Ingvar Kamprad, superentrepreneur & founder of IKEA left us yesterday.

I met the Man, the Myth, the Legend – two times. Yes. He was extraordinary. IKEA was the pilot for the forst AEO programme in the world, The Stairway. iKEA also became the worlds’ first AEO Company globally with the certificate #1. R.I.P.

U2. The biggest rock’n toll band on the planet. Legendary. The soundtrack of my life. Just before the holidays, in December 2017, the band played an exclusive concert for BBC at the Abbey Road Studio in London.

Here is Beautiful Day: Beautiful Day

And they played ‘With or Without You’, the most beautiful love song ever made – that Bono wrote to ud, his fans With or Without You

From the album ‘Songs of Innocence’, they played my favourite song, ‘Every breaking wave’, Every Breaking Wave

The amazing ‘All I Want is You’, one of Bonos best songs: All I Want is You

You say you want diamonds on a ring of gold. You say you want your story to remain untold. But all the promises we made. From the cradle to the grave. When all I want is you.

And they also played a new song from the latest album ‘Songs of Experience’, Get Out of Your Own Way

This was one of the best music experiences I had in 2017. Don’t miss it.

It is soon time for the Academh Awards again. Since I love film this is a highlight of the year.

The 2018 Oscars ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on March 4.

The nominees for the 90th Academy Awards were announced yesterday at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California,

People in the film industry say this is the most unpredictable Oscar season in years. I am personally not so sure of that. I think that the most prestigious awards are rather obvious.

A sign is that Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical fable “The Shape of Water” leading the field with 13 nominations. This is a film you just have to see. It is spectacular. I really like it.

So here are the nominees and my prediction on the winner for the top four categories;

Best Movie:

  • Darkest Hour
  • Dunkirk
  • Phantom Thread
  • Get Out
  • The Post
  • Three billbords outside Ebbing, Missouri
  • The Shape of Water
  • Ladybird
  • Call me by your name

My comments:

With reservation for not having seen Call me by your name, I think that The Shape of Water, Phantom Thread, The Post and Darkest Hour were the best movies last year. I hated Dunkirk that was hugely disapointing. Get Out was a good movie, but in this competition – I am afraid not.

And the Oscar goes to…..

My prediction: The Post

My wish: The Shape of Water or Darkest Hour

Best Director

  • Paul Thomas Anderson for Phantom Thread
  • Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water
  • Christopher Nolan for Dunkirk
  • Greta Gerwig for Ladybird
  • Jordan Peele for Get Out

My comments:

Even though I always love the work and handicraft of Paul Thomas Anderson – it has to be Guillermo del Toro.

And the Oscar goes to…..

My prediction: Christopher Nolan

My wish: Guillermo del Toro

Best Male Actor in a leading role

  • Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
  • Timothee Chalamey, Call me by your name
  • Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
  • Daniel Day-Lewis
  • Denzel Washington, Roman J Israel

My comments:

Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman. What a perfomance. He is Winston Churchill. Obsolutely outstanding. Best performance since Dustin Hoffman in RainMan.

This said, Daniel Day-Lewis is always Oscar class. The best now living actor – since Philip Seymore-Hoffman decided to leave us – in his last performance.

And the Oscar goes to…..

My prediction: Gary Oldman

My wish: Gary Oldman

Best Female Actor in a leading role

  • Meryl Streep, The Post
  • Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
  • Margot Robbey, I Tonya
  • Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
  • Frances McDormand, Three billbords outside Ebbing, Missouri

My comments:

It should be Meryl Streep. It very likely could be (unfortunately) an outrageously over playing Frances McDermand.

And the Oscar goes to…..

My prediction: Frances McDermand

My wish: Meryl Streep