Omnibus Oscar Blab Thread

[OneCentStamp]

So...Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were actually pretty funny. They were about 100 times less painful than I expected. Still, when Neil Patrick Harris was doing his song-and-dance number, I found myself saying, "Geez, why don't they just let him host the damn thing?"

Every Oscars ceremony I watch, I'm newly amazed at how stiff and awkward most of the presenters are. I mean, your day job is reading stuff other people wrote for you, and making it sound natural and organic, am I right?

[Zuul]

If Neil Patrick Harris hosted the Oscars, I'd pretty much be required to watch it. I haven't watched the whole thing for four years now, though.

Any particular goodies I should be searching for on YouTube aside from NPH?

[What Exit?]

I agree, the hosts were pretty good. Above average at least. Presenters were stiff as always.

I was very happy Up! won for best animated film and I took some odd delight that Hurt Locker shut out Avatar for the big awards. I saw a look of genuine pain of Cameron's face. I don't know why, but the incredible surprise shown by Kathryn Bigelow and clear shock made it a great moment.

Oh, I liked the tribute to John Hughes.

[OneCentStamp]

Any particular goodies I should be searching for on YouTube aside from NPH?

The tribute to John Hughes, as mentioned upthread by What Exit?, was excellent. It was well put together and (in a rarity for the Oscars, or any other awards show) felt warm, organic, and genuine.

In other blabs, it was nice to see Jeff Bridges take home the big one. To me, he's one of those actors who has been so good for so long that it's kind of surprising that this is his first.

[The Original An Gadaí]

I'm surprised The Hurt Locker won. It's a good film and all but I didn't think it was Oscar fodder.

[OneCentStamp]

I'm surprised The Hurt Locker won. It's a good film and all but I didn't think it was Oscar fodder.

Could there be a bit of anti-Cameron backlash at work?

[Sarahfeena]

I didn't watch the Oscars due to the hate, but I was quite surprised to hear that both Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were left off the tribute to the deceased. Nice going, producers...hope the Emmys don't try to kiss your ass by nominating you for Best Special this year.

[What Exit?]

I noticed the lack of Farrah, but not the lack of Bea. I forgot she died in 2009. Not a big deal though IMO.

I'm guessing part of it is the fact that both a so closely associated to TV. But then why Jackson, so my theory sucks.

[pepperlandgirl]

I forgot Bea died in 2009. Now I'm even more furious at that stupid show. I thought both Alec and Steve were surprisingly lame, which is sad, because I usually love them. Tina Fey and RDJ did a much better job than those two guys I used to like. I think this year was one of the most lackluster, uninspired Oscar broadcasts ever, with very few highlights among a bunch of boring shit. I can't believe we only got one real film montage, and it was a tribute to the horror section at Wal Mart. We were cheated out of best song performances, but we were still stuck with the stupid interpretive dance. I feel like this year they weren't even celebrating films. Taking out the interesting bits of the Oscars won't improve ratings. Maybe if the Academy wasn't such a joke, more people would tune in.

At least James Cameron didn't take any home any of the big awards. Though I wanted to throw something at the TV when Avatar won Best Cinematography. Fuck. What a fucking joke.

Oh Oscars, I really want to love you. Why do you make it so hard?

[The Original An Gadaí]

Could there be a bit of anti-Cameron backlash at work?

Perhaps. Although maybe it resonates with American audiences in a way it wouldn't with me.

[OneCentStamp]

Perhaps. Although maybe it resonates with American audiences in a way it wouldn't with me.

I was actually thinking of backlash from film industry types, as those are the ones who do the Oscar voting. The general public, thank god, have no hand in determining the winners. Otherwise the Oscars would just be the MTV Movie Awards with nicer dresses. They're bad enough as it is.

[hatesfreedom]

I hadn't heard of it until it got a nomination but The Secret of Kells
turned out to be a really well done fun movie to watch and I would
recommend it to everyone.