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Remembering TV nights with my mom

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Today, my mom would have turned 56. My mom was one of my heroes, my best friend and my TV buddy. We loved to watch Game Show Network, Disney Channel and “Desperate Housewives” together. That night, before she went to sleep and never woke up, she came to my room and asked if I wanted to watch “Housewives.” It was a Sunday night. It was March 6, 2011, and I was busy in my room, wrapping up Oscars coverage for the season, after returning from Hollywood earlier in the week. That may have been the last interaction I had with her. I remember that night like it was yesterday. Her fingers on my slightly opened door, peeking her head into my cramped quarters. That smile on her face. Maybe I should have joined her for one last TV binge. A year or two later, I would find a photo on my phone from that night — the last meal she made. It was nothing special: chicken with noodles. My mom never had a penchant for making fine cuisine. As a divorced working mom raising two kids
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Tears of gratitude

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A photo of me taken in my office after our 10th anniversary celebration.  It hit me about 11 hours later. I cried tears of gratitude mixed with grief, overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and messages about the closing of Toledo Free Press . You never quite realize the impact something has had until it's gone or taken away. Reading a colleague's comment on a photo I posted started the tears. It was about 2 a.m., 11 hours after Publisher Tom Pounds' statement went live that his Toledo weekly would be closing its door after 10 years. Word traveled quickly. I heard from friends around the country — Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Nashville — within an hour of the story going live. I had yet to share anything via social media myself. I have been with Toledo Free Press for nearly all of my professional career. Since graduating college in 2009, I worked a few odd jobs until I was hired full-time in May 2010. It was joining the Free Press that showed me how i
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A must-see documentary

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I recently attended the Cleveland International Film Festival and a documentary really stuck with me. " Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine " is a well-done documentary chronicling the life of Shepard, whom the world met after his 1998 beating and murder when he was a gay 21-year-old college student. Director Michele Josue said the purpose of the film was to share his story and his humanity and to show that Matt wasn't perfect and he wasn't a martyr. What the movie does right is trying to show Shepard as a flawed young man, instead of a gay rights icon. Matt struggled with his identity, but also his place in the world. His teachers and mentors interviewed in the documentary echo this struggle. Everyone struggles with their identity and place in the world. Having Josue focus on this and the backstory of Matt's life really made the film better. If you get a chance to see the documentary, go! I'm hoping to bring a screening to Toledo. Watch my Twitter
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In Memoriam: Thank you for the journey, Roger Ebert

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Each week, my routine was the same. After watching the latest offering from Hollywood on the big screen, I composed my thoughts and analysis and wrote my review. Then, I read what Roger Ebert thought about the movie. This final step was important to me — week in and week out. If Ebert loved a movie I disliked, why was that? He always provided great commentary and gave me reasons to admire a certain film more or dislike it more. He has always been an important validator for me. It’s like we had a conversation about a movie each week. And now I’m on my own. I was devastated to hear about the loss of Ebert. He taught us all about movies and life. The New York Times called him “ A Critic for the Common Man .” He was the consummate writer, journalist, film critic and human being. Ebert just celebrated his 46th year as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times . I always admired Ebert’s ability to draw on his life experiences when reviewing a film. The first line of his 2011 mem
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Experiencing life’s fragile nature

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It's easy to forget how fragile life can be — how fragile we all are. I was reminded of this fragility earlier this year when I spent a few days in the hospital. There were so many things wrong with me, my family doctor thought it best to admit me. After three full days of blood tests, an IV in each arm, a CT scan and beaucoup medication I was able to head home. I had been diagnosed with a fever, viral infection, strep throat and swollen ankles and joints — the latter of which the disease specialist called post-streptococcal reactive arthritis . For months after my stay at the hospital, which came at the beginning of May, I had to see a rheumatologist, a joint doctor. From there, I had more tests — my blood toxicity still high — and even had to see a cardiologist to make sure my heart was not affected from the strep. I was on multiple medications for weeks, steroids almost until Labor Day. The fragility of my body was tested. My ecosystem had been compromised. It wasn&#
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My predictions: 83rd Academy Awards (updated)

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I have been following the race to Oscar Sunday since September , and I'm ready to make my predictions in all 24 categories. (Update: I correctly predicted 15/24 categories, a 60 percent accuracy , down slightly from last year.) Best Picture   √ Correct “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
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My predictions: Golden Globe Awards 2011 (updated)

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Originally posted on The Gold Knight Blog It's time for bacchanalian party of the year: the Golden Globe Awards. Ricky Gervais is the ringleader for the second year of an evening where celebrities eat and, notably, drink — an awards show without the required gravitas. Last year Gervais was the first host in 15 years for the show by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Here are my predictions ( marked in blue and winners highlighted ** ) for the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards . Enjoy and feel free to leave comments. Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes and Blair Underwood announced the noms in December . "The King's Speech" received seven nominations, "The Fighter" and "The Social Network" six.
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