O'Neil vs. Eccentric Hollywood

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The Envelope's Tom O'Neil has complained that last night's Oscar winners were the darkest and creepiest ever. "Six [Oscars] went to pix about a wacko serial killer (No Country) or a psycho oil baron with murder on his mind (There Will Be Blood). Together they won picture, director, adapted screenplay, actor and supporting actor.

"The other two categories went to, well, somewhat lighter fare: a film about a drug-addicted chanteuse (La Vie en Rose) and a pregnant teen with a bad 'tude (Juno)."

O'Neil was also on the Bill O'Reilly Radio Factor discussion during an Oscars segment that asked "what do the Academy Awards' winners and losers tell us about our culture?" A reader wrote during the broadcast that O'Neil was "foaming at the mouth playing up the Heartland vs. Hollywood routine...going after the Academy for picking 'avant-garde' choices to antagonize all the soccer moms and farmers in the fly-over states...trashing 'leftist' Jon Stewart, trashing Obama and celebrities who act political...[claiming] he mourns for the days of Bob Hope."

O'Neil says that O'Reillly started the conversation and "all I was doing was bolstering his points."

He added that he thinks that Stewart "is the worst host ever...the Neilsen ratings were the absolute lowest in history....they should have someone in the family host it...Jim Carrey, George Clooney...not some New York comic like Stewart or David Letterman or Chris Rock."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 25, 2008 at 1:17 PM

comment #1

Josh Massey says ...

Imagining Clooney as host immediately made me forget the stupid crap that came before it. That would be absolutely fantastic, but only if he had a different drink in his hand after every commercial break.

Posted by Josh Massey at February 25, 2008 1:50 PM

comment #2

Rich S. says ...

Yeah, that's just what we need - a Hollywood insider feeding O'Reilly ammunition for his "culture war."

If O'Reilly ever actually watched any of the stuff he goes after, he might be surprised. NCFOM is about as traditional a movie as there is, once you get right down to it.

(And I say what I do about O'Reilly having once watched him devote an entire segment to going after an episode of Friends that he clearly had not seen.)

Posted by Rich S. at February 25, 2008 1:51 PM

comment #3

JHRussell says ...

The problem with the Oscar show is not the host - it is the format, and it is the films that are up for awards that middle America has not seen (and outside of Juno will not see)...

If the Academy simply created a "comedy / musical" category for pictures, it would result in nominations like, say, "Knocked Up" or "Hairspray" or some of the films that people go see...this would take away nothing from the Best Picture category...they need to rethink the awards, cater a bit more to middle American tastes, if they care about the tv ratings...

Posted by JHRussell at February 25, 2008 1:55 PM

comment #4

Jamie says ...

Does anyone else feel vaguely uncomfortable about O'Neil constantly referring to Jon Stewart as a New York comic?

Posted by Jamie at February 25, 2008 1:55 PM

comment #5

lbeale says ...

Yes, Jamie, I do. It's the classic veiled anti-semitic comment. I once interviewed Ed Asner, who told me that back in the day "New York actor" was a way to say "Jew." And it wasn't meant as a compliment. O'Neil should watch what he says, or be called on it.

Posted by lbeale at February 25, 2008 2:03 PM

comment #6

AJW says ...

(Don't worry, no spoilers)
I'm a fan of The Daily Show and proud owner of America: The Book, but the host of the Oscars should actually enjoy the show. Stewart's contempt for the awards comes out way too much. I thought Steve Martin and Ellen did much better jobs simply because they were into the bullshit festivities. They also had deliveries that gently prodded the Academy's self-importance, or even reveled in it, rather than Stewart's more mocking tone.

Basically, if I'm watching a bullshit award show I don't want a host constantly drawing attention to and making fun of the fact that I'm watching a bullshit award show.

Posted by AJW at February 25, 2008 2:04 PM

comment #7

AJW says ...

Oh, Stewart has also had the misfortune of hosting shows where out of the 10 Best Picture nominees "Juno" had the highest gross (I think). If "Walk the" Line" were nominated two years ago maybe he'd look better.

Posted by AJW at February 25, 2008 2:07 PM

comment #8

Joe Leydon says ...

AJW: I still say Steve Martin is the most under-rated Oscar host of recent years, if not of all time.

Posted by Joe Leydon at February 25, 2008 2:08 PM

comment #9

Rich S. says ...

I second that, Joe. He absolutely skewered the audience, but most of them like and respect him so much, they didn't care.

Posted by Rich S. at February 25, 2008 2:17 PM

comment #10

lazarus says ...

AJW: You're still a douchebag. I don't think there's anything you can say at this point that is going to convince any Wire fans otherwise.

Posted by lazarus at February 25, 2008 2:17 PM

comment #11

BurmaShave says ...

Damn. New York comic, really? I'm going to chalk it up to a poor choice of words. And why the fuck does anyone go on the Radio Factor, especially post 'lynching party'?

Posted by BurmaShave at February 25, 2008 2:22 PM

comment #12

VedaPierce says ...

Steve Martin was easily the best host since Carson. Here was a guy who, yes could "gently prod the Academy's self-importance", but could also convey a genuine respect for the ocassion and for the talent assembled in the room.

Chris Rock was hands down the worst host ever.

Posted by VedaPierce at February 25, 2008 2:22 PM

comment #13

le corbeau says ...

Does anyone else feel vaguely uncomfortable about O'Neil constantly referring to Jon Stewart as a New York comic?

He changed it from "hook-nosed moneylender comic."

Posted by le corbeau at February 25, 2008 2:23 PM

comment #14

erniesouchak says ...

Isn't there a difference between a mercenary and a serial killer? At least technically? And Plainview isn't psychopathic, he's misanthropic, and it's obvious he doesn't have "murder on his mind" till after he whacks Sunday the first time.

Posted by erniesouchak at February 25, 2008 2:25 PM

comment #15

Jay T. says ...

I'd rather eat dinner with both Chigur and Daniel Plainview than Bill O'Reilly... actually, if those two were coming to dinner, maybe inviting O'Reilly wouldn't be such a bad idea. ;-)

Posted by Jay T. at February 25, 2008 3:02 PM

comment #16

Luke Y. Thompson says ...

Was this really darker and creepier than the year Silence of the Lambs won almost every major award?

Posted by Luke Y. Thompson at February 25, 2008 3:49 PM

comment #17

TheJeff says ...

If O'Neil thinks of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN or THERE WILL BE BLOOD as avant garde, he should not be allowed to watch movies anymore, much less write about them.

Posted by TheJeff at February 25, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #18

corey3rd says ...

There's nothing more family fun than watching a bunch of poor kids drown to death in third class on the Titanic.

O'Neal should have just said "America is sick of Jewish comics and their Hebrew humor." I respect an open bigot. I despise a compromised blowhard.

Posted by corey3rd at February 25, 2008 4:10 PM

comment #19

Cadavra says ...

Hmmm, aren't Billy Crystal, Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis New York comics? And didn't Carson do The Tonight Show from NY during its first decade?

Posted by Cadavra at February 25, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #20

Gaydos says ...

plus ca change:

Bourne editor Christopher Rouse namechecked his Oscar-winning Dad, Russell Rouse, last night, which sent me to imdb to discover both his father's credit and that film's historical link to "North by Northwest," which of course was honored last night in the Robert Boyle tribute.
------------------------------------------------

Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen

Winner:
Pillow Talk (1959) - Russell Rouse (story); Clarence Greene (story); Stanley Shapiro (screenplay); Maurice Richlin (screenplay)

Other Nominees:
North by Northwest (1959) - Ernest Lehman
Operation Petticoat (1959) - Paul King (I) (story); Joseph Stone (I) (story); Stanley Shapiro (screenplay); Maurice Richlin (screenplay)
Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) - FranÃƒÂ§ois Truffaut; Marcel Moussy
SmultronstÃƒÂ¤llet (1957) - Ingmar Bergman

--------------------------------------

If you know Tony Gilroy, Cristian Mungiu, Steve Zaillian or Kelly Masterson would you mind passing this along to them?

Posted by Gaydos at February 25, 2008 5:15 PM

comment #21