Oscar blog part 5

[cleolinda]

Okay, whoever picked “Gimme Shelter” for the Departed clip earns my eternal adoration.

“To sing ‘Our Town’ from Cars, James Taylor and composer Randy Newman.” I don’t know why, but every time I hear “Randy Newman,” I think “Yay, bathroom break!” Yes, I know, I have no soul. Wow, I timed that exactly. And here's Melissa Etheridge, who I really like, with "I Need to Wake Up," while Things You Can Do to Stop Global Warming play on a screen behind her. Well, I would like to travel by light rail when possible, Inconvenient Truth, but Birmingham has no public transportation. Seriously, we have a couple of buses and, like, a trolley downtown. So don't look at me, okay?

Ah, it's Leo with Former Vice President Al Gore, who must be our Special Guest. Too special for banter? Why, no! "Is there anything you would like to announce?" (Audience: "WOOOOO!") Gore thanks Leo for being "such a great ally in this effort." Jerry Seinfeld looks bored. For the first time ever, the Oscar show has gone green. "Check out www.oscar.com to find out how you can do your part!" Also, Leo says, he is very proud to be standing next to Mr. Gore at this moment. "Now... are you sure you're not inspired to make any kind of major, MAJOR announcement?" "Well... even though I honestly had not planned on doing this... since a billion people are watching... my fellow Americans... I'm going to take this moment to formally announce..." Okay, Al Gore is a good enough actor that I honestly got scared he was actually going to throw his hat into the ring during an awards show. He is not, however, a good enough actor to fake convincing surprise when the orchestra breaks out the cymbals so he can't finish. Thank God. And I voted for Gore, y'all.

Commercials so soon? I'm going to run out of avatar gowns at this rate--oh, that doesn’t even count! That was like thirty seconds!

“Since we’ve gone green, the Academy wants me to recycle some jokes from earlier in my career,” says Ellen, breaking into Gilligan’s Island jokes. Wow, I’m actually glad to see Cameron Diaz now. Best Animated Feature! You ramble on about Snow White, girl, I just got a dinner delivery. (Oh, for God’s sake, don’t do that shit where you have animated characters in the audience.) WHOA, HAPPY FEET. Holy crow. I mean, I’m glad, because I wasn’t impressed by Cars at all, but... wow. Also, it cracks me up that it’s George “Mad Max” Miller accepting, too.

“Ladies and gentlemen... Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ben Affleck!” Wow, I didn’t expect that sentence to end that way. Nancy Meyers has compiled a montage of how writers have been portrayed in the movies, and I can tell you right now: not boringly enough. Seriously, the act of writing is not terribly exciting, which is why so many movie writers are crazy, drunk, depressed, blocked or psychotic, because being a functional writer: not interesting. I think it’s telling that Meyers has to end the montage with the M:I theme, because it’s not interesting otherwise.

Helen Mirren and Tom Hanks! Best Adapted Screenplay (including nominee “Baratt,” according to Mirren). Wow, I didn’t even realize that the Clive Owen character in Children of Men was spiking his coffee when the first bomb went off. I like the whole reading-from-the-script thing; we should do this more. The Departed wins. “Valium does work,” William Monahan announces. Trufax: Lawrence of Arabia made him want to be a screenwriter, and here’s Peter O’Toole in the same auditorium, and duuude. Gently, the orchestra begin to play him off with a piano, and I swear for a moment the melody sounds like a lullaby. Backstage: more to come, "like a battle royale in Costume Design!" WHAT DO YOU KNOW, CHRIS CONNELLY? WHAT DO YOU KNOW? "More fun!" says Connelly, and Hanks echoes, "More fun!" I think Hanks may be under the influence of something.

(Aww, I kind of love the Wes Anderson American Express commercial.)

Comments

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

Man, I hated Happy Feet though. I suppose it makes sense to have it win right after all the environmental stuff, but that movie made me feel like I had been hit with a moral brick bat. IT MADE ME WANT TO LITTER!

[artemis-archer.livejournal.com]

I felt exactly the same way. It really pounded it on you and they did it in a weird way with the random flashes of actual people. Very odd.

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

I keep expecting to have 'nam-style flashbacks. I'm totally submitting my therapy bill to the production company.

[caligogreywings.livejournal.com]

'd aww. it was a bit heavy handed with the morals, but I adore that movie.

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

I wanted to like it; I really did. I loved the dancing and Baby Mumble. But then with the Robin Williams schtick and the OMG DON'T LITTER YOU'RE KILLING THE PENGUINS!!! and the end when Mumble convinces all the penguins to drink the kool-aid and submit to their new human overlords, I just... couldn't handle it. =)

[trinity_clare]

Tom Hanks is always more funny under the influence of something. See: the Globes.

Meryl Streep FTW!

[robyn-ma.livejournal.com]

Chris Connelly: 'More fun! Right?'

Tom Hanks: 'YES! MORE FUN!'

I...think I love that moment.

[riverchild.livejournal.com]

What is with the dumbass trivia voice-overs? Are three seconds of silence too much to bear until the winner makes it onstage? They could at least fact check; Infernal Affairs was NOT Japanese, Voice-Over Writey People!

[misangeles.livejournal.com]

Infernal Affairs was NOT Japanese, Voice-Over Writey People!

No kidding! I just about jumped out of my skin when that was announced. grr. arrgh. :|

[cassildra.livejournal.com]

I held my breath until they announced the winner. MA FTW, Y'ALL.

[meredithsg.livejournal.com]

Gently, the orchestra begin to play him off with a piano, and I swear for a moment the melody sounds like a lullaby

It was a slow version of so long, good night. I'll swear by it.

The AMEX ad prompted me to do look up Wes to see what he was up to only to learn he was making fantastic Mr. Fox, the first Rahl Dahl book I ever read.

And now Go Marie Antoinette

[sorcha-chasdubh.livejournal.com]

Tom Cruise? Are you serious? I didn't know they still invited him to these things...

[enid-keaner.livejournal.com]

He annoys me so much. I'm sure Sherry Lansing's a great lady, but the fact that he introduced her and talked about her makes me want to hate her. Badly.

[etherealshores.livejournal.com]

I get the same feeling too.

Gah they should have found someone better to do that award.

[enid-keaner.livejournal.com]

Also, I now know that she was the Head of the Studio responsible for Titanic, which makes me dislike her more.

[meredithsg.livejournal.com]

someone else hates that movie, I thought I was the only one.

[marumae.livejournal.com]

Ohhh trust me you two are not alone in that boat, I hated it too.

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

LMAO No pun intended?

[enid-keaner.livejournal.com]

This is so late, but:

Nope you're not the only one who hates Titanic. It's seriously just very overrated. The acting is somewhat shoddy (no one comes out of that looking very good, not even Kate and Leo) and the screenplay is just poor. The characters are so underdeveloped. Drives me freaking batty.

[gryphonmage.livejournal.com]

don't forget, more formal gowns are available under New Years! :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Heh, I gaffled at least two from that section that I'm not sure made the final cut. A really nice aqua one, I think.

[gryphonmage.livejournal.com]

I was adorning myself during yahoo chat and I did go with the aqua. But I hooked it up with the huge diamond earrings.

[saturnianali8r.livejournal.com]

Yay Happy Feet!!!!! I love it so much just for the dancing penguins. I love Baby Mumble.

[elbeonore.livejournal.com]

OMG! "Marie Antoinette" just won! Yay! I was so sure that "Curse of the Golden Flower" was the one to put money on.

And, yeah, Wes Anderson's AE commercial sort of rocks. Kate Winslet's, too. Good campaign.

[alpheratz.livejournal.com]

Ahaha, I love Al Gore. Good on him for making fun of the widespread but tacky idea of announcing at the Oscars.

[splits_thesky]

For some reason, I keep wanting them to make some comment about Leo's having been in Titanic, but NOBODY DOES!!!!!!!

[etherealshores.livejournal.com]

It's totally surprising. I kept thinking they'd do a handful of comments on it at least.

[bluinkalchemist.livejournal.com]

You're absolutely right about the process of writing... most of the time it's rather dull, frustrating, and downright inscrutable to the outside observer.

[serizawa3000.livejournal.com]

I was just a teensy bit disappointed that the Writer's Montage didn't feature clips from Naked Lunch... nothing like a giant insect typewriter buzzing "There are some words I'd like you to type into me." And I guess there weren't very many scenes of Raoul Duke actually writing in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas...

[sualocin.livejournal.com]

lol, I loved the Wes Anderson AE commercial. & the Happy Feet win. ^_^

[derangeddarling.livejournal.com]

I love Randy Newman, but I thought the Rascal Flatts version of Life is a Highway was the only awesome song in Cars.

I need to see An Inconvenient Truth.

I can't believe Happy Feet won. Maybe because of all the stars that gave voices? I honestly didn't think it was that good. Over the Hedge and Flushed Away were both better, imo.

" Nancy Meyers has compiled a montage of how writers have been portrayed in the movies,"

OMG!!!! I loved that so much! I hope it makes its way to Youtube, because that little writing montage was like my favorite part. I didn't realize Nancy did it. She directed my favorite movie, The Holiday! Whee!
Please, Please someone get the writer's thing up! ^.^

"I like the whole reading-from-the-script thing; we should do this more. " I agree. That was fun.

Also, Mirren's dress is my fave. It's so gorgeous.

"I think Hanks may be under the influence of something. "

I totally said "Woah, what is he on?" Oh, Tom.

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

I will never forgive Nancy Meyers for all the Meyers/Shyer stuff she did in the late 80s and early 90s.

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

The Future Mr Verbminx really hates Randy Newman, something of which I am firmly reminded every year. This year, when they showed Newman either on the red carpet or during that opening montage by Errol Morris, T. piped up, "I thought he was DEAD!" - and I burst out laughing.

(I also love that Wes Anderson AE commercial... it's so gently self-mocking and funny.)