Tag Archives: Margaret Thatcher

Tactician's Nobility

Meryl Streep was officially inducted into acting nobility as she won her 3rd Oscar at the 84th annual Academy Awards ascending into the ranks of Jack Nicholson (3), Katherine Hepburn (4), Ingrid Bergman (3) and Walter Brennan (3).  The small golden trophy was the first she had won in 26 long years, which is longer than some of us (me) have even been alive.  The vibrant and stunning young actress had since lost a jaw dropping 13 Oscar nominations in a row, meaning she had to sit there and watch someone else win Oscars right in front of her face 13 different times in a row.  She got one this time though, and most certainly deserved it with her critically acclaimed portrayal of infamous British Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher.  Other big winners for the night included a silent film about a french guy with a mustache The Artist which picked up Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role and Best DirectorMartin Scorsese’s Hugo also did pretty well with all the unwanted Oscars including Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Mixing and Editing.  Nine-time host Billy Crystal received some lackluster reviews for a boring show, because nowadays in order to entertain people you have to pull a Lady Gaga and show up in an egg or as a guy or whatever the hell the kids are doing these days.  On winning Streep was humble, and thanked the audience for her “inexplicably wonderful career” that has boasted a total of 17 Oscar nominations and 26 Golden Globe nominations, which is more than any actor in the history of either award.  So let’s go ahead and take a look then at this extraordinary acting talent Meryl Streep.

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Tactician’s Nobility

Meryl Streep was officially inducted into acting nobility as she won her 3rd Oscar at the 84th annual Academy Awards ascending into the ranks of Jack Nicholson (3), Katherine Hepburn (4), Ingrid Bergman (3) and Walter Brennan (3).  The small golden trophy was the first she had won in 26 long years, which is longer than some of us (me) have even been alive.  The vibrant and stunning young actress had since lost a jaw dropping 13 Oscar nominations in a row, meaning she had to sit there and watch someone else win Oscars right in front of her face 13 different times in a row.  She got one this time though, and most certainly deserved it with her critically acclaimed portrayal of infamous British Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher.  Other big winners for the night included a silent film about a french guy with a mustache The Artist which picked up Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role and Best DirectorMartin Scorsese’s Hugo also did pretty well with all the unwanted Oscars including Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Mixing and Editing.  Nine-time host Billy Crystal received some lackluster reviews for a boring show, because nowadays in order to entertain people you have to pull a Lady Gaga and show up in an egg or as a guy or whatever the hell the kids are doing these days.  On winning Streep was humble, and thanked the audience for her “inexplicably wonderful career” that has boasted a total of 17 Oscar nominations and 26 Golden Globe nominations, which is more than any actor in the history of either award.  So let’s go ahead and take a look then at this extraordinary acting talent Meryl Streep.

Continue reading Tactician’s Nobility

Naughty Boy

As she walked away, she looked over her shoulder and gave an almost imperceptibly slight roll of the hip while mouthing the words “Naughty boy!”

He had been actually somewhat gracious in his reaction. That wasn’t his normal reaction, he being a direct and blunt “public intellectual:” he is not known for mincing his words or being upstaged by the Iron Lady.

Using his words as weapons, he had ripped into his opponents with relish: their station in life or credentials didn’t matter.

He loved to talk, preferably as part of an argument.  Most public pundits no doubt would be intimidated by him: he was articulate and extremely knowledgable, and Oxford educated. His encyclopedic literary and historical knowledge was unmatched in public discourse.

Skeptical and Cynical, he was known for his admiration of George OrwellThomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson and for his excoriating critiques of Mother TeresaBill and Hillary Clinton, and Henry Kissinger.

Not a mainstream pundit.

My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, anyplace, anytime. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.

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