I managed to suffer through most of the Oscars—turned in around 11:30, when Claire Diaz and Keanu Law were presenting Best Makeup in a Foreign-Language Short Adapted from a Novel. Thank goodness for the Mute button, at least I managed to miss most of Billy Crystal’s painfully awful monologues. “Who can we get who’s even worse than Bob Hope ever was?” I hear them asking.
I was disgusted with the low quality of the songs, and amazed that Blame Canada (the only one that actually had a melody or even a high-school quality wit in the lyrics) didn’t win. The rest of them sounded like something a lovesick teenager would scrawl in his notebook during math class. That sound you hear is Cole Porter spinning in his grave.
No really hilarious dresses this year, which was a big letdown. Jane Fonda looked pretty awful, though—and I could hear the SDrs hissing and jeering her in my head!
Apart from the opening montage of spoofs, it stunk on ice. The set is awful, and the practice of congealing all the nominated songs into one treacley morass took the pace of the show from “drying-paint mode” into truly glacial.
I agree, it was a particularly bad crop of variagated drivel as regards music, the two relatively bright spots being:
i) no Celine Dion, Briteny Spears, or Pariah Carey;
ii) “Blame Canada” actually seemed like Noel Coward by comparison.
Perhaps it should be restricted to radio broadcast next year…
In the past, didn’t they begin strong with something like Best Actress in a Supporting Role? Now they start weak and by the time they get to the big catagories, I’m too tired to care.
Also hated the lumping of all the songs together. I was however pleased at how they presented Blame Canada. A full blown production number. I was dissapointed that it lost. Not surprised, mind you.
All the awards seemed to go to exactly who you would have expected. Safe choices all around. And boring.
I was the only one in my house who was glad Micheal Caine won. I mean, that Haley is a cute kid and all, but don’t you think you should pay some dues before your given an Oscar?
It was a pretty horrible spectacle, but there were some bright points.
Blame Canada really should have won, it was the only song that didn’t just blend together with the rest. (I swear, they were all really just one song, they just switched voices a lot) Of course I’m not surprised that it didn’t, but it really should have.
And there was Roberto Benini(ok ok so I can’t spell) revising his impression of an italian on far far too much speed.
And don’t forget the first line of Kevin Spacey’s speech…wonderful.
Other than that though, well, yeah it pretty much sucked.
Still later, Gerald did a terrible thing to Elsie with a saucepan.
It was long, tedious, and my ass kept going to sleep (followed by the rest of me at one point). And I had to sit through the WHOLE 4 1/2 HOUR NIGHMARE because I was scoring the company Oscar pool. (I was in a three-way tie for first place with 11 right out of the 16 categories we included in our pool…should have picked Hilary Swank on BOTH of my entries.)
The Oscars must be rigged or the judges have the worst judgement in the world. I see at least a dozen moveies on video each year that beat the hell out of the “best picture”.
(Oddly enough, Stone really looks better in that than most women would!)
Adrock, light up the place
And if you pull my card you pull the ace
And if you ask me turn up the bass
And if you play Defender I could be your hyperspace
Hey, I liked the show. I love Billy Crystal, I loved Robin Williams, the dresses were fun to sneer and applaud, I never knew Queen Latifah could belt out jazz/blues/swing so well, I can never get enough of “Shaft,” and although it was predictable, I was surprised at times.
Of course there were low points - too long, I despise Burt Bacharach, and some people just don’t know when to shut up.
I didn’t pay much attention to the actual show as I was in the next room doing homework. However, during a commercial break, some music from a commerical caught my attention. “No…it can’t be,” I thought. I went into the next room, where my mom was watching it. And sure enough, it was Philip Glass’ “Einstein on the Beach” in a Pepsi commerical. Just too weird.
If it’s the lifetime achievement award, yes. But if a person indeed had the best performance, they deserve the award, regardless of their experience. Or am I the only one that feels this way?
Of course with such things being so subjective, most of the time “best” is just a matter of opinion anyway.
Did I somehow miss it, or did the In Memoriam section somehow fail to recognize probably the most important passing of last year, Stanley Kubrick? This was an even greater injustice than Eyes Wide Shut failing to garner a single nomination.
All the montages borrowed from his films (particularly 2001: A Space Odyessy), yet no mention of the man. For shame.
“It’s a wicked world in all meridians–I’ll die a pagan.” Moby-Dick
We discussed the lack of Kubrick in chat last night. As we recall, he died in March of 1999, and was given pretty extensive treatment at last year’s Oscars. So, no mention of him this year.
Am I the only one who found Angelina Jolie’s speech and ode to her brother outright creepy? “I am so in love with my brother right now,” et al. What the hell is going on there?