Thoughts on the Oscars

For those of you who know me well (and perhaps even if you don't know me all that well), you know that I love movies! That having been said, the Oscars are one of my favorite events of the year and I had a lot of excitement going into them. Granted, I don't think 2008 was really a strong year for movies - especially in the wake of last year's No Country for Old Men/There Will Be Blood one-two punch - but there's a part of me that gets consistently excited regardless. This year was additionally exciting as I had prepared a themed five-course meal based on the Best Picture nominees (more on that tomorrow).

The following are some thoughts I had on the ceremony as a whole:

• I have to admit that, while I was initially reticent at the appointment of Hugh Jackman as host of the Oscars, I think he did a really great job. He's not a comedian, granted, but I think the Oscars have gotten too reliant on the comedian who just stands there and makes fun of everyone for three-plus hours. Jackman was stylish, gracious, humorous, and - above all - a good performer. I much prefer the "opening number" route to the "initial monologue" employed by Ellen Degeneres, John Stweart, and Chris Rock in the past few years.
• At first, I didn't really 'get' the presentation of the awards for the acting categories. It was a sharp departure from the past several years, where the previous winner would show up to present the Oscar to the winner of the next award (though the women often presented for the men and vice versa). When Tilda Swinton was joined by Eva Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Angelica Houston, and Goldie Hawn, I have to admit I really didn't know what to make of it. Eventually, though, the idea grew on me... and I realized just how cool it was to have several generations of Oscar winners recognizing and encouraging the next generation right there on stage. By the time Best Actor was presented, you could tell the veterans were speaking from the heart rather than just reading from the teleprompter. I thought it was a great tribute to Oscar's past and future.
• I'm thinking about starting a Stop Beyonce Knowles from performing at the Oscars petition. Would anyone else sign it?
• Speaking of which, why was there a salute to movie musicals? Was there a good musical out this year? No. There was just Mamma Mia!... and it was horrid. I think the look on Baz Luhrmann's face (he was the one who choreographed the number) was more than enough to tell that he felt the same way about that number as I did. "Meh."
• "Jai Ho" was a super-catchy song.
• For me, the biggest (and really only) upset of the night was when Sean Penn beat Mickey Rourke for Best Actor. Part of it is the fact that, while I have great respect for Sean Penn the actor, I abhor the political bullying of Sean Penn the person. I would have rather heard Mickey Rourke pay tribute to his dead dog than listen to Sean Penn shaming the world for not believing the same way he does. (His speech was similar in subject to that of Milk's Best Original Screenplay winner Dustin Lance Black, but much different with regard to tone... and that, in my mind, made all the difference.)
• Speaking of Best Actor, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't see Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem at the ceremony. Both won last year in the acting categories and I was hoping to see them present. Alas, though... 'twas not to be.
• To the amazement of no one, Heath Ledger took home Best Supporting Actor. It was really cool to see his family there accepting his award on behalf of Heath and his daughter Matilda. That was, for me, the most touching moment.
• It was also great to see Jerry Lewis get the lifetime achievement Oscar. I thought it was a bit weird to have Eddie Murphy present it to him... until I remembered that Murphy and Lewis both played the title characters in films called The Nutty Professor. At that point, it seemed cheesy. Still, Lewis was the consummate gentleman and his remarks, while brief, were obviously heartfelt. It was great to see him get his due.