Oscar 2016 "Menu"

Every year, after the Oscar nominees are announced, my family and I attempt to come up with a "menu" with meals based on that year's nominated films. They don't have to be best picture nominees; they could be nominated for "Best Craft Services," for all we care (think "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese here). We rarely cook the meals that we come up with (we're not THAT weird).

But here is what you would find at Chez Oscar for 2016, if it were up to us. (If you can think of any additions, feel free to post them in the comments section and maybe we can create a Hateful Eight course meal...)

For breakfast, wake up to a steaming cup of hot chocolate and a Danish girl.

Lunch? Try Trumbo gumbo.

For dinner, you have a choice of entrees: The Big Short ribs or Shaun the Sheep chops. Both are best served Straight Outta da oven.

For dessert, we suggest an Inside Out upside down cake or, if you prefer, Bridge of (s)Pies a la Mad Max: Fury rocky Road.

 

For those in Utah who prefer not to cook, we recommend swinging by Apollo "Creed" Burger.

And of course, for a cocktail, we'll be serving Marti(a)nis (pronounced Mar-shee-knees).

Please don't forget to make Room for seconds!

Star Wars + Rocky = My Childood...and Adulthood, Apparently

When I was ten years old, I loved Star Wars. I mean I LOVED it. Of course, I'm talking about what is now referred to as "Episode IV: A New Hope," which was actually the first movie to come out and we referred to it simply as "STAR WARS." I loved it so much, in fact, that I sat through it twice, back to back one Saturday afternoon and was late in making deliveries on my afternoon paper route, much to the chagrin of some of my more crotchety customers.

Wasn't a huge fan of what came after "A New Hope," in the Star Wars series, until "Episode VII: The Force Awakens." They really hit it out of the park, in my opinion. JJ Abrams, I salute you, as well as "Awakens" co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote "The Empire Strikes Back" and, on an interesting side note, "The Big Chill" of all things. For what it is, I consider "The Force Awakens" to be a perfect movie.

I was also a huge fan of "Rocky." I even loved the ridiculous sequels. Of those that followed, "Rocky III" has to be my fave. Oh, it's crap, but I loved it. It had Mr. T, for heaven's sake. And the eye of the tiger. And Apollo Creed and Rocky hugging in the surf in their short shorts after a too close to call foot race on the beach. I need to stop before I bust out crying.

Last year brought sequels to both the Star Wars and Rocky franchises (I have yet to see "Creed," but I plan to). Here are some fun facts that you probably haven't considered that came to me while I was lying in bed in the fog between dream and consciousness. What can I say? I'm weird like that.

Both "Creed" and "The Force Awakens" are the seventh installments in their respective series. The originals came out within a year of one another, Rocky in 1976 and Star Wars in '77.

Both originals were nominated for Best Picture Oscars and Rocky actually won. This year, both "Creed" and "The Force Awakens" are receiving heavy Oscar buzz. How crazy is that?!? Is it just me or is this one of the signs of the apocalypse? This year, if they release another "Friday the 13th" and it's nominated, I'm arming myself and moving to Idaho.

We'll have to wait and see what happens, but Oscar nominations are announced Thursday, January 14th. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. May the force be with both of them. Or the eye of the tiger.

Graham (Almost) Got Run Over By A Reindeer

 

My 19 year old daughter had to work a graveyard shift in Provo on Christmas Eve, bless her heart. Fortunately, she was able to spend the evening with us. At 10:00 pm the time came to return her to Provo which, on a good day, is about a 90 minute round trip.

While we were enjoying Christmas cheer, a massive blizzard had begun. My Utah friends know exactly what I’m talking about. Like "Ice Road Truckers" kind of blizzard.

I got her safely to her job and then almost made it home (3 hours after I left) when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a pack of headlight dazed deer! I swerved and was barely able to miss the one directly in front of me when I heard a BANG on the right side of my van. A deer had slammed into the side of my four wheel sleigh! While there was fortunately no damage to my car, which I’m crediting to a Christmas miracle, that deer either didn’t wake up Christmas morning or had one heck of a headache.

 

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa, but as for me and my Freestar, we believe.

 

Happy New Year, all!