Anyone else watch the Academy Awards last night? I'll just assume that at least some of you did. Personally, having only seen two of the movies that were up for anything (Bourne and Ratatouille, and not even in the theater), I couldn't have cared less who won anything. However, I'm always up for a good time, and that good time was in the very short form of Jon Stewart. The first time he hosted, he bombed, regardless of my thinking him very clever. Apparently these people just can't appreciate good humor when they see it. It was very Daily Show-esque, and perhaps they weren't used to that (having been a fan for over 10 years myself, I certainly didn't mind). His second attempt at hosting last evening (Stewart said after he was asked to host again, "The third time's a charm....") seemed to go ever much better with the crowd. While still Stewartish, the tone had changed slightly; it seemed much more like what the Oscar crowd was used to hearing. It was a bit more lighthearted and fun. It helped that he kept the political jokes to a minimum and concentrated mostly on the entertainment industry. In short, he knew his audience this time, and they appreciated that.As I said, I also watch for the Here's Who Died segment. I'd completely forgotten about Deborah Kerr, Jane Wyman, Bud Ekins (Steve McQueen's stunt double in The Great Escape), and Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell). And what I think is so sad is when hardly anyone claps for some of these people, if at all. It's like saying, "And you are...? At least we won't miss you, eh?" I'll miss you, agent Freddie Fields! Whoever you were!
Oh, and the "Best Song" from Once? It sucked.
6 comments:
I hadn't heard of those movies either. Those award shoes are all lame. I love Jon Steward. The Daily Show is what I watch to hear the "real" news.
I saw Bourne...and that was it. I only watch the Oscars for the fashion and the shoes :)
I too think it is sad when no one claps for those people in the 'dead' segment.
Oh my heart is broken -- Once was the best, best movie - and ALL the songs were amazing, but other than that rebuttal I didn't watch, I almost always do and make a point to watch all the movies contending for best picture, but alas not this year...
Don't get me wrong, I've heard that Once was an excellent film. I've even heard that the scene in which Falling Slowly played was the best in such a great film like Once. And I'm happy they won something as it encourages indie filmmakers. But they should not have won that category. I'm tired of the politics of the Oscars where people are selected as a statement rather than on merit. Falling Slowly was a sucky song and should not have won over better songs in the category. Just pick the best, people! Is that really so hard?
I say again, that song sucked.
I didn't see any of them. Well, I've seen parts of Ratatouille. And I didn't know any of those actors that you mentioned. I swear that since I've had kids, I've gone into a movie vacuum. Terry even got me netflicks as a present one year and he uses it more than me. I think in the year he was gone, I watched maybe four movies. So there it is-I'm a movie loser.
No, you just don't watch movies as often as others. Nothing wrong with that.
Deborah Kerr starred in "The King and I," "From Here to Eternity," and "An Affair to Remember," among others. Jane Wyman was Ronald Reagan's first wife; she won an Oscar for "Johnny Belinda." Lois Maxwell played M's secretary, Miss Moneypenny, in 14 of the 20-something James Bond movies that have been made, starting with "Dr. No" and ending with "A View to a Kill." She was finally replaced when Timothy Dalton took over the role of Bond. And honestly, no one's going to know who Bud Ekins was unless they are Steve McQueen/"The Great Escape"/motorcycle stunt fans. McQueen did all of his own motorcycle stunts in "The Great Escape" except for the most dangerous (and most famous)--jumping the barbed wire fence--which studio execs refused to let him do for fear of him breaking his neck. Bud did the jump instead. He and McQueen, bike enthusiasts both, were good friends.
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