7. Foreign Language Film: "Amour," Austria; "Kon-Tiki," Norway; "No," Chile; "A Royal Affair," Denmark; "War Witch," Canada.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo"; Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; David Magee, "Life of Pi"; Tony Kushner, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook."

9. Original Screenplay: Michael Haneke, "Amour"; Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"; John Gatins, "Flight"; Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, "Moonrise Kingdom"; Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Brave"; "Frankenweenie"; "ParaNorman"; "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"; "Wreck-It Ralph."
Comment: Just want them to say "Frankenweenie" on TV.

11. Production Design: "Anna Karenina," "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln."

12. Cinematography: "Anna Karenina," "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Skyfall."

13. Sound Mixing: "Argo," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Skyfall."
Comment: Much ado has been made about the actors all singing live, so this seems like a homerun.

14. Sound Editing: "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi," "Skyfall," "Zero Dark Thirty."

15. Original Score: "Anna Karenina," Dario Marianelli; "Argo," Alexandre Desplat; "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna; "Lincoln," John Williams; "Skyfall," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," J. Ralph; "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted," Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane; "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri; "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth; "Suddenly" from "Les Miserables," Claude-Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil.
Comment: Who doesn't want to see Adele win an Oscar?

17. Costume: "Anna Karenina," "Les Miserables," "Lincoln," "Mirror Mirror," "Snow White and the Huntsman."

18. Documentary Feature: "5 Broken Cameras," "The Gatekeepers," "How to Survive a Plague," "The Invisible War," "Searching for Sugar Man."

19. Documentary (short subject): "Inocente," "Kings Point," "Mondays at Racine," "Open Heart," "Redemption."

20. Film Editing: "Argo," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty."

21. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Hitchcock," "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Les Miserables."
Comment: Hairy feet (no, not Anne Hathaway's) will rule this category.

22. Animated Short Film: "Adam and Dog," "Fresh Guacamole," "Head over Heels," "Maggie Simpson in `The Longest Daycare,'" "Paperman."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Asad," "Buzkashi Boys," "Curfew," "Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)," "Henry."

24. Visual Effects: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Life of Pi," "Marvel's The Avengers," "Prometheus," "Snow White and the Huntsman."

Everybody's a comedian...

...or so they think.

Oscar, Oscar, Oscar...let the winning begin

Me and Angelina at last year's Oscar bash.

So last year, after much chest-puffing and gloating on either site, the Oscar race between me and Blobby ended up in a tie. "How could that have happened?" I wonder to this day. Aren't I the guy who swept the office Oscar contest several years running?

This year will be different, I vow. Either I'm winning big (fingers crossed) or I'm losing big (I've seen only a fraction of the nominated films). And there's a cocktail riding on the outcome. So come this summer, when Blobby visits Boston on his swing through New England, one of us will be hanging our head in shame while the other enjoys a frosty beverage.

My blog, my rules. This year, we're trying to choose winners for all 24 categories that will be announced on Oscar night. Yup, I'm hoping that if I screw up the main categories, i can rebound by blindly and luckily choosing the winners in the areas of "Documetary (Short Subject)", "Make-Up and Hairstyling", and "Film Editing".

Here's the full list of what we'll be voting on...I'll update this blog with my choices as the awards show creeps closer.

1. Best Picture: "Amour," "Argo," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Django Unchained," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty."

2. Actor: Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"; Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables"; Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"; Denzel Washington, "Flight."

3. Actress: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"; Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Naomi Watts, "The Impossible."

4. Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, "Argo"; Robert De Niro, "Silver Linings Playbook"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"; Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"; Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained."

5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Master"; Sally Field, "Lincoln"; Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables"; Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"; Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook."

6. Directing: Michael Haneke, "Amour"; Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"; Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook."

7. Foreign Language Film: "Amour," Austria; "Kon-Tiki," Norway; "No," Chile; "A Royal Affair," Denmark; "War Witch," Canada.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo"; Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; David Magee, "Life of Pi"; Tony Kushner, "Lincoln"; David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook."

9. Original Screenplay: Michael Haneke, "Amour"; Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained"; John Gatins, "Flight"; Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, "Moonrise Kingdom"; Mark Boal, "Zero Dark Thirty."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Brave"; "Frankenweenie"; "ParaNorman"; "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"; "Wreck-It Ralph."

11. Production Design: "Anna Karenina," "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln."

12. Cinematography: "Anna Karenina," "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Skyfall."

13. Sound Mixing: "Argo," "Les Miserables," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Skyfall."

14. Sound Editing: "Argo," "Django Unchained," "Life of Pi," "Skyfall," "Zero Dark Thirty."

15. Original Score: "Anna Karenina," Dario Marianelli; "Argo," Alexandre Desplat; "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna; "Lincoln," John Williams; "Skyfall," Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," J. Ralph; "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from "Ted," Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane; "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri; "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth; "Suddenly" from "Les Miserables," Claude-Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil.

17. Costume: "Anna Karenina," "Les Miserables," "Lincoln," "Mirror Mirror," "Snow White and the Huntsman."

18. Documentary Feature: "5 Broken Cameras," "The Gatekeepers," "How to Survive a Plague," "The Invisible War," "Searching for Sugar Man."

19. Documentary (short subject): "Inocente," "Kings Point," "Mondays at Racine," "Open Heart," "Redemption."

20. Film Editing: "Argo," "Life of Pi," "Lincoln," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Zero Dark Thirty."

21. Makeup and Hairstyling: "Hitchcock," "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Les Miserables."

22. Animated Short Film: "Adam and Dog," "Fresh Guacamole," "Head over Heels," "Maggie Simpson in `The Longest Daycare,'" "Paperman."

23. Live Action Short Film: "Asad," "Buzkashi Boys," "Curfew," "Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)," "Henry."

24. Visual Effects: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Life of Pi," "Marvel's The Avengers," "Prometheus," "Snow White and the Huntsman."

I photo-bombed "The Bachelor"

I was on a business trip to Los Angeles last October. Yup, that was the trip where I got THIS CLOSE to my hero Betty White at an event sponsored by the American Humane Association. Anyway, earlier that day, my manager and I had a few hours to kill, so we took at cab to Beverly Hills and had a great lunch at a cafe on Rodeo Drive. After we ate, we walked across the street to the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where some scenes from my manager's favorite movie, Pretty Woman, were filmed.

When we left the hotel, there a small crowd gathering on the sidewalk and a film production crew -- all young and all dressed in black -- busily setting up their cameras and sound equipment, flipping through sheafs of print-outs on their clipboards, and squawking at each other over their walkie-talkies. They'll be here in 5 minutes!" yelled one of the producers.

"Who, who?" we wondered, and that moment, decided to stick around and see some real Hollywood celebrities. Perhaps it was the Kardashians, or one of the Real Housewives, or maybe even Tori Spelling! Five minutes turned into 15 minutes, which dragged into a half hour.

"They're right around the corner!" the producer suddenly yelled, and the film crew jumped into action, crowding up to the corner of the sidewalk. A few seconds later, a zippy sports car zoomed up to the curb. A tall, handsome man got out, flashed a big smile, and walked around to the passenger side, where he opened the door for his pretty brunette companion. They stood on the sidewalk smiling at each other for just a moment before sashaying into the hotel.

 "Who the hell was that?" we wondered aloud. We had taken a few photos and quickly texted them to some friends and family to see if anyone could identify the "star". Nope, nobody knew who he was. So it was off to our event at the Beverly Hilton and all thoughts of this "celebrity sighting" were put out of my mind.

Until this morning.

Seems a colleague who works in California was watching television last night - ABC's "The Bachelor" to be specific - when he spotted some familiar faces on his big screen TV. He must have been recording the episode because he was able to pause it and take several photos of the screen, which he sent along to me this morning. 

The subject line of his first e-mail was "Could it be?". Certainly, there was no way that Mike could possibly be standing outside the Wilshire in Beverly HIlls. Certainly, his eyes were playing tricks on him…

The subject line of his second e-mail was "I am not sure". Surely, there are lots of tall tourists who might be hanging outside the Wilshire as taping for "The Bachelor" was happening. 

The subject line of his third e-mail was "IT IS!". 

And my colleague was right. That's me and my manager, smack dab between The Bachelor (aka Sean Lowe) and one of the bimbos ladies who are vying for his bank account attention on this season's show. It looks like we were Photoshopped in, but honestly, it's a real photo.

I was surprised by how many of my co-workers called or e-mailed me today to say, "Hey, I've got to ask you something. I was watching TV last night, and…" "Yes," I interrupted them, "that was me…and why were you watching 'The Bachelor'?"

So now i sit, like Lana Turner perched on a fountain stool at Schwab's Drug Store in Hollywood, just waiting for that call from some highfalutin producer, who's looking for the next big thing. My phone has been strangely quiet.

Guess who turns 8 years old today?