The Curious Case of Leonardo Dicaprio and The Academy Awards

Leonardo DiCaprio’s struggle to win an Oscar is our modern-day Book of Job. Since the night of March 21, 1994, when he lost Best Supporting Actor to Tommy Lee Jones, Leo has been thirsting for that golden statuette. Now, on the eve of the 88th Annual Academy Awards, for which Leo is nominated for Best Actor in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant (and for which he will hopefully take home the trophy), let’s revisit the four fateful ceremonies in which the Oscar tragically slipped out of Leo’s hands and see if, knowing what we know now, he deserved to win any of them. 

1994 ACADEMY AWARDS — BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Leo’s Nomination: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Oscar Winner: Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive
The Other Nominees: 
Ralph Fiennes, Schindler’s List
John Malkovich, In the Line of Fire
Pete Postlethwaite, In the Name of the Father

After a few appearances in iconic films like Poison Ivy and Critters 3, Leo fired shots as a major Hollywood player in the making with his turn as the developmentally disabled Arnie, brother to Johnny Depp’s Gilbert in 1992’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. The film, awarded four stars by Roger Ebert at the time, oddly received no other Oscar nominations despite Depp and Mary Steenburgen turning on some of the best work of their careers. The film itself hasn’t stood the test of time as far as a cultural milestone, aside from Leo’s nomination. It’s certainly a fine, well-made film. But it’s easier to see why Leonardo would have lost to Ralph Fiennes in a flashier, still-referenced film like Schindler’s List … except he didn’t. He lost to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive.

Look, The Fugitive is a fine movie. But if you’re awarding Jones an Oscar for that, there’s no reason Ashley Judd shouldn’t have one for Double Jeopardy. This was clearly a case of awarding Jones the Oscar he didn’t get two years earlier for JFK.

Leo’s only real competition this year should’ve been Fiennes. Still, I think Leo should’ve taken this one home.

2005 ACADEMY AWARDS — BEST ACTOR

Leo’s Nomination: The Aviator
Oscar Winner: Jamie Foxx, Ray
The Other Nominees:
Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland
Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby

2005 was one of the years the Academy remembered black people exist. Jamie Foxx won for Ray. Morgan Freeman won for Million Dollar Baby. Foxx was nominated a second time for Collateral. Don Cheadle got a nomination for Hotel Rwanda. Although, they made up for it the next year by awarding Best Picture to Crash, a terrible movie about race. But during 2005, it was like Gangsta’s Paradise up in the Oscars. Leo didn’t stand a chance. But should he have?

Short answer: Not really. The Aviator is a pretty great movie. It’s long as fuuuuuuuck, but it’s still pretty dope. The reason why it didn’t win Best Picture, however, rests on Leo’s shoulders. He was really too young to be playing Howard Hughes, for one. Watching it now, it operates more like a dry run for his portrayal of Jay Gatsby nine years later. But here, he’s a bit like a freshman who got a lead role in the school play opposite a graduating senior. Cate Blanchett acts circles around Leo and picked up an Oscar for her trouble. Second, Leo’s accent is ATROCIOUS. It’s not his worst film accent ever (that one’s coming up next), but it’s certainly not good, either.

As good as everyone else in the category was, Foxx pretty much disappeared into his role as Ray Charles. It’s his greatest performance and every bit worthy of the Oscar.

2007 ACADEMY AWARDS — BEST ACTOR
Leo’s Nomination: Blood Diamond
Oscar Winner: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
The Other Nominees: 
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness

As I already mentioned, this is the worst accent to ever escape Leo’s lips. He’s supposed to be South African in Blood Diamond, but I’ll be damned if that’s what he’s doing here with his voice. It’s some odd combination of French and British and Leo, What the Fuck Are You Doing, Stop Doing Movies Where You Have To Do Accents. The accent, however, is hardly the worst part of this movie; the movie is the worst part of this movie. Blood Diamond is not good. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that it is a bad film, with dialogue from screenwriter Charles Leavitt like “You know, in America it’s bling bling, but out here it’s bling bang.” But what did you expect when two white people (Leavitt and director Edward Zwick) team up to make a movie about the diamond trade in Africa and cast Leonardo DiCaprio as a South African?

2014 ACADEMY AWARDS — BEST ACTOR

Leo’s Nomination: The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Winner: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
The Other Nominees:
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Is anyone still talking about Dallas Buyers Club? This movie dominated the awards-season conversation leading up to the 2014 ceremony, but does anyone remember it fondly? (Besides Jared Leto fans, because he also won this year for his portrayal of a trans woman.) Other problems in this category include any nomination forAmerican Hustle, which should’ve been the first David O. Russell film shut out of the Oscars before people wised up and said “nah” to Joy this year.

Leo’s real competition here should’ve been Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave. It’s oddly surprising he didn’t win, actually, but that’s just about how much the McConaughey campaign was working overtime. Hollywood usually bends over backward to award a golden statue to a black man who gets whipped and called the n-word for 70 percent of a film (Samuel L. Jackson sadly did not get whipped in The Hateful Eight, so he got no nomination this year). Ejiofor’s performance is powerful and moving, but I am of the opinion that we should not reward black actors for handing over a pound of flesh. Though 12 Years is incredibly important — and very necessary since white people keep forgetting slavery existed until we remind them (then we’re talking about it too much!). Leo fully transformed into a MOVIE STAR with this role. Exuberant, joyful, and living in every bit of pulp Martin Scorsese infused into the film, this is a role we’ll remember for years to come. If he didn’t win for Gilbert Grape, this should’ve been Leo’s Oscar moment.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Wolf of Wall Street were definite awards oversights for Leo — but there’s actually an even bigger one. Sure, maybe he should’ve been nominated for The Basketball Diaries, Catch Me If You Can, and The Departed. There might even be a case to be made for Titanic. But this is utter insanity…

2013 ACADEMY AWARDS — NOT NOMINATED

Leo should’ve gotten Best Supporting Actor in 2013 for Django Unchained. Yes, Christoph Waltz was great, but he was much better in Inglourious Basterds. Leo was the true star of Django, with his wickedly fun turn as the evil Calvin Candie, but the role earned him only a Golden Globe nom, not an Oscar nod. Instead, the Academy played some real games with their nominations that year — Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln? Why is he always taking my man Leo’s spot?

All Leo’s life he’s had to fight. He’s had to fight Tommy Lee Jones. He’s had to fight Jamie Foxx. He’s had to fight Forest Whitaker. He’s had to fight Matthew McConaughey. And now, goddamit, even if it’s for The Revenant — he’s got to win and hopefully, he will. *fingers crossed*

Movie Review: ‘Deadpool’ is unconventional in every sense of the word

Deadpool is full of crude humor and insane action scenes, which is why it is so incredible.

Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), a Special Forces operative turned mercenary, learns he has a fatal illness shortly after he finds the love of his life (Morena Baccarin). Wilson receives an anonymous tip that there is a place that can reverse his sickness. Instead, he finds himself being tortured by Ajax (Ed Skrein). The rogue experiment leaves him with accelerated healing powers and a disfigured body. He sets out on a mission of revenge as his alter ego, Deadpool.

Tim Miller’s Deadpool is not a conventional superhero movie. It breaks all boundaries in terms of humor and style. Most of the jokes have sexual undertones that are definitely intended for an older, more mature audience. If sexual innuendos are not being spoken, then the antics are poking fun at the movie industry itself. It frequently alludes to the X-Men franchise, which tries to recruit Deadpool throughout the film.

Ryan Reynolds breaks the fourth wall many times during the film. He speaks directly to the audience to explain what is going on and to add more comedic narration to the film. Reynolds even “moves the camera” to protect the audience from seeing a very grotesque scene. It can be very hard to execute that technique in film, but in Deadpool, the act is carried out perfectly. With a character such as Deadpool, it would be a shame not to have him engage with the audience.

From the beginning, the audience is thrown into the action with no explanation of the plot or characters. Director Tim Miller utilizes a non-linear plotline, allowing the audience to embrace Deadpool from the get-go and adding some mystery to the film. Through a series of flashbacks, viewers receive all of the important information needed to understand how Deadpool came to be the man he is, which is one the best anti-heros of all time. Deadpool’s crude humor and unconventional methods of attack captivate the audience from the minute the film begins.  

Reynolds delivers an exceptional performance as the title character. They could not have chosen a better actor to step into this character’s persona. His sarcastic sense of humor cuts through the screen and draws the audience in. His shining moments come when he is being tortured physically and emotionally. Deadpool is a very complex character, and Reynolds takes the character’s personality and runs with it.

The only things to critique in the film are the length and the goriness. The film could have been so much longer — it is under two hours long — and the progression of the film could have been a lot smoother. It jumps from the backstory to the finale in just a few scenes, leaving viewers to wonder, “How did we get here?” The movie is also insanely bloody. The level of goriness was acceptable in small doses. But in the few moments when brain matter and blood were being projected from the bodies of Deadpool’s victims, it went overboard. In the beginning, a man is splattered against a billboard, and the audience sees everything. The gruesome part is when Wade Wilson undergoes all of the tortuous methods, and his body is disfigured. The film is definitely rated R for this reason.

Deadpool is not a conventional superhero movie, therefore showgoers should not expect to see a film similar to Captain America or Thor. Deadpool is a comedy, action and romantic movie all rolled into one outlandish spectacle.   

Rating: 4/5

BANG! BANG!! RASHFORD!!!

It was a debut to remember for 18 years old academy graduate Marcus Rashford, who didn't only score twice on his first appearance for the club, but scored two crucial goals that set Manchester United on the path of UEL round of 16 qualification against FC Midtjylland.

 Pione Sisto grabbed the opener for Midtjylland with a great effort, and Manchester United equalized some minutes later through an own goal by Nikolay Bodurov from a Memphis Depay's cross. Rashford goals came in the second half either side of a Juan Mata's penalty miss.

Manchester United were dominant throughout the match, with tormentor in chief Memphis giving full back Romer a lot to deal with, who eventually got sent off by fouling Memphis in the last few minutes of the game. Further goals from Ander Herrera from the penalty spot, and a thumping low shot from outside the box by Memphis, whose performance deserved a goal.

It was the Second time Manchester United had scored more than 3 goals in all competitions this season, the first being the Uefa Champioins League qualifier 2nd leg against Club Brugge at Old Trafford in August ...and Rashford who stole the limelight on the night might just have saved Van Gaal's job......maybe till Sunday.

See Dencia's All Pink Car collection

Nigerian Singer and Whitenicious CEO Dencia is living the Big girl life. She has made a celebrity status for herself both in Nollywood and Hollywood.

She is known for her songs, whitening cream products and her fashion sense. Hollywood paparazzi's tend to look out for her during high class celebrity events. She recently was judged on E! Fashion Police show for the pink "Hello Kitty" outfit she wore to the Grammy Awards.

She lives in one of the choicest part of U.S.A and also drives the latest cars. Her car collection which she decided to paint all Pink includes a
Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, Range Rover Evoque and a Rolls Royce Wraith. All these cars together are worth over half-a-million US Dollars.

I'm sure you agree with me she is balling. See pics below.

Dencia's Hello Kitty Outfit to the Grammy Awards 

ARSENE WENGER COULD BE REMINDED TONIGHT OF THE GRAVEST MISTAKE OF HIS CAREER

Arsene Wenger may be reminded tonight of the terrible mistake he made by not signing Luis Suarez when he had the chance. Arsenal tonight will face the greatest attack in history, comprising of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis suarez, who have been is incredible form, humiliating almost every opponent they have faced this season. FC Barcelona is unbeaten in 32 games since losing against Sevilla on October 3, 2015.

The Arsenal defence will have it all to do coping with the blistering pace, trickery and creativity of MSN. Taking nothing away from Arsenal, they are a good side also capable of hurting the Catalans. Mesut Ozil’s vision and the direct approach of Alexis would be key in this fixture.

Creating chances may not be Arsenal’s problem if they are not totally outplayed by Barcelona due to the presence of a genius Ozil in their side, but the finishing of the Catalans is in a totally different level from that of the Gunners. Petr Cech might just be having one of those very busy European nights …

Possible line ups

ARSENAL: Cech, Bellerin, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Coquelin, Ramsey, Ozil, Welbeck, Sanchez, Giroud

BARCELONA: Ter Stegen, Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar

The change that was sold to us. Remember this?

Okay. So I'm not here supporting any political party or trying to put the blame of the current state of the Nation on anybody.

I just want to knw if you ever came across this poster during the 2015 election campaign. And try and relate the message on it to the current situation in the country.

We are seriously in need of this change. There are a lot of things going wrong now and to the citizens it just seems like nothing is being done.

Who will answer us??

Wizkid comes for Linda Ikeji

So if you've not been following the gist, let me give you the low down (That's why i'm here for you) ;)

It all started when American Rapper "The Game" stood up for his Baby Mama on IG by tackling a fan. Then Blogger Linda Ikeji reported that Wizkid's alleged new baby Mama called wizkid a deadbeat father for not standing up for her.

Well Wizkid Ayo Balogun a.k.a Felaback wasn't finding any of these BullSh*t fun so he went on his Snapchat to make his feelings known by replying Linda Ikeji with the caption "Almost 40, Lonely and Bitter" #PrayersUpForYou Lool

When we thought the drama was over with our A-list artiste. Apparently Wizkid isn't the first artiste to go on social media to tackle Linda.

Rihanna goes Bra-less in new music video

The Highly anticipated video for the U.S based Barbadian singer Rihanna's hit song "Work" ft Canadian rapper Drake has just been released. And trust me it is already "breaking the Internet".

The Video was released in 2 versions. The second version which is the most talked about right now saw the Singer in a See through top with no Bra (so her nipples were popping throughout) and a Micro Denim skirt (Which we assume only Drake knew what was underneath).

The song is currently topping the Billboard Hot 100 and the Video has already been viewed over a million times in the past hour.

Great song. Great Video from Fenty.

Check out the Link to the Video below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caaSrdLC28o