Hello from afar, my fellow bloggers. I write my final Oscar-themed blog of 2008 from the capital of the best coffee in the world, Quindío, Colombia. On my week away from the Openfilm headquarters (located in an undisclosed Cyberfilm Paradise), I had two major topics running through my head. #1: Coffee, and #2: the 81st annual Academy Awards. As a Colombian filmmaker, I was in heaven this week. First of all, because I came to this beautiful country to shoot a video of the entire coffee cultivating-to-packaging process, from growing the coffee beans on the lavish Colombian fields 1400 feet above sea level in the beautiful lands just above the vast Amazon, and finally to the final smile of happiness of the java junkies sipping some of the best coffee in the world.

The process that coffee goes through is so complex that I was amazed to see all the work and people that go into getting that tight-sealed bag of coffee that we pick up in our local supermarket. From farmers to massive machines to mother nature... the coffee process is definitely an underestimated composite that many don´t even imagine or appreciate! Soon I will work on this video and post it up on my Openfilm channel for y'all to see what I'm talking about... Stay tuned!

As for watching the Oscars in coffee land, I must admit perhaps it was one of the most frustrating Oscars I've seen. Let me explain. As a filmmaker, I have always looked forward to the Oscars. It's a passion and a thrill that runs through my veins. Every year I try to watch as many nominated films as possible, and then bet on my favorites to win each category. This year I was so into it that I watched every nominated film except The Reader and Frost/Nixon, both of which are on my "To See" list. The Oscars are like a religious ritual for me. I know, it's a little obsessive. I have to listen with complete silence and watch every little detail, in order not to miss a peep. Oscar parties are frustrating because I'm usually screaming at the top of my lungs for everyone to shut up, and end up missing half the show!! Well, this year was no different. Even though I wasn't at a rowdy party, I still found myself screaming at the top of my lungs for people to shut up... in this case, the horrible translators on TV! See, in Colombia the Oscars are presented live on two different channels, but the catch is that there are two translators speaking in Spanish over the original English audio. The translations were truly horrific. They would translate half or a third of what was actually said, then go into their personal opinions of the show and go off on tangents that had nothing to do with anything... on BOTH channels. I kept flipping back and forth to see where the audio was stronger in English so I could grasp what was really being said. The whole experience was frustrating. I can't believe they can't find more efficient translators. I know I could do a much better job. Hmmm... in these times of financial crisis, perhaps I can be a part-time Oscar translator for Latin America! Something to consider!

As for the awards themselves, let me start by saying "WOOOO HOOO PENELOPE!!!!!" The only Latin nominee came out wearing her Oscar Gold, just as I predicted! Congratulations Mamasita! I knew you would win – you deserve it!!

The rest of the awards were great. Most of what I had in mind kind of manifested. I knew Slumdog was gonna be a big winner. The authenticity of this film had all the elements to win it all! I was torn between Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn. I loved both performances and was kinda rooting for Rourke since he'd never been nominated and it was his big comeback. Sean already has his Mystic River statue, so I figured why not share the wealth? But after Penn's acceptance speech I realized that he really deserved this award, because of the message that Hollywood is giving for a much bigger cause, the fight against hatred and the support for equal rights for all human beings. You Go Sean!

Heath Ledger (R.I.P.) was the part where my eyes got teary, I must admit; it was very touching to hear his family accept the award on his behalf.

And Hugh Jackman was a great host... although my favorite is still Ellen Degeneres.

So even though it was a great coffee-filled experience in the Motherland, I will make sure never again to schedule a trip out of the country on the weekend of the Academy Awards!!