"And the Oscar goes to G..."
"SQUEEEEE!!!!!" It was the squeal heard 'round the apartment complex. Mom, Sis, and I set off the dog next door when Nicole Kidman read out that first name for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Way to go, George. Breaking your neck, enduring multiple neurosurgeries, suffering continuous migraine-type headaches and memory loss wasn't all for naught. You rock. And Mom wants to be your girlfriend more than ever now.
The dresses this year were not bad. I was impressed, though rather disappointed at the fact that almost all were either chocolate brown or gold. Of the non-conformists, I liked Meryl Streep's plum colored number and J-Lo's olive chiffon thing, though hers looks better in motion than stationary. Of the gold ones, Reese Witherspoon (I'm sure she double-checked to make sure it was really, really and original), and Jennifer Garner (though I'm sure she wishes she'd had it hemmed another inch or so higher since she almost did a face plant in front of a billion viewers). I really hated Michelle William's marigold deal (check out the look on the face of the chick in the electric blue satin behind her... she really doesn't like it either, I think), and Naomi Watts' shredded tule. It was like her cat got to her dress right before she got there or something. Rachel Weisz gets special pregnant but absolutely gorgeous nods this year.
John Stewart as host? Brilliant. His opening montage with the past hosts turning down the job was absolutely fabulous. I loved it. They need to invite him back again. Those in the front rows not laughing need to either have their humors checked, or not be invited next year. Ooh! I know! Instead of seat fillers, use laugh plants, because, dude, that audience was rather dead at times.
Note for this next gripe: I haven't seen any of these movies, so this is all based on immediate thoughts. I think John Williams got robbed for best score (twice!). For one, the Academy needs to have Itzhak Perlman play the main themes of the scores every year. That was brilliant. Effing brilliant. First, the music from Pride and Prejudice. Lovely. Beautiful. Then comes Munich. Haunting. Sad. And I tear up. It makes my heart ache. Then Memoirs of a Geisha and I cry. Like tears running down my face, cry. Because the music is making me sad. I'm not even really watching the clips on the screen because I'm focused on Itzhak's fingers like always. The music from The Constant Gardner definitely evokes Africa and seems to fit the pace of what I read in the book. Finally, here is Brokeback Mountain. How is it that I haven't seen this movie and yet I hate the score? Maybe it's because you hear that one refrain SO MUCH in commercials and parodies and such. And I don't care about it at all. It doesn't make me like the movie, it doesn't make me sad, or happy, or care about the characters, or evoke a particular period or place or anything. It's just music to me. And yet it wins. I think that sucks. A 60-second bit of score can bring tears to my eyes, and yet it's passed over for music that, to me, has no substance or emotion (which you need in a score, IMO). Okay. Music rant over.
I have an idea for the Academy next year to decrease the show time to the magic three hours without having to cut the poor people off mid-sentence by shutting off the mic, and playing music over their whole speech like this year (which I hated): take out a few of the technical awards that the main viewing public really doesn't care about, like Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing. Those three alone would probably cut 15 minutes or so. Maybe they need to institute some rule like "if it's not voted on by a majority of the members of the Academy, we don't air it." Because if you read the little disclaimer-type thing at the end of the show it mentioned that some of the awards are only voted on by people in those disciplines. I mean, I am really really happy that Memoirs of a Geisha won for Best Costume, but I don't really need to see What's-her-Face get up and thank a whole bunch of people I don't know. Just a thought. Oh, and maybe have the deal on a Friday or Saturday so we can have a party and drink decently without having to worry about going to work/school early the next morning? Academy Board: If you use this, I get credit for it and I get to attend next year, K?
The dresses this year were not bad. I was impressed, though rather disappointed at the fact that almost all were either chocolate brown or gold. Of the non-conformists, I liked Meryl Streep's plum colored number and J-Lo's olive chiffon thing, though hers looks better in motion than stationary. Of the gold ones, Reese Witherspoon (I'm sure she double-checked to make sure it was really, really and original), and Jennifer Garner (though I'm sure she wishes she'd had it hemmed another inch or so higher since she almost did a face plant in front of a billion viewers). I really hated Michelle William's marigold deal (check out the look on the face of the chick in the electric blue satin behind her... she really doesn't like it either, I think), and Naomi Watts' shredded tule. It was like her cat got to her dress right before she got there or something. Rachel Weisz gets special pregnant but absolutely gorgeous nods this year.
John Stewart as host? Brilliant. His opening montage with the past hosts turning down the job was absolutely fabulous. I loved it. They need to invite him back again. Those in the front rows not laughing need to either have their humors checked, or not be invited next year. Ooh! I know! Instead of seat fillers, use laugh plants, because, dude, that audience was rather dead at times.
Note for this next gripe: I haven't seen any of these movies, so this is all based on immediate thoughts. I think John Williams got robbed for best score (twice!). For one, the Academy needs to have Itzhak Perlman play the main themes of the scores every year. That was brilliant. Effing brilliant. First, the music from Pride and Prejudice. Lovely. Beautiful. Then comes Munich. Haunting. Sad. And I tear up. It makes my heart ache. Then Memoirs of a Geisha and I cry. Like tears running down my face, cry. Because the music is making me sad. I'm not even really watching the clips on the screen because I'm focused on Itzhak's fingers like always. The music from The Constant Gardner definitely evokes Africa and seems to fit the pace of what I read in the book. Finally, here is Brokeback Mountain. How is it that I haven't seen this movie and yet I hate the score? Maybe it's because you hear that one refrain SO MUCH in commercials and parodies and such. And I don't care about it at all. It doesn't make me like the movie, it doesn't make me sad, or happy, or care about the characters, or evoke a particular period or place or anything. It's just music to me. And yet it wins. I think that sucks. A 60-second bit of score can bring tears to my eyes, and yet it's passed over for music that, to me, has no substance or emotion (which you need in a score, IMO). Okay. Music rant over.
I have an idea for the Academy next year to decrease the show time to the magic three hours without having to cut the poor people off mid-sentence by shutting off the mic, and playing music over their whole speech like this year (which I hated): take out a few of the technical awards that the main viewing public really doesn't care about, like Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing. Those three alone would probably cut 15 minutes or so. Maybe they need to institute some rule like "if it's not voted on by a majority of the members of the Academy, we don't air it." Because if you read the little disclaimer-type thing at the end of the show it mentioned that some of the awards are only voted on by people in those disciplines. I mean, I am really really happy that Memoirs of a Geisha won for Best Costume, but I don't really need to see What's-her-Face get up and thank a whole bunch of people I don't know. Just a thought. Oh, and maybe have the deal on a Friday or Saturday so we can have a party and drink decently without having to worry about going to work/school early the next morning? Academy Board: If you use this, I get credit for it and I get to attend next year, K?