Oscar Night - 2008

Bah-da-da-da-da-da-da Hollywood! Bah-da-da-da-da-da-da HOLLYWOOD!!!

It's Oscar night! This has always been one of my favorite award shows of the year. Normally I'll do a running diary for the night hitting all the highlights, and low-lights, but tonight has turned out to be a little different.

I just got about an hour into a diary when I realized that nothing has really happened. This has been kind of a boring Oscar night (as far as the Academy Awards go). The best picture nominees are all films that didn’t get seen by a huge number of people…even though everyone seems to claim that they saw Juno. Amongst all the acting nominees, there really isn’t any of those real “blockbuster” names. It’s just sort of a “let’s see who pulls out a couple statues” kind of night.

Jon Stewart has been doing extremely well as the host though. Not only was this guy laying down some great one-liners, he made one of the classier moves I’ve ever seen on the Oscar Stage when he let Marketa Irglova (who won for Best Song in her collaboration with Glen Hansard).

Note: Their song “Falling Slowly” is absolutely great and upon them winning I helped crash iTunes for a quick purchase.

Hansard and Irglova went up to get their statues and just as Marketa was taking to the microphone for her end of the thank you speech the mic lowered into the floor and the orchestra started playing. She left the stage without being able to say a word.

Stewart, however, came back from commercial and immediately re-intorduced Irglova and let her come out and give her thank you’s. Kudos to Jonny “Daily Show” for his classy move and for realizing that this girl deserves to have her moment even if it means that he has to give up a couple of jokes that will probably be forgotten in five minutes anyway.

The overall slowness of the evening, along with the many, MANY montages that the production crew put together for us (obviously fearing that the writers’ strike might still be going on) made me think about some of my favorite moments from the past few year’s - it made me think of some of the funnier, some of the joyful and some of the crazier moments. Here are a couple of good ones:

Roberto Benigni

Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Adrian Brody

Will Ferrell, Jack Black & John C. Reilly

These are a few of my favorite moments but I can’t tell you how awesome it was to watch Ben Affleck and Matt Damon win Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. It was like two of my buddies, guys my age had cracked through the Hollywood hierarchy and won something BIG. It was a really cool moment. Also, watching Robin Williams win later that night for his role in the same film was really great because we really got to see a different side of him.

But by far, the best part of the Academy Awards show, as long as I have been tuning in, was any time that Billy Crystal took the stage. This guy is the modern day Bob Hope and really should be allowed to host anytime he wants to. I understand that the Academy needs to “attract a more youthful demographic” but Crystal was just plain phenomenal. The guys sings, dances, tells jokes and is just genuinely one of the most entertaining persons in business.

So, all in all, was the Oscars telecast the best? No. was it the worst? No. Was it a great way to waste away a Sunday night after a long weekend? You betcha!

Oscar Night Diary

It’s Oscar night! The ultimate night for the film industry and, to be perfectly honest, it is hands down my favorite awards show award.

8:37 – The show starts with the nominees standing and a thunderous applause. Somehow, seeing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air standing among his fellow nominees makes it all worth while.

8:38 – Ellen enters. People are actually excited to see here.

8:43 – Jack Nicholson sighting and he has a bald head…crazy. He looks like he could kill someone.

8:47 – Ellen’s opening monologue comes to an end. Not too bad. It wasn’t as good as a Billy Crystal-opener but it was better than John Stewart.

8:48 – First category of the night…Art Direction. Good call. Let’s get all the garbage out of the way early (Note: Jennifer loves everything there is about Nicole Kidman, including her crazy red dress.)

8:57 – Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly do a killer musical number and then present Pan’s Labyrinth with Achievement in Make-up. Reilly could end up becoming one of my favorite comedic actors in the next couple years.

9:04 – Abigail Breslin and Will Smith’s kid present Animated Short. “Kid” blows his lines but covers brilliantly. The Danish Poet wins for Animated Short. Even I feel robbed on this one. West Bank Story wins for Live-Action Short.

9:12 – Jennifer is going for the pajamas. The over/under on amount of time that she will still be awake is set at 32.5 minutes.

9:24 – Finally a real category – Best Supporting Actor…I think that Eddie Murphy will take this one but would love to see Alan Arkin…Arkin squeaks in there! Just for the record, I thought that Little Miss Sunshine was fantastic. Great acting and great characters. I suggest you see it.

9:38 – Melissa Etheridge just sang her Oscar-nominated tune. Jennifer feels it’s important that I comment on this. She feels that my priorities are out of order for not recognizing this powerful song’s message and mentioning Will Smith in some way every ten minutes. Frankly, I think she’s nuts.

9:47 – They always do this weird thing when presenting the Best Animated Features. They put the animated characters in the audience in a way that makes it look like they are part of the audience…it freaks me out and I don’t like it. I find it terribly distracting. However, if those some animators could add a little life to Peter O’Toole’s face, that would be something.

10:07 – And here it is…Tom Cruise. The audience doesn’t know what to do and neither do I.

10:12 – Good moment between Ellen, Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. She asks Spielberg to take a picture of her and Clint…pretty great exchange.

10:16 – It looks like everyone involved in Pan’s Labyrinth is named “Guillermo.” Third golden doll of the night for P.L. as it picks up Achievement in Cinematography.

10:22 – Apparently they let Robert Downey Jr. out of the clinic to present for Visual Effects. Of course, he takes the obvious shot at himself and the crowd laughs uncomfortably. I just can’t take this guy seriously.

10:39 – Jennifer Hudson take the Best Supporting Actress. She “didn’t think she’d win”…That makes two of us, Jennifer.

10:51 – Al Gore gets to take home a statue. Global Warming – it’s a real issue, people. That’s all for my political speech this evening…man, how long have we gone without seeing the Fresh Prince?

11:02 – And ladies and gentlemen, Jennifer is out like a light. If you took the over, then you’re a winner. Quite frankly, I can’t believe that she made it this far.

11:09 – Hugh Jackman comes out to present with Penelope Cruz. Are you kidding me?! Hugh Jackman?! I’m honestly upset that he doesn’t wear his hair like Wolverine all the time.

11:11 – Ellen makes her first appearance on the screen in about a half hour…

11:14 – Kirsten and Tobey make a cameo…Spiderman III must be on its way.

This is going to send me off onto a bit of a rant – I hate how the “Great Ones of the Academy” pepper the performances and cameos in the show with popular actors, who will probably never win anything from them, simply because they are popular with today’s youth. Ferrell and Jack Black performed earlier, the Wilson Brothers (Owen and Luke) presented last year. Isn’t their something that can be said for just being entertaining. My friends and I quote Ferrell, Vaughn and the Wilson’s about every ten seconds. I’m not sure that this rant means anything but I felt it needed to be said.

11:17 – Little Miss Sunshine takes Best Original Screenplay…and with that, the cast of L.M.S. can take the rest of the night off. It’s time for Abigail Breslin to go start her drinking habits.

11:19 – Why does Chris Connelly keep reminding us that there have been so many “surprises” tonight? Do none of the winners deserve to be taking home their Oscars?

11:25 – Powerful performance by Beyonce…she’s just a great performer. Plus, I have to mention that Jennifer Hudson almost fell out of her dress four times.

11:31 – Speaking of Jennifer Hudson…here’s Queen Latifah and John Travolta presenting Best Song. Oscar goes to…Melissa Ethridge? Ghaa…buzz kill.

And some more praise for Al Gore. And Etheridge’s hair has never been so short.

11:38 – Will Smith!!! Finally!

11:46 – A teary-eyed Scorsese watches The Departed win for Film Editing. Scorsese is probably the only guy in the audience who is truly happy to see his friends win over him.

11:53 – Wow. We’re closing in on midnight. I’m starting to fade.

11:54 – Here comes our Best Actress. Penelope is definitely the hottest of the bunch...but she IS up against a bunch of senior citizens and Kate Winslet. That’s like saying that I am the best athlete among a group of four year olds.

Helen Mirren wins the gold. I have to be honest, I’m going to IMdB.com to find out if there is anything that I know her from.

Check that…nope. She did a little Shakespeare early in her career and seems to find herself in the role of “the Queen” in almost every movie she plays in. Maybe that’s why she won…she’s played this part about 40 times prior to this one.

12:00 – Let’s celebrate by letting Chris Connelly speak. I swear, Connelly has fallen a LONG way since his days with ESPN. Every time he starts to talk I want to rip my own arm off just so I have something to throw at him.

12:03 – Reese Witherspoon. She’s not looking good. She’s handing out for Best Actor in a Leading Role. This has to be Forest Whitaker…and it is. Whitaker was on Saturday Night Live the other night. He’s an entertaining cat. The fact that he did SNL peaks volumes about him. He knows he’s not bigger than the game.

12:09 – Coppola-Lucas-Spielberg to present for Best Director…here it comes…wait for it…wait for it…and…Scorsese! The place erupts. It’s like they hand-picked these presenters so that they could have four of the best of all-time on stage at the same time.

Quick Note: Lucas will be directing the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones saga – due out in 2008. This will be a day-it-comes-out viewing for me.

12:16 – Jack Nicholson is on stage for his annual duties presenting Best Picture…that means we’re almost done.

The Departed. Mr. Scorsese, it’s your night. Get out there and get yourself a drink in one hand and a 20-year-old wannabe actress in the other.

12:19 – Good night, everybody!!!

Just for record keeping purposes: I went 5-for-15 in my personal Oscar pick ‘em game. If I’m playing baseball then I hit for a .333 average – not bad. If I was betting, then I just lost a bunch of money.

Oscar Picks

I often tell people that I am obsessed and amazed by the concept of story-telling. That is one of the reasons that I was a student of literature in college. Story-telling is something that is capable of engrossing our minds in such a way that we forget where we are and what we are doing.

With Oscar Night almost upon us, I’d like to officially announce my picks for the 15 categories that I find most intriguing (keep in mind that this includes most of the awards that will be given on Sunday evening).

Actor in a Leading Role: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
--I think that Forest Whitaker is great. The fact that he has a nice body of work behind him makes him the favorite in this category. Everyone else, minus Peter O’Toole, is fairly young as well…they’ll get their chance.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
--Well, it looks like Axel Foley will finally get his Oscar nod. Plus, Murphy did exactly what a falling star should do – cling on to a decent supporting role and knock it out of the park.

Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
--I’ll be honest, I actually DID see this movie. I don’t remember hating a character this much in along time. Plus, at the end she actually makes you rethink hating her. Her performance was so good that I might even dislike Streep in her next role by principle…even if she plays Mother Theresa.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Cate Blanchet, Notes On A Scandal
--I really like Cate. I think that she is a fine actress and I’m pulling for her. The only problem is that Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls might take it from her. But how awesome would it be to hear Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) give an acceptance speech

Animated Feature: Cars
--I‘m actually picking a movie that features Larry the Cable Guy to win an Oscar?! I understand it’s only his voice…but seriously! Someone please come punch me in the face when this category is being shown on TV.

Cinematography: Pan’s Labyrinth
--I haven’t seen this movie but everything that I hear is unbelievable. They say that if this movie had been made in the United States, it would be flirting with the Best Picture category.

Costume Design: The Devil Wears Prada
--This movie was based on clothing. The costumes were better than Anne Hathaway’s acting, that’s for sure. How could TDWP not win this category.

Directing: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
--Clint Eastwood is lurking over his shoulder…that being said, someone needs to tell the Academy that Martin Scorsese probably doesn’t have that many great films left in him. If he doesn’t win this year, they may have to chalk him up for that “honorary Oscar.” That would be a real shame.

Foreign Language Film: Pan’s Labyrinth
--Like I said before, this film should have been made in the States with a bigger budget. That does not negate the fact, though, that it is the best foreign language film.

Music (Score): The Queen
Essentially, I don’t like any of these and don’t know enough about this category so I am throwing The Queen a bone.

Music (Song): “Our Town” from Cars, Music and Lyircs by Randy Newman
--If you don’t like Randy Newman then you don’t like America. Plus, I am sick of the Dreamgirls songs.

Best Picture: Babel
--Babel is probably the favorite here and I think that this year may just be a “weaker” year for the Best Picture category. There just isn’t an overwhelming favorite out there. Wouldn’t it be fun to see Little Miss Sunshine win though?

Short (Animated): The Little Match Girl
--I watched all of these animated shorts. I watch the m all every year. After I whipped the tears from my eyes at the end of The Little Match Girl, I remember saying to myself, “well, there’s your winner”…and I hadn’t even seen the other nominees. Watch out for Maestro, however, I thought that this was very clever.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Departed
--If Scorsese loses out for the 34th time, I definitely see an Oscar here as a makeup call.

Writing (Original Screenplay): Little Miss Sunshine
--This will be where Little Miss Sunshine gets her do. Just like Matt and Ben got their Oscars here for Good Will Hunting.

Enjoy the night on the Red Carpet, everyone!