Month: February 2007

The Best Cinematography Oscar is going to go to Emmanuel Lubezki for Children of Men. Oh my goodness….it’s gone to Guillermo Novarro for Pan’s Labyrinth! What’s going on here? “Chivo” was supposed to be a lock. Whatever…not a tragedy. Pan’s Labyrinth was beautifully shot, but I don’t get it. I’m not going to win the Oscar pool.

Sherry Lansing….fine. I’m hitting the head. I’m hungry anyway. Ellen and Clint…that’s funny. The digital camera routine with Steven Spielberg….funny. Ellen si a great host. As good as Johnny Carson was in the old days…as good as Billy Crystal in the mid ’90s.

That Wes Anderson American Express commercial is still brilliant, especially that moment when Wes starts to talk and suddenly we hear the sound of gunfire — BLAM! — and Wes hesitates for only a second and then keeps going.

Best Adapted Screenpay Oscar presented by Helen Mirren and Tom Hanks, and it goes to Wiliam Monahan for The Departed. Totally expected. The guy needs to cut down on the cheeseburgers and the onion rings and the vodka gimlets, but I really loved/love what he wrote. And he has a soothing gentle voice.

Why is Jack Nicholson‘s head shaved? Britney Spears empathy?

The Oscar for Costume Design goes to Milena Canonero for Marie Antoinette. Screwed again by Sasha Stone and Tom O Neil!~

The orchestra cutting off Al Gore as he got out his speech to announce…hilarious! This has been a very witty, very engaging, very nicely produced show thus far. Congrats to Laura Ziskin.

Okay, here we go….the Murphy-Arkin moment. Rachel Weisz at the podium going through the speech, and the tension is all but unbearable as the winner of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar hangs in the balance. Here we go, I can take it….the Oscar goes to Alan Arkin! Oh my God! There is a God, there is a God in heaven. Thanks to all the saints and angels. I will say nothing more. The win is the win is the win.The right thing has happened. The Movie Gods have done what they do best. Why should I comment about what Ellen said to Marky-Mark?

The Best Sound-Editing Oscar, presented by Steve Carell and Greg Kinnear, is supposed to go to Letters From Iwo Jima….and the Oscar goes to the Jima guy! Sasha Stone is forgiven. The Best Sound Mixing Oscar is supposed to go to Dreamgirls, and the Oscar goes to…Dreamgirls! I have nothing to say about this except that anyone following my recommendatons so far isn’t doing half badly!

Wait a minute…the Best Animated Short Oscar was supposed to be won by The Little Matchgirl. The Danish Poet won instead. Blame Sasha Stone, blame Tom O’Neil…blame somebody! Well, at least West Bank Story won for Best Live Short. I was in the bathroom when Pan’s Labyrinth won for Best Makeup, but I’m starting to feel The Lives of Others may be doomed. As far as its chance for winning the Best Foreign-Language Oscar, I mean. Sniff.

Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman handing out the Best Art Direction Oscar, which will go to Pan’s Labyrinth..right? And the winner is Pan’s Labyrinth! Does this mean anything as far as the Best Foreign Language Oscar is concerned?

The Oscar show has begun, and Errol Morris is a genius…okay? He’s perfect, inspired, wonderfully gifted. I want to see the long version of his interiew montage. My first impressions of Ellen DeGeneres — everyone’s, I imagine — are quite favorable. She’s obviously a very bright and witty lady. And obviously likable. The jokes are quite blunt (as in “beyond candid”). Which is why she’s very funny. Peter O’Toole…eight nominatons as of tonight, right? Well, you know what they say — third time’s the charm!” “Al Gore is here tonight. America did vote for him, and then…” If there weren’t blacks, Jews or gays, there would be no Oscars. Or anyone named Oscar.”