Countdown to Oscar 2015--Best Leading Actress

Abraham Lincoln

Good afternoon and Happy Birthday to Mr. Lincoln! Yes, folks, today is Abraham Lincoln's actual birthday. I remember that during my early years in elementary school, we only got off for Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays. Sometime during the '70s (I think it started with the energy crisis), many school districts decided to close during the third week of February to save money on heat and electricity. They called it "mid-winter recess." A holiday was created called "President's Day," which is celebrated the third Monday in February and officially covers both presidents' birthdays. I think it's just an excuse for department stores to get rid of their winter inventory. In Lincoln's honor, there are thousands of counties, cities, libraries, a tunnel, and a memoria named for himl. Plus, he gets to appear on the $5 bill. Not bad for a boy from very humble beginnings.

Janet Gaynor

Brian Williams has been suspended for six months without pay from NBC News for his little tales. Some people said he should be taking Jon Stewart's place on "The Daily Show" since he knows how to write a good story and always wants to be amusing.

Today we'll take a look at our last acting category for this year's Oscar race: Best Leading Actress. Over the last 86 years, the Academy has presented 87 awards to 72 different actresses. The first recipient was Janet Gaynor, for her performances in "Seventh Heaven," "Street Angel," and "Sunrise."

Here are the fun facts about this category:

• The actress with the most Oscars in this category is the legendary Katharine Hepburn, with four. 
• The actress with the most nominations in this category is Meryl Streep, with 15.
• The actress who had the most nominations without winning is Deborah Kerr, with six.
• The oldest nominee is Emmanuelle Riva at age 85.
• The youngest nominee is Quvenzhané Wallis, at the tender age of 9.
• The oldest winner is Jessica Tandy. She was 81.
• The youngest winner is Marlee Matlin at age 21.

Julianne Moore

This year's nominees in the Leading Actress category are:

• Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"
• Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
• Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
• Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
• Reese Witherspoon, "Wild

The clear favorite to win the race is Julianne Moore. She has already won the SAG, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for her portrayal of a professor diagnosed with an early-onset of Alzheimer's.

Here is another movie-themed game from the shop. For $30, this is a freeform crossword puzzle that you can customize with your favorite actor, director, or film. This puzzle makes a great gift for the movie fan and can be used as an icebreaker for any movie-themed party. In the sample shown below, I have used the films of Tom Hanks.

It's now time for today's lists:

Party Idea of the Day: Attention procrastinators! You can still make Valentine's Day memorable. thanks to the website Practically Functional, which lists 35 simple DIY projects from bloggers and crafters. I like these DIY coasters, courtesy of View From the Fridge. All you need is some cork coasters, paint, and duct tape (for stencils).



Black History Month Fun Fact of the Day: Although the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall had an excellent academic record in high school, his behavior was less than exemplary. As punishment, he once had to memorize one section of the Constitution for each infraction of the rules. In two years, he was able to memorize the entire document. This further piqued his interest in the law.

Oscar Fun Fact of the Day: Laura Dern plays Reese Witherspoon's mother in "Wild." Dern is only nine years older than Witherspoon. They are nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress, respectively.

Plum Pudding

Today's Birthdays: Jennifer Stone (22), Christina Ricci (35), Sarah Lancaster (35), Jesse Spencer (36), Chynna Phillips (47), Josh Brolin (47), Raphael Sbarge (51), Arsenio Hall (59), Joanna Kerns (62), Michael McDonald (63), Steve Hackett (65), Michael Ironside (65), Cliff DeYoung (69), Maud Adams (70), Moe Bandy (71), Joe Don Baker (79), and Franco Zeffirelli (92).

Holidaze: In addition to Mr. Lincoln's birthday, it's also National Plum Pudding Day. I have never had plum pudding, but it's a British Christmas treat that doesn't even contain plums! Instead, in consists of dried fruit held by egg and suet, and can include spices such as molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.

We are mourning the loss of "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon, who was killed in a car accident last night. He had a nearly 50-year career at CBS and won numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards.

After a strong start at the beginning of this year, things have slowed down at the shop a bit. However, I'm not discouraged. I will keep retooling the shop and make more of an effort to network. I'm a little shy when it comes to the latter, but I'm learning.

The weekend edition of the blog will cover 40 years of "Saturday Night Live." I was among the first generation of viewers, and I'm happy to say my son is carrying on the tradition.

Have a PRINTASTIC night!

Kathy