The awards weren't boring to be sure - hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin contributed admirable banter - but the year's winners were such locks, nothing could have stopped them. The acting winners - Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique - were favorites several weeks ago. The only possible spoilers were Meryl Streep or Carey Mulligan for Best Actress, and they went home empty-handed. All of the winners - from Best Picture, Best Director, and the actors - lined up with the Guild Awards exactly.
The real story here - even though it wasn't much of a surprise - was Kathryn Bigelow's win as Best Director for The Hurt Locker, the first female to claim the prize. Fittingly, Barbra Streisand, an overlooked director herself, bestowed the honor upon Bigelow, proclaiming when she opened the envelope, "Well, the time has come." Indeed.
A few observations:
-Anyone wondering about Mo'Nique's outfit? Thanks to a friend's research, we figured out it was a tribute to the first African-American Oscar winner, Hattie McDaniel (who won for Gone With the Wind in 1939).
-Did anyone else notice they changed the phrase "And the Oscar goes to..." back to "And the winner is..." ?
-I wasn't pleased with Sandra Bullock's win, but no one can deny she's a fun lady who gives great acceptance speeches.
-Meryl Streep has now lost 12 Oscars in a row. She's always had fierce competition, but the losing streak is a bit ridiculous. Who does she have to play (perfectly) to win her third? Adolf Hitler? (She could do it. She played a short male rabbi quite convincingly in Angels in America.)
-What's all the fuss about Farrah Fawcett being left out of the In Memoriam segment? She's notable, to be sure, but her primary work was in television. Ditto Bea Arthur. On the other hand, Michael Jackson's inclusion was questionable.
-Viewership was up 14 percent over last year and yielded the highest ratings in five years. I guess the 10 nominees for Best Picture will be a mainstay until the idea gets old.
What did you think? Were the winners deserving? Were the hosts decent? Were you tired by the end? (I was.)
3 comments:
I had a lot of fun watching the Oscars this year. LOVED Neil Patrick Harris's number at the beginning. I think that really got the show off on the right foot.
What was surprising to me was that "Up in the Air" didn't win its screenplay award. And that the Wallace and Gromit movie didn't win for animated short.
Also, I realized yesterday that I've only seen one movie that won an award this year: Star Trek (for best makeup). But I still really enjoyed watching the awards.
I have a bizarre, unwarranted hatred towards Avatar, so I was a bit smug when Cameron didn't win best director. The fact that the woman who won was his ex-wife? Priceless. I should probably see The Hurt Locker.
Oh, and what was up with that "tribute" to horror movies? Half the clips they showed weren't even from horror movies! Edward Scissorhands? Come on!
I agree about the horror movie tribute - in a long show where they had to cut the best song performances, they had to honor horror? Strange.
I haven't seen as many movies as I'd like either, so you're not alone. "Up in the Air" is high on my list.
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