Once again, I'm clueless about this year's Oscar-nominated performances

Oscar Sunday has rolled around yet once again and I find myself in the same boat I’m in every February. I haven’t seen a single film nominated in what seems to be a million different categories honoring every aspect of filmmaking, including acting, directing, costume design, cinematography, lighting and music.

I don’t remember the last time I saw a movie in a theater. I want to say I saw "Witness," but I just honestly can’t say. There are always a bunch of movies I want to see, but I never seem to get around to it. One reason is my known habit of falling asleep just minutes into any movie, regardless of how exciting or loud it may be. I’m sorry, but if you put me in a comfortable, cushy seat and turn the lights off, I’m doing what nature intended — I’m taking a nap.

I choose not to pay for my naps.

I published the following column on Columbia Patch three years ago:

Feeling Like an Oscar Failure Yet Once Again

For about the 20th year in a row, I haven’t seen one single film or performance nominated for an Oscar.

No doubt all the behind-the-scenes action for the Oscars ceremony tonight is at full speed as the presentations of perhaps the world's most coveted entertainment awards approach.

Every year, when the Oscar nominations are announced, and I realize that yet once again I have seen none of the nominated films, I vow that next year will be different.

Next year, I tell myself, I will have seen all five of the films nominated for Best Picture.

And year after year, that never happened, and then it became Mission: Impossible when the Academy of Arts and Sciences decided, in an effort to be more inclusive, to nominate 10 movies for Best Picture instead of five.

It's not that there aren't a bunch of movies I want to see — there certainly are. I don't know why, but I just never get around to seeing any of them.

It could be because I'm known to sleep my way through movies.

There's something about the combination of a comfy, reclining, rocking seat and darkness that just compels me to close my eyes.

And the quality of the picture has nothing to do with me snoozing — no one should take it as an insult if I sleep through the product of their hard work, to say nothing of their financial investment.
I fall asleep when watching movies, and that's all there is to it.

And my basic theory is, I'd rather fall asleep in front of the television than at a movie theater where I paid upwards of $15 to catch a nap.

Anyhow, back to this year's Oscars.

I had good intentions, I really did.

I meant to see "The Help."

Ditto "The Artist," "The Descendants," "Extrememly Loud and Incredibly Close," "Moneyball" and "War Horse."

I also wanted to see a couple of other movies — nominated for awards but not the "big" one — including "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Bridesmaids," "Puss in Boots" and "The Iron Lady."
Eclectic tastes, I know.

But today, on Oscar Sunday, I'm 0-10 in the movies I actually wanted to see and 0-9 in Oscar Best Picture nominations (I guess even the Academy couldn't come up with a 10th film worthy of nomination).

But even feeling like a completely-in-the-dark fan, I still look forward to the Oscars production and pull for my favorites, even though I do so for woefully uninformed reasons.

For example, I'm pulling for George Clooney to win for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in "The Descendants," even though my more informed friends tell me he isn't deserving.

I'm also rooting for Meryl Streep to win for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."

So I have a fresh batch of microwave popcorn at the ready and, should the mood strike me and I feel giddy over the results, I even have a bottle of champagne chilled.

Let the Oscars begin!

Stepping back into 2015, I can only say at least I’m consistent. I again have no informed opinions or predictions about this year's winners, but I do have microwave popcorn and chilled champagne ready.
And like many people who watch the Super Bowl just for the commercials, I like awards shows because of the great hosts who here lately steal the show.

I'm not making any promises about seeing more movies next year — who would I be fooling?

                                               
                                                   Neil Patrick Harris hosts the 2015 Oscar ceremony.
                                                   Photo: Facebook screen grab

Thanks to volunteers, there's always something to do in Greater Dundalk

I’m totally amazed at the volunteer efforts that create much of the sense of community in Greater Dundalk. 

For a relatively small, off-the-beaten-path blue-collar community, there are a hell of a lot of area special events that bring people together and put Dundalk on the map for positive reasons.

From major holidays to lesser events, Dundalk has a special event that marks the occasion while bringing pride and purpose to the community that major media outlets like to refer to as “gritty,” “downtrodden,” and “an industrial wasteland.”

Just off the top of my head, I can recall the St. Patrick’s Day parade, the Mega Egga Easter egg hunt, Heritage Fair, the 4th of  July parade and fireworks, Concerts in the Park, Santa in the Park — which has segued into a Christmas festival that includes the Dundalk cookie tour and street business festival — and the annual Christmas parade. Other events, including the annual Arts Festival, the Wise Avenue Volunteer Fire Company's annual Christmas garden, the Dundalk-Pataspco Neck Historical Society’s Christmas garden, community flea markets and festivals, holiday decoration contests, the annual Defenders Day celebration at Fort Howard Park — are all powered by volunteer efforts, hours, sweat and pride.

A volunteer board has spent countless hours attempting to restore Todd’s Inheritance, volunteers spend almost unaccountable hours running activities and programs at area churches and recreation councils, state parks, animal rescue efforts, soup kitchens and any number of other community efforts that build pride, help those a little less off than ourselves and bring attention to the historical significance of our beautiful, largely waterfront area.

And if you're looking to get more involved in your community, all of these organizations and groups are always looking for more members and more volunteers.

I’ve lived in many places in my adult life, and I have to say that the biggest sense of community and sense of belonging has occurred while living in the Greater Dundalk area. But even in our community, which is dissed by the mainstream media, there is a sense of us versus them. People who live in Edgemere take great offense when others refer to them as Dundalk residents. The folks who live in Fort Howard (at the end of North Point Road after leaving Edgemere “proper”) take offense at being called Edgemere residents.

That said, I tend to refer to the Dundalk, St. Helena, Turner Station, North Point, Edgemere, Fort Howard area as Greater Dundalk. When the general media refer to anything bad that happens east of Towson as occurring in Dundalk, we locals shouldn’t be so picky and territorial about our territory.

In short, Greater Dundalk is a large community that looks out for its own. It defends its down-on-its-luck residents, commiserates with all the industrial workers who have lost their jobs and pensions and haven’t come close to replacing former salaries, protects its children, brags about its accomplishments and is honest about its failings.

Regardless of Zip code — I live in Fort Howard’s 20152 — I’m proud to say I live in the Dundalk area and am constantly defending my community to people who have never stepped foot in any of our neighborhoods..

I wasn’t born here and I didn’t grow up here but I’m not embarrassed to say where I live. And no one else in my community should be either.

See you at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Parking’s better than downtown, and more people will talk to you while you enjoy the procession.

All photos by Marge Neal

Mr. Potato Head Down; Looking Forward to Next Offering

The Wendler brothers of Edgemere are quite the talented duo.

And lucky for the rest of us, they are creative exhibitionists who share their artistic efforts with the world — or at least the North Point peninsula.

For ten years or more, brothers Scott and David Wendler have been building over-the-top holiday displays in the North Point Road yard that separates their houses. These scenes usually pop up as Halloween approaches, and then in true transformer fashion, morph to celebrate a series of holidays through Valentine’s Day — and sometimes later.

I’ve lost track of all their creations, but some are definitely more memorable than others. Back when Martha Stewart was in trouble for her insider stock trading, the guys incorporated a “Camp Cupcake” theme into the display in a nod to the cushy, while-collar penal institution the domestic goddess was calling home at the time.

When the community was up in arms fighting off a liquified natural gas plant proposed for the Sparrows Point area, the brothers built a huge crab pot in their yard. The pot was “powered” by gas that fed into the vessel by way of yellow PVC pipes labeled LNG. The display culminated in a scene of swapped roles, with human body parts hanging out of the pot while a huge crab in an apron supervised the steaming.

More recently, Dave and Scott have had a huge wooden Pez Dispenser overlooking North Point Road. Built to last, the Mr. Potato Head dispenser has greeted community members for more than a year and a half. 

In true Mr. Potato Head fashion, body parts were added and props were put in the character’s hands to mark holidays, including Halloween, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day and Memorial Day.

The huge spud held a turkey leg at Thanksgiving, a lighted penguin at Christmas and a champagne glass at New Year’s. The eyes and mouth changed and sunglasses were added on occasion.

I’m slightly biased (in part because of a collection of hundreds of Pez dispensers) but I got a special kick of the monster candy dispenser replica.

Dave Wendler said that, because the dispenser was built so durably, it would enjoy more than the usual time in the yard. Most displays are built to last just a short period of time.

This past fall, the Wendlers built an Area 51 trailer park, complete with community residents visible through the windows of their homes, and a lighted UFO that flew overhead. I missed it, but Dave Wendler told me one of the scenes depicted an abduction by aliens.

One year, in a nod to the unofficial kickoff to summer known as Memorial Day, the brothers put a car in the yard. In Beverly Hillbillies fashion, the top of the car was loaded with every item of beach paraphernalia you can think of—lawn furniture, beach toys, coolers, you name it.

The Pez dispenser is now retired, though part of the Area 51 scene still graces the roadside.

I was sad to see Mr. Potato Head come down, but I look forward to the brothers’ next creation.

And on behalf of the community, I thank them for sharing. No matter how bad a day might be progressing, I always smile as I pass their yard.