Random (and Late) Oscar Musings
I've been flat on my back for two days with a killer virus, so this posting is about as un-Web 2.0 as you can get. My apologies. * I'll still take Jon Stewart over anyone except Billy Crystal or Steve Martin. His best line went (fittingly) unappreciated, when he mused, "Before we spend the next four to five hours handing gold statuettes to each other, let's take a minute to congratulate ourselves."
* Even if you didn't like his comedy, you had to like the class move of bringing Marketa Irglova back out to speak. For that, I suspect that Jon Stewart is now the front runner to be the next Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, replacing this guy.
* I didn't see all the movies, but based on what I saw... "Juno," "Once," "No Country for Old Blood" and "There Will Be Old Men"... I thought the Academy got it exactly right. Which was vaguely disappointing.
* It's interesting how some winners are emotional and some are blase. And of those two groups, the emotional ones can seem either annoying or sincere, and the blase one can seem either cool or too cool. Personally, I liked Marrion Cotillard's speech. Sloppy and barely understandable, but earnest. The Coens... love their movies, but come on, step down to our level just once in a while.
* Diablo, your script was modern, but your dress was Prehistoric. "Wil-ma!"* I'd like to party at George Clooney's Italian villa with Javier Bardem.
* I'd like Tilda Swinton to be as far away as possible.
* (A tilde has more body fat than a Tilda. ~ See?)
* No big dance number. Yeah!
* Loved the montage of people waking up from bad dreams. It should have gone on for another two minutes. (Have you ever actually woken up from a bad dream in that way?)
* Where is Cuba Gooding, Jr.?
* Why does Cameron Diaz get to present every year?
* Why does Nicole Kidman keep trying to look like the bride of Frankenstein?
* Why don't they just put a mic on Jack Nicholson? He's the most bantered-with audience member, and we can never hear his responses.
* It was a great night. America may not be good at much these days, but we still know how to tell stories, and then put on a show to tell the world how great the stories were. This is our sweet spot.
Comments
That, for me, was "the moment." Awesome what Stewart did, and what Irglova said. Here's the best transcription of what she said (from NYTimes Carpetbagger):
"This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don't give up. And this 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."
Wonderful, truly.
"...at the end of the day."
I'd just try to look at it through Ray Davies' glasses, rather than Dick Cheney's specs.
And I agree, it was great to call Irglova back to let her speak, but was that really Stewart's call? Does he really have that kind of power? I'm guessing a director in a booth somewhere realized how bush league that looked and decided to make it up to her, then gave Jon his marching orders.
Can you say boob job?
How do I know? She blogged about it till she was blue in the cooz. And besides, it's pretty clearly apparent in her pub-shots from the Oscars.
Ah, Hollywood...
and vegas gopher, yes i'm guessing it was jon stewart's decision to bring her back on. it's live. he's the host. he's good on his feet, he knows what works. plus he's a liberal wuss.
the baghdad idea was lame and stupid and pandering. we're acting like they're out there on some short-lived humanitarian mission. they are an army of occupation fighting the shouldn't-be-unexpected nationalist resistance factions. we invaded them.
but god bless the poor soldiers etc. iraq must be hell.
if i'm directing the oscars (ie, directing the cameras) i'm not too bothered that she doesn't get to say anything. glen hansard spoke plenty. keep it moving at all costs would be my mantra.