Today’s Group Assignment for English II – What is LOVE?

From my experience, poetry in general can be a little intimidating to non-English majors/self-described non-writers. It ranges from having archaic and overly developed vocabulary that requires a dictionary to understand every line to deeply metaphoric description and symbolism that “makes no sense” without doing a mini-history lesson.

So what do you do? You address one of its most popular topics of the ages – LOVE! It has toppled empires, caused wars, heightened family feuds, severed  relationships and marriages, enraged gods, empowered  lonely starlets and their fans to want more from life, and changed the social class of fair maidens everywhere.

• Why would people go through so much destruction, pain, and frustration in their pursuit of LOVE?
•  What is the reward? What do people get in return?
•  Is there an age requirement for being in love? Are adults the ONLY people who can REALLY fall in love? Why?
• What other emotions do you experience when you are in love?

We are going to explore that today with today’s group assignment.

Take a look below at the collage I created on this post.  Notice the pictures, listen to the music lyrics playing and read the quotations. Then, in a group of three, you will brainstorm on the definition of love in your journal/separate sheet of paper.  EVERYONE needs to have his/her own completed assignment (10 ideas at least) to get full credit for classwork today.

You have 20 minutes to complete this assignment.  I will need some brave volunteers to share what your group came up with using the Promethean Board. Be prepared!

Making Your Own “Happily Ever After” – Titanic Returns April 4, 2012

As I contemplate the end of my 20′s, I realize how the positive and negative experiences have shaped my personal philosophy of life and love.  For a career, I need to feel like I am making a difference in the world and be passionate about my pursuits.

For my social life, I need real friends to comfort me in times of strife and tragedy and are consistent in their concern which only empowers me to be the same for them.  In dating relationships, I need the companionship of a best friend, the intimacy of a lover, and the empathy of a passionate philanthropist so that I feel safe enough to be the same thing for my partner.

Being a romantic, I have been reflecting on what elements are necessary to make my current relationship work through cinema-therapy (I know how that sounds but I am an unabashed romantic).  My favorite films I have been “revisiting” is a classic from high school – Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Besides the epic tragedy of lives lost, the film centers around the love story between a penniless but ambitious artist and a privileged yet fearless debutante defying the odds to be together.

They meet at a very sensitive time for the young woman – she is contemplating suicide so that she can escape her life of strict expectation and family obligation.  At that moment, Jack (Leo’s character) sees through the fine clothes and fancy jewels to who Rose really is – a trapped canary in a bejeweled cage who has lost her song.  It isn’t until he challenges her to fight for the life she wants that she sees him as the lifelong companion she needs and deserves.

When I saw the film in theaters, I remember yearning to have the intimate connection that Rose had with Jack; they knew each other as individuals outside of their disparate, social classes.  Rose and Jack had the courage to support one another no matter what obstacles came their way – threats of being shot, arrested, beat up, called ugly names, even a sinking ship.  How did they know that they were supported? It was innate.  When Jack was arrested for allegedly stealing the “Heart of the Ocean” necklace, Rose was stunned by the accusation.  But when she listened to her intuition, she realized that Jack would never steal from her – that was not the kind of man he was.

I wanted to be Rose in my own life – having the courage to love someone fearlessly and get that same love in return.  I think I have found it.

Trust is vital – without it, you are rowing the lifeboat by yourself.  That can be pretty tiring and emotionally frustrating.  Luckily, I have a partner-in-crime. I also realized that I need more quality time and romance from my significant other (and I am pretty sure he knows it too).

The advantage to being in a secure and trusting relationship is that it gives you space to focus on your own life and interests.  I plunge into new activities and interests that my partner may not be as passionate about as I am.  Then I get to recount the fun to him later.

To be clear, I understand that real life is not a fairytale nor one of Disney’s classic films.  There is no Prince Charming and no Hollywood “happy ending.”  What there is are real people making personal connections, establishing emotional boundaries, and making the leap to loving someone without restraint for the sake of being human.  I would rather leap with Love’s courage than be afraid to fall.

“All You Need is Love” – An Innate Awareness and Direct Action of Human Events

This past Thursday, I had the wonderful privilege of planning a film screening of 2009′s Across the Universe at a college’s theater.  I set this event up for my two Composition classes as a diversion from regular classwork (even though the ulterior motive was to foster critical thinking and connecting the dots of human experience from 1960s to 2011).

While it was a meager showing (only 13 students came),  it was a beautiful showing.  A few students even brought cookies for the event.  I was touched because I wasn’t planning to have food at all.  I suggested bringing enough food for “the class” (of 15-20) but I know my students are strapped for cash (even more than me).  I didn’t want to push the issue.  Despite that, there was a great showing of fellowship snacks and shockingly, DINNER!

One of the students who worked as a pizza delivery driver donated six pies of pizza to the event, saying that his manager even donated an extra pie because the event was “for college kids and they sure will be hungry.”  I almost cried!  This generosity was the embodiment of the film’s theme (and the students didn’t even know it yet).

I also thought about how I can make the theme of the film have practical applications to our world now.  The morning before the screening I was listening to my playlist on shuffle and my MP3 player played a song I haven’t heard a few years at least – “We Are The World” of 1985.  As I listened the lyrics (which I know by heart), I realized that this event could be more than just a diversion from class; it had the potential to make history (even if it is just for these classes and this college).

So I decided to make the event a mini-fundraiser for the American Red Cross towards the Japan Disaster Relief.  The suggested donation was $5 but any donation would be accepted.  Before we watched the film, I collected donations that totaled $37.  That might seem small to some people but knowing my students and the financial stresses they carry with them daily, I was very honored that they offered what little they had to such a worthwhile cause.  That is a memory I was always remember.

Who knows what else we’ll do this semester? Visiting the Smithsonian a-la-To Sir, With Love?  Having an End-of-the Semester Party in DC? Get invited to the White House by the President and the First Lady? The President and the First Lady visiting US on-campus?  The sky is the limit! Stay posted!

Top 30 Things You Should Know About This Blogger

So I realized something about this amazing blog and equally extraordinary audience – if you are new to my blog, you probably don’t a great deal about me.  And I further realized that my life has been a testimony to chapters of extraordinarily interesting and fascinating life experiences (yes, I just got a little wordy but it’s for a point).  Here is an ironic list  numbering 30 items  that offer some more insight into who I am as a person, more than just an educator.

#30:I love Christmas music during the holidays!
#29:I love Eggnog! No one in my fam likes it but I get it every year! Then I know it’s Xmas!
#28:I have a special reverence for The Nutcracker – I was a toy soldier and rat (not in the same production) in my dance school’s production when I was a kid. Yes, I was a ballet dancer and I still miss it!

#27: When I got into DC, a strange feeling comes over. I feel this sense of pride and awe being in the region where major decisions in our country are made. And I am THAT CLOSE to meeting the Obamas! Hey, it could happen!

#26: I am so proud of my younger brother! He is my rock (even if he doesn’t know it and gets on my nerves sometimes)!

#25: I hate the smell of chitterlings! When I was younger, my parents would love to cook it on the stove and the entire house had its disgusting smell. To this day, I will never eat a bite of it!

#24: I learned how to type so fast from the Mavis Beacon computer program. When I graduated from middle school, my dad put me on this schedule to work on the program every day, almost all summer. To this day, I rarely have to look down at the keys (really just for the numbers because I don’t use them as much as letters).

#23: I used to be really jealous of my brother when we were little. When he was a toddler and my mom was filming him with the video camera, when she wasn’t looking, I would knock him down softly. LOL! But eventually, I got over it.

#22: In middle school, I used to like this boy but he wouldn’t be honest if he liked me or some other girl. He called me up at home and I got so tired of his crap that I played the chorus in Janet Jackson’s song “If” and hung up the phone. Look it up, kiddies. Boy, did I have some guts as a kid!

#21: My cousin let me ride with him on his motorcycle when I was a teenager. We went REALLY fast! It was so much fun but my mom was so afraid for me. I couldn’t stop laughing!

#20: My mother has an obsession for all things Ralph Lauren, especially when she was pregnant with me. She named me after her favorite designer and perfume.

#19: I am the oldest sibling in my immediate family. My younger brother is my new roommate.

#18: Initially, I attended college in hopes of being a doctor. I took an internship in HS with an orthopedic surgeon and fell in love with the practice. But once I started taking the required math and science courses (and started failing those classes even with all help in the world), I quickly switched to English.

#17: I worked in the Human Resources Department in the University Library when I was a sophomore at UF. I learned a great deal about the inner workings of payroll (like library staff gets really agitated when their checks aren’t correct).

#16: No, I have never been married (and I have no kids) but I would like to be someday.

#15: For a school trip in HS, I went to Europe. The class and I went to Italy (Venice and Verona), Germany and Switzerland. Talk about a great Spring Break!

#14: I am a chronic bibliophile. Currently, I’m reading Think Like A Man, Act Like A Lady by Steve Harvey and I just got uploaded Grimm’s Fairy Tales (you got to know the classics, right?),  a lot of Oscar Wilde, Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen, and W.E.B. DuBois on my E-reader application on my laptop!

#13: I love Spoken Word Poetry. I have two locations in Miami that I used to when work wasn’t too hectic. I have yet to find a new place in the DMV area.  Any suggestions?

#12: If I had to choose a TV character that was the most like me, I would say either Brenda Lee Johnson from TNT’s The Closer or Kate Reed from USA’s Fairly Legal. Their mix of strength and vulnerability is something I can DEFINITELY identify with.

#11: I met Hill Harper at Yale where he held a luncheon for young people for his book Letters to a Young Brother. He is incredibly nice and well-spoken. My HS students were trying to hook me up with him. How embarrassing (but he did call me “exquisite”)! Not bad for a HS teacher!

#10: I am a closet romantic. I hate to say it but it’s true. I love listening to my fave love songs (mostly from MJJ) to go to sleep to.

#9: I buy at least two new fashion/celebrity gossip magazines every other Friday. I am also a loyal follower of The Young, Black, and Fabulous celebrity blog since 2003. A lady has to stay current on ALL kinds of news!

#8: I secretly want to be a DJ. I actually tried it out at a friend’s party and I was terrible (but I loved every minute of it!). I have this secret talent of creating the most amazing mixed tapes/playlists for every mood. My iPod and Blackberry are full of them.

#7: My parents raised my brother and me to appreciate the rich history of African-American music and film. We listened to all the Motown greats (The Temptations, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jackson 5/The Jacksons), Sam Cooke, James Brown, 70′s and 80′s Soul/R&B singers (Earth, Wind, and Fire, The Emotions, The Pointer Sisters, Phyllis Hyman, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Freddie Jackson, The Commodores, Lionel Ritchie, Donny Hathaway), and 90′s R&B (Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, Vanessa Williams, Tevin Campbell, Boyz II Men, Usher, TLC, En Vogue).  I tend to gravitate to those greats and compare everyone else on the music scene to them – sorry, new artists!

#6: I was not popular in HS. I was/still am really tall (almost as tall as the teacher), a tomboy (I played volleyball and preferred jeans and Chapstick to dresses and lipstick to wear to class), was a novice writer (I wrote a vampire novel for fun and it became a Freshman sensation) and liked to listening to SKA and rock music (long live No Doubt, Prince, and Lenny Kravitz!).

#5: After not having an “exit strategy” for graduating college, my parents moved me to CT in hopes that I would go to grad school at Yale. Yale didn’t work out (I worked full-time in a bookstore and in retail for a year instead) but Columbia eventually did. Not bad for a runner-up.

#4: I lived in NYC for two years. While at Columbia, I stayed in Harlem with my great uncle. It was wonderful and I miss it terribly.

#3: I saw the musical The Color Purple two times: once on my own dime in NYC and once when my parents came to NYC. As far as the rest of my family goes, I have become an adopted New Yorker.

#2: As a result of #4, I am a huge fan of  Sex and the City. Yes, I have seen the entire set of the series and yes, I own the movie (and I have seen it at least three times so far).  Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with its sequel – Carrie, you married the love of your life! Work stuff out TOGETHER! You don’t need to go OUTSIDE your marriage to feel complete in your marriage! I’m just sayin’.

#1: I have fallen love in with New Orleans a year ago at a conference and hopefully, I will be able to spend my summer there for some volunteer work that can beef up my resume.

History-Making, Academy Award-Winning Film of 2010 – How Teaching and Learning Gets Awarded Gold

It’s kind of extraordinary to make history.  No, I didn’t cure cancer, create a new invention, or discover a new country/continent.  Nevertheless, this weekend, I was part of something truly unique and special.

My roommate and I finally did something together that we had been romanticizing about for weeks, even months – we saw the film The King’s Speech. Let me explain . . . My roommate is very selective on film choices and even more selective on films to see in an actual theater.  Why?  Have you seen how much a movie ticket is these days?  I don’t blame him at all. 

But this weekend, the stars aligned – he had a day off from work, I taught an early morning (yet marathon three hour) class and finished at noon, and more importantly, he got paid!

On this luminous Friday afternoon, he took us out for lunch at a Mexican restaurant which was heavenly.  Then we made our way to the upscale Tyson’s Corner darkened theater.

As the film unfolded, I marveled at its story, and ultimately, its heart.  Being thrashed into an authoritative role as monarch when your family ridicules your flaw (and really don’t believe you REALLY are ready) while your only confidant is your spouse made me want to cry - I felt so empathetic to the Duke of York. What a lonely existence. 

But like any good confidant worth his/her salt, his wife was tireless in finding help for her husband.  That help ultimately came in the form of an Australian speech therapist and former theater actor Lionel Logue.  Match made in heaven, right! Not exactly.

Like all men, there is this period of adjustment and testing limits of this new “arrangement.”  Now throw in social titles and the period becomes more intense and awkward.  How do you address royalty when you need to set up common ground to work with a student?  What can you talk about when the student’s past is such a factor in recovering and he does not want to talk about it?  The dance of sarcasm, humor, wit, and honesty between student and teacher built a stable bridge of trust.

But life never stays the same for long.  The status quo changes and we all are left trying to adjust to the change.  This change turned the Duke into the King (with his living other brother in voluntary exile with the possibility of returning to regain the throne at any time).  Also, the Nazi party was on the rise and war with Germany was eminent.  Talk about pressure!

So what does the new King do?  Like many of us, he FREAKS OUT by assuming that he can do the job on his own and questions Logue’s credibility and credentials as a teacher (sound familiar?).  The King wants to be strong for his people who is understandable but shutting down at times of stress and pressure never helps the situation.  As far as Logue’s credibility, King George VI learns that Logue did not have a formal education (or a doctorate) in his field.  Instead, he had real work experience working with WWI former soldiers on their PTSD that forced them to stammer their words and lose their voice.  It is safe to say that Logue was no longer questioned about his effectiveness nor his credentials after that.

Their work prepared King George VI to deliver the most important speech of his reign – his radio address informing his people that Germany was going to war with England.  But more importantly, the two became and remained close friends for the rest of their lives.  Logue was even appointed to the King’s advisory cabinet.

And the most amazing part of it all . . .  IT REALLY HAPPENED!  How extraordinary!  And what did Oscar do last night? Award the film with GOLD at the Academy Awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. Excellence is always awarded and if there is a compelling story attached to it, the sky is the limit.

So I am honored to have been able to see such a powerful film.  As an educator, it’s even more reverential because at the heart of the film is a relationship between a teacher and his student.  It highlights the importance of trust in such a relationship while also challenging the student to greatness.  I believe that greatness can be achieved in every student I teach.  But ultimately, it’s up to the student to WANT to be great.  King George VI met his destiny with the help of his teacher.  I hope I can do the same.

I Can’t Sleep – Fighting Between Insecurity and Being Self-Assured

Ok, I hate this.  I hate that after only a few hours of sleep, I am wide awake obsessing over the state of my personal life (more specifically, my very long distance relationship).

In my vocation, I am the confident, self-assured woman I always want to be.  Students respect me; colleagues offer helpful feedback.  It’s my personal life that is missing that same confidence.

My history in relationships (family or otherwise) has been complicated.  My initial exposure to a heterosexual relationship (a.k.a. my parents) had its good moments but also its destructive ones too.  I knew I didn’t want to be in a co-dependant relationship.  I wanted (and still want) to be my own person with my own interests.  Because I have been insulated with my career, my social development around people my age was slightly stunted.  Men’s intentions were very murky to me. So the trial and error approach to dating produced mixed results – some good relationships, others dysfunctional and destructive.

At this point in my life, I have some main concepts figured out about relationships – a few “basic principles” from my favorite matchmaker Hitch.  What I know is sacrificing your happiness and self-esteem for the sake of a relationship is suicide, saying how you feel about a relationship is freedom, and love is a two-way street.

With that in mind, why am I up so early, unable to go back to sleep like the rest of the world this morning?

It is because despite my knowledge of these “basic principles,” I am still feeling neglected by the person I am seeing. 

I am in a long distance relationship and the person that I am seeing is very lax when it comes to calling me on a consistent basis.  So what ends up happening? I call all the time.  But the thing is that I DON’T want to call him all the time.  There should be a little give and take in that department.

Like me, he works alot and explains to me that that keeps him from calling.  I want to be understanding and patient but I just can’t buy that excuse.  My attitude is if I CAN call, YOU CAN call too! No matter how busy you are, you can ALWAYS carve out some time to at least contact the person you’re seeing (if you are really in a relationship), right??

So I call again only to get his voicemail for the third and fourth time.  Leaving a message at this point sounds desperate but maybe he needs to hear that to understand the point I need to make. 

Life can keep us busy but it takes social interaction to keep us sane.  I need that sanity now.

Ending A Chapter and Starting a New One . . .

So a week ago, I was unceremoniously terminated at my “temporary position” as a Visiting Professor (where my soon-to-be-ex boss refers to me as an Instructor). Interesting.

So I took the rest of the week off.  (That way I could cry in the privacy of my bedroom and not over my desk like I was doing.) I took a ”staycation” at a nice hotel to give myself a break. A “staycation”, if you don’t know, is the recession-friendly vacation at a local hotel to give the illusion that you are away without really being away.

My “away” included a manicure and pedicure appointment, a Swedish massage appointment, lots of libations in the room, and meals at the hotel’s restaurant every night.  Luxurious and relaxing, yes. Epiphany-causing, not so much.

I was hoping to gain some perspective or direction  that would lead me to my new chapter but I was sadly disappointed.  Now I am just more calm in my indecision which makes it at worst.

So I attend my classes this week and administer Final Exams.  The presentations the students have are interesting and eye-opening for me to watch.  As an educator, you cover the goals that you feel is important and paramount to college essay-writing and American Literature.  But then to see some of those same goals reflected back to you in student presentations explaining what they learned this semester is affirming.  At least I taught them something.

Stay tuned for more posts.

“Seeking Happily Ever After”: Are We Settling for an Ideal or Redefining a Fairy Tale?

As children, we all have been read the magical and imaginative fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson and have memorized the romantic plot of every heart-warming Disney cartoon movie from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and FINALLY (for the people of color) The Princess and the Frog.

 The soft part of our childhood remains us how we all want to that “Happily Ever After.”  But what does that really look like?  Riding off into the sunset with Prince Charming or the Princess in a golden carriage?  Getting married? Finding “The One”? Where? How?

Check out a trailer for a new documentary addressing this same issue.  It is called “Seeking Happily Ever After.”  Let me know what you think!

http://seekinghappilyeverafter.com/trailer.html

Hitch and the Romantic Comedy: Why We Need to Drink the Kool-Aide

So last night, I got into a fight with my roommate over . . . you know what, it doesn’t matter. The important thing to note was that I was exiled to the place every writer (even my fav fictional writer from NYC) is forced to go – the local coffee shop.

Once there, I found it buzzing with young high school and college students meeting for study group sessions and to chat, immature girly or manly cliques meeting to gossip and check out the opposite sex at a safe and un-embarrassing distance, and a couple of grow-ups still too obsessed with the day’s work happenings to stop talking about them and go home to wind down.

There was I – in the midst of lulling conversation. My impulse was to hit the net and go surfing on my laptop, but that night was different, I couldn’t tell you why if you asked me.

I found myself reaching into my CD/DVD case to pull out a movie to watch. I pulled the movie Hitch.

As I was watching the opening scene where the title character explains to the audience the “basic principles” of understanding the female psyche, I was left with a really powerful saying:

Life is measured not by the breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.

Wow, that’s deep!

Now I know there are going to be some cynics out there (yes you, my favorite gargoyles!) who are going to say “This is too much! I still trying to survive the land mine that is Valentine’s Day this weekend!” and they might be right.

How can you open a comedy (much less a ROMANTIC comedy) with something like that??? You are killing the humor before a joke can even be tested out! What is wrong with you?!

But after we get over our own ego and pessimism, we can allow the saying to saturate our thoughts (well after the movie, right?!?).

Have you ever had a “moment that takes your breath away” or were you just “breath[ing]“?

Too often, maybe because of the drudgery of daily life and family/spousal responsibility, we live our lives in a series of tasks, trying to make it to the next day, the next week, the next month, the next year.

I definitely lived that for some portions of my life, especially when I was in grad school in NYC.

My objective was to just “get over” – finish this assignment, pay this bill, put this food on the table, get this gas for the car, catch this bus to get to school on time.

Then later, my tasks extended into events within the job market arena (and I truly was the Christian being sacrificed for Roman entertainment in that arena) – pay more bills, pick up more of that overtime to make rent this month, grade more college/HS essays, get more hours this month, etc.

As a result of this living, I grew to REALLY hate my jobs! Something definitely gave! I wasn’t sleeping, barely eating anything, and insanely depressed emotionally and physicially. I was a depressed worker bee and I wanted a break from it all IMMEDIATELY.

So I gave myself a mental vacation by renting movies from the local video store.

There I discovered a world beyond my concentrated trek from home to work that I had ignored for so long, a world of culture, art, beauty, and fun.

This was the gateway to potential breath-taking moments: taking trips to the art museum, going to concerts, plays, musicals, writing and reading for fun, seeing independent films, dancing, and attending church functions (that I had to coordinate to make it fun for people my age).

I am not going to lie and tell you that instantly, my life became perfect as a result of this discovery. That DEFINITELY didn’t happen. I still went to work. I still performed tasks. But work and tasks were more spread out, being filled in with potential breath-taking moments.

Eventually, some of those moments became breath-taking and slowly, I started enjoying my life.

So I say all this to say that we all need to look for those breath-taking moments (even as a single person) so that we are more than just hamsters on a wheel in a cage.

So on this Valentine’s Day Weekend, I will leave you with a saying from one of my favorite writers of all time – Oscar Wilde (if you see me, ask me about him. I can talk about him for HOURS!!)

To love yourself is the start of a lifelong affair.

Have a great weekend!

Golden Globes – Celebration of Film, TV Jewels

In the New Year, football enthusiasts look forward to the divisional games of their favorite NFL teams that leads to the all-important Super Bowl game that determines which NFL team is the best in the country.

But for me, my Super Bowl (or at least the playoffs) is the Golden Globes.  In this awards ceremony, the best of film and television are honored by critics (and its winners later usually win the Academy Awards, another coveted achievement for Film)/

Last night was a wonderful display of fashionable beatuty, philanthropic concern for Haiti, and presentation pf the most humble acceptance speeches by worthy winners.

For instance, the first award of the night belonged (and was won by) Mo’Nique for her strikingly powerful portrayal; of an abusive mother in the movie Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.

Check out this video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yam2BFC0rrA

That set the stage for the entire award ceremony in that all the winners of the night truly deserved the award for “intellectually challenging” and brave portrayals of characters in film and television.

In film in drama, the film Avatar won the top honor.

Check out the film’s trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeh2KILn7O4

Sandra Bullock won an award for her portrayal of a Texas woman who took in a homeless African-American teenager who later comes a NFL Draft Pick.

Check out the movie’s trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu8zYsz04oE

Robert Downey, Jr. won for Best Actor in Film Comedy for his brilliant portrayal of one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, Sherlock Holmes in the recent Guy Ritchie film.

Enjoy the film’s trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITU27Sxzi9w

For film comedies/musicals, the film The Hangover won the award.

Check out the funniest parts from the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9MjlgZX29c

Meryl Strep won an award for Best Actress because of her uncanny portrayal of the late Julia Childs in the movie Julie & Julisa.In

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt2znsOygJY

Check out her acceptance speech.  It is very moving!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn5lWz4TKWsIn television,

The Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture was won by Christoph Waltz for his amazing portrayal of a devious Nazi commander in the movie Inglorious Basterds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af0-9HBn5xM&feature=related

On television, there were a lot of worthy winners too!

For Best Television Series as a Comedy or Musical, the show Glee won.

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcZQLnfZ7Ok

Toni Collette won an award for her portrayal of a wife and mother who suffered from multiple personality disorder.

Check out a promo for Season #2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltD3-S3D9xA

Alec Baldwin won for Best Performance by an Actor  in a Television Series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTj47rcuM-4

For Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television , the movie Grey Gardens won which is one of my fave TV morive of the past year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtAKbotLMAc

Drew Barrymore also won an award for Best Actor in the same category.