Live-blogging the Oscars
5:15 p.m.: We're only 10 minutes away from the opening, so here it is, folks: the Beehive's live Oscar blog. Come hang out with me for the next three (or four or five) hours as we navigate through potentially hazardous waters, what with all of the "surprises" being promised by the producers of this year's ceremony. Beehiver Kathy Mahan, our fashion czarina, says that the biggest question so far this evening is about Miley Cyrus' dress:
The debate raging here is whether Miley looks good or bad. I think bad, and way too old. Others here think she looks age appropriate. Anyone else have an opinion?
Kathy, I think Miley's dress looks like a diagram from my junior high-school physical sciences textbook from the chapter on rock striations.
Anyway, folks, let's get this show on the road. Shift on over to this live blog as we dissect this year's show. Join us in the comments section. It's guaranteed to make the show go faster!
5:25 p.m.: Could Tim Gunn say the word "glorious" perhaps just one more time? Then I think he'd hit the century mark.
5:30 p.m.: And ... we're off. Hugh Jackman is doing a Billy Crystal-style musical-tribute opening number to the best-picture nominees. Just sang to Kate Winslet that he'd swim a sea of "human excrement" to be with her.
5:34 p.m.: Did Hugh just sing "pubic hair"?
5:38 p.m.: OK, I'm going out on a limb here and giving the opening number a ... thumbs up. Maybe it's just the Broadway geek in me. But bringing Anne Hathaway up on stage for the very funny "Frost/Nixon" routine was a master stroke. Rather than try to go for slick, Jackman went for homespun silly. I thought it was hilarious -- especially the cardboard Oscars. Way to go, Hugh.
5:43 a.m.: Five former best supporting actresses (Tilda Swinton, Goldie Hawn, Anjelica Huston, Whoopi Goldberg, and who was the last one?) are up on stage -- part of a pattern that I think we'll be seeing tonight in which groups of former winners present awards. This scores big points for sentimental purposes, but it's a little bit of a letdown for last year's winner. Not sure how I think about this yet, but, I have to say that the format seems fresh, heartfelt and spontaneous -- a lot warmer than just showing clips of the nominated performances. We'll see how it wears as the evening goes on.
5:50 p.m.: The supporting actress award goes to Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." I liked that she worked in a thank-you to famed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, who really gave her such a tremendous career boost. But did I miss her thank-you for Woody Allen, who directed "Vicky"?
5:56 p.m.: "Milk" picks up the original screenplay award. Heartfelt speech from Dustin Lance Black, who gives a rousing plea for gay marriage.
6:01 p.m.: "Slumdog Millionaire" begins what might very well be its stampede toward the finish line with a win for adapted screenplay.
6:05 p.m.: More on the "Milk" screenplay win: It truly was a beautiful speech. A momentary tangent: Earlier today, in my pre-Oscar blog entry, I posted a link to a blog item about the nervousness that Hollywood is feeling about how well the show tonight will do in the ratings. What jarred me was the reader response to that blog. Hundreds of people got on the comments section and pretty much cheered the downfall of the Oscars. Let 'em crash and burn, they said. The movie business deserves to fail because of its liberal leanings, and that includes movies like "Milk," they said. It was a sobering experience.
6:06 p.m.: Best animated feature. Could it have been anything but "WALL-E."?
6:19 p.m. Art direction goes to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." No surprise there. Though the film got the most nominations, it'll probably get just a few small awards.
6:21 p.m.: Costume design: "The Duchess." Ho-hum. Another period piece. To me, it's a lot more impressive when a film manages to completely immerse an audience in a recent era, such as the way "Milk" recreated the 1970s. I did like the way that the "Duchess" winner, Michael O'Connor, dissed the Oscar orchestra for not playing the music that went with the film.
6:24 p.m.: Worst speech of the night so far goes to Greg Cannom, winner for makeup design for "Benjamin Button". Not only did he launch into a monotone laundry list of names, he paused and gulped in the middle in a way that made you think he was going to have a heart attack.
6:33 p.m.: Ben Stiller gets some laughs going with a beard that, in the words of Natalie Portman, makes him look like a Hasidic meth-lab operator. Now he's wandering around on stage looking at the clips for the cinematography nominees.
6:35 p.m.: "Slumdog Millionaire" picks up the cinematography award. Though "Button" has snagged several of the other technical awards, I'd say this signifies the "Slumdog" juggernaut is right on schedule. But you do have to wonder about poor "The Dark Knight," which got raves for its cinematography.
6:39 p.m.: I thought Jessica Biel, doing the tech awards blurb, was wearing a towel.
6:44 p.m.: The James Franco-Seth Rogen comedy bit -- in character from "Pineapple Express" -- is a scream. (The idea is that they've just rented a bunch of DVDs from the video store and are "watching" various nominees on the tube.) Two best parts: when they both laugh hysterically at "The Reader" and are touched beyond belief by the Franco-Sean Penn screen kiss in "Milk." For those keeping track, that's the second on-screen male kiss at this year's ceremony: Take that, Oscar haters.
6:54 p.m.: I don't get this second musical production number. It's supposed to be a salute to the recent success of movie musicals, but is Hugh Jackman actually singing "You're the One That I Want" from "Grease" with Beyonce? And now they're sticking the poor stars of "Mamma Mia" and "High School Musical" in silly top hats and making them dance. The first musical bit that opened the show worked because it wasn't supposed to be slick. This one, was, well, just sort of mundane. And I feel sorry for Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfried, of "Mamma Mia," for missing out on the obvious Abba possibilities.
6:59 p.m.: Turns out Baz Luhrmann choreographed the thing. Perhaps they got a little too fancy with this one.
7:07 p.m.: The supporting actor award is up. It's the same format at supporting actress, with past nominees such as Alan Arkin, Joel Grey, Christopher Walken and Cuba Gooding Jr. on stage. I don't like the format as much as the first time around -- the sentiments seem a little forced and "written." And why is Philip Seymour Hoffman wearing a ski cap?
7:09 p.m.: And the winner is Heath Ledger, of course. His parents and sister, accepting on his behalf, offer a subdued response. For all that people had been crowing about how touching and heartfelt this moment would be -- and it's been talked about since the day of Ledger's death -- the moment wasn't captured very well on television. Perhaps you had to be in the auditorium to get the impact.
7:16 p.m.: One of the documentary winners just balanced the Oscar on his nose. Is that a brilliant marketing move or what? Now he'll be one of the photo stars of the evening, with photo editors opting for the "different" shot. Gotta love those documentarians.
7:29 p.m.: Some more technical awards: "Benjamin Button" for visual effects (a no-brainer), "Dark Knight" for sound editing and "Slumdog Millionaire" for sound mixing.
7:35 p.m.: "Slumdog Millionaire" picks up another technical award, for film editing. Lots of happy folks in India.
7:36 p.m.: Beehive reader Tudor S. points out that the documentary winner I mentioned was the main subject of "Man on Wire," the winning film, "an inspirational man who deserves all the glory and more." Thanks for the info, Tudor. I didn't get a chance to see that film yet.
7:46 p.m.: A VERY nice tribute to Jerry Lewis. Short, sweet and not too sentimental.
7:47 p.m.: Hey, I'm still perplexed by the Philip Seymour Hoffman ski cap. Did I miss something? Did he have recent surgery or something? Isn't that weird to be wearing a hat inside, especially at a formal event?
7:52 p.m.: The Academy orchestra is serenading with nominated scores -- and I have to say that I'm really partial to "Milk," a beautiful score by Danny Elfman (and one that is on top rotation on my iPod), though I'm sure "Slumdog" will get the nod.
7:54 p.m.: I'm right about "Slumdog" and the score. How much you want to bet it'll pick up another for original song?
8 p.m.: Now THAT was a production number. Emotive, dynamic, relevant. A.R. Rahman from "Slumdog Millionaire" picks up the original song award. What a great speechmaker he is: "All my life I had a choice between hate and love. And I chose love."
8:03 p.m.:At this point, if "Slumdog" doesn't win, it'll be a huge upset. You know, it's been interesting these past few days/weeks as I've read stories about "Slumdog's" ascendancy in the eyes of Oscar handicappers. I understand there are mixed feelings in India about the American success of this film: pride at world recognition but annoyance at the depiction of slums in Mumbai. It'll be interesting to see what the reaction in India will be at the film's almost certain triumph at the conclusion of this evening. Personally, i didn't walk away from "Slumdog Millionaire" with the feeling that poverty had been played for cheap effect or overplayed in any way. If anything, I thought "slumdog" presented an optimistic, forward-looking view of India.
8:07 p.m.: "Departures" wins for foreign film. This seems to be a pretty big upset. Most prognosticators had seemed to predict a win for Israel's "Waltz with Bashir.""
8:10 p.m.: The Deceased Oscar Roll. Gets me every year. I always stop what I'm doing and watch the whole segment uninterrupted.
8:15 p.m.: What a botched Oscar moment. The list of deceased members of the film community was hard to read and horribly presented. The camera jerked around, making it hard to read the names. A real flub in an otherwise extremely smooth ceremony.
8:20 p.m.: And the best director is ... Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire." He jumps up and down at the podium three times. This was the man, after all, who brought us the indelible "Trainspotting." It's nice that he gives a shout-out to the city of Mumbai.
8:28 p.m.: Best actress: I am pulling so hard for Melissa Leo, of "Frozen River," so hard you can't imagine.
8:31 p.m: I am LOVING this format for the acting awards. Especially the women. I thought it was really moving. And the winner is: Kate Winslet for "The Reader."
8:35 p.m.: Winslet's speech: warm, amusing, heartfelt. And she even got a few thank-yous in, too. Starting off by thanking her mother and father, she asks him to whistle so she knows where he's sitting in the audience. Sweet.
8:42 p.m.: Best actor: And the winner is Sean Penn. Wow. That's a surprise. Is there just a teensy chance that "Milk" could squeak through for best pic? Penn is clearly shocked. "You Commie, homo-loving sons of guns. I did not expect this," he says. Plus, he gets in a strong plug for gay marriage and alludes to protestors outside the Kodak Theatre.
8:48 p.m.: More Penn: He wasn't up against anyone from "Slumdog Millionaire," so I'm guessing this was a way for the Academy to honor both "Milk" and "Slumdog." All I know is that there are going to be a lot of conservative blogs doing some more Academy-bashing tomorrow.
8:53 p.m.: And ... it's "Slumdog" for best pic. And let's just say that a whole bunch of people just swarmed the stage, and a whole lot of people in India are doubtlessly quite excited. More cute kids than you've ever seen at one time on a podium. What a night for this little sparkplug of a movie.
9 p.m.: Final thoughts: I liked this year's show. I thought it had nice rhythm, didn't drag much and built up nicely to the inevitable "Slumdog" sweep. The so-called "surprises" promised by the producers weren't all that substantive, of course -- they were more like tweaks -- but I did think that the telecast had greater warmth than in years past. Hugh Jackman seemed like a fairly insignificant presence, especially after all that hoopla. Other than that cute opening musical number, we didn't really see much of Jackman. (Well, then there was that unfortunate second musical number, which we'd rather forget.) Instead, the format for the acting awards -- in which some of the great past Oscar winners came back and personally addressed each nominee individually from the stage -- turned out to be one of the dominant emotional arcs of the evening.
I also liked the understated but spiffy way that the ceremony was jazzed up technologically. It reminded me of the way that museums today have spruced up their displays and modified the presentation of exhibits to appeal to a more attention-deficient, visually oriented culture. For example, I loved how the screenwriting awards integrated bits of the scripts themselves with the clips.
As for the winners themselves: My two favorite films of the year were "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire." So I'm pretty happy tonight. Thanks for hanging out with me! Feel free to add your own final thoughts in the comments section.
Comments:
This opening bit is BRUTAL. So bad. I'm embarrassed and terrified and disgusted all at the same time. Please end it. Please. I'd rather be watching Ryan Seacrest...
Posted by: DChild at February 22, 2009 5:36 PM
I thought it was pretty funny.
Posted by: Mike Oz at February 22, 2009 5:39 PM
@dchild: i wholeheartedly disagree.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 5:40 PM
Did michel Gondry have something to do with the opening?
I for one loved it, Hugh is going to be great!
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 5:42 PM
Uhhhh, if they're going to take this long to give out each award ... I got some "Criminal Minds" on the DVR ..
Posted by: Mike Oz at February 22, 2009 5:48 PM
how many supporting actress oscars have gone to women in woody allen films? weist (twice), sorvino, cruz ... am i missing anyone?
whoopi's intro was funny, but i wouldve preferred clips.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 5:50 PM
@Mike: I'm guessing they'll only do it for the four acting awards, Mike. Otherwise, we'll be here until Monday.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 5:51 PM
Miley is how old? She looks about 35 here!
Posted by: pk at February 22, 2009 5:53 PM
I thought it was recycled...been there, done that. Maybe I just miss having a comedian hosting...
And as for the format, I'm going to hold off on evaluating that. It did have some more sentiment, for sure, but it was rather cumbersome too.
Posted by: DChild at February 22, 2009 5:56 PM
I liked the introduction. It was funny. But I disagree with Penelope Cruz winning. She didn't even show up until the second half of the movie. I vote for Tarij P. Henson. Oh well.
Posted by: Tiffany at February 22, 2009 5:58 PM
milk screenwriter: what a great speech. i mean, seriously.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 6:00 PM
had adams and in bruges and im 1-3 so far. thanks, slumdog.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 6:02 PM
I haven't seen enough of the films to know for sure, but it seemed like the adapted screenplay category was much stronger than the original screenplay category. Wonder if that says anything about how hard it is to sell an original idea right now in Hollywood...
Posted by: DChild at February 22, 2009 6:03 PM
What is Tilda Swinton wearing?
Posted by: Michelle Renee at February 22, 2009 6:05 PM
These acceptance speeches have been heavy so far.
Too bad Jack Black is an idiot.
Posted by: tracy at February 22, 2009 6:11 PM
So far 2-2.... supporting actress and screenplay... Figured Penelope would win based on the "Woody Allen" factor... but then again, I remembered her character a hell of a lot more than the others in the movie.
Posted by: lizzie at February 22, 2009 6:15 PM
Jennifer A. lots of cut aways to brad and angie ooooo the gossip! the soap opera!!
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 6:20 PM
Holy cow, this Twilight guy is creepy looking. No wonder he played a vampire.
Posted by: Jason at February 22, 2009 6:26 PM
@Jason: I agree re the "Twilight" guy. I wasn't sure if he was actually alive.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 6:32 PM
hasidic methlab lol
Posted by: Michelle Renee at February 22, 2009 6:34 PM
Didn't get it with Ben Stiller... Slumdog continues to Rule!!!!
Posted by: lizzie at February 22, 2009 6:35 PM
Jessica Biel: What is that you are wearing? A shower curtain. Yuck is the word.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 6:40 PM
the best thing about slumdog was the photography so well deserved, wish that was the last award it wins. But I wanted Dark Knight to win something!
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 6:40 PM
wow.....actors making fun of actors? ( B. Stiller/J.Phoenix) surprising!
Posted by: pk at February 22, 2009 6:42 PM
Jessica Beil's dress looks like she is hiding her underdeveloped siamese twin.
Posted by: Michelle Renee at February 22, 2009 6:43 PM
Lizzie: Ben Stiller was doing a take-off on Joaquin Phoenix's drug-or-space-addled appearance on Letterman recently.
Donald: Here you are. I was talking to myself in another place.:) Penelope did thank Woody - I missed it, too, but read it online - he was basicaly the first person she thanked. Oh and the other former supporting actress was Eva Marie Saint.
Will: I think you covered the Woody supporting actresses. Oh wait, did Meryl win one for him too? Some actors, too - Michael Caine ("Hannah") and ... ?
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 6:46 PM
a lot of dramatic lighting for the presenters and winners. loved the stiller/phoenix bit.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 6:49 PM
my votes for hosts next year: seth rogan and james franco. just have fun with the whole thing.
classic bit with him in milk.
hated biel's dress. that tech thing did allow me to fastforward and catch up.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 6:53 PM
its gotta be hard for jackman to sing live while beyonce is so obviously lip-synching. i guess its like most cgi movies, or baseball players who arent on the same team as alex rodriguez.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 6:58 PM
Beyonce good as was Jackman ....she could sing all those songs well, but the cuts were too severe, and rapid, 8 bars with dancing is just not enough....too frenetic.
Posted by: pk at February 22, 2009 7:01 PM
OIC... Didn't watch Joaquin Phoenix, so that 'splains it! Yes! Christopher Walken!
Posted by: lizzie at February 22, 2009 7:04 PM
someone needs to tell kevin kline that the mustache by itself is not a good look anymore. i wonder if theyre gonna threaten to play off the ledger family.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:11 PM
Geez, that's the second time I've been brought to tears tonight (the Milk writer's speech being the first, and now the Ledger family). Very poignant.
On a lighter note, Will, I agree, I'd love to see James Franco and Seth Rogen host the whole thing! Is James Franco the perfect stoner or what?
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 7:13 PM
my brother just texted me: "why so serious?"
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:13 PM
No one cares about your movie Mahr, stop pushing it.
Posted by: Michael at February 22, 2009 7:14 PM
Is it just me, or have the last 2 award presenters not even looked inside the envelope when announcing the winners?
Posted by: Tracy at February 22, 2009 7:16 PM
Whoever slotted Bill Maher after the Ledger moment should never work in Hollywood again. Wow.
Posted by: DChild at February 22, 2009 7:18 PM
@Will: Re the Kline mustache: But who knows? They'll be back in one day. And goatees will seem horribly dated. Maybe we're seeing the beginning of a trend!
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 7:19 PM
what happened to the dramatic pause between "the oscar goes to" and ...? i know theyre trying to preserve each second, but come on.
also, pretty impressive with the balancing of the oscar, presumably never having tried it before. did you see his buddy? he was like, dude - dont drop my oscar in front of millions.
went 2-for-2 with doc categories. woo hoo.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:19 PM
There always has to be a downer part of the Oscars. Now, let's get back to the fun.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 7:21 PM
@michael I care about bill's movie, it was funny and much needed!
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 7:23 PM
@Donald Munro. One of the documentary winners? That was the main subject of Man On Wire, an inspirational man who deserves all the glory and more
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 7:27 PM
wow, the producers really screwed the pooch with having will smith the action star talk a lot about action and effects and then the award goes to ... benjamin button.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:36 PM
The mashup on musicals was something I thought AAs had vowed never to do again. Pure soul-sucking smarm.
OTOH, balancing Oscar upside-down on da chin? Win!
Posted by: Jody at February 22, 2009 7:41 PM
@Will: But you have to admit that the effects in "Button" WERE pretty spectacular.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 7:42 PM
OK, Will Smith needs to be the next Oscars host. He's funny and charming and could totally do it.
Posted by: Bethany Clough at February 22, 2009 7:42 PM
@Jody: And to think that they passed up the chance to do an amazing Abba tribute. That would have had the crowd hopping. Here's the problem: Hugh Jackman just isn't that great of a musical star. He got through "The Boy from Oz" on Broadway with star power alone, and while I don't deny that he has a big presence on stage and is a fairly good dancer, he couldn't pull something like this off.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 7:45 PM
the editing award makes it's official: slumdog milanare will win best picture.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:46 PM
I was having fun ... but Jerry was boring.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 7:47 PM
@donald, 7:42: i dont have to admit anything.
and i think hugh is dreamy as host. btw, where has he been for the past hour?
at least jon stewart would come on to make jokes.
(random jerry lewis fact: dude never wears a pair of socks twice.)
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 7:49 PM
@Donald: But I'd rather watch Hugh doing this than another boring comedian die from lack of good jokes at this point.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 7:50 PM
Seymour wears the cap because his hair is super wild. He's in the middle of production of some movie that requires his locks to be super crazy.
Posted by: Marcos at February 22, 2009 7:54 PM
@Marcos: Thanks for the info. I knew there had to be some reason beyond just a fashion statement.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 8:00 PM
i like the slumdog music guy. he's so humble during his acceptance speech for score and then rocks out less than a minute as the vocalist for the first of his songs.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 8:00 PM
Seriously,this show is flowing just fine with a largely absent host. I'm thinking back to Ellen DeGeneres trying to wring jokes out of a gag with a vacuum cleaner and cringing.
Posted by: Jason at February 22, 2009 8:02 PM
Queen Latifa looks good in that dress.
Complain among my friends is that they aren't running every name of the dead full screen.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:15 PM
I could look at Paul clips all night.
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 8:15 PM
Sid Ganis really isn't speaking? Phew!
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:18 PM
Best news ever: The AA prez skipping his speech. This show is now officially the best yet.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:19 PM
I love Reese Witherspoon but not sure I like that intense a color on her - esp. with the matching eye makeup. And what are those black straps? Maybe without those... Oh wow, we're at director already? My attention faded. Ah, Danny Boyle. Figured as much. It's a Slumdog slam.
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 8:20 PM
Yeah, Danny, I guess you would think it's a good show! Loved the Tigger. And the embarrassed girls are cute.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:22 PM
I'm stunned that Waltz With Bashir didn't win. Wow! But I haven't seen the others so I can't at much other then Waltz is brillant and original.
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 8:24 PM
Time to channel The Office: Hillary Swank ... hot or not? That episode was so funny.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:26 PM
Who says actresses don't age gorgeously (Sophia!)?
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 8:27 PM
Halle Berry looks great. Maybe the best of the night.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:29 PM
Maybe it would be better if I was watching on a big screen, but it seems like a lot of segments - like the retrospective of the folks who have passed, were filmed too far away. Perhaps for the folks in the audience, not on the screen?
Posted by: Cynthia at February 22, 2009 8:29 PM
Wow! Halle looks fantastic.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:29 PM
Too bad Jen hasn't won an Oscar. Would've been interesting to see her pay tribute to Angie. Meow.
Posted by: mberry at February 22, 2009 8:32 PM
Um what happened to Sophia Loren?
Posted by: Michael at February 22, 2009 8:32 PM
Sorry, Donald - it was just one of those years when someone was a lock. You can't say Winslet isn't deserving though.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:36 PM
@Michael: Sophia is 75.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:37 PM
Oh c'mon Michael, she's like 80, isn't she? 70, at least.
Posted by: mberry at February 22, 2009 8:38 PM
Shout out to Mr. Hand.
Posted by: Kathy at February 22, 2009 8:40 PM
@Marty: I'm happy for Kate, even though "The Reader" wasn't my favorite film. I think in this case it's more for a body of work.
Posted by: Donald Munro at February 22, 2009 8:41 PM
The women do this bit better - but DeNiro was funny.
Posted by: Marty at February 22, 2009 8:42 PM
Whew! I did not know who would win that. I haven't seen The WRestler, but I was so pulling for Sean.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:43 PM
@Donald. Oh, agreed.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:44 PM
Go, SEan!!
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:46 PM
Go sean!!! Great performance
Too bad for rourke I wanted him to win, we missed out on a great speech.
Posted by: Tudor S. at February 22, 2009 8:48 PM
I don't like the way they're introducing Best Pic.
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:51 PM
It is written.
Posted by: Michael at February 22, 2009 8:54 PM
Anyone know who's doing that Dylan song? (Leopard-Skin PIllbox Hat)
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 8:58 PM
Marty: it's Beck. From the War Child: Heroes compilation out on Tues.
Posted by: Tracy at February 22, 2009 9:05 PM
yay for winslet not crying, yay for penn doing his own version of newsom's "whether you like it or not" and ok, yay for slumdog.
i was thinking frost/nixon was gonna make a surprise play there for a minute.
Posted by: will at February 22, 2009 9:10 PM
I agree with Marty - just show clips of the movies that are nominated.
Posted by: Cynthia at February 22, 2009 9:14 PM
@Tudor: I don't think Rourke could've topped his show-stealing performance at the Spirit Awards from yesterday, anyway.
Posted by: Jason at February 22, 2009 9:56 PM
@Tracy: Of course! Thanks so much!
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 9:58 PM
Mickey on Baba Wawa, speaking about the Oscar: "You can't eat it, you can't bleep it and it won't get you into heaven, soo.."
Posted by: marty at February 22, 2009 10:09 PM
For an Oscar show with no surprises (Mickey Rourke came up short in the Best Actor category), I thought the telecast was one of the better attempts in the post-Billy Crystal era. Hugh Jackman was charming and funny and, for me, an engaging song-and-dance man. I enjoyed the opening number, with a nice surprise performance from Anne Hathaway. However, the musical number later in the show with lip-syncing Beyonce, for all its over-the-top quality, felt stilted and messy as it tried to jam in way too much.
Worst speech of the night? That guy who won for Best Makeup. How many names did he cram into his speech? Names that nobody cared about. A gracious "thank you" would have been so much better.
Most awkward moment of the night? The camera shots of Angelina Jolie and then later Angelina and Brad Pitt when his ex Jennifer Aniston was on stage to present a couple of awards. Brangelina made sure they had smiles on their faces.
Oscar producers also made sure they trotted out the younger demographic magnets: young actors from "Twilight" and the "High School Musical" series. But since ABC didn't advertise they would be on there, how would young viewers know to tune in?
Donald, did you not know that Stiller was riffing on the suddenly obtuse Joaquin Phoenix? It was funny (if you knew that was what Stiller was doing. If you didn't, you'd be scratching your head going, "Wha?????"). I also dug the Judd Apatow comedy segment featuring James Franco and Seth Rogen, with an able assist from Academy Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski . They were just what was needed: irreverent and in-your-face humor.
I felt a bit sad for Rourke, but Penn is the best actor of his generation, just as Winslet is the best actress working today. But couldn't Penn thank his wife for gosh sake? He took ample time for the political part of his speech and gave a brotherly shout out to Rourke. No love for the wife?
Finally, I did like the change in how they presented the acting awards. To have past winners in a category greet this year's winner into what is an exclusive club was touching in some cases and seemed very much appreciated. BTW, my dream "welcome" committee for Best Actor would have been Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Robert DeNiro (who was there) and Daniel Day-Lewis.
Posted by: felicia matlosz at February 22, 2009 10:13 PM
@felicia: i was surprised to see robin wright sitting next to sean penn ... i try not to follow the gossip, but i thought they werent together. then, when she kissed him, he looked completely uninterested. so, while i think the world of princess buttercup, i wasnt surprised to see her omitted from his fabulous speech.
penn speaks his mind, and he does so forcefully. considering the screenplay and acting awards were the only chances "milk" got to repeat its message, i though penn did an admirable job calling out the haters. he felt it needed to be said, and the voters gave him that platform to say it.
"whether you like it or not!"
:)
Posted by: will at February 23, 2009 11:12 AM
Will: A pal sent me a story that included this on the Penn omission about his wife:
Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell caught up with Sean and Robin outside of the post-Oscars Governor’s Ball, where Nancy asked the Oscar winner about the omission.
“She knows,” Sean said, explaining that the couple had discussed it ahead of time.
Robin elaborated further, saying that they knew there wouldn’t be “enough time.”
When Nancy followed up, noting Robin knows how much her husband cares about her, Sean once again offered a very brief reply.
“She knows,” he said again.
Posted by: felicia matlosz at February 23, 2009 2:01 PM
did Sean know that his buddy BAMA is against Gay marriages?...and can you imagine if Bush was proposing a 3 trillion dollar budget package of pork what the drive by media would be harping on right now......
Posted by: George (Duke) at February 26, 2009 7:43 PM
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