Did you catch the 81st Annual Academy Awards the other night? I saw most of it - I still can't tell which awards shows are time delayed on the West Coast and which are not. This one did indeed start at 5 or so, Pacific Time so it was live. And I liked it a bit more than the Golden Globes. My gal pal Melanie has already dissected the fashion on her blog, so won't go too much into that. She puts me to shame with her designer knowledge, so my remarks will be more general and random (as always)
- I was apprehensive about Hugh Jackman as host. He's easy on the eyes and a talented actor (and from what I hear from a director who worked with him, as nice as can be) but I was like WTF?! No comedian this year? Where is Jon Stewart? As my husband says, Stewart as host was the only thing that made the show watchable (for him). But I was impressed with Jackman. He was polished, expedient and, yes, easy on the eyes. And I have to admit, I loved the miusical number he did with Beyonce. One, because I think I'm a but of a sucker for musicals in general and two, I just love anything with Beyonce.
- The format and staging was very interesting. Firstly, they pushed the front row closer to the stage (or the stage closer to the front row); in either case, it made for a more intimate setting (notwithstanding that theatre-in-the-round thing a few years ago), which I believe helped keep things running on time - maybe they got to see the audience getting fidgety a bit better than before. I also enjoyed the way they handed out the awards, sort of in the order of a film project: pre-production awards first, then production, then post production. And they explained the categories very well this year, for those who might not know what "art direction" really is.
- I adored the presentation of the Best Actor and Best Actress awards by 5 past winners, read: legends. What a thrill it would be to receive your award from these folks! And the way each one of them summarized each nominees' performance and were so complimentary - can you imagine being Anne Hathway, being praised by the likes of Shirley MacClaine? Who cares that she didn't win - that was awesome. I hope they keep this tradition for future shows.
- And speaking of this, what deal with the devil did Sophia Loren make to look as good as she does at that age? Probably the same one Helen Mirren signed. Damn.
- I also loved the way they performed the nominees for Best Song. And I'm not just saying that because I love the Slumdog Millionaire soundstrack and that song, "Jai Ho". Okay, maybe I am. But the Indian dancers, the drummers, etc - it was what stage productions were made for. My hubbie downloaded the soundtrack for me on Oscar night and I’ve been jamming to it ever since.
- What was up with Jessica Biel's dress? I was like, did she get TP’d or something? I actually find her quite lovely but she doesn’t really “own” these types of events and show off her beauty. Not sure why.
- I loved "Slumdog Millionaire" and was so excited they cleaned up - and that they flew in the kids (who they flund in Mumbai slums) who played the main characters as children. I think I have a bit of a crush on the star, Dev Patel (I still can’t believe he’s only 19) and I adore the way he wears his excitement and awe all over his face, like his head will implode – same expression at all of these shows, as if he’s a kid in a candy store. Love it.
- And, I bet Warner Brothers is kicking itself for passing on distribution rights to "Slumdog Millionaire" to Fox. Don't know what the skinny on this is, but I bet someone got fired.
- Ben Stiller and Natalie Portman's little comedy routine was just dumb. He looked like an idiot with that beard. I'm just saying.
- Hurrah for Kate Winslet! As I've said before, I just think she's the cat's meow and I would kill for her acting career. I'm so glad she finally got her props.
- I have asbolutely no desire to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It seems long and drawn out.
- And speaking of Pitt, did anyone else notice the uncomfortable cutting back to the Jolie-Pitts while Jennifer Aniston was presenting? Meow, on the show's director's part. Not cool.
- And again speaking of the Jolie-Pitts, Angie should sport emeralds more often. Paired with her simple black dress, they just made her look stunning. As if she couldn't be stunning in flannel pajamas, but still....
- Comebacks are great and Mickey Rourke has been (from what I hear) deservingly lauded for his role in "The Wrestler" at so many awards shows, but it was nice to see Sean Penn win Best Actor for "Milk" - if only to avoid Mickey's random, obscenity-laced speeches. We get it, Mickey. You're a tough guy with a foul mouth and you're not afraid to use it. I'm over it.
Overall, I thought it was a good show - AND it ended on time (I think it did, anyway). They even had time at the end to show snippets of movies coming out in 2009.
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