The Oscars + my TiVO = pretty entertaining
The Academy Awards show would be unbearable without TiVO, but with extensive fast-forwarding the program was actually entertaining last night. I am willing to take the chance of missing something interesting to speed past the 80% of the show that is boring or redundant. I love Jon Stewart, so any time he hosts I am already having a good time.
With so much celebrity trash spewing from the media these days, it was wonderful to see everyone looking so classy. Here are a few thoughts on the show:
Stars I'd most like to meet: Cate Blanchett and George Clooney. And Harrison Ford, since I'd had a crush on him since 1980 (though now that he's actually dating someone my age that seems pretty odd.)
Star I'd most aspire to be like someday: Helen Mirren. She is the coolest ever.
Many of my thoughts about the show centered around the Best Song category, one I almost never care about. But last night was a big exception:
I loved the gospel choir from August Rush. Their performance was enough to make me want to rent the film, even though it's supposed to be sappy and cloying.
Enchanted was a cute movie that deserved one nomination for "That's How You Know," but why oh why oh why did Enchanted get three nominated songs when the far superior Hairspray received none? Hairspray suffered the biggest snub of the year, getting no nominations at all. John Travolta presented the award for this category, which I thought was ironic, and gracious of him considering that he had starred as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.
Speaking of "That's How You Know," if the wonderful Amy Adams performed one song in the show, why didn't she get to sing the second? Kristin Chenoweth is a talented performer but she's not Giselle. It was weird seeing another actress sing her showstopper song when you knew that Amy Adams was in the house.
Given the nominees, the most important thing to me was that "Falling Slowly" from the Irish indie film Once actually won! This little gem deserved the recognition for its brilliance that stemmed from the music and performances by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. If you haven't seen Once, and you like music, or independent films, or romance, or Ireland, you definitely need to watch the DVD.
But....then....the duo got up to accept their Oscars, and after Glen gave his short remarks, Marketa got totally dissed when she was immediately cut off by the orchestra!
Jon Stewart saved the day by bringing Marketa back out to give her eloquent thanks. As far as I can tell, this move was unprecedented in Oscar history, but well-deserved, and saved the Academy from one of the most insulting faux pas ever. This wasn't twelve people getting up and droning on...it was a songwriting, singing and acting duo standing up to take credit for their partnership. I don't know whether the producers or Stewart himself made the decision to bring Marketa back out, but, bottom line--you go, Marketa and Glen, and Jon Stewart, could I love you even more????
Finally, I'm going to bestow an award for the Ultimate Movie Mojo Mom of 2007. I've never even thought of doing that before, but there was one actress this year who played a mother so full of courage, joy, and mojo that she inspired a shout-out. The winner is....Queen Latifah, for her role as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray.
Congratulations, Queen Latifah! Stop by for lunch sometime and I'll find a gold statue to give you.
***
What did you think of the Oscars? A really big show, or a really big snooze? Which of the nominated films did you actually see? I'll add Michael Clayton to my list of must-see movies. I wanted George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson to win their categories. I enjoyed seeing all the Europeans win, but I have to admit there is a slim to none chance I'll go see There Will be Blood or No Country for Old Men unless I hear from you that they are worth wading through their darkness.
With so much celebrity trash spewing from the media these days, it was wonderful to see everyone looking so classy. Here are a few thoughts on the show:
Stars I'd most like to meet: Cate Blanchett and George Clooney. And Harrison Ford, since I'd had a crush on him since 1980 (though now that he's actually dating someone my age that seems pretty odd.)
Star I'd most aspire to be like someday: Helen Mirren. She is the coolest ever.
Many of my thoughts about the show centered around the Best Song category, one I almost never care about. But last night was a big exception:
I loved the gospel choir from August Rush. Their performance was enough to make me want to rent the film, even though it's supposed to be sappy and cloying.
Enchanted was a cute movie that deserved one nomination for "That's How You Know," but why oh why oh why did Enchanted get three nominated songs when the far superior Hairspray received none? Hairspray suffered the biggest snub of the year, getting no nominations at all. John Travolta presented the award for this category, which I thought was ironic, and gracious of him considering that he had starred as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.
Speaking of "That's How You Know," if the wonderful Amy Adams performed one song in the show, why didn't she get to sing the second? Kristin Chenoweth is a talented performer but she's not Giselle. It was weird seeing another actress sing her showstopper song when you knew that Amy Adams was in the house.
Given the nominees, the most important thing to me was that "Falling Slowly" from the Irish indie film Once actually won! This little gem deserved the recognition for its brilliance that stemmed from the music and performances by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. If you haven't seen Once, and you like music, or independent films, or romance, or Ireland, you definitely need to watch the DVD.
But....then....the duo got up to accept their Oscars, and after Glen gave his short remarks, Marketa got totally dissed when she was immediately cut off by the orchestra!
Jon Stewart saved the day by bringing Marketa back out to give her eloquent thanks. As far as I can tell, this move was unprecedented in Oscar history, but well-deserved, and saved the Academy from one of the most insulting faux pas ever. This wasn't twelve people getting up and droning on...it was a songwriting, singing and acting duo standing up to take credit for their partnership. I don't know whether the producers or Stewart himself made the decision to bring Marketa back out, but, bottom line--you go, Marketa and Glen, and Jon Stewart, could I love you even more????
Finally, I'm going to bestow an award for the Ultimate Movie Mojo Mom of 2007. I've never even thought of doing that before, but there was one actress this year who played a mother so full of courage, joy, and mojo that she inspired a shout-out. The winner is....Queen Latifah, for her role as Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray.
Congratulations, Queen Latifah! Stop by for lunch sometime and I'll find a gold statue to give you.
***
What did you think of the Oscars? A really big show, or a really big snooze? Which of the nominated films did you actually see? I'll add Michael Clayton to my list of must-see movies. I wanted George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson to win their categories. I enjoyed seeing all the Europeans win, but I have to admit there is a slim to none chance I'll go see There Will be Blood or No Country for Old Men unless I hear from you that they are worth wading through their darkness.
Labels: Academy Awards, Enchanted, Hairspray, Jon Stewart, Michael Clayton, Once, Oscars, Queen Latifah
posted by MojoMom at 8:54 AM
3 Comments:
If you really hated the Oscars show last night and want some validation, check out this blistering review on Salon.com.
I skipped almost all the montages,which seemed supremely pointless and/or distracting in 90% of the cases.
I don't do the Oscars. Liberated myself from awards shows some years ago. However, I must insist that Once needs to be seen at least Twice and possibly a Million times.
Loved, loved, loved Once and LOVED that they won. The music and movie are magical.
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