Patterico's Pontifications

10/12/2007

Which Has Become More Irrelevant In Our Lifetime?

Filed under: Awards,Nobel Peace Prize — Justin Levine @ 1:37 am



[posted by Justin Levine] 

1. The Nobel Peace Prize?

2. Time’s “Man of The Year”?

Hard choices…

But seriously, it seems that over my life time every award recognizing human achievement has diminished not only in stature, but even in the actual seriousness of the prize presenters.

It’s not just the awards over public figures on the world stage. Best Picture Oscar winners? Olympic Medal winners? Somehow these things seemed to actually signify something important in years past, even if I would have chosen differently.

Was it a mistake to ever take them seriously?

Have the quality of the winners actually diminished in the last generation? Or is it merely a matter of my own personal taste and perspective on life? Does anyone else understand what I am getting at here? Or am I just whispering in the wind?

7/5/2007

America’s Competitive Edge

Filed under: Awards,Humor,Miscellaneous — Justin Levine @ 12:07 am



[posted by Justin Levine] 

Do you remember all of those scare stories in the late 80’s that told us that the Japanese were going to take over America because we had lost our competitive edge?

Well IN YOUR FACE PUNK!!!

Uh-Huh! Aw yeah!…Thaz right biatch!! Shake and bake baby!!! Nobody touches us in our own back yard on the Fourth o’ Joo-lie!

2/26/2007

Sound Mixer Kevin O’Connell – My Latest Hero of the Film Industry

Filed under: Awards,General,Movies,Real Life — Justin Levine @ 4:52 pm



[posted by Justin Levine] 

A lot of attention was given to director Martin Scorsese for finally getting the Oscar monkey off his back by winning the award after 7 previous losses.

That is nothing compared to sound mixer Kevin O’Connell who has now been nominated for an Academy Award 19 times (yes, 19 times) and never won. There were even two occasions where he was nominated twice for two different films in the same year, but still didn’t win. I’m not sure, but he may very well be the most nominated individual in Academy Award history. He certainly has the longest streak for Oscar nominations without a win. Last night, he lost out for the 19th time when Apocalypto failed to win the award for best sound mixing.

I tried contacting Mr. O’Connell to see if he would be interested in coming on the radio show to discuss his Oscar streak. His wife was kind enough to call me back and explain that he would normally love to come on the program, but that unfortunately his father had passed away last night – shortly after the Academy Awards ceremony.

Losing the Academy Award for the 19th time, and then having your father pass away all in the same evening. In my book, that is what you call a rough night. Anyone who can endure nights like that is a hero in my eyes.

Condolences to the O’Connell family for its loss. (And while the issue pales in comparison, here’s hoping that he wins next year for his work on Spider-Man 3.)

[posted by Justin Levine]

12/16/2006

We’re Number Ten! We’re Number Ten!

Filed under: Awards,Humor — Patterico @ 12:23 pm



The preliminary results of the Weblog Awards place me among the top ten blogs in the category of Best Conservative Blog. Which is a nice way of saying that, as predicted, I came in last place.

But it’s a pretty respectable last place: within 100 votes of both Hugh Hewitt and Mary Katharine Ham, in a contest where the top vote-getter received 5780 votes. This way, I can console myself with the thought that, if I had annoyingly flogged the contest every day (as I did in some previous years), I might have scratched my way into 8th place. That’s a lot better than if I had campaigned hard, and still ended up in last place.

I have truly learned one of life’s great lessons, as articulated by Homer Simpson:

You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.

Thanks to all who voted.

12/9/2006

Voting for Best Conservative Blog Is Open

Filed under: Awards,Blogging Matters,General — Patterico @ 1:24 pm



I’m going to say this only once.

If you want to vote for this blog as Best Conservative Blog, the voting is open, and you can do so here. You can vote once per day through December 15.

I am in last place now, and that’s where I’m going to end up. I’ve known that from the beginning, and I’m fine with it. It’s quite arguably the correct result anyway, given the other fine blogs on the list.

But feel free to vote anyway should the spirit move you. It could at least minimize my embarrassment, y’know?

12/5/2006

Weblog Award Finalists — Despite My Best Efforts to Avoid It . . .

Filed under: Awards,Blogging Matters,General — Patterico @ 9:49 pm



Really, I try to avoid this Weblog Awards nonsense. Paying attention to it has turned me into a pathetic vote-seeker in the past, and so I steadfastly refused to nominate myself or pay any attention during this last go-round.

But reader Rick W. e-mailed me with a link to the list of Finalists, and imagine my shock to see this list of Finalists for Best Conservative Blog:

Ace of Spades
Captain’s Quarters
Little Green Footballs
Hugh Hewitt
Michelle Malkin
Mary Katherine Ham
Patterico’s Pontifications
Red State
The Jawa Report
Power Line

I can’t look at that list without hearing that Sesame Street song going through my head:

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn’t belong . . .

Well, it’s a pleasure to see my name on such a distinguished list, even if it’s a certainty that I will end up at the bottom. I’m okay with that. It’s like that saying: you’d rather have the worst house in the best neighborhood than the best house in the worst neighborhood.

This is a great neighborhood to be in, and I’m thrilled to be an occupant of the worst house of the group.

12/17/2005

Good Job!

Filed under: Awards,Blogging Matters — Patterico @ 11:52 am



Sometimes I like to tell my kids to do something that I know they’re already going to do anyway. Like, if they’re in a bad mood, I’ll say: “Make a grumpy face!” They will because they’re already grumpy. Then I’ll tell them “Good job!” for having followed my directions. (In fact, I think I have an example of that here.)

I appear to have done something similar with the Wizbang “Best Law Blog” contest. I told you not to vote for me, and apparently (for the most part), you didn’t.

Good job!

Anyway, thanks to anyone who voted for me regardless of my entreaties.

P.S. Does anybody understand how some relatively poorly trafficked blog called “Law Dork” managed to get a thousand more votes than the Volokh Conspiracy??

P.P.S. I have added the word “relatively” to the previous sentence, in response to the Law Dork’s comment. Adding the word helps clarify what I meant. My intent was not to insult the Dork; the readership of my blog is “poorly trafficked” compared to Volokh, Althouse, or How Appealing. I just didn’t understand how he got so many votes given his relatively lower numbers.

Apparently, according to the Dork, the answer is that his blog was made a cause célèbre by some other blog called “Jesus’ General.” I never heard of the other blog either, but that doesn’t mean anything.

Anyway, congratulations to the Law Dork, and apologies for any offense my “poorly trafficked” comment caused.

12/5/2005

Weblog Awards: Forget It

Filed under: Awards,Blogging Matters — Patterico @ 7:03 pm



After winning the “Best Marauding Marsupials” award in 2003, and the “Best of the Top 100-250 Blogs” award in 2004, I’m pretty much opting out of stumping for myself in the Weblog Awards this year. (Apparently, Aakash nominated me to be in the Best Law Blog category.)

In the past, my electioneering tended to combine two strategies: accusing my opponents of wearing women’s underwear (a less effective charge when your opponent is a woman); and asking for your vote numerous times. While I rather enjoyed the former tactic, I think that the latter tactic tended to get boring. Plus, I have no interest in trying to convince people that Eugene Volokh or Howard Bashman wear women’s underwear.

Many of the other law blogs kill me in readership. Also, I pretty much figure Howard Bashman runs the best law blog anyway. So it’s a double whammy: 1) I can’t win and 2) I shouldn’t win. Hard to get motivated under these circumstances.

If you like this blog, skip the awards. Just tell a friend or five about the site. That would make me much happier than a vote at the awards.


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