# Oscar watch-along thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674 "2010-03-08T00:41:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/321 "2010-03-08T19:59:22Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > What did Bigelow mean when she said that Boal risked his life to write the script for _Hurt Locker_? Wiki says Boal was embedded with the troops in Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/322 "2010-03-08T20:11:47Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Wiki says Boal was embedded with the troops in Iraq. Ah. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/323 "2010-03-08T20:14:58Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I realize I have seen too few of the movies to say much of anything definitively. Haven’t seen _The Blind Side, An Education, A Serious Man, A Single Man, Crazy Heart, Hurt Locker, The Last Station_. Mostly glad _The Cove_ won and still annoyed that _Up_ won Animated Feature. > > One thing I don’t really understand, what makes a movie like _Julie & Julia_ more “weighty” than _The Blind Side_? Because Streep was completely believable as Julia Child. Sandra Bullock was completely believable as Sandra Bullock. I don’t hate her: hating Sandra Bullock would be like hating kittens for being too cute. But ‘best actress’? I never thought I would hear those words in association with someone who is basically the female version of Tom Hanks. She’s very, very good at playing Sandra Bullock, but is completely unbelievable as anybody else. Come to think of it, Hanks is the current president of the Academy, so maybe this isn’t such a mystery. To get an Oscar for what is essentially a Lifetime Channel Movie of the Week is a slap in the face to Streep, Mirren, and Mulligan, who become the people they are portraying. Hell, it’s even an insult to Sidibe: she’s only 18 and did a far better job of being believable than Bullock has ever been. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/324 "2010-03-08T20:29:35Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Because Streep was completely believable as Julia Child. Sandra Bullock was completely believable as Sandra Bullock. I don’t hate her: hating Sandra Bullock would be like hating kittens for being too cute. But ‘best actress’? I never thought I would hear those words in association with someone who is basically the female version of Tom Hanks. She’s very, very good at playing Sandra Bullock, but is completely unbelievable as anybody else. Come to think of it, Hanks is the current president of the Academy, so maybe this isn’t such a mystery. To get an Oscar for what is essentially a Lifetime Channel Movie of the Week is a slap in the face to Streep, Mirren, and Mulligan, who become the people they are portraying. Hell, it’s even an insult to Sidibe: she’s only 18 and did a far better job of being believable than Bullock has ever been. Well, I think you overstate it, but I agree that Bullock’s win is a bit of a frowner for me as well. But then, Julia friggin Roberts? Halle friggin Berry? As I said, the Best Actress Oscar doesn’t have a lot left in the way of credibility. Too often in the last couple decades it’s gone to the most appealing actress rather than the real best performance. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/325 "2010-03-08T20:44:55Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Uh, nothing. Who called it weighty? “More Weighty”. Many folks are calling _The Blind Side_ a “Movie of the Week”, so that is the comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/326 "2010-03-08T20:49:23Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Because Streep was completely believable as Julia Child. Sandra Bullock was completely believable as Sandra Bullock. Well I cannot comment on Bullock’s performance. But I am not always impressed by the act of mimickry. Mind you, I amnot saying Streep was bad, by any stretch. But also didn’t watch that movie and thing to myself “Wow!”. Just from watching the clips of the movies I didn’t see, my feeling is that I would probably actually consider any of the other three nominees to be better winners. But alas, I have not seen them. I just am not on the Streep Train for this role. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/327 "2010-03-08T20:49:40Z")
Late to the party, as usual, but I’ll throw in my .02. Still way too long. I’ve stayed to the end of every other Oscar telecast I’ve ever started, but I gave up on this one after Jeff Bridges’ speech. Hey, I like the guy, but how come he got to rattle on for what seemed like ten minutes while everyone before him got 30 seconds? Even though Martin & Baldwin were clearly reading rather than delivering the jokes, the writing was sharp enough that it didn’t matter much. I laughed. Oh yeah, and I can truthfully say I got the ‘poor black child’ line. Loved Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr., although they both looked a bit…odd. The John Hughes tributes did seem to go a bit over the top, but I found it oddly moving nevertheless. Whoever designed the stage set apparently didn’t give much thought to all the women who were going to have to descend those stairs in long, flowing gowns. I thought for sure I was going to see an ankle broken on live TV. The demotion of the lifetime achievement awards to a clip of a separate awards ceremony was unconscionable. Geez, if the Academy considers it so irrelevant, just drop the thing altogether. The breakdancers, while spectacular, seemed completely unrelated to the musical scores they were supposed to be interpreting. Yet another in a long history of crap Oscar-night musical performances, IMO. When they do the ‘In memoriam’ sequence, could they not just cut to the montage immediately so we at home can actually see who the hell they are trying to eulogize? Anna Kendrick in that pink outfit, whoa – highly edible, IMHO. Despite any snarkiness that may come through, and despite not being able to sit still past the 3-hour mark, I still thought it was not too bad as such things go. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/328 "2010-03-08T21:04:39Z")
Biggest WTF: those dancers. Bad idea. Did no one learn from Alan Carr’s debacle? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/329 "2010-03-08T21:06:29Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > “More Weighty”. Many folks are calling _The Blind Side_ a “Movie of the Week”, so that is the comparison. Who has compared the two movies? I don’t know anyone who thinks of _Julie and Julia_ as “weighty.” It’s directed by Nora “Sleepless in Seattle” Ephron for chrissakes, who wouldn’t know weighty if it fell on her like a house. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_jeffrey_lebowski/32/215_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Jeffrey_Lebowski)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/330 "2010-03-08T21:13:16Z")
It was disgraceful that the Irving Thalberg award was omitted. If they want to save some time, it should have been from the circle jerk with the acting awards, prattling on about how generous a particular actor is gets tiring to hear. I think that the costume designer that won came off as an insufferable bitch who lacks grace. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/331 "2010-03-08T21:44:06Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Jeffrey\_Lebowski](#): > > I think that the costume designer that won came off as an insufferable bitch who lacks grace. And her comment about this Oscar is for all the unrecognized designers but it’s going home with me has been done before. I can’t remember who said it first though. It was kinda funny the first time. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/332 "2010-03-08T21:48:34Z")
Yeah, I liked the sentiment she ended on, original or not, but that “I ardy got 2 a dese”–you can’t really recover from that. I’m sure she’s feeling some day after blog abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/333 "2010-03-08T22:07:58Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Her name is Elinor Burkett and according to [this cite](http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1633363/story.jhtml) she was the movie’s producer. Guess she thought that gave her the right to act like the classless asshole that she clearly is and commandeer the microphone in the middle of William’s touching, heartfelt speech. What an ass. There was an article this morning on the NYT (I think) that said she left the project but still felt the movie was hers. Both of them jumped up to head for the stage, but the guy’s mother _stuck her cane out into the aisle to block Burkett from getting there first!_ Ya gotta love it. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/334 "2010-03-08T22:14:16Z")
Roger Ross Williams is going to be on LARRY KING tonight. It’ll be interesting to see if Elinor Burkett rushes in to block him. My favorite take was Michael Buckley’s comparing her to Penelope from SNL ([beginning at 1:50](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwJfgo3OF3o)). My guess is Larry will begin by asking Williams if he plans to stay with the NBA and then turn to Burkett and say “So Sylvia, what are your predictions for next year’s Oscars?” ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/335 "2010-03-08T22:28:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Sandra Bullock was completely believable as Sandra Bullock. I don’t hate her: hating Sandra Bullock would be like hating kittens for being too cute. But ‘best actress’? I never thought I would hear those words in association with someone who is basically the female version of Tom Hanks. Yeah! Who would ever think to give an Oscar to Tom Hanks! Oh wait.. Seriously though, I thought Bullock did a pretty good job of _not_ being Sandra Bullock in that role. She was pushy, conservative, brassy – none of which are “Sandra Bullock”. She apparently captured the essence of the real Ms. Touhe pretty well. I don’t know that I would have voted for her, but I don’t think she was undeserving. Personally I enjoyed Streep’s performance more. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/336 "2010-03-08T22:56:17Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Both of them jumped up to head for the stage, but the guy’s mother _stuck her cane out into the aisle to block Burkett from getting there first!_ Ya gotta love it. Well, that’s what Burkett says happened. The director says his (87 year old) mother simply stood up to hug him. Given that she’s the crazy one who rushed the stage and interrupted him, I’m inclined to believe his side of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/337 "2010-03-08T23:09:42Z")
> [@wierdaaron](#): > > For no reason I’m going to point out that for every category except best picture, only the people who do that thing are supposed to be allowed to vote. Meaning, only art directors can vote for art direction, only sound editors can vote for sound editing. This usually ends up meaning that the sci-fi and fantasy movies, which actually have good art & sound, will win, because the people voting know the criteria. > > But for best picture, it’s a huge number of people that get to vote, and they usually end up voting for whatever movie they like. > > So when a movie like Hurt Locker wins best sound mix/editing, editing, directing, and picture, it’s easy to assume that people simply voted a “straight ticket”, or they just picked Hurt Locker for every category on their ballot because they liked it, even if they have no idea what a sound mixer is. Instead, when a movie wins all those awards, it’s because several disparate groups of voters each independently thought each thought the area of their expertise was best in that movie. You have the gist, but you’re thinking of nominations. To clarify, AMPAS (the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) is divided into branches. There are 15 Branches, and membership is by invitation-only: ``` * Actors * Art Directors * Cinematographers * Directors * Documentary * Executives * Film Editors * Makeup Artists & Hairstylists * Music * Producers * Public Relations * Short Films and Feature Animation * Sound * Visual Effects * Writers ``` All have voting privileges except for Executives, Producers and Public Relations. They can not vote on anything, at any time, thank goodness. (edit to add that I’m not completely sure that Producers are non-voters, but for sure Execs and PR are not). Except for Best Picture, Foreign-language, Documentary and Shorts, each BRANCH decides on who is nominated. Actors nominate actors. Cinematographers nominate cinematographers. Writers nominate writers, and so on. Nominations are made using a preferential ballot. Everyone who has voting privileges votes on Best Picture nominations, also using a preferential ballot. Foreign-language, Documentary and Shorts are nominated by a committee. After the nominations come out, everyone (with voting privileges) can vote for everything, except for Foreign-language, Documentary and Shorts. Only members who attend special screenings can vote on those categories. Voting on all categories except Best Picture are done by the one vote method. This year, for the first time since 1943, Best Picture was chosen by [preferential voting](http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-10-30-10oscars30_CV_N.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/338 "2010-03-08T23:10:44Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Well, that’s what Burkett says happened. The director says his (87 year old) mother simply stood up to hug him. Given that she’s the crazy one who rushed the stage and interrupted him, I’m inclined to believe his side of the story. Soon! She’ll running for office in a district near you! ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/339 "2010-03-08T23:22:18Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Roger Ross Williams is going to be on LARRY KING tonight. It’ll be interesting to see if Elinor Burkett rushes in to block him. > > My favorite take was Michael Buckley’s comparing her to Penelope from SNL ([beginning at 1:50](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwJfgo3OF3o)). > > My guess is Larry will begin by asking Williams if he plans to stay with the NBA and then turn to Burkett and say “So Sylvia, what are your predictions for next year’s Oscars?” No, he’s gonna go, “So Roger Ross, what was going through your head as Elinor Burkett was making love to your Oscar moment?” ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674/340 "2010-03-08T23:44:21Z")
I think my favorite part was seeing a clip of Peter Boyle as The Monster during the horror montage. I’m not so sure I’d categorize **Young Frankenstein** as a horror film. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-watch-along-thread/531674.md?page=18)