Tonight (being I'm on the East Coast-- technically last night), Heath Ledger won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, one year and two months after I said he would.

I am both thrilled by his victory, and obviously very, very sad that he was not here to accept it. I teared up when his father, mother and sister accepted on his behalf. As proud as they are of him, holding that Oscar is no substitute for holding him. When it comes to the untimely passing of Heath Ledger, the Joker was wrong. Chaos isn't fair.

Would I have a better shot at running into a unicorn? Just wondering.

BEST OF 2008

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of America. Duh.

Lollapalooza. So much fun, so much sun, so much great music for three days! And to get to see Radiohead, NIN and Rage in the same venue on one weekend…*sigh*

The Dark Knight. Best picture of 2008. Period. End of story. If it doesn't get an Oscar nod for Best Picture I may have to become my own agent of chaos and hurt some Academy voters.

The absurdity of Sarah Palin, brought to you brilliantly by Saturday Night Live and Tina Fey.

Maui, Hawaii – but that would probably be a best of every year, if I could afford to go every year!

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk. Another sublime performance from the best actor of my generation.

Finding a job – as stressful as that job can be sometimes. And also moving back to NYC, even those I miss her and her very, very much.

Reuniting with my beloved...means of finance that is!

Jizz in My Pants by Lonely Island. Forget how hilarious the video is, it's a HOT SONG!

According to SPIN magazine, D'Angelo is on the road to getting his shit together and putting out some new music!

THE SHIELD. Thanks for a great run, and for not punking out like The Sopranos!


BUMMERS OF 2008

The debacle on Wall Street/the auto industry bailout/wave of foreclosures. So much for the free market, eh Miltie?!!

Bernard Madoff. There is SO a place reserved for him in Hell.

My very good friend drops out from being a subject in my documentary, and apparently—by no action of mine-- now ceases to be my friend. ?????

Miriam Makeba and Odetta both die...within one month of each other.

The fact that there was even a chance that Sarah Palin could be placed one notch away from the Presidency!

Sean Penn. Brilliant actor. Eloquent and passionate human rights activist. PHILANDERING WHORE. Say it ain't so, Sean!!

G-Rod and the ongoing disaster that is corruption in Illinois politics.

Covering megalomaniacal governors and philandering whores in one shot: ELIOT SPITZER.

The thinly veiled sexism displayed in the media against Hillary Clinton during the primaries.

The shocking death of Heath Ledger. He didn't live to see his daughter grow up, nor did his live to see his finished work in The Dark Knight that will likely win him an Oscar. :-(

That I haven't found love yet (just being honest).

Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes die...within A DAY of each other!

And last but not least...PROPOSITION 8!

Well.. I've got to get going out into the blistery cold for this NYE party. Happy New Year! May all of you have a blessed and productive 2009!

Frankly, I've had an easier time getting freaking RADIOHEAD TICKETS than trying to get a copy of yesterday's NY Times!

The friends I asked to get one couldn't find a copy. By the time I got home late last night, every single newsstand was sold out--of EVERYTHING!

And now I'm trying to get on the NYT online store to buy it, and the site keeps crashing, and I can't reach anyone on the phone. This is nuts!

(and I'm not paying $200 to buy a copy on eBay!!).

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?! YAY US!!

I'm leaving ridiculously early tomorrow morning to help get out the vote for Obama in Charlotte, North Carolina. I'm both excited and well...DONE! I so glad that this is nearly over! Then I'm off to Vegas to continue my birthday celebration and hopefully an Obama victory.

But regardless of who you're voting for on Tuesday, just make sure you VOTE!

(...that is if you haven't already .. )

I turned in my absentee ballot last week. Granny, wherever you are in heaven, this is for you:

The boy--7-year old Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's nephew--was found dead this morning. Can this tragedy get any more heartbreaking?

Also, not taking anyway away from this horrific crime, let's all remember that there are people dying from needless gun violence in this country EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. An 18-year-old girl was killed over the weekend only a few blocks away from the Hudson home. Where's her fuckin' front page story in the Trib and the Sun-Times?! Where's her memorial with balloons and flowers and crosses? I'd settle for knowing the woman's NAME! She was loved by someone too!

And how many times do I have to write this on this blog--WHERE'S THE DIALOGUE ABOUT GUN CONTROL IN THIS COUNTRY?! How many innocents have to die before politicians (and I'm talking to YOU, soon-to-be [fingers crossed] President-elect Obama, for whom Jennifer Hudson sang at the Democratic National Convention two months ago!) find the guts to tell the NRA to fuck off?!

The murder of loved ones is horrible, whether they're relatives of famous people or not. But the slaying of Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother touches me even more deeply because of Hudson's "Cinderella" story, that she was so close to her family (it was her brother that convinced her to try out for "American Idol") and the fact that I grew up in the same neighborhood that she did...the same neighborhood where her loved ones died.

I'm sure she would give up her Oscar and anything else she had right now to get them back. My deepest condolences to Jennifer and the Hudson family. And let's all pray that the little boy is found alive.

First of all, thanks to those who sent me birthday greetings, here and in person.

Two...I don't know which is more mind-blowing, Obama being endorsed by the Chicago Tribune or being endorsed by Colin Powell.

Three...if you can still catch her live, go see Nikka Costa in concert! She KILLED IT last night at Webster Hall!

I was going to post a fourth one about another lovely singer--this one with a styling problem--but I'm gonna be nice and keep it to myself.

Peace y'all. Time to get my birthday sleep!