Over at IGN, there's an excellent roundtable (for paying Insiders only, unfortunately) about PC adventure games. Wise words are spoken, and it's heartening to see such great fondness for the genre amongst IGN's writers and editors.  ¶ 12:16   

  I didn't have the opportunity to attend GDC - the Game Developers Conference - this year, which was unfortunate. Being located in Norway means that I'm outside the industry loop, and even though Oslo has many benefits (it's not just expensive and cold), location isn't necessarily one of them. Which means that, outside of E3 (which is all work-work-work anyway), I don't often get to mingle and mix with fellow developers. GDC is a great place to meet up, hang out, and learn from your peers. And there were certainly talks that I would have liked to attend; Tim Schafer's Adventures in Character Design in particular. I have loads of respect for 'Tim' (since we haven't been introduced, I hesitate to use his first name without 'indicating' 'ironic' 'distance'), and he's probably the funniest game designer around. Day of the Tentacle is also The Best Game Ever Made. It would have been a treat to sit in on his talk, but alas, sometimes Oslo is so very, very far from California.

Weather: Spring has hit like a laser-guided missile, and Oslo has been liberated from its icy prison. It's been awfully beautiful these past few days, and we now have six months of Pretty Good Weather to look forward to. If it weren't for the remaining six months of the year, I'd be happy. For now, I'll just appreciate the long, sunny days, and try to ignore the fact that snowfall in April isn't all that rare.

During the next month (or so) I'll try and post some pictures from my Japan trip. We met this nice gentleman while strolling through a park just north of Shibuya on a slightly chilly Sunday:



This street was lined with bands and musicians competing for people's attention. Some enjoyed a certain degree of success, while others sang bravely to a crowd of none. The quality of the music was mixed, to say the least, but points for enthusiasm and sheer bravery - when you can't hit a single note, kudos for standing up and singing in public. I'll post a few more pictures of these up-and-coming pop stars tomorrow.  ¶ 23:08   

  So, what exactly does 'other' entail?

Prolonged absences certainly aren't conducive to a reliable and stable Blog, and when people start a forum thread theorising on the reasons behind your apparent disappearance, you know you've been negligent. As before, other concerns and responsibilities have laid claim to my increasingly limited free time, and Blogging - always a pleasant diversion, but a diversion nonetheless - becomes the unfortunate victim of circumstance.

Nevertheless, I am returned...at least for a couple of days. This Thursday I leave for New York, and I while I will have the opportunity to post from time to time, it won't be a daily thing. In fact, between now and the end of May, I'll be spending more time On the Road than at home. Which means that I'll certainly update 'Voyage' whenever my schedule allows it, but that's about all I can promise.

And for those who naturally fret: don't. Dreamfall is alive and well. As a matter of fact, it won't be long now before we shed some sunlight on juicy details - and screens - from the game. Edge of seat; say hello.  ¶ 15:08   

  Back from Japan, back to reality. Had an absolutely amazing time, and I'm definitely going back as soon as possible. I'll write more when I'm past the exhaustion, the jet lag, and a stunningly busy week.

This is absolutely and horribly frightening on so many levels. And they're getting closer. Eek.  ¶ 18:49   

  A short blog from Tokyo, where I'm currently at an Internet cafe in Shibuya. We're having a blast: the city is amazing, and despite the fact that absolutely no one (it seems) speaks English, we're able to get around quite easily. Our biggest challenge is eating; we're totally dependent on pictures to order anything, so text-only menus are out of the question.

Today we've visited the Imperial Palace (or as close as its possible to get), and now Shibuya. We're going to walk around the neighbourhood, and then head up to Shinjuku for a while, before returning to the other side of the city. On Monday we're going to Kyoto for a short visit, using the bullet train to get there.

Back to sightseeing!  ¶ 06:04   

  There's water on Mars! Well, not exactly: there was water on Mars - but it's still pretty exciting news. The question of whether or not there is - or has ever been - life on other planets has not yet been answered, but it's now quite possible that there may have been 'Martians' (though probably not crabs) at some point in the distant past. If anything, this ought to justify NASA's decision to send a manned craft to the Red Planet; to perhaps find the evidence necessary to support the speculation: "We are not alone." Okay, so our cousins out there may have been nothing but single cell microorganisms; but, hey, family is family.  ¶ 20:43   

  Well, then. Here we are. Best flick. And it's a foregone conclusion, it really is.

Clean sweep! Woohoo! The Return of the King walks away with eleven awards, including, yes kiddies: Best picture. And they're bringing everyone up, the whole damn troupe. So happy about this. Yay!

Phew. Long night. I might get a few hours of shut-eye if I try, but I don't know if it's such a good idea.  ¶ 06:09   

  We've come to Actress in a Leading Role, and Charlize Theron is pretty much guaranteed to win this one. Haven't seen her performance, and I can't comment, but I can't see how it could surpass Keisha Castle-Hughes in Whale Rider or Naomi Watts in 21 Grams.

Well. Yes. Predictable. And, ooh, she's being emotional. Who'd have guessed? (And she's thanking her lawyer. Her lawyer.)

Come on, Bill Murray, Bill Murray, Bill Murray... Johnny Depp could conceivably walk away with this one; after all, his nomination was a bit of a surprise.

What?! Sean Penn? Uh. No. Wrong. Bill Murray did look beaten there for a second; he probably expected this one, and he deserved it. Penn overacted his way through Mystic River, and did a much, much better job in 24 Grams. Surprise decision.  ¶ 06:03   

  Best director...Peter Jackson! Not totally surprising, but still a relief; it's an award for all three movies, and while that may be slightly unfair to the other nominees, it's still totally and completely deserved. And it's not like Peter's going to be nominated for King Kong...well, you never know. A moving speech - thanking his parents for the movie camera. Sigh. He's one of us, you know.  ¶ 05:45   

  Now, original screenplay, a more mixed category, but I think Lost in Translation is a shoe-in.

Yup! Sofia Coppola won't win best director or best movie, but this is as good an award as any. After all, writers rule the world. (Yes, we do.) Bill Murray will grab best actor as well, but the rest of the night belongs to the One Ring.  ¶ 05:36   

  Adapted screenplay - this will be interesting. Great movies, all of them (except for Mystic River, which was merely average), but I am, of course, hoping for...yes! The Return of the King. Wheee! Well deserved, I'd say, even in such good company.  ¶ 05:32   

  Will Ferrell and Jack Black, adding lyrics to the 'get-off-the-stage' music; amazingly funny. Top stuff, best presenters this evening.

Into the West; at last Fran Walsh gets some public recognition (although she doesn't exactly appear to embrace it). Ooh, they tried to play her off, but she got to do her Thing. Good for her. (Okay, so unless you're actually watching the show, this stuff will so not make sense.)  ¶ 05:27   

  Score. Howard Shore. Yay. His work on LOTR has improved with every movie.

Editing - ditto. The streak continues. Let's hope it goes all the way to the top.

Oooh, finally a great musical number. From A Mighty Wind; 'A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow', totally in character. I sure hope this one wins. (Also a great movie, by the way.)

Trust the French to be different. God bless 'em.  ¶ 05:07   

  I am sooo sleepy. In the last half hour, not a single major award has been handed out. Why-oh-why do I stay up all night to watch this? (Except to catch a glimpse of Scarlett Johansson, of course. She's classy and beautiful; I was totally spellbound by her performance in Lost in Translation. Too bad she wasn't nominated.)

While we're biding our time: This weekend I was lucky enough to see two great, great movies; 21 Grams and Big Fish - two movies that couldn't be more different, but which were both exceptional emotional experiences. The former was totally harrowing in a way that you rarely see on the big screen (some scenes were so personal, it was hard to watch), while the latter was sweetly romantic and sentimental in just the right ways - and also a return to form for Tim Burton, who was responsible for giving birth to that stinking turd, Planet of the Apes. Two more additions to my 'best of' list for 2003.  ¶ 04:48   

  At least it appears there will be a sweep of the technical awards for LOTR. Good. Let's hope it carries over to the big ones.  ¶ 04:05   

  Ah, Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller - always reliable comedy. They were the only good thing about that red carpet travesty, and they put together a great introduction to the Shorts categories.

(Oh no: Sting! The curse of any awards show.)

Every year I wonder why the show has to go on for hours and hours and hours. Two would be plenty enough; move some of the technical awards away from the main show, cut the schtick and the musical numbers, and you'd end up with a tight and entertaining event. I mean, no one appreciates these bloated epics - at least not when they're being broadcast on a Sunday night. (I have to be at work in five hours. God.)

At least it looks as though they're doing all the musical numbers in one go - which is good. Less time wasted. (Fingers crossed for Annie Lennox and Into the West; beautiful song.) Uh, nope, they only did three of 'em. Oh well.  ¶ 03:49   

  Bit of trivia for ya: There's a five second broadcast delay in the US, but abroad - at least on Swedish TV (where I'm watching the show) - we don't get that delay, so we're slightly ahead of you guys on the other side of the Atlantic.

Actress in a Supporting Role...again, I haven't seen most of these; in fact, aside from Marcia Gay Harden's, I haven't seen any of these performances. So - no guesses.

Zellweger; if I'd had any basis for guessing, I'd have guessed she'd get it. (A single "thanks" would be classy, y'know? Really don't have to thank everyone.)  ¶ 03:22   

  Best animated flick; I haven't seen Brother Bear or Triplets, so...Nemo? Most likely.

Two for two, but not a tough guess. Huge box office + critical acclaim = automatic Oscar.

Funny bit with Crystal and Robin Williams, although the latter does grate very quickly these days. And so far the show has been ho-hum, garden variety, pleasantly diverting...just the way it's supposed to be, I guess.  ¶ 03:08   

  Here we go:

Not a bad entrance by Billy Crystal - was it me, or did his voice sound froggy? - and we're right into Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Haven't seen all of these flicks, so I can't offer an informed opinion, but Benicio and Tim Robbins were both great. (My money's on the latter.)

Yup. Tim Robbins. He's a solid actor, and he did a great job in Mystic River, a movie that I was otherwise quite disappointed with.

Just an FYI: I'll usually file my posts during the commercial breaks, and I'll only offer my running 'commentary' for the larger categories.  ¶ 02:53