Monday, February 28, 2011

'Dancing With the Stars' Season 12: Cast Announced For Year 2011

Can't wait to see Kendra Wilkinson, Wendy Williams and Kirstie Allie dance for the mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars? Be careful what you wish for, they're part of the latest DWTS cast.






The 'Dancing With the Stars' 2011 spring cast, announced Monday night during 'The Bachelor,' includes a talk show host, model, football star, '80s acting faves and Disney Channel starlet. So, all in all, it was a typical line-up for the popular ABC reality show.



Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard will look to apply his sweet steps to the dance floor, as will fleet footed Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward. TV host Wendy Williams and Kirstie Alley, along with former Playmate Kendra Wilkinson, will lead the ladies in the field.

Here's the group that will vie for the mirrorball trophy.
Cast:
Wendy Williams
Sugar Ray Leonard
Kirstie Alley
Ralph Macchio
Kendra Wilkinson
Chelsea Kane
Romeo
Mike Catherwood
Hines Ward
Chris Jericho
Petra Nemcova


What do you think of the newest cast to take the Dancing With the Stars floor? Do you have an early favorite?

"the micro view of the macro problem"

Bryan McGrath:
I have written before that the middle class of the United States increasingly wears a Scarlet "E" pinned to its chest, with "E" standing for "entitlements". ... I've also written about the rise of the view that "taking care of our troops" and being "pro-military" increasingly means lavishing more and more social benefits upon military members, their families and retirees. ...

Into this atmosphere comes the latest unspeakable injustice; it seems that the Congress, in an effort to reform what was already a far too generous VA education benefit, has capped tuition that can be paid to veterans pursuing higher education, creating a situation in which such students qualify for ADDITIONAL money in 39 states, and students in 11 states will see a cut in their benefit. Of course, those students seeing a decrease in their benefits have taken to the barricades in opposition to this crime against all that is good and proper.
As I wrote last October:
We voters ideologically approve cutting the budget but operationally don't want it done on our own backs. My parents are in their 80s. Do I really want Medicare to be cut? Baby boomers, of whom I am one, are just starting to retire in large numbers. Guess what's going to happen to Social Security spending? Do we really want those payouts slashed just as we're starting to draw them?

Including government employees, more than 88 million Americans are personally dependent to some degree on government payouts. That's 29 percent of us. Do you really think it is politically possible for even a veto-proof Republican Congress to slash those programs, jobs or benefits enough to make a meaningful dent in the trillion-dollar-plus deficit?

... The question is whether we have the will - the will, each one of us, to accept the consequences personally.

Will you accept a 10 percent reduction in your federally-sponsored benefits (schools, highways, direct payments, name it)? Will I? And if we will, will the representatives and senators we send to Washington next month have the will to push it through?
The jury is still out. And the jury is the state of Wisconsin.

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"Inside Job" documentary not so inside

Don't believe everything you see in last night's Oscar winner for best documentary.



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India’s Budget:Pro-growth, but no bold effects






Prima facie, the Union budget for the fiscal 2011 fails to address macroeconomic problems like risks from high crude oil prices and rising current account deficit though it offer partial relief to the common man overburdened with spiraling food and oil prices.

Amidst high oil prices, increasing inflationary pressure and scandals galore, Pranab Mukherjee, India’s Finance Minster presented today the Union budget for the financial year 2011-12 in the Lok Sabha. While India Inc has welcomed the budget saying that it is a growth-oriented one, industry captains are of the view that Finance Minister should have given more stress to the health sector and the demand for treatment of healthcare as infrastructure has been overlooked.

The FM duly recognized that the principle concern before the government is high food prices, especially cereals. He highlighted three challenges which will continue to engage the Indian policy-planners for the next few years. These include, sustaining GDP growth rate of 9%, making development more inclusive and strengthening transparency and public accountability.

It is time that Indian policy makers should embark on to renovate the struggling agriculture sector so as to control rising food prices, as the economy fighting with the highest inflation than any leading Asian economy. Critics warn that India need to invest far more in agriculture to boost productivity and enlarge storage facilities to help reduce the spiraling prices of fruit and vegetables.


Highlights of the Budget
Positives
  • Current surcharge of 7.5% on domestic companies proposed to be reduced to 5%
  • Higher exemption limit of Rs 5,00,000 for very senior citizens, who are 80 years or above
  • Allocation to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan increased by 40% to Rs 21,000 crore
  • Excise duty to be reduced from 10% to 5% on parts of specified machinery
  • Surcharge for companies cut to 5%, from 7.5%
  • Senior Citizen Age Limit reduced from 65 years to 60 years for Income Tax purposes. Citizens over 80 years to have exemption limit of Rs 5 lakh
  • Special incentives for hybrid vehicle makers if manufacturing done in India to be positive for auto companies
  • Crude palm used in sports exempted from customs duty to be positive for palm oil companies
  • Duty reduced on hybrid & electric cars along with batteries imported for such vehicles
  • Basic customs duty on agricultural machinery reduced to 4.5% from 5%
  • MFs allowed to raise money from foreign investors  
  • Tax exemption limit for senior citizens raised to Rs 2.5 lakh from 2.4 lakh
Disappointments
  • Central Excise Duty enhanced from 4% to 5%
  • AC restaurants serving liquor to come under service tax net
  • Health Check-Ups in Private hospitals to become expensive
  • Air travel to cost more
  • Tax on life insurance service providers could be negative for insurance companies
  • Travel, Healthcare to become expensive due to increased service tax
  • New service tax on hospitality
  • Branded clothes may cost more
Jany, Chief Economist


About the Author:
The author covers contemporary issues on Global Business Enviornment, BRIC Economies, Emerging Markets, Middle East & Oil Industry, Financial Services and Markets.
Tags: Global Economy, BRIC Economies, Stock Market, Emerging Economies, Middle East, Financial Markets, Finance, Sovereign Debt

God Of Love Short Film: Luke Matheny A Surprise Winner

The God of Love took home the Oscar for live action short film on Sunday night at the Academy Awards. Luke Matheny, a surprise winner, is a graduate student in New York University’s film program.
Matheny is the writer, director, and star of God of Love, which is on odd 18-minute short film. This film was his student thesis in the graduate film program at NYU. God of Love is about a jazz singer who performs amazing dart tricks on stage.

What is his film “God of Love”, a short that he also stars in? On his website he describes it as, “The story follows the adventures of lounge-singing darts champion Raymond Goodfellow, whose prayers are answered — literally — when he receives a package of passion-inducing darts.”


Obviously out of his comfort zone, the grad student was excited to be on the red carpet before the Oscars telecast, and said that he was ”standing behind Robert Downey Jr, trying to get on TV.”

Matheny looked as he took the stage when his name was announced for winning live action short and even voiced what everybody else in the crowd and home viewers were thinking: “I should’ve got a haircut.”

Saturday night, Matheny sent out a message on his Facebook page to friends and family. “I sent out a link that said, ‘This is how I feel,’ and it was a clip from the end of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’ So that summed up what this experience has been like.”



Congratulations Luke! I’m sure you’ll have a long career in the biz!

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Portsdown memory lane...



SINGAPORE (ST Kinetics at Portsdown Road.) : It used to be where Singapore's military vehicles were produced but come September, the building that houses defence company ST Kinetics at Portsdown Road will be demolished to make way for Singapore's new digital media hub - Mediapolis.

Some of the buildings along Portsdown Road have been around since the colonial days.

But together with other buildings that make up ST Kinetics, they will all soon just be a memory.

For those with the company since it started in 1971, the site speaks volumes of how they toiled to ensure Singapore's defence.

Mr Alex Teo, who's been with the company for 27 years, recalls one of the company's milestones.

"When I joined the company in 1983 as a young engineer, I have been dreaming of the day we produce our own armoured fighting vehicles," Mr Teo said.

"In those days, we were just doing maintenance, some upgrading and retrofitting -- but we have progressed. 

"And when we finally, designed, developed and manufactured the first indigenous armoured fighting vehicle Bionix in 1997, to me, it was a dream come true. In fact, I was the one who organised the roll-out ceremony."

Today, the engineering workshop is empty. The workshop was said to be one of the most secretive places in Portsdown. 

That's because this was where engineers worked on prototypes of infantry fighting vehicles like the Bionix -- with the latest in line being the Terrex -- behind closed doors. 

ST Kinetics was also where the Warthog -- specially customised for the British forces for use in Afghanistan -- was manufactured.

The area is making way for Mediapolis @One North that will occupy an area the size of some 20 football fields. 

Some 1,000 staff of ST Kinetics have been relocated to new premises at Jalan Boon Lay and Chin Bee Road.




-CNA/wk


[ By Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid | Posted: 27 February 2011 1634 hrs ]



Marine Parade renewal plan under way



SINGAPORE: A second five-year town renewal plan has been launched to turn the Marine Parade division into a gracious, warm and cohesive community.

Members of Parliament (MP) from the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC) led by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong launched the town renewal plan aimed at bringing quality living in the town.

This is the second five-year renewal plan for the Marine Parade area.

The first one was launched in February 2006.

Since then, 95 per cent of eligible blocks in Marine Parade town have been selected or upgraded under the Lift Upgrading Programme while 11 precincts have undergone main and interim upgrading.

Speaking at the event, MP and Chairman of the Marine Parade Town Council, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, said more improvement projects such as covered linkways, playgrounds, fitness corners and games courts have been planned.

He said these have been carefully developed, based on feedback from residents and the unique demography of each estate.

Turning to the Marine Parade division, Senior Minister Goh said in the next five years, the town centre will get repairs as well as re-decoration programmes.

Shop owners in Marine Parade Central will be given the option to revitalise their shops.




-CNA/wk

[ By S Ramesh | Posted: 27 February 2011 1916 hrs ] 




HDB launches three BTO projects in Sengkang, Bukit Panjang



Fernvale FloraSINGAPORE: The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has launched three Build-To-Order (BTO) projects comprising 1,593 standard flats.

Two of the projects - Fernvale Flora and Fernvale Gardens - are located in Sengkang.

The third, Segar Vale, is in Bukit Panjang.




Units in Segar Vale cost between S$83,000 and S$354,000 while the units at the two Sengkang BTO projects cost between S$88,000 and S$378,000.

Fernvale GardensNinety-five per cent of the flat supply will be set aside for First-Timer households.

First-time flat buyers are estimated to use 16 per cent to 24 per cent of their monthly household income to meet their monthly loan payments for flats in Fernvale Flora, Fernvale Gardens and Segar Vale.

HDB said it has ramped up its new flat supply significantly to meet the demand from first-timer households.

This year, it plans to offer up to 22,000 new flats under BTO, if demand is sustained.

In the first six months of 2011, flat buyers can look forward to about 11,000 new BTO flats.

Segar ValeThese projects will have a good geographical spread in towns/estates such as Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, Punggol, Sengkang and Sembawang.


The next BTO launch in March 2011 will offer about 1,500 flats in Jurong West and Sengkang.








 
- CNA/fa

[ article extracted from channelnewsasia.com ]
 

Google refines Search Algorithm!





Search engine major Google has gone for a major overdrive by refining its algorithm that ‘may not’ index your site/ blogs in the top list from now on. Thanks to spammers and content farms, more and more users are switching to other search providers like Bing and Yahoo! for better search results after the search engine behemoth indexed results that were not useful for the users.

With the new search algorithm in action, mining information will be based completely on original content, thereby filtering content farms and spammers. However, the move will adversely impact other websites and bloggers that hugely depend on Google Search Engine to drive its traffic to its content.

Google Inc. clarified its move as to feature more “high-quality” sites and providing more value and original content to its search users. It stated that the new algorithm based search results will impact around 12% of the queries worldwide.

The company’s blog stated, “This update is designed to reduce rankings for low- quality sites -- sites which are low-value add for users, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful,” on 24th of February 2011.

According to Industry Metrics leader, ComScore, Google’s US market share slipped to 65.6% in January 2011 against 66.6% for the same period last year, while its arch rival Microsoft’s Bing rose by 1.1% to 13.1% in January 2011 over 12% last year.

Google is trying hard to retain its web users in more than one way, with its new feature in Chrome web browser, that lets users block/filter unwanted sites, which had negligible impact on the web sites.

As of now the Mountain View based Search Behemoth is facing a intense scrutiny from its web users, if it fails to satisfy them in the long run, might adversely affect its cash-cow (advertisers) and benefit its competitors like Microsoft Bing and Yahoo!

Let’s see if this article gets indexed in Google!

Venky, Signing Off!

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The author covers latest news/events from the world of Gadgets, Internet & Technology.
Tags: Search Engine, Google Search, Algorithm, Bing, Yahoo

Esparina Executive Condo – The Launch


What a day what a launch…  8th Oct 2010, official launch date for The Esparina Residences Executive Condo.

The balloting started promptly at 9am. Throngs of eager buyers were there much earlier to get a ‘good’ seat. By 9am, the holding area was already full with buyers and agents. It was a good thing that it didn’t rain.

Buyers were very quick to snap up majority of the 3Br units, prices were done at an average of $750psf. Demand for 2Br units were less from buyers, who were mainly young couples. Prices start from as low as $590k – $723k.

This would leave us to ponder if we should be having more 2Br in the upcoming executive condos, as with the same budget, buyers can possibly consider getting a DBSS which has a bigger live-in space.

As there are still outstanding units available, the showflat will still be opened to interested buyers.


Just in case you weren’t there over the weekend of the launch. Here’s some pictures for you.

It was quite a busy weekend with interested parties streaming into the showflat and submitting their names for a chance to get a unit in Esparina.

Busy Agents, Busy Buyers



Below are some random pics taken of the display showflats.

On display are the 2Br, 3Br+Utility and 3Br Dual Key.


2Br Living Hall












2Br Master Bedroom. Notice that there will not be any bay windows!











The attached bathroom. Notice the huge mirror. Alot buyers who visited commented on the big and comfortable bathroom space.














The kitchen will come fully done up. With the top and bottom cabinets. Inclusive of an oven as well.












Missing out on the launch? The last day for registration will be this coming Tues, 5th Oct.
Balloting results will be out on Fri, 8th Oct, 9am sharp.


The Site Map is finally out!















Executive Condo Esparina Residences – Units Types

Unit Types for Esparina Residences Executive Condo
Unit Type No. of Units Typical Unit Approx Area (sft)
2 Bedroom 165 829
3 Bedroom Compact 127 1,001
3 Bedroom +Utility 156 1,066
3Br Dual-key 53 1,152
4 Bedroom + Utility 34 1,367
4 Br Dual-key 18 1,464
Penthouses 20 1,690 – 2,583

Esparina Executive Condo- Floor Plans (Penthouse)



Esparina Executive Condo- Floor Plans (4 Bedroom)




Esparina Executive Condo- Floor Plans (3 Bedroom)




Esparina Executive Condo- Floor Plans (2Bedroom)
The long awaited floor plans are here!!






Out of budget for Esparina but still want an Executive Condo?

Do you and your partner worry that you may be priced out of reach for buying Esparina Residences?

If location is not an issue and you still wish to enjoy the benefits of having an executive condo, you can actually consider The Canopy @ Yishun.

Estimated to be launched around the same time as Esparina Residences (perhaps 1-2 weeks after), The Canopy is being developed by MCCLAND (Singapore) Pte Ltd. Also the same company that helped completed Universal Studios, an iconic landmark at RWS, Sentosa.

Location wise, the project is situated along Yishun Ave 11, approx 3 bus-stops away from Yishun MRT.

And more importantly, it is understood that The Canopy is expected to be launched at a more attractive price than Esparina Residences.

How much lower we do not know exactly for now. While a 2Br for Esparina Residences could be in the high 600K region, a similar unit in The Canopy may probably go at lower 600k.

That’s a potentially 50-100k savings which could works out to a lot if you are cash tight.



Esparina Executive Condo – Site Visit
Decided on Sat evening to have a better look at the environment myself.

Took a leisurely drive from town via KPE to Buangkok Drive. And there I was.

The site is already being cordoned off and I suppose is going to be a temporary parking space for cars during the launch.

The showflat is right across the street but it’s currently empty. Execpt for a couple of agents standing around, there isn’t much there.


For those of you who have yet to go there, trust me. The MRT is literary just a stone’s throw away. Probably only about 200 metres from where Esparina is going to be.



24hrs Kopitiam is just right above the MRT exit. In fact there are 2 coffee shops around. So makan is definitely not a problem



There you go. The all important NTUC supermarket. For all your family’s groceries and daily needs. It’s not 24 hrs though. But there’s a 7-11 nearby as well. Very convenient.



And also not forgetting the many other shops. There’s laundry service, photocopying, hardware, tuition centre, etc etc

Oh and did I mention that Hougang Mall is less than 5min drive away?









[ article is extracted from executivecondosg.com ]

What happened to "no blood for oil?"

Remember these days of yore?


Well that no longer computes when it comes to bloodied Libyan oil.

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Oscars 2011 ShowTime, Nomination And Prediction

Oscar Sunday is a big day, not just for the stars up for an Academy Award but for countless movie and entertainment fans worldwide.  Millions will tune in to see what one film get the best picture Oscar 2011, to see if Natalie Portman really wins best actress, and to see how James Franco and Anne Hathaway perform as the hosts. But there are some big questions, well one burning one.


The Oscars 2011 time is quickly approaching. Many people are trying to get their plans for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards in place before the stars hit the red carpet tomorrow night at the Kodak Theatre . . .
What is the Oscars 2011 start time? What channel are they on and are you ready?The red carpet coverage starts at 6PM ET / 5PM CT / 3PM PT,on several channels but the E! one with Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic is pretty popular.
The big show, what everyone wants to see starts at 8PM ET / 7PM CT / 5PM PT and is on ABC.
Prediction: Who will win Oscar Award 2011?
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
The Field: Christian Bale, “The Fighter”; John Hawkes, “Winter’s Bone”; Jeremy Renner, “The Town”; Mark Ruffalo, “The Kids Are All Right”; Geoffrey Rush, “The King’s Speech.”
The Race So Far: Hawkes and Renner have yet to win any major guild or critics’ prizes, so they’re pretty much non-starters. Bale won this category at SAG and the Golden Globes, giving him a definite edge — but there’s a contingent who found his acting over-the-top, and he has a bit of a cranky reputation. Nice-guy Ruffalo won the New York critics’ prize; BAFTA, which adored “The King’s Speech,” gave Rush its award. (L.A. reviewers went for Niels Arestrup from the French film, “A Prophet,” who isn’t a factor here.) Rush has won an Oscar before, though; Ruffalo’s work was solid but hardly astounding.
Who Will Win: Christian Bale
Who Should Win: Geoffrey Rush
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
The Field: Amy Adams, “The Fighter”; Helena Bonham Carter, “The King’s Speech”; Melissa Leo, “The Fighter”; Hailee Steinfeld, “True Grit”; Jacki Weaver, “Animal Kingdom.”
The Race So Far: Adams has yet to win anything (although she played wonderfully against type as the brassy barmaid). Steinfeld is excellent, but while a young un’ getting an Oscar for her debut isn’t unprecedented, it is rare (although sympathetic voters may vote for her anyway, feeling she was under-nominated for what’s clearly a lead). Jackie Weaver’s only prize came from the anti-commercial L.A. crowd; Bonham Carter predictably nabbed one from her subjects at BAFTA.
No, clearly Leo is far out in front on this one, with wins at the Golden Globes, the New York critics and SAG (which carries extra weight, as performers make up the largest contingent of Oscar voters). The only question is if the actress hurt herself by getting a little pushy, taking out ads in the trades to ask for votes.
Who Will Win: Melissa Leo
Who Should Win: Amy Adams
OUR COMPLETE OSCAR COVERAGE
BEST ACTOR
The Field: Javier Bardem, “Biutiful”; Jeff Bridges, “True Grit”; Jesse Eisenberg, “The Social Network”; Colin Firth, “The King’s Speech”; James Franco, “127 Hours.”
The Race So Far: Apart from Paul Giamatti’s win for “Barney’s Version” at the Golden Globes — the only contest to have a separate comedy/musical category — this has been all-Firth, all-the-time. He not only won the best-actor-in-a-drama prize at the Globes, he also picked up the lead male prizes at SAG, BAFTA, New York and, yes, even contrarian Los Angeles. Plus, Firth has been doing this for decades, he should have won last year (for “A Single Man”) and he gives the most charming acceptance speeches around. This race? As Bardem himself said, in “No Country for Old Men” — “Call it.”
Who Will Win: Colin Firth
Who Should Win: Colin Firth
BEST ACTRESS
The Field: Annette Bening, “The Kids Are All Right”; Nicole Kidman, “Rabbit Hole”; Jennifer Lawrence, “Winter’s Bone”; Natalie Portman, “Black Swan”; Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine.”
The Race So Far: Finally, a genuine competition — and five inarguably terrific performances. But how do the odds stack up? Well, Portman won at SAG, BAFTA, and took the Golden Globes’ drama prize; Bening won in New York, and picked up the Golden Globes’ comedy/musical prize. (The L.A. scribblers, bless them, decided the best actress of the year was Hye-ja Kim, in “Mother.”) Everyone else is excellent, but so far unrewarded — and it’s likely that Lawrence is too young, and Williams’ work too emotionally and literally naked, for their candidacies to take off.
That brings it right back to Bening and Portman, and the same two-woman race it’s been for months. Do Bening’s two previous losses for best actress mean that it’s her time now — or that there’s some strangely strong anti-Annette bloc out there? Will members focus on Portman’s physical transformation (always a plus, particularly for female nominees) or merely write the performance off as a stunt? This may be the night’s first real race.
Who Will Win: Natalie Portman
Who Should Win: Natalie Portman
BEST DIRECTOR
The Field: Darren Aronofsky, “Black Swan”; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “True Grit”; David Fincher, “The Social Network”; Tom Hooper, “The King’s Speech”; David O. Russell, “The Fighter.”
The Race So Far: It’s not surprising Russell hasn’t picked up anything so far — he has a habit of yelling at actors, and “The Fighter” wasn’t particularly prized for its style. Still, nothing for the deliriously stylish Aronofsky? It’s curious — but not quite as curious as the fact the DGA honored Hooper, for a film that’s conventional looking, at best. The obvious big winner so far this season has been the prickly David Fincher, who won directing trophies at the Globes, BAFTA (even over native son Hooper), and from both New York and Los Angeles critics groups (although the equally prickly L.A. contingent made him share with Oliver Assayas, who directed “Carlos”).
Fincher is definitely the smart choice — but Hooper is the emotional one, particularly if voters are already checking off “King’s Speech” nominees left and right. (Meanwhile Fincher’s attempt at damage control — sitting for a big cover story in the Hollywood Reporter — only succeeded in reminding everyone of his “difficult” reputation.) It’s the second neck-and-neck race of the evening, but this may be the decisive stat: since the DGA started passing out prizes in 1949, their pick has won the Oscar all but six times.
Who Will Win: Tom Hooper
Who Should Win: David Fincher
BEST PICTURE
The Field: “Black Swan”; “The Fighter”; “Inception”; “The Kids Are All Right”; “The King’s Speech”; “127 Hours”; “The Social Network”; “Toy Story 3”; “True Grit”; “Winter’s Bone.”
The Race So Far: Not as crowded as you’d think from those 10 titles. “The King’s Speech” won best picture prizes from the Producers Guild and BAFTA, along with the “best ensemble” prize from SAG. “The Social Network” picked up awards from the critics on both coasts, as well as the Golden Globes drama award. “The Kids Are All Right” won the Globes award for best comedy/musical. The rest of the nominees have gone pretty much unnoticed so far, although “The Fighter,” “Toy Story 3,” “Inception” and “True Grit” were all popular favorites.
Expect “Toy Story 3” to win in its animated-film category instead, and this to come down to “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech.” But who has the edge? Traditionally, Academy members have voted for films that end on an upbeat note, which would favor “The King’s Speech”; recently, though, they’ve given the nod to bleaker films like “No Country for Old Men” and “The Hurt Locker,” which would bode well for “The Social Network.” So who will win? In the end — like all of this — it still comes down to a hunch.
What Will Win: “The King’s Speech”
What Should Win: “The Social Network”