In no particular order, here’s my two cents on the just-wrapped 83rd annual Oscars ceremony.
- Gob smackingly predictable: No upsets. no surprises. Yawn.
- Dual hosts? Try one and a half: Anne Hathaway was charming, comfortable and humorous in a sweet, nonthreatening way. James Franco may have been channeling his “Pineapple Express” stoner character.
- WTF? Maybe the worst produced show in my lifetime. Bad segues, clunky jokes, bits that went nowhere (a musical shout out to Hugh Jackman?) and actors appearing out of nowhere – hello, Kevin Spacey.
- One crazy speech (Melissa Leo), one fantastic speech (Colin Firth) and the rest were mostly forgettable.
- The night had a chaotic charm at times, as if no one knew what has happening at any given time.
- Why on earth was President Obama included in the pre-taped portion of the show?
- Billy’s back! Billy Crystal’s short speech reminded us what a great Oscar host sounds like.
- The best produced bit of the night involved the 10 Best Picture nominees, a wonderfully edited montage set to a monologue from … “The King’s Speech.” It’s like somebody peeked into the envelopes and set the wheels in motion accordingly.
- Now we know why Jack Nicholson doesn’t show up anymore (or at least isn’t referenced by the host).
- Who cares? Why include a segment on ABC extending its contract to continue airing the Oscars? After tonight I wouldn’t be so proud of that fact.
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I too found that Colin Firth had the best speech, followed shortly by the winner for Short Film (Live Action). That dude was awesome.
Having Obama speak at a Hollywood event is like having Reagan or Bush speak at an NRA event—except the NRA a much more bipartisan institution.
There was no reason for Obama to take part in the event. He has no film connections. He should have better things to do that tape a segment for the telecast. And imagine the uproar if they had let Bush do the same a few years back.
Reagan could have been tapped for such a cameo back in the 80s because of his legit film ties. I don’t recall Hollywood ever asking him for such a cameo, but my memory may be fuzzy here.
This is the reason why I stopped watching the oscars more than 10 years ago.
I was just being nice if I said this year’s Oscar is a bit boring. It really truly is super boring.
>>Why on earth was President Obama included in the pre-taped portion of the show?>>
Just in case you forgot who the majority of Academy members support. It can be so confusing in the era of “new civility.”
Best part of the night: Luke Matheny’s awesome Barry Champlain ‘fro. Thank you, Luke, for NOT getting a haircut!
This year as usual Oscar show was the presentation of best dresses and glamorous ladies.
But this year I completely agree with the winners in most categories.