# Watch-a-long Oscar thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821 "2004-03-01T01:14:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Club\_33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Club\_33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Club_33)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/341 "2004-03-01T07:59:36Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > **Brainfarts at 125am** > I thought Crystal did a great job. It is extremely hard to appeal to all the people in the entire world with something so finicky as humor. He does it with taste, class and some great film clips. Stomping Michael Moore was hysterical. I agree completely. I’m actually kind of surprised that so many people bashed him in this thread. On the Barbara Walter’s special that aired after the show, he was interviewed and went into how much preparation that he must go through for the show. He starts preparing 3 months before the show and writes thousands of jokes, hoping that he will have something for any situation. On Oscar Night, he actually starts working at 8am, as they do 2 run-throughs of the show before it airs. Considering all of the work he puts into it and the pressure of a (sort of) live broadcast, I would say he does a terrific job. Sometimes when you make something look really easy, people assume that it is. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/342 "2004-03-01T09:07:57Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Who MC’d last year or the past few? How quick the memory fails. Last year was Steve Martin. Memorable quote: “Aw, the Teamsters are helping Michael Moore into the trunk of his limo!” Year before last was Whoopi Goldberg. Memorable moment: When the show came back on after the Cavalcade of the Dead, she gave a verbal tribute to Gene Siskel. Year before that might have been Crystal; I know it was him in 2000. > [@](#): > > Uma looked like she macheted some curtains for a dress. Deliberate reprise of her **Kill Bill** character. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/343 "2004-03-01T09:17:40Z")
2003: Steve Martin 2002: Whoopi Goldberg 2001: Steve Martin 2000: Billy Crystal ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/344 "2004-03-01T09:23:18Z")
> [@Iteki](#): > > I am just gobsmacked that he is married to a lady! > Well, you know what happens when you assume… Speaking of assume, who are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/345 "2004-03-01T10:44:56Z")
Richard Taylor of WETA workshop. Looks like Clark Kent and sounds like Kermit. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/346 "2004-03-01T11:52:51Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. What’s the name of the instrument played by Sting and the one played by the singer of “A kiss at the end of the rainbow”? Catherine O’Hara was playing an Autoharp. In fact, if you looked close and already knew what it was, you could see it actually said “autoharp” on it. I guess it’s a brand name as well as an instrument. I liked Steve Martin better and I always will. And not just because he pissed off Russell Crowe, though that helped. I was a bit surprised that Best Director was given away before the acting awards… I could swear I remember it being different in 2000, which I have a clearer memory of than some more recent years. Anybody know if this was a recent switch or something? ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/347 "2004-03-01T13:32:18Z")
Did anybody else wonder how uncomfortable Stuart Townsend must’ve been sitting in the front row as Charlize’s arm candy, watching LOTR sweep everything? He was the original Aragorn, right up until shooting started and Peter Jackson decided he was too young. That had to be on his mind, as his last “big” movie was “Queen of the Damned.” Also, is Hallie Berry going to make a big deal about another African-American winnning best actress? Theron is from South Africa… ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/348 "2004-03-01T13:48:27Z")
> [@Iteki](#): > > 1. Jennifer Garner, she stars in a TV show called Alias and was in the movie Daredevil. And she is hotter than hot. Yikes! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/349 "2004-03-01T15:23:27Z")
> [@singular1](#): > > Did anybody else wonder how uncomfortable Stuart Townsend must’ve been sitting in the front row as Charlize’s arm candy, watching LOTR sweep everything? He was the original Aragorn, right up until shooting started and Peter Jackson decided he was too young. That had to be on his mind, as his last “big” movie was “Queen of the Damned.” Oh, don’t forget, he played Dorian Grey in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/350 "2004-03-01T15:56:14Z")
I didn’t watch the show myself. Any truth to the rumor that Adrien Brody ripped Charlize Theron’s top off after giving her the best actress award and they had to kick in the five second delay? ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/351 "2004-03-01T16:34:01Z")
> [@Grousser](#): > > 1. What’s the name of the instrument played … by the singer of “A kiss at the end of the rainbow”? > > Thanks in advance. If I remember correctly which singer you’re referring to, she was playing an _autoharp_, although that is really a trademarked name. The generic term for the instrument would be a _chorded zither_. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/352 "2004-03-01T16:35:01Z")
> [@Dignan](#): > > I know that Oprah won for “The Color Purple” I guess I just didn’t expect to see her, since she hasn’t done anything all that recently. Julie Andrews is there though, and I don’t suppose it’s for “The Princess Diaries,” I was just surprised that Oprah was presenting… Julie Andrews is a past Oscar winner and the wife of Blake Edwards, who received an honorary Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/353 "2004-03-01T18:03:46Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, is Hallie Berry going to make a big deal about another African-American winnning best actress? Theron is from South Africa… SNL already did that joke. Charlize Theron isn’t African-American, she’s just South African. She’s not a citizen as far as I know, just someone from that country who live sand works here. And not to follow up on the politics too much, but “African-American” has always been a euphemism for “black,” which Halle Berry is and Charlize Theron ain’t. The fact that the term is broader than it’s supposed to be is due to stupidity. > [@](#): > > I didn’t watch the show myself. Any truth to the rumor that Adrien Brody ripped Charlize Theron’s top off after giving her the best actress award and they had to kick in the five second delay? Whoever said that had more fun watching than I did! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/354 "2004-03-01T18:09:07Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Catherine O’Hara wasn’t in any of the Back to the Future movies. Are you thinking of the Home Alone movies? I haven’t seen any of the _Back to the Future_ sequels – that was just as response to someone who said “Cool! Eugene Levy and Back to the Future Mom!” when the song started. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/355 "2004-03-01T18:13:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Posted by Chorded Zither_ > If I remember correctly which singer you’re referring to, she was playing an autoharp, although that is really a trademarked name. The generic term for the instrument would be a _chorded zither_. 🆒 Now that’s just too damn convenient. Only 129 posts in two years? You’ve been waiting for someone to ask this exact question the whole time, haven’t you? Haven’t you?!? ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/356 "2004-03-01T18:38:00Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Now that’s just too damn convenient. Only 129 posts in two years? You’ve been waiting for someone to ask this exact question the whole time, haven’t you? Haven’t you?!? Well, I wouldn’t say that, but I certainly wasn’t going to pass up a golden opportunity. Now that the question’s been asked, though, I’ll have to see if I can get my user name named to **PercussiveStringedTrapezoid**. (I also play hammer dulcimer.) ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/357 "2004-03-01T21:28:23Z")
Note: the instrument being played during the first chord mountain song, with the crank being turned, was _not_ a chorded zither of any sort. I believe that it was an example of the hilariously-named “Hurdy Gurdy”. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/358 "2004-03-01T21:52:22Z")
Some questions, if I may: Why didn’t Tim Robbins hug his other son? Why did I feel relieved when he and Mrs. Robbins kept their political mouth shut? Why couldn’t I remember who the geezer was that gave the oscar to Zellwegger? Why didn’t Zellwegger cry? [she has a face for it] Why didn’t Angelina Jolie have tattoos on her face as well? [she has a face for it] Why would anyone think CZJ - Mrs.Douglas - attractive? [she has NO face for it] Why will I go bonkers if I hear that same fiddle music of the LOTR again? Why was the only touching moment the tears of mama Theron? Why was Billy Chrystal so mild? _and the most important one_: WHY didn’t the best actor win? ---
**Author:** ![ChordedZither](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9c0ed/32.png) [@ChordedZither](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChordedZither)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/359 "2004-03-02T00:05:59Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Note: the instrument being played during the first chord mountain song, with the crank being turned, was _not_ a chorded zither of any sort. > > I believe that it was an example of the hilariously-named “Hurdy Gurdy”. True, Sting was playing a hurdy-gurdy. But the original question also asked about the instrument played by the singer on “A Kiss…”, and the woman singer on that song was playing an autoharp. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821/360 "2004-03-02T01:06:54Z")
I had to turn in at 11:00 (my humourless Teutonic overseers expect me to be alert at an ungodly hour of the morning) so missed the last segments. I know I wasn’t able to see some of the important parts. Therefore I am glad to hear that Badger made it. Duchess was watching the commercials and she was quite concerned. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/watch-a-long-oscar-thread/231821.md?page=19)