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March Madness 2010 – My Picks

 

Click to enlarge and witness my collapse before the tournament begins!

My 2010 Oscar Predictions

Here it is…not who should win but who will win:

Music (Original Score): Avatar, James Horner
Animated Feature Film: Up, Pete Docter
Costume Design: Nine, Colleen Atwood
Writing (Original Screenplay): The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal
Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Visual Effects: Avatar, Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
Film Editing: Avatar, Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
Cinematography: The Hurt Locker, Barry Ackroyd
Sound Mixing: Avatar, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
Art Direction: Avatar, Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
Best Picture: The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, Producers
Short Film (Animated): A Matter of Loaf and Death, Nick Park
Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Sound Editing: Avatar, Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Documentary (Feature): Food, Inc., Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
Music (Original Song): The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart), from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Makeup: Star Trek, Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Short Film (Live Action): The New Tenants, Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
Foreign Language Film: The Milk of Sorrow, Peru
Documentary (Short Subject): China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Directing: The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow

Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself

I hear people say that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. These squeaky wheels complain and complain, often getting what they want. So they use this as justification to complain all the time. Occasionally, the squeaky wheel gets replaced. It’s a ratio of talent to tolerance. Are you talented enough to be tolerated? If you’re not -you’re antics won’t be tolerated either. Do you bring enough to the table to act like a jerk? Most of these people will answer with “yes, I am.” Although the reality is that often the answer is “no, you are not.”Complaining can be a valuable tool – if done properly. Whining is not – even if done to perfection. Are you sabotaging yourself with your mouth? Are you complaining at the wrong time? Or to the wrong people? 

 Let me give you some suggestions:    

1. Complain up.  Complaints should be aimed at people who can do something about them. Not at other people who feel the same irritation, and especially not to subordinates who look to you to fix things. This is just like the old expression about smiling monkeys in a tree.   “When you look down the organizational chart (the tree) from above you should see smiling monkeys, and those at the bottom look up and see…” well you can figure out the rest. (If you don’t know, email me! Hint: It’s a swear word! Insert childish giggle!)
2. Complain in private. Once you find the right person to file your complaint with don’t go public with it. Meetings and company parties are not the place to bring up complaints. If you want something fixed, publicly cornering someone rarely turns out in your best interest.
3. Complain once. Constant harping is for angels. And you’re not dead yet. Prepare your complaint ahead of time, unleash its elegance and import and then move on. Or at least give it some space.

You need to ask yourself, “Am I valuable enough to make everyone else miserable with my complaints?”Odds are you’re not. If you keep it up, you can be replaced with a younger, less expensive squeak-free wheel.

For more information about my keynote
“Getting a Grip on Negativity“  
email craig@speakercraigprice.com
or call 281-546-1664 today. 

ARMA – Houston Chapter – January 27, 2010

Attention H-town RM Peeps! (Translation: Houston Records Management Professional). Be sure to attend next week’s Association of Records Managers and Administrators monthly chapter meeting on January 27th. I’ll be spreading my negative love (Translation: I’ll be keynoting on negativity) as only I can.

Click Here To Register

If you know someone in your Records Management department, forward this to them so they won’t miss a fun luncheon and some valuable information on dealing with negativity!