# Assorted Observations About the Oscars **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 28, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258 "2005-02-28T06:13:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/101 "2005-03-01T17:29:17Z")
Isn’t the whole idea of The Phantom of the Opera to be as obnoxiously garish as possible? haha. I felt sorry for Beyonce that she had to participate in that horrible number with that little Josh “light in the loafers” Groban. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/102 "2005-03-01T17:52:39Z")
- Chris Rock: It’s an awards show. Not a “take potshots at other performers” show. And definitely not a “let’s listen to Rock’s political views” show. I found his opening monologue meanspirited and poorly-written. - Robin Williams was _funny_. - That routine with Adam Sandler was incredibly lame. - Yes, there were a lot of big names that weren’t there. Hmmm. - The empty seats bothered me, too. There were lots of them. - Why bother to have Andrew Lloyd Webber play the piano if the guy on the mixing board drowns him out? You could barely tell there _was_ a piano playing. - One Beyonce routine would have been perfect. Let’s have some variety next year. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/103 "2005-03-01T18:00:04Z")
[ul] [li]Chris Rock’s bit would have been hilarious in a club, but you don’t come to Hollywood and insult the people you’re there to host.[/li][li]Beyonce should not sing in French.[/li][li]These women with those tight-fitting-all-the-way-down dresses looked good until they moved. You can dress 'em up but you can’t take 'em out. They looked like little girls dressing up in mommy’s clothes. Except Annette Benning, who was just amazing as she swept gracefully onto the stage and took the dais.[/li][li]Who was that cold chick with Johnny Depp? OK, maybe you think he’s hot in the movies but he and his date looked like stone sitting there in the audience. Don’t know why the camera kept showing them.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/104 "2005-03-01T18:11:38Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > Did I just hear wrong, or did Rock introduce Cruz and Hayek as “our next four presenters”? So, he introduced their breasts instead of them? Nope, you heard right 😃 And ditto to those who LIKED Robin Williams. Man makes me cackle outrageously every time. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/105 "2005-03-01T18:13:30Z")
> [@Max Torque](#): > > Did I just hear wrong, or did Rock introduce Cruz and Hayek as “our next four presenters”? So, he introduced their breasts instead of them? Yep, I heard that, you weren’t imagining things. He was doing little throwaway introductory lines all night, like Gwyneth’s “first woman to breastfeed an Apple” or Tim Robbin’s boring politics line. Horrible choice having Penelope and Selma together, IMO. Cruz looked like a stick figure with zero sex appeal next to the luscious Hayek. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/106 "2005-03-01T18:20:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > What, you think he’s gonna ditch a peaking career as an actor to make a living as a Ray Charles impersonator? Seems he’s been in character since the movie was released. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/107 "2005-03-01T19:10:56Z")
> [@](#): > > He was doing little throwaway introductory lines all night, like Gwyneth’s “first woman to breastfeed an Apple” or Tim Robbin’s boring politics line. Best one was when he introduced (paraphrased) “comedic genius Jeremy Irons”. ---
**Author:** ![li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@li\_l\_Dickie\_Dirtz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/li_l_Dickie_Dirtz)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/108 "2005-03-01T19:32:59Z")
And Jeremy responded with, “So nice to be finally recognized.” He was quick with the comebacks that night, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/109 "2005-03-01T20:10:20Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > -Like Yo-Yo Ma; the Spanish song was ok but Antonio should stick to acting. Actually enjoyed the French song the most. Groban could have handled the last song all by himself. Again, what was with the Beyonce fixation? Yeah, I didn’t like that song on Antonio, but I \*think \* he had been doing well on Broadway. I will agree that the hair was bad. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/110 "2005-03-01T21:29:45Z")
> [@Indygrrl](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, I like Jamie Foxx, and I’m sure he deserved his Oscar, but that speech was so rehearsed. And of course, the little glance up to make sure everyone saw him crying was trite as hell. > > I dunno, maybe I’m just cynical. You are. 😉 I’ve seen him say all those things in countless interviews. It’s either well rehearsed or he’s just said the same stuff so many times it just comes out that way. And he as cried every time he has talked about his grandmother. I think she died very recently. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/111 "2005-03-01T22:24:35Z")
> [@RitzyRae](#): > > Yeah, I didn’t like that song on Antonio, but I \*think \* he had been doing well on Broadway. He was nominated for a Tony. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/112 "2005-03-01T22:30:18Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He was nominated for a Tony. Ah ha! He can sing then. ---
**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/113 "2005-03-01T22:36:27Z")
I love Chris Rock, but I agree he went overboard with the insulting jokes; I’d take Whoopi over him as host. Most of the actresses looked like paperdoll cut-outs with their “mermaid” dresses (as someone called them); and why so much black? I love Annette Bening, but I don’t think flat black is becoming on anyone, especially brunettes (Hilary also – okay, so her entire back was exposed almost to her butt crack – from the front it was blah and the neckline was too high.) Did they all have a conference call and decide what colors would be “in” this year? Black and yellow and a few reds. Blondes should NOT wear yellow! They look washed out. I like Renee Zellweger, but she looked like she could barely walk to the stage in her dress; and the flat black hair is awful. And that pinched, squinty look… yada, yada, yada. Oh yeah, and how about Laura Linney’s hair? Looked like she’d just gotten out of the shower and skinned it back. In Memorium: if this segment covers actors who have passed on between Oscar shows, how come no Sandra Dee? I know she wasn’t a great actress, maybe not even a good actress, but she was an actress and well known in her day. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/114 "2005-03-01T22:52:42Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > [li]Who was that cold chick with Johnny Depp? OK, maybe you think he’s hot in the movies but he and his date looked like stone sitting there in the audience. Don’t know why the camera kept showing them.[/li][/list] Vanessa De Paradis. She’s his long-term lady, they have two or three kids together, I believe. I think he might have been depressed to find out that his good friend (HST) died just a few days prior. And more than anything else, Depp is a snob. I love him, but he’s a snob. Anything American is really beneath him now that he lives in France and considers us tacky and a nation of George Bush lovers. I’m pretty sure the camera kept showing them because his movie was nominated for several awards. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/115 "2005-03-01T23:01:11Z")
> [@li'l Dickie Dirtz](#): > > And Jeremy responded with, “So nice to be finally recognized.” > > He was quick with the comebacks that night, wasn’t he? Particularly when there was a loud bang during his intro. He finished his sentence, and coolly added, “I hope they missed.” ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/116 "2005-03-01T23:42:52Z")
> [@li'l Dickie Dirtz](#): > > He was quick with the comebacks that night, wasn’t he? It turns out he really _is_ a comedy genius! –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/117 "2005-03-01T23:53:56Z")
I wonder what it was like to sit down in that dress. Was it all adhesived to her body so it wouldn’t gap and bunch up when she sat down?? Did they need solvents to remove it at the end of the night…?? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258/118 "2005-03-02T01:15:04Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > - I liked the idea of having all the nominees for the [not-really] technical awards on stage together, instead of waiting for them to run up on stage. And I liked the awards presented in the aisle, too. I didn’t. The first was weird, and left a lot of empty seats out there (which was jarring). The people who got their awards in the aisle looked like the crazy guy at the town hall meeting, if he’d some how or other shown up in a tux. But still, just a well dressed village weirdo. Plus, if you win an Oscar, you should get to come on stage. It only seems fair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assorted-observations-about-the-oscars/292258.md?page=5)