Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Oscar Night in Review: Worst and Weirdest

I've reviewed the ceremony in the thematic / abstract for Tribeca. So let's get a little more specific here for the big roundup (see also: most wonderful moments and fashion review ~ finis!). Worst and Weirdest Moments coming at'cha now. Whether you disagree or agree, I'd love to hear the moments that left you scratching your head or pissed off.

Worst Things About Oscars 09/10

6 Oscar's Weird Relationship To Youth. The Oscars have never been a youthquake. Institutions are primarily for adults and for kids who dream of growing up to become adults. Certain Young Hollywood stars fit right into the glamour -- the history even -- of the industry's big night. You can't have the movies without both the old guard and fresh faces, after all. Cue Lion King music... "It's the circle of life!" But you need to have the type of young stars that don't require mental gymnastics on the part of the audience when they see them inbetween closeups of true legends and A-List names. There's something about some young stars -- Amanda Seyfried or Dakota Fanning for example -- that exude "one day I may well be Old Hollywood". This is the type of young star that Oscar should embrace if it wants to reexert and maintain its own institutional force. Miley Cyrus has precious little to do with the cinema and it's hard to imagine that she actually cares about the history of Hollywood and her place in their pantheon. What can she possibly bring to the table that they need? Taylor Lautner did fine with the presenting -- he's a young professional -- but they were giving him closeup reactions like he was an actual movie star and he looked confused or nervous when he wasn't on stage, like someone who had stumbled in from a nearby prom.

I don't want to come off like an old grouch here. It's a nuanced point. The Oscars should have a smattering of young stars, but since it's an Establishment event... it kind of needs the young stars who are, well, Established. And not (potentially) one-role wonders that they've been told are the cool kids. I'm not saying "don't invite Taylor Lautner". I have nothing against Taylor Lautner. I'm saying "Invite Taylor Lautner when he's proven himself." Kristen Stewart can stay. I'm obviously not a fan but I won't pretend that she hasn't earned it. She's been directed by Sean Penn and David Fincher. She's carried whole movies. Some people think she's really talented. She can hold her own while locked in tiny claustrophic spaces with Jodie Foster. Etcetera.

5 Pete Docter's speech. It started off well "Never did I believe making a flipbook in my third grade math class would lead to this" but one thing sours his wins for me. Why does he never acknowledge his fellow nominees in any of his speeches? When you sweep (as UP has) it starts to seem ungenerous. In such a rich year for animated films (Coraline and Fantastic Mr Fox would have made completely valid winners) it seems self-absorbed at best and extremely bad form at worst to act as if other great movies don't exist.

4 Oscar's Shame. At first I was excited that Oscar was explaining the difference between sound editing and sound mixing to the audience at home (and the audience in the Kodak... who *ahem* need the same education). But The Dark Knight? Why not illustrate with, um, this year's nominees?!!! Stay focused, Oscar! You could see the phantom image of the Academy's collective tail, still stuck between its legs. Exactly how many years are they going to apologize for passing that one up? The Academy makes a lot of bad choices, sure, but don't we like the Academy better when they aren't so obviously sheepish. Confidence --even when its unearned -- is often sexy. Groveling and pandering never are.

The John Hughes Club: Matthew Broderick, Macauley Culkin, Ally Sheedy,
Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Jon Cryer and Anthony Michael Hall

3 The John Hughes tribute. He definitely made an impression on my generation. I'd never deny that. I grew up reciting The Breakfast Club and I love it to this day. But the Academy doesn't even do lone tributes for Oscar winners after they've died and John Hughes was never even nominated. It was an uncharacteristic moment, immediately casting strange shadows on cinematic giants that they've never given this treatment too. Yet another instance of the Academy protesting too much... "see, we DO like Popular Films! We DO!"

They're just so scared to be themselves these days.

2 Interpretative Dance. They gave up Best Original Song or the honorary Oscars....for this? Clue to the producers: This is the type of thing you can AND HAVE done before during the Best Original Song performances. Why omit one to have the other? Especially when interpretative dance numbers have even less to do with the movies than the aborted songs. And especially when you don't even know which movies you've decided to interpret. Why were you doing a tribute to WALL•E during the UP score? That's what the robot dance was for, right? Because there aren't any robots in UP. Was this a biting satirical jab at Pixar? "Your movies are interchangeable!"

1. the worst... Screw Old People! Roger Corman, Lauren Bacall and Gordon Willis. We see you... even if Oscar won't. Legends deserve better than standing and waving to the camera. F**k you producers!

Weirdest Things About Oscars 09/10

6 The Notably Absent. Old Hollywood and New Hollywood were amply represented but wasn't it weird that Legendary Hollywood and Current Hollywood weren't? Perhaps I should explain. Old Hollywood greats (roughly speaking the senior citizens) like Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman were very present. So were newbies like Amanda Seyfried, Zac Efron and Carey Mulligan. We already know that the producers feared the wrath of teenagers should Lauren Bacall open her opinionated mouth. She had to go! But what about Current Hollywood? Was it just me or was there a distinct lack of the big stars in their mid 20s to early 40s? You know... the age range of stars that get the bulk of the leading roles? Maybe I was imagining it (possible) but the whole night felt a little like the demographic of the Best Actress category (minus Sandra Bullock).

5 Fact-Checking ... Anyone? Anyone? You'd think a show with a gargantuan production budget and phalanx of writers wouldn't have this problem but why did Samuel L Jackson get the details wrong about Beauty & The Beast (1991)? No, Samuel, Beauty & The Beast was not nominated for both Animated Feature and Best Picture. The animated feature category did not exist back then. And no Taylor Lautner, The Exorcist was not the last horror film to win favor with the Oscars. That scripted gaffe (not Taylor's fault obviously) was even stranger, followed as it was by a montage of "horror movies" (loosely defined) that included many Oscar favorites that were released AFTER The Exorcist... movies like Carrie, Silence of the Lambs, Jaws, and The Sixth Sense.

4 Amanda Seyfried + Miley Cyrus. Who thought to pair them? I'm convinced they're from different universes and I'm not talking about the light years between Pennsylvania and Tennessee. I loved Anthony Lane's bit in the New Yorker about their odd couple demeanor
Cyrus, who wore a perfectly respectable bustier but had inadvertently forgotten to put anything over it,came on to present an award in the company of Amanda Seyfried, and, in so doing, fluffed her lines. “We’re both kinda nervous, it’s our first time.” So saying, she tried to corral Seyfried into the fluff, inviting her to share the pain, but Seyfried, wisely, was having none of it, and shied backward, as if to say, “Enough with the both, sister.”
3 Fisher Stevens is an Oscar winner!
For those of you who are like "who?" It's okay. Perfectly understandable. But it was a weird moment for me. You see during the peak of Michelle Pfeiffer's career from roughly Fabulous Baker Boys through Batman Returns he was her boyfriend. Fisher withstood frequent hateful media comments, presumably for dating someone deemed so far out of his league. And he was further vilified when they broke up, presumably on account of infidelity.


But that's all ancient tabloid history. Now he is an Oscar winner and Michelle Pfeiffer is still... not.


Excuse me for a moment.







Stevens, who won for the dolphin-killing exposé The Cove, is obviously well connected and I didn't know this either. On the way to the stage for his thank you Woody Harrelson grabbed him and he exchanged looks with Meryl Streep. Who knew.

2 The Presenter Rut. What is with the Academy's utter inability to shake things up presenter-wise. They don't actually employ the same producers every year so why is it that we get the same presenters? What is it that makes Ben Stiller so attractive to them versus dozens of other famous comics? What is it that makes Cameron Diaz a "must have!"? Why is Queen Latifah the one black actress they regularly care about? Why do Tom Hanks and Barbra Streisand get so many chances to present biggie prizes? I'm not trying to be dense. I JUST DON'T GET IT. That town is swimming with legends. Los Angeles is where celebrities live. Tom Hanks and Barbra Streisand are not the only instantly recognizable cross generational celebrities on the planet. We've offered the producers numerous suggestions of very very famous people they've never used for Best Picture and they never take our advice. I mean Christ Almighty they've never even let actresses as famous as Meryl Streep or Jane Fonda do it. Or why not someone like Maggie Smith who is loved by the older generation as well as the young kids (see Harry Potter).

1...the weirdest. Sean Penn's AdLib.
It went like so...
I...um. I never became an official member of the Academy but the Academy and I do have in common that we manage to -- neglect to acknowledge the same actress in our own ways two years running. So I -- I'm going to start fresh with the Academy and acknowledge these wonderful actresses.
Maybe someone else has already explained this online but what the hell is he talking about? I have no idea. None. And I watch the Oscars religiously every year, and usually more than once!

Explain it to me in the comments, please!

Update: the best moments too. Thanks for sticking it out!

93 comments:

Andrew K. said...

Excellent post Nathaniel. You're so on point on everything here. But especially on: a)Docter's speech. I noticed it since the Globes, after both his speeches all I was thinking was: smug. It's not because I didn't want Up to win - I didn't. But I don't want loads of people to win, but there's just no humility there.

b)The score presentation, I assumed the dancing would have some damned correlation to the film, but I forgot Shankman doesn't have a brain. Good god, street dancing for Sherlock Holmes???!!! I won't even get into the replacement of Song category with this because I'm still sniffing about Marion who WAS NOT THERE.

c)I figure that the entire cast of Nine is absent because they totally hated on that (unfortunately) and I really wanted to see Nicole...I don't know why that age bracket stayed away...no Depp, Julia, Angie, DiCaprio and no Bening.

d) Speaking of Bening, when I saw her in the recap of the Honorary Oscars I got so pissed. Lauren deserved better than a few seconds while horror gets like ten minutes.

e)And the fact checking, the only thing you missed is that when presenting Precious (Charlize I believe it was) said it earned four nods. I was so expected Lee Daniels to come on stage and correct them. I'm going to shut up now, no sense in exacerbating the wounds. Good post though.

cel said...

Yes to both these lists. Truly some bizarre choices on the evening.

Re Sean Penn mystery - according to Anne Thompson it was Robin Wright!

John P. said...

Fisher Stevens was also in the Short Circuit movies. He strikes me as one of those character actors who's chummy with everyone from a particular era of Hollywood, even though he never really made it big.

Seeking Amy said...

Nathaniel, Sean Penn was referring to Robin Wright Penn I believe. Its the only thing that makes sense. Though boy was that awkward!

Michael B. said...

Supposedly Penn was talking about Robin and how he forgot to thank her in his speech last year and how they didn't nominate her this year.

But still, they were running out of time and had nothing on the TelePrompTer for Penn. He was just supposed to read the nominations. And Hanks opening that envelope like that (that's how the Producers wanted it) was a HUGE mistake.

The show was an all around disaster, except for the winners.

Rodrigo/London said...

Alec Baldwin also introduced Robert Downey Jr. as "Academy Award winning actor"?? ahn?? when?? did I miss it?

Derreck said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Derreck said...

"Why does he never acknowledge his fellow nominees in any of his speeches?"

Why should you have to? I mean, it is a gracious thing to do, but not necessary at all. Some people usually go up there and praise their fellow nominees to the point where it distracts from their own win. I'm not saying that you should just ignore your fellow nominees totally, but you can't really criticize the man for not pointing them out. It's YOUR moment where you thank the people who made it all possible.

Maybe i'm just a bitch? lol.

I'm still looking for video of Gabby's diva move when she got introduced so i can squeal in delight all over again.

and i love that picture of Kristen Stewart. She was so uncomfortable on the red carpet even though she was wearing an awesome dress. That picture just shows it. Why not use those acting 'skills' and fake some confidence? Gabby needs to give her some tips. Kristen's nervousness when presenting did make her more endearing to me though.

City_Of _Lights said...

The entire Australian contingency was missing...Kidman, Crowe, Watts, Collette, Blanchett, Jackman.

I don't think they regret skipping the ceremony.

Unknown said...

I agree with whoever mentioned the moment when Robert Downey, Jr. was announced as an Oscar winner. Unfortunately, it isn't so.

In addition, I found it dumb when Miley Cyrus said, "We're a little nervous. It's our first time on this stage" or something like that. BOTH her and Seyfried have taken the Oscar stage before!

J.P. said...

I thought it was obvious that they chose Barbra Streisand to present the Best Director Oscar because they anticipated Kathryn Bigelow's winning, and, in that screwed-up Oscary way, letting Barbra give the history-making announcement was meant to be atonement for her being famously passed over for a Best Director nomination for The Prince of Tides in 1991/92.

They sort of did the same thing in the 1998/99 Oscars when they tapped Harrison Ford to present the Best Picture Oscar in anticipation of Saving Private Ryan's winning, so Indiana Jones could hand the award to Steven Spielberg. Except Shakespeare in Love won instead. I'm still bitter about that, by the way.

Jess K. said...

love love love for the Film Experience Blog!!!

I took a day off from work not only to soak all the post-oscarness, but also to avoid co-workers who generally watch movies solely to be entertained. There's nothing like an "I didn't get it" comment to ruin one's post-Oscar high. so I am SOOOO thankful for you guys and all that you do - write - post. love love love!

PS: personally, it was a tease to see julianna moore not address 'the dude'.

Sean penn's selfish, incoherent rant was my number one dislike. and um, i have a strong distaste for miley cyrus. period. but mostly when placed next to amanda at the most prestigious award show of the year. gag.

Jess K. said...

*julianne

sorry...but that correction matterz.

Luke said...

Great list. What the hell was up with the youth pandering? Who invited Taylor Lautner and Zac Efron anyway. Anything they have ever done is just insulting to people who can actually act.

I'm also glad I wasn't the only one confused as hell with Sean Penn's ad lib.

NATHANIEL R said...

thank you jessica. so sweet.

it was weird how many of Bridges co-stars were there. honestly i could watch those actor and actres presentations go on for hours and hours. make EVERYONE talk about EVERYONE. haha

City _Of_Lights said...

@Julian

I say this with no apologies.....Miley Cyrus is an idiot and should be banned from all award shows, including the Teen Choice Awards. Our youth is too important. Seyfried gets a gold star for refusing to follow Miley's lead.

brandz said...

Nice write-up, Nathaniel. You pretty much covered it all. Biggest mistake of the evening (and there were many) was the total dissing of Lauren Bacall, a true living legend. She should have gotten more than she received. (same goes for Meryl, but we all know that already)

adelutza said...

Where was Jack? Second year in a row that he skips.

NicksFlickPicks said...

@Nathaniel: Did Monty react at all when Kristen Stewart coughed out that hairball while she was presenting? I knew that the unexpectedly gorgeous and form-fitting dress wouldn't connote a total retreat into Poise. But I wasn't really expecting hacking effluvia.

The hosting in general, the horror montage, and the NPH number would have had to intrude into my list of Worsts & Weirdests, but then, it's hard to know what they would have displaced. The show was just so awful, save for the lovely moments from each of the winning actors, from Bigelow (the first time), from Giacchino, and from Fletcher.

Unknown said...

Really terrific post, Nathaniel, I caught those blunders too, and was incredibly confused by Penn's comments.

It all felt to me like they were doing a dress rehearsal. "All the big stars aren't here tonight, guys, but we do need the nominees, so here they are! We expect Tom, Nicole, Johnny, Cate, Brad and Angie, and everyone next week when we open." But they goofed and aired Sunday's show instead. Even Steve and Alec were off (more Alec, he's not a comedian like Steve Martin, but he dragged Martin down when they were on together) and that opening seemed ENDLESS.

I adore the Oscars, and have sat through some long ceremonies with pointless tributes, but this was too much. And even though Bullock's win bothered me, her speech was pretty much my favourite moment of the night. She was classy and funny and rightfully acknowledged Streep, the others, and her own mother.

Anyway, sorry to complain so much, I was thrilled with THL winning and certainly Bigelow's win. I've heard it referred to as a slap in the face at L.A. Confidential losing, but it wasn't--- AMPAS was happy someone finally got an Iraq war film right so they could reward it.

Unknown said...

@Nick: Oh yes! NPH is lovely--- he was game as always, but WHY was the number even there? I'm sorry, but please ask Hugh Jackman or Jon Stewart back (depending on what kind of show you want next year).

liz said...

There's one moment I'm still puzzling over - I can see the connection, however tenuous, between all the Best Picture nominees and their presenters EXCEPT Charlize Theron and Precious. Am I missing something there, or is it truly as random as it appears?

Richter Scale said...

Am I the only one who actually liked the interpretive dancing presentation of the Original Score category? It was something new, and it was a chance to hear a substantial portion of each nominated score, and that reminded me of how great the competition was this year (though I still think they made the right choice with that award), and even though I would have liked to have the Song presentations back, this is not a bad substitute. It's just something different.

I agree the Horror montage had no place in there, and while the John Hughes montage also had no place, it was still very touching. Funny thing, my parents noticed that neither Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie were there this year, and now that I think of it, neither was Leo DiCaprio, or Jack Nicholson, or Dustin Hoffman, or really no one that wasn't nominated or presenting or part of the cast of a nominated film (except for Javier Bardem, whom I wish was presenting the Supporting Actress category, as much as I love Robin Williams and he did a really good job). And, even with the usual suspect presenters, it was also great seeing Pedro Almodovar and Quentin Tarantino presenting together (that was the best pairing of presenters that night).

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this is what they were going for with the pair, but Amanda Seyfried and Miley Cyrus do have something in common. They are the female leads in the recently opened or upcoming film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels.

Why that was so easy for me to figure out is the mystery I would like solved.

Adrian said...

How can you mention Docter's speech without the WEIRDNESS that was Sandy Powell's? While it was interesting that she admitted that she wins repeatedly mainly because the Academy loves period work, she came off as soooo ungracious.

ak said...

@Liz,

the only thing I could come up with was that she won an Oscar for Monster and Mo'nique was a monster.

Kim said...

Nathaniel, I would imagine Amanda and She Who Can't Stand Up Straight were paired together cause they are both in Nicolas Sparks movies (Dear John and The Last Song) (I cringe for knowing that).

I felt bad for Amanda, she looked humiliated being stuck with her.

Peter said...

How could you leave out the bizarre Kanye/Taylor Swift moment with the Documentary Short winners? That was nuts!

I thought using the Dark Knight was fine. If they had used (for example) Avatar, and then Avatar had gone on to win the awards, it would have seemed awfully fishy.

Anonymous said...

When Charlize got it wrong I was also like... WTF!!!

The thing i HATED the most was the way Tom Hanks announced the winner. At least a recap of the nominees man ! They do it at the Golden Globes why not in the Oscars ?

The director of the Secret of Their Eyes was really fuinny saying that they shouldnt out up that chronometer or whatever. Its very bad taste... Although some would talk for years.

Amanda and Miley. An interesting choice. I hope they realize real talent is out there. What about the always charming Drew Barrymore, Naomi Watts, James Franco, ...

The coreography should have been for best song... Score is about music, not guys dressed like rapers and girls dressed like dolls.

And u're right about some presenters. Hanks and Streisand havent acted in something decent for a while. Why not give a fresh, talented face the chance to give away the Pictura and director awards?
Just imagine it. Dame Dench giving Best Picture. Feast for the eyes!!!

And were the hell is all the rest of the planet. Only a couple from Spain, five tops from UK... And the rest? Big mistake

Caroline said...

Your post was brilliant and so spot-on, Nathaniel. It almost made me weep in shame. I had to restrain myself from sending more angry Tweets to Adam Shankman. Please write a "actually decent moments of this year's Oscars" post next to comfort us.

You could start with the camera panning twice to Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem sitting together (omg!)

Unknown said...

@Adrian, I liked Powell's speech. She said she felt greedy b/c she already had two, and then acknowledged contemporary designers for their frequently unheralded work.

adam k. said...

Wow, there were indeed a LOT of factual errors. I hadn't thought about it really, but yeah. I remember wondering if I'd heard it wrong when they said "Academy Award Winner Robert Downey Jr."... but no, alas, that is what they said.

I guess I was just so happy with most of the winners that I wasn't processing how bad the actual show was.

Also, I LOVED hearing the Hurt Locker score in orchestral strings every time it won. It was even more haunting, moving and majestic than the spare guitar/synth version from the film. LOVE that score.

But am I the only one who's not head-over-heels in love with Gabby Sidibe? I know it's not popular to not love her. But I feel like if she were a skinny white girl, the things she does would just come off tacky (the over-the-top diva pose, extreme girliness, etc.) I was a little bit resistant ever since I heard her say "friend of mine's" on Ellen (that's a grammar pet peeve of mine). She's just SUCH a valley girl, it irks me. Plus, airheadedly bad grammar. I get that it's cute how happy and confident and un-Precious-like she is, but I think she'd get on my nerves if I knew her in person.

I much prefer the powerful, in-your-face, but nonetheless compassionate sass of Mo'Nique.

Lucky said...

I agree with your post, I just don't get some things. If they were in such a hurry that they had to cut off the songs presentations and the Honorary Oscars then WHY have those dance numbers? WHY the Hughes Tribute? I don't think it was wrong, but I agree with what you said about it.

And WHY the Horror Tribute? that was completely unnecessary, and if it had to be done, it could've been way shorter.

Anyways, I liked some things as well, like the director of The Secret in their Eyes saying "Fuerza a los hermanos de Chile". He didn't have to, it was nice.

Lucky said...

Oh, and I agree with adam k, I love Gabby Sidibe, but if she was white and skinny people would hate her more than they hate Hanna Montana and those Twilight kids.

Mason Mahoney said...

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Farrah Fawcett's absence from the 'in memoriam', while Michael Jackson was included.

???

Anonymous said...

Ha, I was way off on Sean Penn (according to the consensus here). I thought he hoping that they wouldn't make the mistake of not rewarding Meryl two years in a row.

-Catbaskets

notanotherblog said...

Don't hate on XLD. Yes, it was awkward when that guy was tutting to the music in The Hurt Locker, but what they did with Michael Giacchino's score gave me my soul back.

/3rtfu11 said...

I always that Fisher Stevens was a real Indian.

Agustin said...

Did anyone notice in one shot, the feet of some backstage guy appearing on the back?
It really pissed me off, cause it was very obvious, how could they not tell that guy to move! It wasn't a 2 sec shot, at least 20 secs
The whole show seemed too amateur, the sound problems, the fact checking..
I really liked most of the winners but I couldn't enjoy the show because of all the technical errors that threw me off.

Danny King said...

Yeah, that whole Sean Penn thing was very strange, but the previously linked Anne Thompson post seems to make sense of the fact that it was a reference to Robin Wright.

Deus Ex Machina said...

I did think it was weird that Miley Cyrus said it was HER first time presenting, didn't she present two years ago??? I'm pretty sure, I can bet a limb. Such a liar!

RobUK said...

Deus Ex Machina, you're absolutely right; I thought the exact same thing as the words left Miley's lips. Because the last time she presented, I didn't even know who she was and that's how I learned!

I'm fine with Zac Efron's appearances, because - to be honest - he's headlining and carrying movies these days and being the sole reason why those movies make any of their money. I see him as a bona fide movie star as he's carried movies outside of the HSM franchise, and I think there's enough potential there to mean he'll go off and do something interesting one day which will knock the spots of audiences. Taylor Lautner: less so.

This business of winners not allowing their co-winners the opportunity to speak really REALLY irritates me. All it takes is a brief moment of discussion and preparation in the MONTH leading up to the ceremony to agree how you're going to be playing it in the event that you win. It's really not difficult, and to self-indulgently ramble for the entire 45 seconds is ruthless, selfish, self-indulgent and... oh yeah: Hollywood.

Another pet peeve was Mo'Nique's "performance; not politics" comment. It instantly soured a fully deserving moment for me, because I'm not sure what the inference was. Either the implication is that (a) she's more worthy than the other four nominees, and therefore a win by any of them would have been about politics and not performance (which is insensitive and dripping with ego), or (b) she's making reference to being black, which I thought we as a society and they as an Academy were surely past now? I mean - was the possibility of that mighty performance winning ever compromised by the colour of her skin? So to talk about Hattie McDaniel...? Seriously?!

collin said...

Nice post....I liked it.

Take the Oscar 2010 Winners Test and find out whether you really know who won and lost the Oscar. Have Fun!

Kirby Holt said...

First off, all due respect to John Hughes, but ...

As the tribute stretched on and on, I became physically agitated, it pissed me off so much. not only was he never nominated for an Oscar himself, but only one of his movies ("Home Alone") was ever even nominated at all. It seems to set a dangerous precedent, I can't believe the Academy OK'ed it.

As for Docter, I don't get why you singled him out. Except for Sandy, no one else singled out their fellow nominees (that I recall). And he's not a star, so he only had 45 seconds before he would have been played off any way.

Aaron said...

I have to agree with RobUK...Although I was happy Mo'Nique won, her speech was incredibly egotistical. "The performance, not the politics" comment should have not come out of her mouth...it was very disrespectful to the other nominees...

...and while I agree with almost all your points, Nat, I don't get the Pete Docter bashing. Has Mo'Nique ever thanked any of her fellow costars this WHOLE season??? I thought Docter's speech was actually one of the most genuine of the night (other than Sandra's).

...I'll second the motion that Lauren Bacall was totally thrown under a bus, though. Give the woman (as well as Roger Corman), the opportunity to at least come on stage and say a few words, rather than waving ridiculously into the camera. WTF???

...although I could give two shits about Miley Cyrus, Taylor Lautner, and Zac Efron (opening up 17 Again does not make you a bonafide movie star), I agree that Amanda Seyfried and Kristen Stewart have earned their invitations to the Oscars (and Miley has been there THREE years in a row. WTF was she on when she said it's her first time?)...

...and, last thing, I totally noticed the absence of really big stars as well. I have never seen so many of the nominees present awards. Usually they will just have a couple...where was Brad and Angie, Cate, Tom, Katie, Gwyneth, Nicole, Russell, Halle, Drew, Denzel, etc??? And why the eff are Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz permanent guests at the Oscars?

Anyways, loved seeing Colin Farrell, Michael Sheen, Julianne Moore, Oprah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jake Gyllenhaal...very welcomed faces!

Unknown said...

Nathaniel this is the post-Oscar breakdown I've been waiting for ... Thank you.

As a 30-year's Oscar watcher, this year's show was one of the worst I can remember. Perhaps THE worst. Almost nothing went right; even Monique managed to come off as flinty and self-serving. Who knew that we'd be happiest for Sandra Bullock the morning after?

I blame the WRITERS. Who decided it would be a classy way to start the show by having Neil Patrick Harris sing a prison rape lyric (that "dropped the soap" bit)?

Who didn't figure out how to write jokes that would work for a comedy team? (So much harder to get the comic timing down for two than it is for one; I'm assuming Tina Fey wrote, or rewrote, her own material, since it was so much funnier than anything else all night.)

Who got all the facts wrong, and wrote blunders like that "not since the Exorcist" line...?

I was actually relieved for the Best Score dance montage because for once no one was mouthing any canned dialogue. And those aerial spins were the only thing that seemed in synch all night.

Adam Shankman, you seem like a very nice man, but...geez that show was a mess.

Chuck said...

Excellent post. Wish I had said all this myself. The show was a head-on train wreck over a bridge, but THL winning almost made up for it.

The John Hughes tribute with tired looking has-been stars [sorry, Matthew] was most annoying, followed closely by the awful horror montage.

They didn't let La Bacall do anything because they couldn't shut her up at the Governor's Ball and she's one of the most difficult women to control of all time. Trust me. I know from personal experience.

The choices of hosts and presenters were both awful. Where were Goldie and Kurt, Tom and Katie, the Australian and British contingents, Sissy Spacek, Sally Field, Hilary Swank, Sophia Loren, Susan Sarandon, Jessica Lange, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anjelika Huston, and on and on? Enough with Cameron and J Lo, though they both looked decent for once and weren't chewing gum. No doubt Barbra was invited to assuage their guilt at not nominating her brilliant work on 'The Prince of Tides,' but why was Tom Hanks asked to present Best Picture again? All is forgiven if they never, ever invite Miley Cyrus back again.

The In Memoriam piece is usually so touching and this year it seemed forced and too short, and omitted more than just Farah Fawcett. Why can we always see better dancers on stage in any mediocre Broadway musical than on Oscar night? This year it was particularly awful and inappropriate.

But above all it was Sandra Bullock winning for that impersonation instead of a performance that made me take a trip to the vomitorium, and the way she pandered to the great Meryl [who looked smashing without borrowed jewels and 20-foot trains that looked like something from a Quinceanero party]. Next year maybe they can find a way to give the Best Actress Oscar to Jennifer Aniston for her equally stunning body of work.

Anonymous said...

@RobUK: Mo'nique's comment was obviously about Tom O'Neil's smear campaign against her (sponsored by Harvey Weinstein, presumably) You know how he lied about her not campaigning and how she shoudn't win because of that?

I agree with most of the post, although I don't get why you single out Pete Docter as coming off smug - it's not an obligation to acknowledge your fellow nominees and who else did aside from Bullock?

And I was baffled to not find Crazy Doc Short Lady who pulled a Kanye to find as the #1 weirdest moment? Or is it coming up as one of the best?! Because it was for sure the most memorable thing about the night for me.

NATHANIEL R said...

Chuck... don't even speak it. That's EXACTLY the type of actress that they do like to hand this prize to. Which is why Julianne Moore, Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer and probably Samantha Morton will never win.

(sigh)

In some ways I can't believe that Nicole Kidman ever won anything. Because she's the type of actress -- consistently interesting, of quality (excluding the awkward mall bids) but not warm and fuzzy -- that they refuse to acknowledge.

Andrew R. said...

Oh, the irony: last year, I disagreed with so many nominations but the actual ceremony was great.

This year, the nominations were great but the ceremony stunk.

And I'm most annoyed about the abundance of Disney/Twilight stars. Miley can't act OR sing, Taylor Lautner just can't act (or read), Zac Efron just happened to be in one good film where he did a lousy job, I despise Kristen Stewart in almost all her movies.

The interpretative dance...oh, geez.

I liked the John Hughes tribute. Hmph.

Who the hell got the idea that THE EXORCIST was the last horror Oscar winner? It won 2 Oscars in minor categories back in 1973! Silence of the Lambs won BEST PICTURE/DIRECTOR/ACTOR/ACTRESS/A. SCREENPLAY in 1991. Same with Beauty and the Beast and Best Animated.

Glenn said...

I skipped most of the comments, but I agree with everything you said. I've already gone into long detail about the issues of the show including the presenters (local Aussie comedian Tony Martin put it best: "Thank God they didn't let Roger Corman or Lauren Bacall make a speech. I really need to hear what Miley Cyrus has to say")

How can the Academy say they deliberately left Farrah Fawcett out of their In Memoriam because she's known as a TV actress and yet we've gotten Miley Cyrus two years in a row (i distinctly remember her presenting last year so I'm not sure why she said it was her first time - i think she presented an original song?) and Sarah Jessica Parker two years in a row (doing THE SAME category two years in a row, too). ay ay ay.

For me though the weirdest thing was how after every Best Picture contender got its montage there would be this awkward 5-10 seconds of absolute nothing. Just music and shots of awkward-lookin' celebrities not knowing if or why they're on when it should just be going to an ad break.

The lack of big names was disappointing, yes, but even the ones that were there got one shot and that was it. Pfeiffer got her moment on stage, but other than that... where was her reacting to Jeff's win? etc. Does anyone (who isn't an Oscar tragic) know what Jason Reitman looks like? No, so why show him frequently? How offensive, too, that they shoved the Precious team over in the corner (in a DARK corner).

The entire night was a shambles.

You're right about Pete Docter's speech, too. His speech was terrible and meandering and so forth anyway, but you're right about the acknowledgment. A year where so many thought it was the best ever (not that that's hard since animation hasn't ever been made in such quantity before) and he couldn't even shout out to the other contenders. Yet another reason to be blase about Up.

Glenn said...

Oh and I noticed the fact thing too. Charlize Theron saying Precious was a four-time nominee?

FrenchGirl said...

the australian contingent was Sam Worthington!
the british contigent was Michael Sheen!
the contigent of 27-37 years old was Sam Worthington!


the others worked(promotion or filming) or weren't invited or didn't care!

Anitra said...

1) Sean Penn forgot to thank his wife Robin Wright Penn last year when he won his Oscar and he also thinks she should have been nominated by the Academy.

2) Kristen Stewart might belong at the festivities but not on stage. She was slouching, shaking, and moving her body like a drug addict. Then started coughing. She is beyond awkward and shouldn't present. Taylor Lautner looked confused when the cameras panned to him because even he knew that there were more important people that the cameras should be focused on. I don't think he counted on being seen even once the entire night. Their movie made over $700 million so far this year, and the other movie last year is one of the reasons Summit could afford to make low-budget movies like The Hurt Locker.

3) You left out the strangest moment of the night. The Kanye moment with the "song for Prudence" director vs. producer. I thought she was a random crazy lady taking over the event.

4) The two hosts were not funny at all. Their jokes were all insider stuff between friends and not meant for the home audience.

5) Mo'nique's speech about performance over politics had to do with the smear campaign that she would be unworthy of an Oscar because she doesn't value those types of prizes and would mock it. She missed some earlier award ceremonies and people started talking behind her back about it.

6) You forgot Susan Powell(?) winner for best costume. I think her speech was inartful but her point was none-the-less valid. Oscars are period-piece snobs and don't give enough respect to designers of modern clothes. Like she said, they work just as hard as she does.

7) I agree with the rest of the list. Thanks.

aclp said...

The Hughes tribute was insulting. Ingmar Bergman died two years ago. No individual tribute to him. Kubrick died. Altman died. Chaplin died. Hitchcock died. No individual tributes to the as well.

So why that never ending tribute to Hughes and that army of former teen stars - current has beens (and charlie's brother alan) being praised on sateg while Lauren Bacall stood there like a nobody with nothing to do but to wave at the camera???

Bergman's legacy is miles above and more important than Hughes'. The same goes for all the other directors mentioned above. So why is Hughes mor worthy than any of them?

I agree, where was the A-List? Julia? Denzel? Depp? Drew? Dustin? De Niro? Pacino? Reese? Blanchett? Will Smith? Brad and Angie? Di Caprio? Halle?

What about the living legends? Elizabeth Taylor? Peter O'Toole? Maggie Smith? Deneuve? Loren? Fanny Ardant? Julie Andrews?

But why is Katie Holmes being considered a movie star here? She is not. Will never be. Katie Holmes is a nobody and will always be. She is a horrible, wooden, pathetic, embarassing actress with a infantile "minnie mouse on halium" voice and a childish crooked half-smile. She is just some aging closeted gay man's beard. She will never be more than that.

aclp said...

Mo'nique was obviously talking about/to Tom O'Neil.

Sandra Bullock is 46.

If you dont mind me asking, how old are you, Nathaniel?

Chris Na Taraja said...

So the women, especially the young ones, have big shoulders from working out and then choose these bare shouldered dresses, and then, do not stand up straight. OK, what kind of dresses would be more flattering for these upcoming actresses?

Or even more radical, can we let go of the old prom ball formal wear? honestly, i think the women may be more comfortable in suits, and the men could use a little more glitter and color!

Unknown said...

Nathaniel, I think you're right about Kidman, but she edged through as Denzel noted "by a nose" over Re--well you know who I mean. ;) They gave it to her for having two big performances one year, then another huge one the next that fulfilled their favourite trend at the time. They got her right before she became TOO weird (and notice how she hasn't been nominated since). Hopefully she can get some traction if Rabbit Hole turns out to be all it can be.

The Jaded Armchair Reviewer said...

Did they even acknowledge Luise Rainer reaching her centennial? Sorry, my Oscar telecast was around 30 minutes behind so the tv station cut out several bits like the In Memoriam and Best Foreign Language category.

Most awkward moment for me was watching Fisher Stevens complete joy at winning that he almost forgot to mention the documentary he won for.

NATHANIEL R said...

amanda... i am younger than nicole kidman and older than penelope cruz but that's all i'm ever saying. I HATE aging ;) I'm just going to pretend I'm still 35 forever ;) That's a good age.

everyone... thanks for clearing up about sean penn's weirdness. it's still ugh. i mean, if you want to make a point, make it. don't make it so obscured that people just wonder "what the hell?"

Ryan -- agreed. Kidman is such a perfect example of how crucial timing is to being named an oscar winner for the rest of your life. It's all about timing. One minor release decision on the part of you or your competitors and thingks could be totally different. I still weep that Jessica Tandy stole Pfeiffer's Oscar. ARGH. she was winning everything and then that damn December release. ARGH X 1000

Gustavo H.R. said...

Amanda, there was an individual Kubrick homage in 2000.

Urey said...

Supposedly the reason for a lack of STAR presenters has more to do with the hassle of being a presenter more than anything having to do with the producers. They don't want to be bothered with rehersals, flak for flubbing lines or announcing unpopular winners, dealing with traffic/afterparties, etc. To me that's BS, b/c I'd give my right arm to be at the Oscars sweeping the floors, no less be a damn presenter. But when the big guns don't want to be bothered, that's why you see the same ole same oles agreeing to do it year after year. They're familiar with the process, want the attention, don't have anything better to do, etc. Most would rather see the Oscars at home with friends and family.

RobUK said...

Thanks to those who clarified that Mo'Nique's seemingly undignified comments were directed at Tom O'Neil, but I think regardless it was badly executed. I'm more interested in Oscar and Oscar season than 99.9% of people I know, and even I didn't have a clue what she was referring to. So whether it was coming from an "in your face, Tom O'Neil" place or not; the majority of viewers wouldn't know about it.

Which is why she'd have been better to either be more specific if she had a point to make, or - better yet - take the higher ground and let her win speak for itself.

Gus said...

Yeah, the Sean Penn thing was weird, and clunky, and I suspect uncomfortable for absolutely everyone who heard or saw it. But he seemed like he was determined to make amends for something, somehow, and launched into it and then realised it wasn't clever or witty and he had no time or courage to backtrack or give a rambling explanation. A definite "What just happened?!" moment.

Docter was a bit full of himself, for sure, but the Ugly Moment of the Night Award has to go to Sandy Powell, surely. I don't think she thought through what she was going to say before she said it -- really, who could, in those circumstances?! -- but sadly she just came out sounding vain and smug. And it's a pity, because what she then want on to say was probably heartfelt and well-intended, and it was certainly a valid point, but after her unseemly cock-crow it seemed more like she was just scrabbling to redeem herself. I'm betting she got off-stage and off-camera and shouted "What the *feck* did I just do?!!"

Tara said...

This show was one of the worst. Boring, not funny, with a television guy doing an opening number that was just a cheap copy of last year´s fabulous opening number.
It was also long and boring. With a lots of annoying teen stars who can´t talk and act.
Bring back Hugh Jackman next year and few real stars and actors.
That´s all.

Ryan Ray said...

Nice write up! I generally agree with what you said, except for the sound mixing/editing bit. I like that they didn't favor a particular nominee by using last year's winner. I think it was just a coincidence it was The Dark Knight and not some sort of self-atonement. I feel it would be too difficult to show the sound mixing/editing process with all 5 nominees. By using The Dark Knight, they were able to show what it sounded like as it was filmed, and then after the sound mixing/editing process.

I also like how Tom Hanks didn't read the nominees again. They already all introduced them throughout the ceremony and I don't need to wait another 3 minutes for him to read every single nominee. Short and sweet.

NATHANIEL R said...

Urey -- i've heard this, but frankly I'm not sure i believe it. Why would major stars NOT want to present at the Oscars. It garners good industry will and good industry will helps out in uncountable ways.

I mean Meryl Streep doesn't have to show up every time she's nominated. They'd still nominate her. a ltt of people show up who have no hope or thought that they're winning so surely being there is important on a networking/industry/respect level.

Arlo -- but they could have easily done the same sound thing with ALL of this year's nominees. just took each through pieces of the process.

Urey said...

Well that's the reason. It's the hassle of it all that keeps many of the important stars away. There's a reason why the low-rent stars go for this gig more often than not over the A-listers, who also don't really need the prestige factor of presenting at the Oscars like the newbies do. They self-servingly only want to be bothered with the show when they're nominated or ensured of a win. For the mainstays, if you've done it once, you might as well continue to do it when asked if it isn't that much trouble to you. For Tom Hanks, I bet he was both strongarmed into announcing BP (cuz he's on the Board of Governors) and for promotion ("The Pacific"). He could have acted like he wanted to be there though instead of forgoing naming the BP list one more time before announcing the winner.

poopoo said...

a few comments/defenses on the "worst" list:

6: You forgot to mention Stewart's (awesome) "I don't give a flying" attitude while she presented, complete with a cough in the middle and everything.

5: I don't remember anyone (except Bullock) giving props to the other nominees. I think you Doctor's speech as "selfish" because you happend to like the other nominated movies better. Best animated feature is not the same as best actor or best actress, he will be played off for sure if he takes too much time, and wouldn't you use those valuable 45 secs thanking your own people?

4 and 3: I have nothing to say, except that you are reading way too much into this.

2: I can't believe so many people would have prefered best song performances over that awesome dance routine. I can't remember the last time a best song presentation was half-way decent. It was cerainly a disaster last year when they mashed them all together. Also, The dances were honoring the best score nominees. which are infinitely more important than best song. I think the score is one of the most important part of the a movie, so I'm glad they took the time to give them a proper presentation. My sense is that you don't feel breakdancing is "classy" enough for the oscars, or for orchestrated music in general?

1.They may have only gotten 2 seconds during the show, but it was clear that the three had their own ceremony all to themselves, where they were the main event. So I don't understand the anger. This is an improvement right? Or do they usually get their own ceremony? If so, wasn't airtime at the oscars just icing on the cake to begin with?

Also, how come Lady Kanye didn't get a mention in the weirdest list? Too obvious?

Also, doesn't Sean Penn look like Adam Shankman?

Benji said...

Does anyone know why George Clooney looked so pissed off throughout the whole evening?

Burning Reels said...

Whenever he pops up, I find it hard to remove the Fisher Stevens/Short Circuit associations from my head - he was supposed to be Indian?...dear me

For me, the Mo'Nique speech was one of the highlights...even if it was specifically aimed at O' Neill, I think 'performance not the politics' is something to think about in regards to the general Oscar season and campaign - not just the acting performances.

As for the Bacall/Cormon charade, someone else put it well about the audience standing up as if to say 'do we have to get up'?! After it ended, they sat down soon enough - pathetic.

aclp said...

Nathaniel, I also hate hate hate hate aging. Every single birthday is a MAJOR crisis and a reason for pain and sorrow for me and I'm not even thirty yet.

RobUk, Mo'nique was more direct and straightfoward in her backstage interview. You can see it on You Tube where she talks about it in a more direct manner, and adresses all of those who said that they should teach her a lesson.

Anonymous said...

Funny. You all sound like grammar Nazis freaking out over dangling participles. I mean, I get it, a dangling participle result in some pretty catastrophic things, but it's still pretty pathetic.

Jimmy said...

Clooney was in on the joke with Baldwin and has said so. It was a gag. It's no big deal. The rest of it could have just been him being tired or wanting to be somewhere else. It's pretty thankless when you know you have no shot of winning, and that your film is gonna go 0-6 unjustly too.

notanotherblog said...

Possibly OT, but Antichrist should have been in the horror montage.

Anonymous said...

For those of you that are interested and said it was nice to see many of Jeff Bridges co-stars there, Farrah Fawcett happened to be one of those.........omitting her and the others in the "in memomriam' segment was unforgiving..

Riley said...

Mo'Nique's line about campaign politics wasn't egotistical at all. It was exactly what needed to be said at a time when the industry needed to hear it, especially with all the mud-slingling in this year's Oscar race. All of that almost stopped me from watching the ceremony flat out this year, especially what was being done to "The Hurt Locker" camp. It should be about the work alone and it almsot never is. At least in Mo's case, it was mainly about the performance, and that huge standing ovation proved it.

Anonymous said...

Alec Baldwin said that Robert Downey Jr. was an Academy Award winning actor. No he isn't! Ugh, another factual error in a sea of them on that awful show.

ClaudeMedwenitsch said...

I don't get why the stars put up with that kind of show. They should all protest and say that they won't come if they don't change the show into being more respectful towards its winners.
and i also don't understand how NOBODY of them talks about it. why not?

Evan said...

Meryl can't announce Best Picture because almost every year, she's a nominee. I think it'd be best to avoid nominees announcing the big win.

As for the other amazing Hollywood legends and why they can never do the big announcement, beats me.

Anonymous said...

disappointing things about the show:

1) No one - NO ONE - was there. They were cutting to the same audience faces every time, and it's because the selection was so sparce! In the past, I've been starstruck by all of the A-list celebs... where'd they go?

2) Dim lighting at the beginning? Really? This is the effing OSCARS. Those kinds of technical errors simply shouldn't be there.

3) That Hughes tribute... it felt so terribly out of place. It was a confusing break from tradition, and for a director that was nowhere near as influential as some of the others they've passed over.

4) What was their reasoning for the horror montage, again? It just felt so random.

5) The cast of Precious was seated in a poorly-lit, distant corner, with Mo'Nique practically bumping her head on a railing or something. Um, what? How on earth was that the best place to seat them?

Anonymous said...

The lack of A-list stars is actually a troubling development. It might mean that the Oscars are becoming almost like the Globes and every other insignificant awards show where only the nominees, their co-stars, and presenters show up. It's as if the Oscars are no longer important even to the Hollywood elite themselves. And it's not about celebs afraid of presenting, they don't have to be a presenter to show up to the industry's biggest night of the year. In the past, being intricately involved with the show (i.e. nominated or presenting) didn't matter. Pretty much all of big Hollywood attended. Now, like with the Globes, we're seeing only those who were "required" to be there. Not a good thing for the show's longevity if even the stars of the business can't bother to be there.

Sal said...

Where was Emilio Estevez? Was he too busy doing nothing to be there for the Hughes tribute?

Peggy Sue said...

Great post Nathaniel! Pretty much covers everything...

Where has the glamour and the excitement gone? C'mon! Half of the audience all over the world does not sleep at all just to watch it!

Who is Taylor Lautner? Does the Hannah Montana fan base really care about the Oscars? More Almodóvar/Tarantino please. More Pfeiffer (first appearance in 17 years!). Show Lauren Bacall some respect: She IS a legend.

I could go on and on...

Edward said...

Everybody at my oscar party was touched by the John Hughes tribute. I guess being in our mid 30's, we all felt he defined a part of our generation. Sure he never won an Oscar, but his films meant alot to many of us, nonetheless.

Carl said...

An aside on the "nobody was there" issue...I think this was one of the few years in recent history when all twenty acting nominees attended the ceremony. Or did I miss a miss?

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I actually read all the comments. I had to!! Nathaniel your comments are balls on. All of them.

Maybe “Big Hollywood” didn't show up because they were put off by all the "performance VS politics" playground bully mud-flinging bullshite that went on before the Oscars leading up to that comment??

And maybe "Big Hollywood" isn’t that into the underdog always winning just for the sake of it being the underdog.

I mean if an underdog is worthy, by all means. IE: An underdog landslide win like Slumdog Millionaires last year was the cat’s meow. That show rocked. It was so deep and so cutting edge and it was sooo damn good. Albeit low budget – This underdog movie deserved every single ounce of credit and glory. Nice job: Colson, Inervel and Doyle…etc!!

But Precious doesn’t compare to that.

And The Hurt Locker didn’t deserve the glory it received.

The Hurt Locker was low budget and it didn’t do that well in the theatres. AVATAR earned (so far) $2.6 Billion dollars at the box office!!! That’s an all time historic record – and obviously the entire movie watching population across our planet proved it was the best picture and said so via the commitments of their wallets!! And yet AVATAR barely took home any “gold”…

And since when are academy awards up for the taking to atone for previously unfair discriminations?

Being a woman and there having never been a woman winning this category before doesn’t mean Kathryn Bigelow is the best director. Kathyrn wasn’t the best director. And Hurt Locker did not deserve best picture. Nominations yes, wins, no. Sorry.

I hate to say it, but I believe Kathryn won because, sadly, as Streisand so indulgently said herself, when she should have simply been reading Kathryn’s name! “the time has finally come” for what? for her song “I am
Woman!” to finally mean something to her. I am happy for Kathryn Bigelow, but clearly my vote was not with her.

This years’ awards were so political. Moreso, than ever before. Monique’s comments are out of her arse. Her winning IS about politics! She is an underdog, she is black, she is not skinny and she is a spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey. Politics. She won because of those “other politics.”

Maybe BIG Hollywood stars were missing – because of all this. And as for Clooney being there at all, shows he has some class and respects his co-stars who were obviously thrilled to be nominated and part of this huge event.

His mood might be attributed to all the texts he received from cool friends saying – "sorry we won't be coming. Miss ya big guy! Maybe next year we'll be back when it's not so damn political and superficial…"

Next year will be better.

PS: when’s Tarantino gonna win!! He works so damn hard. Basterds was daring, courageous, outrageous and deserving of more.

John D. said...

Wouldn't have been amazing if they had asked Christoper Plummer to present best picture?

Anonymous said...

I garee on the presenters. I would like to see the senior citizen actors who are still phusically able to present. Olivia dehavilland, Luise Rainier are still with us. Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Gene Hackman would be great. How about Angela Bassett, Paula Giammatti, Laura Linney, Toni Collette, Tom Wilkinson, Jim Broadbent, Frances McDormand and some others that we don't see enough of? Hoe about Glenda Jackson, she won two BAs in the 60s. Or for that matter, George Segal, William Hurt, John Lithgow?

spidey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
spidey said...

Fisher Stevens is a great actor and has starred in tons of movies and TV shows(recommending Early Edition, a great and subtle mystery show). It's strange to see an often overlooked actor win an Oscar for producing a daring indie documentary, true, but I feel like it was only on your list because you couldn't pick a 6th one.

forestmane said...

I think that you are absoulutly right about our "legendary" actors and actresses, these people should be celebrated and exposed, not hidden behind the curtian. And, as you said about Michelle Pfeiffer, she deserves an oscar, and I am still hopeful that one day she will be an oscar winner.

Unknown said...

Definitely agree with amazement over the disrespect shown to Lauren Bacall. I had heard that she would be given the award earlier in the week and was shocked that all she received was a wave to the camera. I was embarassed for the Academy and for our culture. But John Hughes receives a ginormous montage and tribute from his living dead players? Ridiculous.