my top ten fave female artists

I love the divine Bette Midler, the diva of all divas Barbra Streissand and the sexy, sultry and sometimes salacious Cher. Tina Turner always rocks my world just as the soothing Karen Carpenter never fails to bring serenity to my soul.

The 70’s and 80’s produced a whole bunch of my favorites like Irene Cara, Laura Brannigan, Lani Hall, Maureen McGovern, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon and even those one-hit wonders like Katie Irving, Janis Ian, Minnie Ripperton and Jennifer Holliday.

And how can I not mention Whitney Houston whose powerful, brilliant and crystal clear voice remains unparalleled until now. She was undoubtedly the queen before devastating recreational drugs got the best of her.

With all these big names however, there are 10 female artists holding a special place in my heart. Coz they are not just wonderful singers. Most of them are superb songwriters as well. And they made hits after hits out of songs that are their interpretations of life, love and everything in between.

Dido – this beautiful and talented Brit’s voice emits elegant romance just as her songs were expressively sweet and sweeping. Thank You was the very first song I adored her for but Take My Hand, Isobel, White Flag and almost all her other songs are just as wonderful.

Anggun – originally from Indonesia, this sexy French has the rich, powerful voice of black singers like Oletta Adams and Angela Bofill. Her Snow on the Sahara and Still Reminds Me are both hauntingly beautiful I’ve never got tired of listening to them.

Enya – with a cool voice and an enormous talent in song writing, this Irish lady captured me with her Paint the Sky with Stars, Anywhere Is, Carribean Blue and many other wonderful music. But it is her Orinoco Flow that always brings me to a pleasurable journey somewhere near the realm of sheer bliss.

Jewel – this blue-eyed American beauty has a voice range that allows her to sing like a child, a woman and a vamp. From the bouncy Who Will Save Your Soul to the heavenly Angel Standing By and to my all-time favorites Hands and Foolish Games, she was one helluva singer and song writer.

Tracy Chapman – she may not fit your typical idea of beauty but this black American's music is more than what meets the eye. Her songs speak of simple yet intricate subjects in life. And the voice commands you to listen. Baby Can I Hold You and Gimme One Good Reason are just a few of her hits. Fast Car remains as one of my top faves in the folk-rock genre.

Basia – nobody does pop-jazz as well as this Polish wonder. Cruising For Bruising, Time and Tide, A New Day and Until You Come Back to Me are just a few of her hits that I will always listen to.

Tina Arena – believe it or not, her real name is Filippina Lydia Arena although she has no Filipino roots (her parents are of Sicilian origin). This Australian singer/song writer has the firm, clear and multi-ranged voice that gives soul to any song she sings. Burn is one of my all-time faves and her recent cover of So Far Away is just as mesmerizing.

Alanis Morissette – this Canadian-born talent may be in her early twenties when she hit Billboard but her songs were already full of raw emotions. The kind of music that paints the true colors of life – no matter how sordid the truth may be. With Alanis, I will not talk of just songs. Instead, it’s albums like Jagged Little Pill, Under Rug Swept and Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie that made her as one of my ultimate pop singer/song writers.

Vonda Shepard – contributing largely to the success of Ally Mac Beal, this blonde American also dabbles in acting via that sitcom. Her music was smartly woven into the story making Ally MacBeal stand out from it’s competition. Outside that show however, her music holds its own and has given me favorite tunes like Read Your Mind, Someday We’ll be Together and Can’t We Try (a duet with Dan Hill).

Sade – her full name is Helen Folsade Adu, a Nigerian-born chanteuse whose classic beauty is complemented by a velvety voice that brought us a whole bunch of pop jazz gems like Your Love is King, Smooth Operator and Hang On To Your Love. Sexy, scintillating tunes you'd love to play while having intimate moments with your loved ones.

There they are. Ten wonderful female artists, 6 of which are one-named (just a coincidence or a fixation? I don’t know). However, the biggest one-named star of ‘em all, Madonna, is prominently missing. Why? I don’t know. All I know is that she briefly impressed me when she did Evita. And lost it all again when she went back to wiggling her bootie on stage. Ho-hum.

my favorite tv game shows

of the very many programs i've been watching over the boob tube, game shows mainly occupy my top faves. and over the years that i've seen game shows come and go, there were quite a few that i really don't mind watching over and over again. excluding reality shows (in truth, these shows are scripted and edited so where's the reality, really) here are the giants of game shows that have become my all-time faves.

Jeopardy! – My all-time favorite. Started in the early 60’s but it was Alex Trebek who made the show a household name since he started hosting it in 1984. It has the most Emmy Awards for Best Game Show – 11!

Family Feud – another long-time favorite. Though I’m more familiar with the episodes hosted by Richard Dawson who hosted the first run from 1976 to 1985. I haven’t seen the latest versions hosted by Louie Anderson or John O’Hurley.

Greed – Though this one had a very short run (Nov 1999 to Jul 2000), I liked the mechanics of this game show. It’s a game show alright, but it shows how greedy men can be.

The Crystal Maze – originally hosted by the flamboyant Richard O’Brien, it was one of my favorite shows when BBC Prime was still on air. It was shown from 1990 to 1995. Featured different games – trivia, physical, mental – while going through a maze. Very engaging.

Who Wants to be A Millionaire – Originally from the UK, this is the most successful game show franchise ever (according to Wikipedia) – being aired in 100 countries worldwide.

Are you smarter than a 5th Grader – One of the most recent hit game shows, I love this one because of the cute factor of 5th grader questions giving adults the embarassment of their lives. Hilarious.

Name That Tune – For people who thought they are walking jukeboxes (like me), this game show will put that claim to test. It had several runs during the 70’s and 80’s and I guess the one I’ve seen in my teens are the ones hosted by Jim Lange.

The Weakest Link – Of the very many versions around, I still liked the one hosted by Anne Robinson. It also originated in the UK and had various international versions. The Philippine edition started out with Edu who’s very good and ended with Allan K who struggled to put on a straight face. It must have been torture for him.

Friends Like Us – another game show from the now defunct BBC Prime. It has two opposing teams of five friends each doing challenges from physical to mental to skill. Gives away fabulous vacation trip for the winning team to top vacation spots.

Wheel of Fortune – another iconic tv game show which started in 1975 and has made Pat Sajak and Vanna White household names. Don't know about Kris' version though.

the boobtube

it's been a while since i've shared with you things i've been watching. let me tell you naman this time the comedy and soaps i've been watching on tv.

call it a chronicle of the nights i've spent slouching on a couch watching what could be the best invention that came in a box (before computers ruled it). from the 70's to the current programs, here are my favorites...


Diff’rent Strokes. This one taught me how to appreciate black humor. Tuwang-tuwa ako sa negro at bibong bida dito na si Gary Coleman. It had a good 7 to 8 years run from the late 70’s to mid-80’s.

Full House. Shown from 1987 to 1995. I clearly remember how funny the gang led by Bob Saget was. At yong cute na baby pa lang na Olsen twins. Of course malaki na ako nang malaman kong dalawa pala ang gumaganap na role ni Michelle.

Sisters. As far as I can remember, ito yong unang-unang soap na tinutukan ko. A story of four sisters whose lives are so varied yet equally interesting. The cast featured Sela Ward and Swoozie Kurtz among others. It ran from 1991 to 1996 on NBC.

Melrose Place. Another soap that got me hooked on the 90’s, naumpisahan ko ang story nito na naka-focus pa sa original occupants ng Melrose Place (Andrew Shue, etc.) hanggang ilang taon na at nadagdag na ang characters ni Sidney at ni Marcia Cross. Hanggang sinawaan ko na kasi pumangit na at lumaylay ang story.

Ally McBeal. Eto naman ang sitcom na na-enjoy ko from the first season in 1997 until the last episodes in 2002 . Funny characters, magaling ang scriptwriter who wrote witty dialogues and of course, malupit ang scoring, mostly by Vonda Shepard na naging paborito ko dahil dito.

Six Feet Under (2001 to 2005). It’s a pity hindi na ito pinalabas kahit saan. HBO exclusive kasi. But this dark and rather spooky dramedy is something na pinag-pupuyatan ko noon sa Pinas. Very insightful on matters of life and death and everything in between.

Friends. Siguro naman hindi lang ako ang na-hook dito. Most of you must have seen and enjoyed the funny and witty scenes in this sit com that made Jennifer Aniston and the rest of the gang’s name a household fixture for ten years (1994 to 2004).

Scrubs. Ngayon ko na lang ito naa-appreciate after passing through it most of the time for the last year or so. Sometimes bordering on the absurd, pero nakakatuwa ang atake nito sa mga situations and characters at work (in a hospital) and their personal lives. Starring the wacky Zach Braff and hilarious Donald Faison. Premiered in 2001 and still going.

My Wife and Kids. Damon Wayans is one funny man! This is one hilarious show that presents the daily life of a black contemporary family. Had a four-year run from 2001 to 2005. Currently being shown on MBC4 and Dubai One.

Desperate Housewives. It premiered in 2004 and immediately won a huge following including me. The first season was extremely addictive. I hope they can keep it that way. Season 2 just ended on Dubai One.

my top ten pop corn movies

let me just continue my series on top ten favorite films. this time, a merry mix of sci-fi, fantasy, action/love stories i would call pop corn movies. not heavy hitters like the color purple or gladiator but nevertheless highly entertaining. films that i still watch at any given opportunity and never grow tired of it.

Star Wars. From the first Star Wars in 1977 (re-titled A New Hope) until the last prequel, Revenge of the Sith in 2005, this series is my ultimate favorite sci-fi. In fact I wish George Lucas will come up with more episodes. Sci-fi movies come and go. But they will never beat the appeal, the following and the cult Star Wars has generated from it’s millions of fans around the world.

Top Gun. This 1986 Tony Scott movie almost made me go to a flying school. The airborne fight scenes, the sweeping camera works, the music of Kenny Loggins (who happens to be one of my faves), the cinematography and the young Tom Cruise (before scientology!) made one heck of an impression on my young mind. And it’s main theme, Take My Breath Away by Berlin remains to be one of my favorite love songs.

ET. I saw this film in 1982 but until today, I haven’t forgotten it’s magic. I’d never forget how this film made me cry. And it showed how talented Steven Spielberg is.

Willow. Long before Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings cast their spell on moviegoers, I already adored Willow, a movie about magic spells and sorcery. Starring a few hobbits and one of my favorite actors – Val Kilmer, this 1988 film directed by Ron Howard is based on a story by the creator of Star Wars - George Lucas himself!

Shakespeare In Love. This movie won Oscar Best Picture in 1998 and gave Gwyneth Paltrow her Best Actress trophy. But most importantly, it gave Best Supporting Actress trophy to another favorite of mine – Dame Judi Dench who was superb in her role as the Queen.

Batteries Not Included. A 1987 film directed by Matthew Robbins with the old but wonderful actress Jessica Tandy as one of the main characters. It is a story of a pair of small UFO’s that changed the life people living in an old apartment building. Many of the international versions of this film used the title Miracle on 8th Street.

Ever After. This 1998 film starring Drew Barrymore and directed by Andy Tenant was sub-titled A Cinderella Story. Because it is the story of Cinderella but presented with a different flavor which I found more interesting and entertaining. I love this Cinderalla who punches and carries a man on his back!. Supporting Drew is another superb actress, Anjelica Houston, who was perfect for the role of the wicked stepmother.

Babe. This Australian film released in 1995, directed by Chris Noonan, captured the hearts of moviegoers worldwide and was nominated for 7 Oscar awards including Best Picture. With a pig as the main character, it was a charming, eccentric but very amusing film about hanging on to your dreams, no matter what.

Ghost. Another unforgettable film that made both careers of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. I was a sucker for this 1990 film by Jerry Zucker (hehehe!). A touching love story flavored with the unforgettably hilarious character of Whoopi Goldgerg.

Beauty and the Beast. The only full-length animated movie to be nominated as Best Picture in the Oscars. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and released in 1991, it revived my interest on animated films, particularly the ones from Disney.

whirling and wishing

I was doing my laundry a while ago at siguro dahil sa kaka-titig ko sa pag-ikot nong mga damit sa washing machine, nahilo yata ako and started wishing for things na absurd. Pero nakaka-aliw sya when I started probing on the idea hanggang sabi ko, mai-blog nga and see what my friends think.

And so, here are 10 things that I wish sana eh nangyayari sa totoong buhay. Mga wish na siguro, masasakyan din ng mga tamad, baliw at weird na tulad ko!

Sana…

1. Clothes are disposable. Sana pagtapos mong isuot, itatapon mo na lang sya, no more laba-laba, at mas lalong wala na ang pinaka-hate ko – yong plantsahan blues.

2. Pwedeng i-xerox ang pera. Yong kahit first copy lang, pwede. Para pag may 100 ka, instant 200 na yon.

3. Body parts are replaceable. Para kung may masakit, para syang sim card ng cp. Papalitan lang, work na ulit!

4. Teleporting is a reality. Di ba. Hindi ka na pupunta ng airport, pipila sa customs, bulatlat ng bagahe, bulatlat ng passport sa immigration tapos hintay to the max sa boarding. Sa 3 to 4 hours na haba ng process na to, parang lagi akong bugbog at tumatanda ng 3 to 4 years everytime na bi-byahe ako!

5. I have x-ray vision. O, aminin, pati ikaw wish mo to no!

6. People’s age freezes at 50. Para yong parents at mga loved ones natin, stay na sila sa 50 at lagi na nating kasama, walang death. Tapos tayo, pagdating ng 50 ganon din. O di pare-pareho na lang 50 ang older generation. At yong wisdom ng lahat ng taong umabot ng ganong edad, iko-collect. Siguro marami tayong problems na maso-solve because of that.

7. Ang buhay ay parang showcase – pwede mong piliin. Showcase no. 1: Rich and Famous. Showcase no. 2: Rich and Powerful. Showcase no. 3: Rich and Beautiful/Handsome…. ahahahahehehe

8. Ang kalendaryo, puro weekends lang. And by weekends I mean Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Para kahit sa Pinas o sa Mid-East ka nagwo-work, walang kawala!

9. Lahat ng trabaho, flexi-time. Para yong mga tulad kong tamad, anytime na lang papasok.

10. At sana, isang turo ko lang, magtitino ang mga pulitiko sa Pilipinas lalo yong mga gutom at abusado sa kapangyarihan, lalo yong mga suwapang sa pera at mga numero-unong kurakot!!!

Oooppss, this is supposed to be a fun posting kaya lang nagbabasa ako ng dyaryo on-line while doing this kaya biglang naiba ang timpla. Bwiset kasi tong mga pulitikong to eh, isama ko kaya sa mga iniikot-ikot ng washing machine ko!

my top ten comedy/musical films

As I said before, marami pa akong favorite films and here's my top ten pagdating naman sa comedy and musicals. See if you can recognize all of them.

A Chorus Line. Released in 1976. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Starring Michael Douglas. With unforgettable songs like At the Ballet, Sing, Nothing and the more popular What I Did for Love, it ranks as my number one favorite musical of all time.

The Sound of Music. Released in 1965. Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Ok, so this is pre-historic. But who can argue with the power of this classic. In fact, we wouldn't have learned our musical notes that easy if not for this movie. I watched it just recently in cable and I was awed. A timeless masterpiece.

Falling In Love. Released in 1984. Directed by Ulu Grosbard. Starring Robert deNiro and Meryl Streep - two of my top faves in the acting department in a romantic comedy about middle-aged lovers.

Big Business. Released in 1988. Directed by Jim Abrahams. Starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Two comic divas in a story of two sets of twins switched and separated at birth, one set ending up rich and the other poor. Imagine the riot when they meet later on.

Moulin Rouge. Rleased in 2001. Directed by Baz Luhrmann. Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. According to my research, this is the third version of the film – with two previous versions, one in the 30’s and the other in the 50’s. Very smart use of contemporary songs on an old but still interesting material.

Death Becomes Her. Released in 1992. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis. A top-notch cast in a comedy-horror film that looks deep into our fear of getting old and dying. It won Best Visual Effects in 1992 from Oscars.

Flashdance. Released in 1983. Directed by Adrian Lyne. Starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri. The 1,000-watt smile of Jennifer, some mean dancing and an OST that remains as one of my favorites. Flashdance… What A Feeling still makes me wanna dance whenever I hear it today.

Evita. Released in 1996. Directed by Alan Parker. Starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce. I was not a Madonna fan until she did this film. Then she turned me into a believer. Awesome songs like High Flying Adored, You Must Love Me, She Is A Diamond and Another Suitcase in the Hall made me buy the complete OST album.

The Full Monty. Released in 1997. Directed by Peter Cattaneo. Starring a host of British actors. The film that showed me that Brits, aferall, has got humor. A story of 6 ordinary, unglamorous steel workers who formed a group and did a striptease act! Hilarious!

The Devil Wears Prada. Released in 2006. Directed by David Frankel. Starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. In case you haven’t noticed, this is the third Meryl Streep movie in my top faves on comedy/musical category. Which means I love her on offbeat roles as much as I love her on serious ones. Hell, I love this wonderful actress in whatever she does .

If you haven't watched these wonderful films, I suggest you try them. Really entertaining. (Naku dapat bayaran ako ng mga producers nito huh!)

my top ten best films (2 of 2)

So to round up my ten best films, here's the last five of the list:

Not Without My Daughter. I believe this film met some trouble due to the storyline that tackles a very sensitive racial and cultural subject. Thus preventing it from being shown to a wider audience. I was lucky to have seen it even on a VHS (oh yeah, it was quite some time ago). Sally Fields starred in this 1991 film by Brian Gilbert as Betty Mahmoody who wrote the book of the same title based on her real-life experience. I wouldn’t delve into the story line but rather suggest that you find the film and watch it. Very, very interesting.

The Passion of The Christ. Mel Gibson, in this 2003 masterpiece, proved that he can still go one notch higher than the commercially successful and critically acclaimed Braveheart. Although Hollywood didn’t give it the thumbs-up like it did to Braveheart (which I see as playing safe, distancing itself from the movie which gathered a lot of criticism and controversy) no one can deny that this is one powerful, highly crafted film. I didn’t find it offensive. In fact it made me dig deep into my own faith and conviction and find what my heart truly believes.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This Ang Lee 2000 film, no matter how corny the concept of flying martial arts warriors are, still ranks as one of my best films ever. I still can’t get over the fight scenes, the beautiful cinematography, the touching love story and the wonderful characterizations breathed into life by Chow Yun-Fat, Zhang Ziyi and Michell Yeoh. It won Oscar’s Best Foreign Film that year. I think one of the reasons why it won is that it presented an authentically Chinese culture that has never been seen before in the western world. How I wish we can do something so authentically Pinoy also and win over movie goers around the globe like what this beautiful film did.

Ben Hur. Ok, I can’t go as far back as 1939 for Gone with the Wind but at least Ben Hur is still Jurassic-era. I watched this 1959 mega-epic starring Charlton Heston in VCD with total viewing time of 3 hours and 43 minutes! Directed by William Wyler who must be the Spielberg of his time (he won Oscar Best Director 3 times – Mrs Miniver in 1942, The Best Days of Our Lives in 1946 and for this one), Ben Hur won Oscar Best Picture and a host of other awards – 11 in total – only equaled in 1997 by the soapy Titanic (ooopppss, sorry Titanic fans!) and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King in 2003. It tells the story of Juddah Ben-Hur of Jerusalem in the First AD. What captured me is the grandness of this movie. Thousands and thousands of extra cast, elaborate sets and bloody battles that was successfully choreographed, directed and filmed without the help of CGI which was invented some thirty years later. No wonder it gobbled up a budget of $75 million! A huge fortune that can probably buy a small country that time!

I Am Sam – A 2001 film by Jessie Nelson that tells the story of an autistic father fighting for his right to keep his daughter. It was one utterly moving film where Sean Penn’s portrayal of Sam was faultless from start to finish I think he was robbed the Best Actor trophy in the Academy Awards that year. His superb acting was complemented by Dakota Fanning’s heartfelt portrayal of the little daughter. Together, these two great actors made the movie quite unforgettable.

There you go.

So these are the top ten of my favorite, best movies. However, there are quite a few more that came up while I was doing this list. And since I cannot fit them all in here, I will just come up with a different category. Just watch out and it'll be posted here soon.

a different beat

i guess you'd see me as someone conventional, a bit old-fashioned and almost a bore. and i guess you're expecting me to post my top ten songs that will include barbra streissand or barry manilow. we'll, i'll sure do that. but maybe later.

you see, my taste in music is unbelievably wide - from folk music of don mclean and james taylor to the rock hits of rod stewart and u2. from music of divas like barbra, celine, bette midler and carly simon to the more contemporary dido, fergie, jewel and christina. from louis armstrong, lionel richie and barry white to james blunt, eminem and john meyer. from yanni, enya, gregorians, kenny g to greenday, the calling, nickelback and the verve.

when it comes to music, i can be a jukebox. so don't be surprised if we are in a car, on a long trip, and i sing along with anything that comes up on the radio!

so let me share some of my favorite alternative rock. i've got quite a few of them - i think more than 50 favorites and it's quite difficult to come up with my top ten. anyways, here it goes, again in random:

1. with arms wide open by creed

2. black balloon by googoo dolls

3. let her cry by hootie and the blowfish

4. drive by incubus

5. iris by googoo dolls

6. drops of jupiter by train

7. how you remind me by nickelback

8. hanging by a moment by punklifehouse

9. if you're gone by matchbox 20

10. one last breath by creed

my top ten best films (1 of 2)

A lot of my favorite films include Oscar Best Picture winners. Although that wasn't necessarily my criteria in putting them in my favorites list. It also includes films that are, at least to me, remarkable and unforgettable. These are the films that I wouldn’t mind buying the expensive original dvd so I can watch them over and over, and later on store them in my archives.

Unfortunately, I haven’t watched the classics yet like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind and other earlier movie greats. Maybe if I see them this list will change. But as of now, here’s how it stands, in no particular order.

The Silence of the Lambs. This dark, psychological suspense thriller of a 1991 masterpiece by Jonathan Demme has, so far, the only movie that made me feel disturbed after watching it. For days, I was gloomy, inexplicably depressed and feeling creepy. And I can only blame it on the intensely effective acting of Sir Anthony Hopkins whose portrayal of Hannibal Lecter is a lot more frightening than Jason and Freddie Kruger combined. He rightfully deserves his Oscar Best Actor trophy that year. And so does the film in winning the Best Picture award.

The Piano. Jane Campion did a wonderful job in this masterpiece of a 19th century love triangle starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neil. It was not your usual love triangle, just looking at the setting which is the dark and muddy frontier of New Zealand. I adored the cute and very effective Anna Paquin who was just 12 years old here. It lost to Schindler’s List as Oscar’s Best Picture in 1993. But it still ranks as one of my best ten.

Schindler’s List. I must admit I went to see this film out of curiosity from the brouhaha generated by our censors who wanted to cut the very controversial pumping scene by Liam Neeson. But I left the movie theater getting a lot more. For me, it was one of the two finest works by the genius Steven Spielberg (the other one is also in my tope ten fave). In this black and white medium, Spielberg vividly painted the gruesome picture of the genocide of the Jews during the Holocaust.

Gladiator. This 2000 Ridley Scott film successfully captured the barbarism of the gladiators, the struggles within the royalty of the Roman Empire, the tragic love story of Maximus and his wife and the humanity of all the characters in this epic movie. This is one very effective film that made me feel like I was right there, in the 180AD Rome, watching with my very own eyes the many glorious scenes in this movie. Few movies can make me cry. But this one made me teary eyed in at least two scenes – the death of Maximus’ wife and the finale where Maximus triumphed over the treacherous Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Russell Crowe deserved his Oscar Best Actor trophy. And I think Joaquin Phoenix should have won his Best Supporting Actor award too.

The Color Purple. Long before I adored Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost, she has already made me cry in this 1985 film of the great Steven Spielberg. I never get to read the Pulitzer winning novel by Alice Walker where this film was lifted. But however great that novel is, I’m sure the film version didn’t fail in any account. It was a powerful story of self-discovery that I haven’t forgotten until today. And I think Steven not winning the Oscar Best Director, much more this film not winning the top prize that year, was one of the greatest blunder Oscars has ever committed.