So much information swirling in my mind. Notes are scattered everywhere. And today is the perfect weather to hang home and send you all my thoughts. First off are my Oscar Predictions. I have seen all the movies! Let's place bets on Faye and Warren making an encore presentation Sunday night-I'm betting yes, for sure. It should be hilarious.


Best Picture: Hard to pick between Three Billboards and The Shape of Water, but I'll go with Three Billboards.


Best Director: Guillermo Del Toro for The Shape of Water. Beautifully shot and brilliantly done. And, Sally Hawkins is equally deserving of the Best Actress Award. But....


Best Actress: Frances McDormand will win over Sally Hawkins, I think.


Best Actor: Truthfully, I did not think Gary Oldman was that great in Darkest Hour. I have watched John Lithgow in The Crown on Netflix, and I felt his performance as Churchill was truly amazing. I was not wowed by Oldman or The Darkest Hour. So my pick is Timothy Chalamet in Call Me By Your Name.
However, Oldman WILL get the Oscar.


Best Supporting Actress: Hands down Allison Janney should win for I, Tonya. And I think she will, but Laurie Metcalf was awesome as the mom in Ladybird.


Best Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards. This was my favorite performance this year. He was spectacular. Hands down-The Best.


Further thoughts: I saw The Post and Phantom Thread.  Although The Post was entertaining, it was not deserving as a Best Picture Nominee.  What can I say about Phantom Thread? It could be tied as the worst movie I have seen since Stormy Monday in 1988 with Sting and Melanie Griffith; and the original Flatliners in 1990 with Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland. Horrendous.


OK-Where to eat before the Oscars...


Osteria Giotto Cafe-Church St. Montclair. Salads, Soups, Pastas, Sandwiches to go. Parking is tough and especially if you are only running in to pickup your takeout.  Known for their Lasagna.


Woodstack -Pine Brook. Haven't been, but have heard great things. Charred Pizzas, Delicious breads, and pastas. Supposedly a nice Sunday brunch menu. Full bar. Can't wait to try!


Giovanni's-Berkley Heights. Recommended highly for dinner. Make a reservation and give it a try.


Mezze-New Mediterranean in Livingston. Menu has lots of delicious options. Open for Lunch and Dinner.


Assado-New Portuguese Steakhouse in Livingston. Exterior looks lovely. Once inside it's a bit institutional. Food was mediocre and prices seemed high. Not a great combination.


Honey's-Fairfield. Tiny dive with delicious fresh food. Great for breakfast and lunch. Loved it!


Satis Bistro-Bloomfield. This town is having a major resurgence. Little restaurants are popping up near the train station and the new apartments.  Essex Junction started the trend.  Satis has a lovely menu, a great bar, and good food.


Marcus Samuelson's B & P-Newark. A very interesting menu and a great chef. Hopefully, this restaurant will draw lots of patrons. Looks fabulous.


Zeugma Grill-Montclair. Lovely Mediterranean menu with a wine bar. A bit pricey on the entrees, but you can go and order a few appetizers. Brunch, Lunch, Dinner.


Zaferon Grill-Verona. New Persian/Mediterranean restaurant. Interesting kebabs, flatbreads, burgers and entrees. BYOB.


Noble East-Montclair. Delicious, fresh Chinese food. More expensive than most other Chinese restaurants but white glove service, hot spa scented towels and lovely presentations make it worth the price. Known for Peking Duck. Give T.S. Ma a break and try this!


Closed-Above in South Orange. And Al Sogna in Montclair. Stay tuned-new restaurants coming to both locations.


Places on my NYC List that I want to try:


Upland-345 Park Ave. South
Pasquale Jones-187 Mulberry Street
Don Angie-103 Greenwich Avenue
Petee's Pie Company-61 Delancey Street
Underwest Donuts-638 West 47th Street at 12th Avenue


What to watch on Television, and What to Read, and Who to Listen to


Mozart in the Jungle-Amazon. This series grew on me. I didn't love the first few episodes, but ultimately it was a joy to watch. Gael Garcia Bernal and Malcolm McDowell are spectacular. And lots of classical music is a major bonus.


Last Tango in Halifax-Netflix or Amazon. Romantic Comedy about two widowed childhood sweethearts.


Man in High Castle-Amazon. Based on Philip Dick's novel. About what the world would look like if WWII had a different outcome.


The Looming Tower-Hulu. Starring Jeff Daniels and Alec Baldwin. Middle East Politics and Islamic terrorists.


Coming June 1st- A book by first time author, Fatima Farheen Mirza, called A Place For Us. This is published by Hogarth who just partnered with Sara Jessica Parker. They search for new authors and books that will knock your socks off. I love reading first time authors! Such a thrill.


Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics-by Dan Harris. For those of you who are gym rats but would like to get into meditating. Try this book.


The Wife-by Alifair Burke. How far will a wife go to protect the man she loves?




A new singer to listen to - Alice Merton. Go to youtube and listen to "no roots". She's really superb. Loving her.




Beauty Products and Cool Apps


Josie Maran Argan Moondrops-available at Sephora or QVC where it's a bit cheaper. Lovely oil and glow all at once. Super moisturizing.


Tarte Shapetape Concealer and Foundation-available at Sephora or QVC. Recommended to buy a shade lighter than your skin. Great product-beautiful coverage.


Josh Rosebrook Day Cream. It's a moisturizer with an SPF of 30. Pricey at $85.00. Available on line.


Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Lip-lasts 16 hours. Ten Shades. $9.50. At CVS.


I Track Bites App-put in your diet plan: calories, weight watchers, etc. Track what you eat for free.
Like this better than E Tools from Weight Watchers.


MorningSave.com- Deals from a bunch of television shows. Recently saw a deebot vacuum and mop for $199 instead of $400! Lots of great bargains. Check out this site. Lots of great bargains.


And finally, if Comcast is out and you have no television: check out the podcast Dirty John. That's what I will be listening to tonight during my sleepless hours. The storm has disabled television and internet. So earplugs and smartphone are my only options. This is a true crime story about a possible murder in Newport Beach. Deals with themes of abuse and manipulation. I am just starting so I can't review. But it's quite compelling so far.


Till Next time-Austin and San Antonio will be the topic. Peace Out-One b