Monday, February 25, 2008

My Evening With Oscar

I didn't win the Oscar pool at work. Which is probably a good thing, so that I won't take up gambling as a hobby. I did tie for second.

My thoughts:
  • George Clooney is dating a cocktail waitress. I wonder who wants to date a subtitler.
  • If I was 15, I'd be jealous of Miley Cyrus.
  • Gary Busey scares me.
  • Jennifer Garner is my pick for best-dressed. Gorgeous. And Keri Russell. If you were on Felicity, you have style. Almost everyone looks awesome.
  • My fashion predictions are pretty accurate, with the exception of an absent Angelina. But she was at the Independent Spirit Awards the night before, sporting a very obvious baby bump. So the pregnancy prediction was right on the money.
  • Red is the color of the night. I would have been in brown. Or bronze (which is fancy, shiny brown). Love Heidi Klum. Best red of the night. Stunning.
  • "Does this town need a hug?" I heart Jon Stewart. "Thank God for teen pregnancy."
  • Most honest joke of the night, regarding Norbit's nom: "Too often the Academy ignores movies that aren't good."
  • I'm shocked that Atonement didn't win Best Costume. The buzz around Keira's green gown has been ridiculous (see above). It's sparking fashion trends, people.
  • Showing a clip of Cuba Gooding Jr. win his Oscar is almost cruel. That was his career peak. And he has long past it.
  • Casey Affleck is finally looking like a man.
  • Yay for Javier Bardem.
  • Oscar's salute to binoculars and periscopes. Cracks. Me. Up.
  • The 11-year-old singing "Raise It Up" does a far better job than BeyoncĂ© did at the Oscars a couple years ago.
  • Why does John Travolta spray on his hair? Does he think we can't tell he has paint on his head?!
  • TILDA SWINTON?! Fun upset of the night. Cate Blanchett will be fine without it. Trust me.
  • It's official. I heart James McAvoy.
  • "And the baby goes to... Angelina Jolie." I will defend Stewart as host to the ends of the blog.
  • Colin Farrell's scruff is actually appealing and non-scuzzy this evening. Maybe I'm just in a good mood.
  • The clips are done for widescreens. The Ben-Hur clip reads as N-HUR. The year? 19.
  • Bourne is winning. A lot. Instead of Transformers. I'm okay with that.
  • Nicole Kidman looks more human than usual. Maybe pregnancy = less Botox.
  • If I win an honorary Oscar, I'm going to thank Hitchcock too.
  • Atonement wins for Original Score. Best part of the movie, people. It's awesome.
  • Diablo Cody wins!!! I want to win for my first screenplay :)
  • There are a lot of men in the audience wearing glasses. Women? Not so much. They will sacrifice sight for vanity.
  • There is no Brad Renfro in the "In Memoriam" montage. I don't understand how they choose who to include.
  • DANIEL DAY-GENIUS. Love him. Great speech. He's perfection: "My deepest thanks to the members of the Academy for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town. I'm looking at this gorgeous thing you've given me and I'm thinking back to the first devilish whisper of an idea that came to him and everything since and it seems to me that this sprang like a golden sapling out of the mad, beautiful head of Paul Thomas Anderson...."
  • The Coens each take home three awards. And that, my friends, is why you write, direct and produce.
  • And a good time was had by all. Or by me.

4 comments:

oncoffee said...

You missed what had to be one of the highlights - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, writers and performers of Falling Slowly from Once. Not only was that a real song, not the stuff that couldn't tand by itself from Enchanted, but then Glen said simply, “Make great art!” Their film was made on handycams with a budget of $100,000!

But it got even better when after the commercial break, Jon Stewart invited Marketa back to the podium because any words she tried to say earlier were cut off by the orchestra. Describing their work, Marketa said, “The song was written from a perspective of hope. And hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are.”

Some of Hollywood doesn't get it. They are more into themselves. Glen & Marketa reminded Hollywood of the whys.

nadine said...

I totally agree (and yes, I predicted that win. Because it's a real non-fluff song).

I don't think I've ever seen someone get a second chance at the podium like that. Total class. For once (pun slightly intended), it was actually about art and integrity. And they deserved it. Which was refreshing.

Jon Stewart, in his opening monologue, mocked how self-congratulatory these shows are. By inviting her back, he redeemed that stage a little. And the talent in that auditorium respected that. A lot. All thumbs up.

Beth said...

wait, keira smokes? or is that in the movie?

i don't have cable, and for the first time in my life, when i wanted to watch the oscars, i couldn't.

sigh. see you in less than a MONTH!

nadine said...

The smoking is in the movie, Beth. I don't know if she smokes in her real life.

Keira, if you read this, please confirm or deny. :)

I love saying "see you soon." Because it's not a lie.