Entry #689664, added on 03-08-10 @ 7:27 pm EST
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| i'd like to thank the academy... | Entry #689664 |
Who knew Jeff Bridges was a hippie?
The Oscars are my Superbowl Sunday. I wait anxiously all day, planning my snacks and bathroom strategy, and I start watching when the red carpet is unrolled right until the closing credits. It's a six-hour investment. I cannot explain it other than to say it's my 'thing', but I know I'm not alone in this. My sisters actually loaded up on baba ganoush, hummus, pita bread, chocolate and potato chips in preparation for the event, huddled under a blanket in my sister K.'s living room, and I wished that I was with them. M. doesn't really appreciate the Academy Awards at all, but he'll be a good sport and watch the beginning and end with me. What helped was that I made steak with bearnaise sauce, lima beans and baked potatoes for dinner (the steak was his idea), so he was quiet while the stars made their way down the red carpet, and then he followed that up with orange creamsicle ice-cream, which kept him seated during Neil Patrick Harris' song and dance number (*yawn*, Hugh Jackman was sooo much better last year), but by the time Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds won his Best Supporting category, M. was a poof of dust. I was on my own.
I don't want to go through the entire ceremony because doing it once was difficult enough, so I'll just stick with the points that seem to mean the most to me.
First, the ceremony was long, and not just because it was planned that way. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were mostly not funny, although Martin seemed more likeable. There were a couple humourous moments, but mostly it was just formula garbage. Are the writers all senior citizens? Doesn't anyone have anything original to make people laugh, anymore? I heard myself chuckle now and then, but I think it had to do with being relieved that whatever was being said wasn't out and out horrible. I think I liked Hugh Jackman last year because he didn't attempt the humour. He did what he was good at, which was sing and dance and look pretty, but I expected more of Martin and Baldwin. They're usually better than that. I blame the writers, then. (Editor's Note- Martin wrote a lot of it. Oops).
Mo'Nique- Can I tell you how it pains me to write her name that way? I hate when people butcher names in an effort to establish some kind of identity, and don't bother telling me it's a 'cultural thing'. Please. It's a French name and always will be, and ripping it apart, bastardizing it, doesn't make it original. It makes it sad. I have a problem with this sort of thing. I have worked with enough Chanels, names with 'La' tagged on the front of it and even a Chevrolet to know that people do not take these names seriously. It's just fact. That said, obviously she was the right choice for Best Supporting Actress, because even though I haven't seen 'Precious', I've seen enough footage of her performance to know she was excellent in her role. She deserved the Oscar, no doubt, but why did her acceptance speech seem so angry? Instead of gratitude I picked up on resentment, which seemed bizarre to me given she's usually so positive and warm. Is it because people have been talking about the fact that she doesn't shave her legs? Which, ewww, sorry. You can't justify that to me in any way, shape or form. Is it because she's been criticized for essentially giving her husband a green light to sleep around? And, while I think she's cool for not campaigning for her win, as is the usual standard, I wonder why she didn't get more involved in the whole 'Oscar brouhaha' by at least showing up at the luncheon. I get that she has a day job, but sister, this is Oscar we're talking about. What if no other fantastic role comes up again? This may have been it. Even Samuel L. Jackson gave the side-eye at the end of your speech. I'm not the only one who found it a little controversial. So, yay on the win, but only one thumb up for the speech. The dress was good, though.
Humidity in L.A- Was I the only to notice that Sarah Jessica Parker's hair went spastic as the evening progressed? She had that wiry, fuzzy, fly-away action going on by the time she came to the stage to present, and I felt sorry for her, because even though most people were criticizing her dress, I kind of liked it, but her skin was glowing orange and her hair looked too big and angry. Someone else had the hair problem, too, but I can't remember who it was. It wasn't just Carrie Bradshaw.
Gum-chewing-I think it looks disgusting in general, but when you're wearing a gown and heels, it's time to put the gum away. I'm talking to you Cameron Diaz. The dress was good and the hair was good, and then you guttered it up by cracking your gum and chewing as though it were cud. Same goes for the almost-bald woman, a producer from Precious, who was so excited over the Best Adapted Screenplay win for Jeffrey Fletcher, that her mouth was open the whole time she was carrying on and her ball of gum was flopping all over the place. Now, I get that people chew gum to relax their nerves, because I used to do it, too, but for the love of Oscar, not on the red carpet!
Best Dressed- Always tough for me, but I was sort of liking the gold/silver theme this year, and Sandra Bullock looked beautiful to me. Also, Kate Winslet and Nicole Richie. The latter amazes me, frankly, because a few years ago she was definitely on my 'ebola list'. Motherhood cleaned her up well. Lots of nice, safe dresses. Nothing that made my mouth fall open, though.
Worst Dressed- Oh, Charlize. What the hell was with that 'here are my boobs' dress? And, Vera Farmiga? Ruffles and fuschia, two things that need to be illegal. Also, I wasn't a fan of Miley Cyrus' dress. Any dress that accentuates how little your breasts are doesn't work for me, and oh, almost forgot that I hated Maggie Gyllenhaal's dress, though I'm in the minority there, apparently.
Random fact- I never noticed until last night that Penelope Cruz's nose is basically attached to her upper lip. Love her, though. I've gone from hating her to loving her and can only assume it's because her performances have been great in the last few years. Weird about the nose and lip, though.
Jeff Bridges- Actually, more about his wife. Did she not look stunning? That is a woman who has not had her breasts done or her face injected with chemicals and she looked lovely. Even M. said so. It was refreshing to see. I am also happy he won Best Actor because he's been deserving for years.
Crazy Woman Kanye- How about that uber-wench who took the microphone from Music by Prudence documentary director, Roger Ross Williams, and started blathering, using up all the available time. The woman has a producing credit from the film, but left on her own accord last year because he wouldn't give her complete creative control, apparently. It was uncomfortable, but he was gracious about it, and I felt bad for him.
I'm tired.
***
Later...
Have now watched Mo'Nique explain her speech on Oprah and I feel better about it. There was a backstory on everything she said that annoyed me, but her reasons were valid. It probably would have been helpful for people to actually know what she was talking about, because I'm not the only who did a 'huh, wha?' when she started speaking, but again, she explained it and all is good. I'm just glad her dress covered her legs.
What will I do without Oprah when she goes off the air? She's like one of my best friends but she doesn't know it.
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