76th Academy Awards
Just wasted 3 or so hours watching the stars strut up and down the red carpet and thank everybody in New Zealand 3 times over when I should've been doing my homework. Had the following thoughts pop into my brain while watching the awards ceremony:
1. Billy Crystal's intro stint was flat-out hilarious. Mom and I guffawed our way through the entire 3 minutes or so, especially at the part where they added Billy into Something's Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson and Dianne Keaton.
2. Glad LotR won 11 Academy Awards and had "a clean sweep" in the words of ... what's-his-name ... near the end of the show. (3rd movie to do so in history, behind Ben-Hur and Titanic!) It's depressing that the books will literally be slammed shut (according to Peter Jackson at the beginning of the ceremony) now that all three movies have been made, but at least Return of the King went out with a bang (it made up for TTT not winning anything at the Oscars last year). A fantastic ending to a masterpiece. Kudos to Peter Jackson for nabbing Best Director. IMO, nobody deserves it more than he does.
3. Annie Lennox (LotR - "Into the West") is such an ... enthralling singer. She was so absorbed in delivering the song to the audience in the best possible way that it was like she forgot where she was for a brief moment in time. Literally, she had this surprised expression on her face when the song ended, as if she suddenly remembered that she was onstage at the Academy Awards, performing in front of an audience.
4. I feel like a traitor for saying this, but I think "The Scarlet Tide" should've won instead of "Into the West." It's just that I find the first one so much more intimate and touching.
We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride ...
5. Renée Zellweger has the loveliest voice - whispery and murmur-ish, yet lilting at the same time. I wish my voice was like hers. It was so endearing how she got nervous halfway through her speech and started hyperventilating just a tad. I haven't seen Cold Mountain yet (my homework doesn't tolerate me being involved in promiscuous activities like going to the movies), but I loved the little clip of her acting that was shown during the "Here are the nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role ..." segment.
6. Keisha Castle-Hughes is gorgeous. She looked more like 18 than 13. I've always assumed that she was Aboriginal from the movie, but I doubt that now that I've seen her all scrubbed and spick-and-span. More like British/French. I was hoping that she'd win Best Actress for her movie, Whale Rider, but I suppose Best-Actress-nominee will do just fine for now. Besides, the girl's got years to go.
7. Very surprised that PotC did not win a single award tonight considering the popularity it's received over the past half-year or so. Poor Johnny. It's a doggone shame that PotC came out too late for the 2003 Oscars, but far too early to have much of an impact on the 2004 Oscars. (I have this special affinity for him ever since I first saw him in Edward Scissorhands opposite Winona Ryder.) I was cursing Sean Penn (Mystic River) when he won instead of Johnny, but I realize (now that I've calmed down) that the guy doesn't deserve my wrath. Penn's really a terrific actor.
And that's basically it. I never bothered watching past Academy Award shows, but watched this one for some reason. It was okay, I guess. A little over-hyped, in my opinion. I mean, c'mon, how many times can you watch Hollywood celebrities walk up and down the red carpet and chat with TV personalities before the event becomes clichéd?
Better get back to neglected homework now. Third term technically starts tomorrow ... therefore, kind of like a fresh start. Besides, my homework is like a demanding wife, scolding me for my lascivious affair with my Internet connection (and in particular, LiveJournal).
1. Billy Crystal's intro stint was flat-out hilarious. Mom and I guffawed our way through the entire 3 minutes or so, especially at the part where they added Billy into Something's Gotta Give with Jack Nicholson and Dianne Keaton.
2. Glad LotR won 11 Academy Awards and had "a clean sweep" in the words of ... what's-his-name ... near the end of the show. (3rd movie to do so in history, behind Ben-Hur and Titanic!) It's depressing that the books will literally be slammed shut (according to Peter Jackson at the beginning of the ceremony) now that all three movies have been made, but at least Return of the King went out with a bang (it made up for TTT not winning anything at the Oscars last year). A fantastic ending to a masterpiece. Kudos to Peter Jackson for nabbing Best Director. IMO, nobody deserves it more than he does.
3. Annie Lennox (LotR - "Into the West") is such an ... enthralling singer. She was so absorbed in delivering the song to the audience in the best possible way that it was like she forgot where she was for a brief moment in time. Literally, she had this surprised expression on her face when the song ended, as if she suddenly remembered that she was onstage at the Academy Awards, performing in front of an audience.
4. I feel like a traitor for saying this, but I think "The Scarlet Tide" should've won instead of "Into the West." It's just that I find the first one so much more intimate and touching.
We'll rise above the scarlet tide
That trickles down through the mountain
And separates the widow from the bride ...
5. Renée Zellweger has the loveliest voice - whispery and murmur-ish, yet lilting at the same time. I wish my voice was like hers. It was so endearing how she got nervous halfway through her speech and started hyperventilating just a tad. I haven't seen Cold Mountain yet (my homework doesn't tolerate me being involved in promiscuous activities like going to the movies), but I loved the little clip of her acting that was shown during the "Here are the nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role ..." segment.
6. Keisha Castle-Hughes is gorgeous. She looked more like 18 than 13. I've always assumed that she was Aboriginal from the movie, but I doubt that now that I've seen her all scrubbed and spick-and-span. More like British/French. I was hoping that she'd win Best Actress for her movie, Whale Rider, but I suppose Best-Actress-nominee will do just fine for now. Besides, the girl's got years to go.
7. Very surprised that PotC did not win a single award tonight considering the popularity it's received over the past half-year or so. Poor Johnny. It's a doggone shame that PotC came out too late for the 2003 Oscars, but far too early to have much of an impact on the 2004 Oscars. (I have this special affinity for him ever since I first saw him in Edward Scissorhands opposite Winona Ryder.) I was cursing Sean Penn (Mystic River) when he won instead of Johnny, but I realize (now that I've calmed down) that the guy doesn't deserve my wrath. Penn's really a terrific actor.
And that's basically it. I never bothered watching past Academy Award shows, but watched this one for some reason. It was okay, I guess. A little over-hyped, in my opinion. I mean, c'mon, how many times can you watch Hollywood celebrities walk up and down the red carpet and chat with TV personalities before the event becomes clichéd?
Better get back to neglected homework now. Third term technically starts tomorrow ... therefore, kind of like a fresh start. Besides, my homework is like a demanding wife, scolding me for my lascivious affair with my Internet connection (and in particular, LiveJournal).