MY LAMMY'S BALLOT! (Yeah, yeah, more time for me to bitch and moan, about how I got f***ed over by the LAMBs)

As some of you may remember, despite my attempts to publicize and pucker to the members of the Large Association of Movie Blogs," I didn't get a LAMMY Nomination this year, and yes, I'm pissed off about it, frankly. I was eligible in seven categories, and didn't get one! Can you fucking believe that! (Frustrated sigh.) Anyway, for those who don't know, the LAMBs, are a community of Movie bloggers.  A link to their webpage, is to the right on the blog here. I joined recently, I'm Lamb #1523. Reluctantly I joined. I always criticized the LAMBs, because while they're a great publicizing tool, and help get your name out there and communicate with other bloggers, I always though that the LAMBs, spent a little too much time on blogs more than it did the movies, which I always thought seemed odd. You know, special features and blogathons and stuff like that. Anyway, partly out of anger, and partly 'cause I can always use something new to write about, I decided to reveal my LAMMYs ballot. Besides that, why shouldn't I be discussing other blogs, they are my competition. Some I'll bash, most of them legitimately, some 'cause I feel like it. (Alright all of them both) Others, I'll recommend and praise, backhandedly as I vote for them, while piss on them about how this blog is far superior at nearly all of these categories. Anyway, sorry if some are pissed or annoyed by this blog, my intention is to be critical. My mood is pissed and annoyed, there's a difference.

Anyway, here's my Lammy ballot:

BEST DESIGN
French Toast Sunday (LAMB #727)
Bonjour Tristesse (LAMB #820)
Man, I Love Films (LAMB #1000)
Cinematic Corner (LAMB #1208)
The Cinematic Katzenjammer (LAMB #1284)

Well, I'm not gonna pretend to be any kind of expert on blog design. (I know, mine needs some work, and I'm working on it, or at least debating myself about it) but I'm not crazy about any of these designs, particularly surprised Cinematic Katzenjammer got in here, I don't find their design appealing at all. My vote is going to "Bonjour Tristesse" because they're design, of having their blog look like a filmstrip reel, is inventive, it's also a good blog, and a cool one. Look is good, creative, movie themed, design is simple, it's easy to find stuff on there; I think this is a more-than-deserving choice.

PREFERENCE: "Bonjour Tristesse" (LAMB #820)
http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/

BEST RATING SYSTEM
French Toast Sunday (LAMB #727)
3 Guys 1 Movie (LAMB #1098)
The Cinematic Katzenjammer (LAMB #1284)
Today I Watched a Movie (LAMB #1313)
Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop (LAMB #1351)

You know, I've been wanting to discuss rating systems anyway, 'cause to many of them, are just ridiculous. Here's my view on movie ratings, Siskel & Ebert, may they rest in peace, got it right. Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, two options, that was it. Like it, or don't like it, but not done simplistically or stupid, like Yes or No, or Hot or Not, or whatever. It was classy, it was an action, so it's personal, giving a thumbs up, it's a movement. It's symbolic, it's historical, it dates back to Roman times, it was absolutely perfect, nothing will top it, and nobody else can use it unfortunately. I respect that, so I understand that some want to find some other way of giving a rating, but some of these are ridiculous. I mean, percentages are dumb. How do you watch a movie and think, "I give it an 83%". What the hell is that? Even on What the Flick? on youtube, I love watching those critics, 'cause I respect them immensely, but they don't just do it out of ten points, they do it out of 10, including a decimal! There's literally 110 possible ratings each critic can give a movie, at least, and then they do an average on a calculator. That's ridiculous, I know we can't use the thumbs, but keep it simple. I use the 5 STARS system, and frankly, I don't even like using that, 'cause it's more complicated than ratings systems should be. But, it gets the point across, including halves, there's only eleven scores I can give a movie, I don't have to overanalyze; I can actually enjoy a film-. It shouldn't be about the ratings; it should be about the films. That's the first and most important thing. So, with that "French Toast Sunday" and "The Cinematic Katzenjammer" are out."I do like "3 Guys 1 Movie"'s  ratings system, although I think giving something 2 Guys, sounds a little like a slut college chick's night after too much tequila, but at least it's simple. "Today I watched a Movie" is too detailed as well. (I mean, we're taking off points for product placement, right away?) I gotta go with Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop. First of all, great name for a movie blog, their ratings system is basically stars, but it uses pigeons, which is appropriate and funny. It's classy; it's simple, makes sense with the blog. I think it's a cool blog in general, and I really do love the right mix of creativity and simplicity in the ratings systems.

VOTE: "Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop" (LAMB #1351)
http://terrymalloyspigeoncoop.com/

BEST AWARDS COVERAGE
Cinematic Paradox (LAMB #613)
Bonjour Tristesse (LAMB #820)
Film Actually (LAMB #959)
And So It Begins... (LAMB #1006)
The Awards Circuit (LAMB #1411)

There's no nominee here that's particularly bad, although I'm a little surprised "And So It Begins..." got in, (Especially since I didn't get in!) but to me, the two clear best are "Bonjour Tristesse" and "The Awards Circuit", and, as much as I love "Bonjour Tristesse", especially the way they cover foreign Awards, it's quite special, but "The Awards Circuit" is clearly on another level. Other than GoldDerby.com, they're the only place who covers next years Oscars, all year long, and I actually think there's some validity to there work in doing it. Incredibly extensive, they cover the festival Awards, the cover nearly every award imaginable, in smart and observant detail, I'm very impressed with their work. Gotta go with them, but "Bonjour Tristesse", up against anybody else, would win this easily.

VOTE: "The Awards Circuit" (LAMB #1411)
http://www.awardscircuit.com/

BEST MOVIE ELEMENT BLOG
Soundtrack Geek (LAMB #23)
The Horror Cats (LAMB #1071)
Exploding Helicopter (LAMB #1183)
Poster Collective (LAMB #1349)
The Great Katharine Hepbrurn (LAMB #1391)

Movie element blog? Well, there's certainly some weird things that people like to focus on. Some of them, are very detailed in minutia. I mean, really, blogs devoted to cats in horror films, and even stranger, a site devoted to movie with exploding helicopters? Okay, the latter one is actually, fairly cool, but still, only marginally interesting. Soundtrack Geek's been around for a while, one of the oldest LAMBs to get a nomination, but honestly, I can only stand soundtracks, in a very limited basis. The site actually bothers me a bit too, very confusing on the page. The two of these sites, I rather do enjoy are "Poster Collective" and "The Great Katharine Hepburn". "Poster Collective", a site dedicated to movie posters, actually takes that narrow subject, and manages to extend it and discuss the subject rather well. While I enjoy looking at it's lists of "19 Awesomely Bizarre Movie Posters from Ghana", and the such, I appreciate how the site looks at movie posters as much of an art form as most of us do movies. However, saying that, I think I have to vote for "The Great Katharine Hepburn". Frankly, it's a richer subject matter, the blog is very well-designed, and frankly, with it's constant discussion of not just Hepburn, but of her influence and importance in terms of the role of feminism in Hollywood, I find the articles incredibly rich to read. It may focus on Hepburn, but it's clearly by a blogger who knows about cinema in it's entirety, especially classic Hollywood cinema, and that's what I really appreciate with the blog.

VOTE: "The Great Katharine Hepburn" (LAMB #1391)
http://thegreatkh.blogspot.com/

BEST VLOG (VIDEO BLOG)
Random Ramblings of a Demented Door Vlog (AKA The Vlog) (LAMB #17)
Full Moon Reviews (LAMB #169)
And Seen (LAMB #1128)
Movies in the Mancave (LAMB #1141)
"Invasion of the B Movies"-Your Face (LAMB #1500)

There were only seven Vlogs eligible for this Award, and I ran through all of them, and I don't think I found five that were worth nominating. "Random Ramblings..." just ended as a vlog, so that's probably got the sympathy vote, but I found it too long, and too much rambling. "Full Moon Reviews" is poorly shot and edited, and frankly shouldn't exist, since the way he reviews movies, it's much better written than spoken. I thoroughly enjoy "And Seen", a Vlog that I follow on Youtube, and it's thoroughly interesting and funny, and I enjoy Julie and Tracy quite a bit. "Movies in the Mancave", is also a Vlog, I like, because both guys are interesting to hear, and have them debate. However, they rarely vlog, their last one was seven months ago, and they're movie knowledge, I find somewhat limiting, albeit interesting. "Invasion of the B Movies", is moderately intriguing at times, but is still basically a guy with a camera in his home, alone, and that's can only be interesting for so long. A bit of choice between "And Seen" and "Movies in the Mancave", for me, but consistency and constant entertainment value, to me, it's "And Seen", and the easy pick here.

VOTE: "And Seen"
http://www.youtube.com/user/AndSeen?feature=watch



MOST KNOWLEDGEABLE WRITER
Dan Fogarty-"Fogs' Movie Reviews" (LAMB #1133)
Sam Fragoso-"Movie Mezzanine (LAMB #843)
Dan Heaton-"Public Transportation Snob" (LAMB #1005)
Bonjour Tristesse-"Bonjour Trsistesse" (LAMB #820)
Alex Withrow-"An So It Begins"-(LAMB #1006)

Well, this was clearly the category I should've been in most. There aren't that many people that know as much about film as I do, and well, yeah, this one pisses me off. I advertise about my intelligent blogs, and critical essays, and btw, there's a lot less research that goes into both, my reviews and commentaries, than some would believe. I'm not only knowledgeable, I'm incredibly quick-witted with my intelligence. (6 years of Varsity Quiz, put to good use.) Anyway, Sam Fragoso seems like an intelligent guy, actually, he's a kid I hear, editor-in-chief of "Movie Mezzanine", but he rarely writes much more than recommendations and updates on the site. Not sure he should be considered too highly for Knowledgeable Writer. Then again, how should we determine that? How do you reveal your movie intelligence in your writing anyway, and what if you don't write to show how knowledgeable you are, but are in fact, far more knowledgeable than you let on? Yeah, unless we all play a tournament of Movie "Jeopardy!", I don't know how to fully judge this category. I don't know if "Bonjour Tristesse" for instance, is more knowledgeable, but she clearly has knowledge, that I don't have, which is why I look towards her a lot. I like Dan Heaton's work, I don't know if "knowledgeable" the right word however, but he's smart, I enjoy reading him. You know, I do read, "And So It Begins", but I don't really rank that blog this high in general. He does a lot of actor profiles, with occasional movie reviews, and half the time, it seems like he's going to imdb, and going down a filmography and making comments, about the few things he knows about. It's a lot more than it looks like, but as a blogger, I'm very surprised he's here, so prominently. Dan Fogarty, correctly identified my blog as "Massively Underrated" on his blog, when I plugged my blog on his site, when he recently asked us to plug, so I know he has some intelligence. He also just friended me on FB, he's got an eye for talent, that's for sure. I don't know, but I think I gotta go with "Bonjour Tristesse", not only because of her (I'm assuming her, might be wrong) vast knowledge, but also because she seems to have a lot of knowledge that not only I don't have, but others don't have, and that's really what tips it to her for me.

VOTE: Bonjour Tristesse-"Bonjour Tristesse" (LAMB #820)
http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/

BEST NEW LAMB
At the Back (LAMB #1279)
The Cinematic Katzenjammer (LAMB #1284)
Marked Movies (LAMB #1287)
The Focused Filmographer (LAMB #1299)
Keith & The Movies (LAMB #1304)
Today I Watched a Movie (LAMB #1313)
Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop (LAMB #1351)
The Cinematic Spectacle (LAMB #1360)
Head In A Vice (LAMB #1381)
Rorschach Reviews (LAMB #1415)
On Page and Screen (LAMB #1533)

Another category I got screwed out of. Which sucks, 'cause this is one I really wanted. It's the LAMMY equivalent of the "Best New Artist" Grammy, you only get the one shot at winning it, you know? And it's sucks, 'cause I'm definitely better than a few of these blogs, but only one blog, with a higher lamb number than me, got nominated. Anyway, I'm P.O.ed, but I'm playing the game, and I'm moving on. I'm not gonna comment on all of these, but I gotta say, I can't figure out why "The Cinematic Katzenjammer"'s gotten all these nominations. There's a lot of work put into it, I'll give it that, I'm sure I can find a decent article or review if I look long enough, but it's basically, it's not even a blog, it's like a second-tier Deadline or Variety or something. It's a bunch of news, all of which I heard yesterday, most of which they're making a big deal out of when they shouldn't. There's a trailer section, (Some of my longtime readers know my thoughts on blogs that go all boner on trailers), they have a DVD section, a Box Office section, talk about unimportant. The podcast is pretty good, but I don't think it's a blog; it feels like Movie Drawer, or one of those other, or one of these second-tier entertainment news sites. I don't get it. I like "Marked Movies" and "Keith & the Movies" quite a bit, especially "Keith..."'s reviews. "The Cinematic Spectacle," I love the design, and I enjoy reading it, but a little too list-obsessed for me. I know I like to reign in that obsessive tick of mine in, he puts it out there, and that's fine, but every week there seems to be some new list, and that gets on my nerves a bit. Still a good blog though. "Head in a Vice", I wasn't a big fan of, originally, but I'm starting to turn around on it; I really enjoyed their review of "Compliance". "On Page and Screen" I like as well, could use a little more seasoning, but a well-done blog, that doesn't just review movies either.  Tough call, but I think I'm gonna go with "Marked Movies" for having a little bit more of everything I like in a blog, but there's some good ones here, although more than a few that aren't that good, and that makes me more annoyed that I got passed over.

VOTE: "Marked Movies"
http://mrmarakai.wordpress.com/

BEST BLOG-A-THON/MEME
Bond Month Blog-a-thon-"Fogs Movie Reviews (LAMB #1133)
The Most F**ked Up Movies You're Ever Seen Blogathon-"The Cinematic Katzenjammer" (LAMB #1284)
Movie Confessions Blogathon-"My Filmviews" (LAMB #790)
My Movie Alphabet-"Metter Ray Movie Blog (LAMB #1168)
Small Roles, Big Performances Blogathron-"FlixChatter" (LAMB #612)

How did "Movie Jail Relay Race," not get nominated here? I thought that was gonna win this Award easily, and it didn't even get nominated, I'm quite stumped by that one, originally. BTW, I have yet to get asked to participate in these, and I would be more than happy to, if somebody asked! (HINT, HINT!) Alright, I like "Fogs..." normally, but I wasn't as crazy for the "Bond Movie Blog-a-thon", but it was good. I don't want to pick on "...Katzenjammer", but "The Most F**ked Up Movies...", that should've been better than it was, and turned out. Not as interesting as it should've been, good name though. Didn't care for "My Movie Alphabet", or the "Small Roles..." one, so I have to go with "Move Confessions Blogathon", which is the only  one of the nominees, that wasn't just a good idea, it was also, incredibly well-done, and intriguing. Gives us, a look into a film blogger's insight, through what they haven't seen, and it was very popular and extensive, very well done blogathon, and I would love to participate in it, in the future, (Wink, Wink!)

VOTE: My Movie Confessions Blogathon-"My Filmviews" (LAMB #790)
http://www.myfilmviews.com/2012/07/22/movie-confessions-blogathon/

BEST FILM FESTIVAL AND CONVENTION COVERAGE
Big Thoughts From a Small Mind (LAMB #410)
French Toast Sunday (LAMB#727)
The Film Emporium (LAMB #813)
Bonjour Tristesse (LAMB #820)
Fogs' Movie Reviews (LAMB #1133)

Well, I was also eligible in this category, although I wasn't completely surprised I missed this one, (Although my coverage of the Las Vegas Film Festival, was pretty damn good, especially that whole, suddenly-interviewing-the-Mafia, part) especially after looking at these nominees. There's basically two kinds of Festival and Convention coverage, there's the cover all of the events, kind like "Big Thoughts From a Small Mind", and "Bonjour Tristesse", and then there's the more personal, POV, Hunter S. Thompson-esque coverage of "Fogs' Movie Review" and "French Toast Sunday". I liked the latter a lot, but that was only covering one festival, and maybe that's geography and availability like me, but when I look at "Big Thoughts...", and this has been to everything in the Toronto area, I mean, shit, that's a lot of Festival Coverage. Same with "The Film Emporium". "Bonjour Tristesse," I've also expressed liking their coverage, it doesn't come off as 1st person POV, and feels like a lot of well-done research. So, it's a bit of a toss-up with me, between "Big Thoughts..." and "The Film Emporium". It's just a judgement call, they're pretty similar, but I prefer "Big Thoughts..." just a little than "...Emporium"

VOTE: "Big Thoughts From a Small Mind" (LAMB #410)
http://www.bigthoughtsfromasmallmind.com/p/film-festivals.html

BEST PODCAST
As You Watch-"The Vern's Video Vanguard (LAMB #1222), "Two Dude Reviews" (LAMB #1223), and "The Cinematic Katzenjammer" (LAMB #1284)
French Toast Sunday-"French Toast Sunday" (LAMB #727)
The MILFcast (aka the Man, I Love Films Podcast)-"Man, I Love Films"-(LAMB #1000)
Reel Insight-Lamb Podcasting Network
The (Title Pending) Movie Podcast With Tank and Fogs-"Fogs Movie Reviews-(LAMB #1133)

Well, first of all I don't want to antagonize anybody in case I ever get invited onto a podcast, or start one myself, but I rarely have time to listen to podcasts. There's a few I've heard, I tend to start tuning in around Oscar time, to hear some thoughts on nominees and such, although a lot of times I do it at my own risk, in case they spoil a movie or two for me, but they can be good. They're a little too time-consuming for me. I have heard a couple of these here and there. "As You Watch", is one I actually like quite a bit. I'm eliminating "Reel Insight" because it doesn't exist anymore, and beside the two girls are actually better when they guest podcast on "The MILFcast". I like "Fogs Movie Reviews" as a website, not crazy about the podcast however. Too much talk about box office, and other entertainment news stuff for me. I find the more interesting podcasts, seem to be ones, that do a little news and update, but mostly, they take the time to find new topics every week, to discuss between it's podcasters, I find them more interesting. "French Toast Sunday", I'm listening to now. I think it's a decent podcast; I don't know though, next to "As You Watch" or "The MILFcast", it kinda feels like the Merchant-Ivory film, next to the Tarantino movies at the video store. It's there, you know it's good, but you're not in a hurry to see it. Tough call between "As You Watch," and "The MILFcast"; I'm going with "The MILFcast", seems more fun, high energy, I like the games they play and conversations they have. I don't know if any of these relate to me, from my kind of cinephile perspective, but entertainment-wise, I can listen to "The MILFcast" occasionally, when I'm not judging it for the LAMMYs.

VOTE: The MILFcast (aka The Man, I Love Films Podcast)-"Man, I Love Films"-(LAMB #1000)
http://milfcast.podomatic.com/

BEST HORROR BLOG
Goregirl's Dungeon (LAMB #329)
The Girl Who Love Horror (LAMB #785)
The B-Horror Blog (LAMB #867)
Cinema Schiminema (LAMB #1395)
Rhino's Horror (LAMB #1412)
Your Face! (LAMB #1500)

Best Horror blog? Eeney, Meanie, Miney, Moe, Catch a- Alright, I'm not gonna do that. You know, personally, when I think of people, who love a genre, or something really specific- When someone says, "I really like Zombie movies!", I think, "Well, that's a little too specific." Glad, you do, hope you like other stuff. Or look for action, or comedy.... I look for good. Other than that, I'm not looking for something specific, in a film. I can go online, and see zombies anytime, or whatever, I look for more than that. Horror fans, that's like the only genre, that I look at as a fetish. Now, there's great horror and bad horror, and everything in between, but you're looking for rigidly-structure format, and certain things that are appealing to people, whether it makes sense or not, so I'm always a little behind in this genre, as many of my friends have often pointed out. Saying that though, I do subscribe to a few horror-themed blogs, a few of them are quite interesting, and deal with a lot of different kinds of horror. I gotta say, this is a tough category, maybe the toughest I've had to pick from so far, 'cause there's a lot of good blogs here. I gotta give props to "Cinema Schiminena", for putting Joss Whedon in movie jail in the "Movie Jail Relay Race", kudos; I wish he stayed in, even though, I'm pretty sure you like him way more than I do (Which, almost describes everybody it seems like some days), but if you hadn't done it, I would've. (and still might if it ever comes to me)  "Rhino's Horror", I'm not crazy about, and "Your Face!" is good, but a little bit disorienting, overloaded for me. I'm torn between "Goregirls' Dungeon" and "The Girl Who Loves Horror", they're both really good, entertaining blogs, but I think I'm gonna go with "Goregirl's Dungeon", and it's really just a slight preference, because I think I'm more inclined towards Goregirl's taste in horror, but it's a coin flip really.

VOTE: "Goregirl's Dungeon"
http://goregirl.wordpress.com/

BEST RUNNING FEATURE
DVD Court-"The Cinematic Katzenjammer" (LAMB #1284)
Fun With Netflix Viewer Reviews-"The Droid You're Looking For" (LAMB #937)
In Character-"And So It Begins (LAMB #1006)
Movies That Everyone Should See-"Fogs' Movie Reviews" (LAMB #1133)
Visual Parallels-"Cinematic Corner" (LAMB #1208)

My "Canon of Film" series, was not nominated for Best Running Feature, when it should've been, and yes I am pissed at that, however, after this "Fantasy Filmmaking" series I began recently, I have a feeling that by continuing on that series, this upcoming year, even sporadically, we may be on here next year, twice. Anyway, I'm a little surprised by some of these. DVD Court, I don't care for. You know, can we agree that, if it's a good movie, it's a good DVD?! I mean, I know there's special edition DVDs and stuff, but it's just another way of judging a film, I don't find it inventive or interesting to gimmick up DVDs separately, or to trivialize them as "Burn It," "Rent It", "Buy It', or whatever. Don't like that one at all. Don't like "Fun With Netflix...", it's a cute little thing, kinda like a Jay Leno "Headlines" bit, but it's just cutting and pasting really. The "Movies That Everyone Should See", is sorta like my "Canon of Film", but I like it, it's often a little over-detailed, but it's a good piece. "In Character", is also, a little cut-and-paste, but I do enjoy that one, especially when it's an interesting actor. Sometimes, I think it's a little useless looking through some actors, portfolios, 'cause unless you're Will Smith or Tom Hanks, or whomever, you're taking the parts that are offered more or less, and that's a good thing, but I'm not big on, placing an auteur theory-level analysis on actors, but it is fun. "Visual Parallels" should be better than it is; there's some great similar kinds of analysis on the web, about the visual technique of film, but that's not one of them. It does analysis, but really it's just, "Hey, these two are similar, see?" type work. Should be better. Anyway, a disappointing selection; I should be here next year. Toss up with me between "In Character", and "Movies That Everyone Should See", hmm. You know, I'm gonna take "In Character," despite some of my criticisms about it, I think it's a good idea, and a nice way, to honor people who are incredibly talented, and there's a severe lack of foreign language films, in "Movies..." milieu, and that's not a problem, I think every film, is at least, arguably, a film that should belong in such a category, but such a list, should also include things, that aren't as widely available, and really tell people, "You Should See This!", especially when it might not be something, that perhaps, a lot of people haven't seen. So, just because, it's a little too narrow comparatively, overall, I'm gonna with "In Character".

VOTE: In Character-"And So It Begins" (LAMB #1006)
http://www.andsoitbeginsfilms.com/p/in-character.html

BEST CLASSIC FILM BLOG
Where Danger Lives (LAMB #299)
Criterion Reflections (LAMB #683)
100 Years of Movies (LAMB #742)
Journeys In Classic Film (LAMB #1267)
Once Upon a Screen (LAMB #1390)

This is another tough category with a bunch of good nominees. A couple are interesting gimmicks, such as "Criterion Reflections" which has a guy go through, the entire Criterion Collection, one film at a time, that's an interesting challenge. I've thought of doing that a few times, myself; good luck with that. "100 Years of Film, seems like an even more daunting task, as he goes through movies made in each of the last one hundred years, one year at a time. I love the design for "Journey in Classic Films", that's a beautiful, and a good substantive one. There's not a blog here I don't like; these are all quality nominations. I guess, if we're talking, an overall look, at Classic films, than I guess I'd have to narrow it down to "Journeys in Classic Film", and "Once Upon a Screen",.... I thought by writing that, that it would become easier for me to narrow to one, and it's not. (Sigh.) Alright, I think I'll pick-, Damn, these are good blogs. Eh, "Once Upon a Screen", but this is a dead-even tie, and if it was up to me, both would be nominated for "Best Blog", and not only "Best Classic Film Blog".

VOTE: "Once Upon a Screen" (LAMB #1390)
http://aurorasginjoint.com/

BEST MOVIE REVIEWER
Tyson Carter-"Head in a Vice" (LAMB #1381)
Dan-"Dan the Man's Movie Reviews (LAMB #545)
Dan Fogarty-"Fogs' Movie Reviews (LAMB #1133)
Dan Heaton-"Public Transportation Snob (LAMB #1005)
Jessica-"The Velvet Cafe" (LAMB #1163)
Nick Powell-"The Cinematic Katzenjammer" (LAMB #1284)
Lady Sati-"Cinematic Corner (LAMB #1208)
Chris Thomson-"Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop" (LAMB #1351)
Mark Walker-"Marked Movies (LAMB #1287)
Alex Withrow-"And So It Begins..." (LAMB #1006)

(Frustrated, heavy-breathed scoff!) Well, obviously, I'm a better movie review/critic than every one of these nominees. Not that some aren't bad, but c'mon? I should have won this award, in terms of both quality and quantity, but I digress, hold in my frustration over this, and I'll use it for the next time my Phillies lose. (Another heavy-breathed sigh) Well, there's a few almost-as-good-as-me, critics here. Tyson Carter can be good, I particularly like his review of "Compliance," but he's very inconsistent. "Dan The Man..." is a favorite of mine, who I often comment on his FB posts, he's quite an intriguing critic, although he's still struggling by using too many "I think..." instead of "The film is..." type sentences, but he's good. Dan Fogarty, very good critic, great personality in his reviews, I particularly like his reviews based on "Reader's Recommendations", (which, btw I do take requests, and I keep track of them, I just can't always get to the films immediately, but I remember....) they're interesting reviews because they have that two-person contrast that I appreciate out of reviews, by giving the recommender a chance to explain why the film should be seen. Not many criticisms of his reviews, even when I disagree. Heaton's a good critic, but I'm not crazy about how he structures his reviews; it's done more like coverage than an actual movie reviews. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's a little like reading a bunch of essays, all written in Jane Shaffer structure, it's gets repetitive and boring. Just reading Jessica's latest entry on "Velvet Cafe",  entitled "Should film critics disclose their naps?", lets me know immediately that I like her as a critic. (And btw, the answer is yes, if the movie is the 'cause of your nap, and maybe, the rest of the time.)  It's hard for me to even go back and find reviews of Nick Powell on "The Cinematic Katzenjammer", Most of them seem lengthful, and well-thought out but, when I read them, it feels like he's filling the reviews, with lots of over-descriptive sentences that basically are, like he's saying the same thing about the movie, just in a different way each paragraph. Must have a good thesaurus. I enjoy Lady Sati at times, not always though. I like Chris Thomson a lot, not only because he's a good reviewer, but also because he's really knowledgeable about film and filmmaking, definitely enjoy his opinion, although the "Quickie" reviews he occasionally does, eh, kinda bothers me. I mean, it's not the size of the review, it's the quality, right? I'm throwing out Mark Walker, right away, because in his review of "Frankenweenie," he mentions that one of the few times Burton's directed animation, was his '84 short film "Frankenweenie". (It would take taken two minutes, most, to look it up, and know that the original short was live-action.) Alex Withrow, I like a lot, but reviewing isn't his strong suit, and really is a secondary focus on his blog, as it should be. I think Fogarty and Thomson, are the two I'm most leaning towards. I like Fogarty a lot, but Thomson is really a good critic, knows how to write, knowledgeable about details, and gets his opinions across really well, I gotta go with Thomson.

VOTE: Chris Thomson-"Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop" (LAMB #1287)
http://terrymalloyspigeoncoop.com/

BEST COMMUNITY BUILDER
Tyson Carter-"Head in a Vice" (LAMB #1381)
Dan Fogarty-"Fogs' Movie Reviews" (LAMB #1133)
Jessica-"The Velvet Cafe" (LAMB #1163)
Ruth Maramis-"Flixchatter" (LAMB #612)
Nick Powell-"The Cinematic Katzenjammer (LAMB #1284)

Well, I'm not exactly fond of "Community Building" to begin with. Frankly, I'm not even sure it's a good idea, even regarding actual communities, but it's important for building a strong website. Dan Fogarty just PM'ed asking if I had voted yet, so he's definitely someone who cares about building a community, and he'd probably be my vote anyway. He's one of the few bloggers who I constantly read and contribute comments to, so my opinion my be somewhat bias here, but I think he clearly deserves it; he's good at getting people together. I'll give props to Jessica too, she's another who I'll probably be inclined to help. Anyway, if you can get me involved, you're a good community builder, let's put it that way.

VOTE: Dan Fogarty-"Fogs' Movie Reviews" (LAMB #1133)
 http://fogsmoviereviews.com/

BEST MOVIE GENRE BLOG
Just Chick Flicks (LAMB #237)
Action Flick Chick (LAMB #252)
Bonjour Tristesse (LAMB #820)
Flights, Tights and Movie Nights (LAMB #1240)
Life Between Films (LAMB #1248)

I'm a little concerned that there's so many horror fans on the internet, that all other genre blogs get shoved into their own category. That said, I hope that the bloggers in this category put as much work into their blogs as the horror writers tend to do. "Just Chick Flicks" seems close to that, with some good pieces here and there, especially in the classic film section. "Action Flick Chick" pays too much attention to trailers for me. I've spoken at large already on "Bonjour Tristesse," and their focus on foreign and cult cinema is quite overwhelming and good. "Flights, Tights and Movie Nights" is a good superhero film blog, but that's a little narror a genre for me, although it's got its moments. "Life Between Movies", an Indy Film blog,  is done by an 8-year old, now and 11-year old, who's better than most of these nominees, and that's just, Hell. She's been doing this twice as long as I have, and she's less than half my age! WTF! I hate/love her already, although her blogs needs a little design work, but fuck, she's an 11-year-old! Some of us should be ashamed of ourselves knowing that an 11-year old is this good, but "Bonjour Tristesse" is definitely better than her, and more clearly so than the other nominees are, so I'm voting for them this time.

VOTE: "Bonjour Tristesse"
http://www.bonjourtristesse.net/

FUNNIEST WRITER
Dylan Fields-"Man I Love Films" (LAMB #1000)
Dan Fogarty-"Fogs' Movie Reviews" (LAMB #1133)
John LaRue-"The Droid You're Looking For" (LAMB #937)
Lady Sati-"Cinematic Corner" (LAMB #1208)
The Vern-"The Vern's Video Vanguard" (LAMB #1222)

Well, I'm funnier than all of these guys, but since my name wasn't submitted in this category, I wasn't even eligible for this one. Not that I write my blogs in a comedic style too often, but, I am a comedy writer by trade, you'd think that would've come through in my work. But, I thought we we're looking for writers, who go out of their way to be funny. Anyway, I'm pissed at this category. It's a hard category to even determine come to think of it. Dylan Fields was mentioned, correctly by Kai, that he's the third funniest person on the MILFcast, and frankly, I agree. (Heather Baxendale should've been nominated). I like Fogarty a lot, but funny? Maybe on the podcast a little, but hmm. John LaRue can be funny, although I think sometimes, it's as much found humor as it is his own, (Note my complaint with "Fun with Netflix Viewer Reviews"'s nomination for Running Feature) but a lot of his stuff is quite inventive. Lady Sati is intriguing, but no, she's only occasionally funny. Vern seems funny as a person, but I don't think he's particularly funny without someone to play off of, on his podcast(s), and his blog is just okay. Yeah, very weak field; definitely gonna make sure I get nominated for this category next year (NTS: Better get more banana peels to slip on) but I'm going with John LaRue here.

VOTE: John LaRue-"The Droid You're Looking For" (LAMB #937)
http://tdylf.com/

BEST BLOG
FlixChatter (LAMB #612)
French Toast Sunday (LAMB #727)
Bonjour Tristesse (LAMB #820)
The Droid You're Looking For (LAMB #937)
Man, I Love Films (LAMB #1000)
And So It Begins... (LAMB #1006)
3 Guys 1 Movie (LAMB #1098)
Fogs' Movie Reviews (LAMB #1133)
The Velvet Cafe (LAMB #1163)
Cinematic Corner (LAMB #1208)
The Cinematic Katzenjammer (LAMB #1284)

Well, here's the big one. Another category, I amazingly got snubbed for in favor of many far less superior blogs. Anyway, I thought about narrowing the field here, to blogs I voted for in other categories, but that's not completely fair. Some blogs may be really good at some things, but extremely lacking in others, so just because I like the rating system, doesn't mean I should vote for it here. (Although if "Terry Malloy's Pigeon Coop" was nominated here, I'd strongly consider voting for it.) There's a lot of stuff on "French Toast Sunday" I can take an hour or so, walking through the site, although I don't know if all of it's that good. "The Droid You're Looking For" is way too inconsistent for me. You've all heard my criticisms on "The Cinematic Katzenjammer", so I'm not gonna regurgitate that again.  "3 Guys 1 Movie," sorry guys. Good blog, but you're lacking next to the competition here. "Velvet Cafe" is fun, although it has a tendency to sway from movies and entertainment a bit, but even then it's good. Well, I said I'd give "Fogs' Movie Reviews" a couple votes, but I'm starting to think I should limit it to one, because as I go through his blog, it's actually a little bare in material. All of it's good, but much of it is remnants of failed experiment on the blog and such. One category, doesn't even have any blogs to it. (Write some "Random Rants" Dan!) I'm a little surprised myself, but I'm debating between "French Toast Sunday" and "Man I Love Films" right now. Not a lot of "great" on there, but there's a lot of stuff, and all of it, is at least good or very good in some cases. I also can't rule out "Bonjour Tristesse", as it's a great blog, but it is somewhat limited in it's subject matter. What is does cover, is does it great. If anybody wants to bribe me, now would be a great time to do it, btw! Anyone, anyone? Really, no bribing, huh? Well, that's disappointing. (Sigh.) Well then, here's who I plan on beating for Best Blog next year:

VOTE: "French Toast Sunday" (LAMB #727)
http://www.frenchtoastsunday.com/