Post-Oscar Talk

I enjoyed the Oscars. Hugh Jackman was a pretty good host, but kind of absent. I did really like his musical tribute to the nominated films. It was stellar. It was also strange that one presenter, or set of presenters, announced like three awards. My enjoyment also had something to do with my correct predictions of 13 awards.

I correctly predicted:
Supporting Actor, Heath Ledger
Leading Actress, Kate Winslet
Animated Feature, WALL-E
Art Direction, Benjamin Button
Cinematography, Benjamin Button
Costume Design, The Duchess
Directing, Danny Boyle (SM)
Film Editing, SM
Makeup, Benjamin Button
Original Score, SM
Visual Effects, Benjamin Button
Screenplay, Adapted, SM
Screenplay, Original, Milk

I wasn't overly surprised about any outcome. I was a little disappointed in the sound categories of all things...I really thought that WALL-E was the obvious choice.

Did anything shock you?

81st Academy Awards

Starting with some red carpet, here are the awards:

Kate Winslet is beautiful and should win. That is all.

Taraji P. Henson quite possibly had the best performance in Benjamin Button. Unfortunately she will not win.

Mickey Rourke is talking about his dog dying and how he had a tux made and he has it with him. It is so incredibly sad.

They are talking with Meryl Streep now. I used to hate her and then I saw Doubt. I like her now.

Hugh Jackman is welcoming us. I am afraid he is going to cheese it up. He says that this is his first year hosting...I am not sure if he will get a second. He has created his own opening number to pay tribute to the movies. Anne Hathaway helps him out with Frost/Nixon. The Reader consists of a large group dance...he didn't have time to actually watch the movie. So apparently Hugh Jackman can be funny.

I think something went horribly wrong with the curtain opening before the supporting actress montage. What is Whoopi wearing? And what is Tilda wearing?
Actress, Supporting - Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

Steve Martin and Tina Fey. They rock.
Screenplay, Original - Dustin Lance Black (Milk)

Screenplay, Adapted - Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

Jack Black and Jennifer Aniston are introducing the 2008 movie yearbook, starting with animation. Jack Black made everyone feel awkward when he made a Dreamworks/Pixar joke.
Animated Feature - WALL-E (Andrew Stanton)

Short Film, Animated - La Maison en Petits Cubes (Kunio Kato)

Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Craig announce (these two are getting a lot of screen time doing three awards)
Art Direction - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo)

Costume Design - The Duchess (Michael O'Connor)

Makeup - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Greg Cannom)

Robert Pattinson and Amanda Seyfried introduce the romance movies of the year.

Ben Stiller (as Joaquin Phoenix) and Natalie Portman come out to announce
Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire (Anthony Dod Mantle)

Jessica Biel looks really weird. I think her dress has a growth on it. She wasn't really there for anything interesting.

Judd Apatow does a short for the comedies of 2008.

Short Film, Live Action - Spielzeugland (Toyland) (Jochen Alexander Freydank)

Hugh Jackman is talking about how musicals are back...he is going to sing now. Beyonce is now joining him. They are singing GREASE!!! and many other musical numbers from Oscar movies. Zack Efron and Vanessa Hudgens and Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper also join them. It was alright, but lasted too long.

Now (just like the women) five previous supporting actor guys come out to announce that Heath Ledger has won. Alan Arkin, Christopher Walken, Kevin Kline, Cuba Gooding Jr., and an old guy who's name I missed.
Actor, Supporting - Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
His father, mother, and sister accept his award and give a really nice speech.

Bill Maher comes out after the montage of Documentaries.
Documentary Feature - Man on Wire (James Marsh and Simon Chinn)

Documentary Short - Smile Pinki (Megan Mylan)

And now for the 2008 Action movies.

Will Smith, who apparently loves action movies, will now tell us who won
Visual Effects - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, and Craig Barron)

Sound Editing - The Dark Knight (Richard King)

Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire (Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, and Resul Pookutty)

Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire (Chris Dickens)

Eddie Murphy is presenting Jerry Lewis with the humanitarian award.

Now they are playing the original scores and Zack Efron and Alicia Keys tell us that
Original Score - Slumdog Millionaire (A.R. Rahman)

Original Song - Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman and Gulzar)

Liam Neeson and Freida Pinto announce
Foreign Language Film - Departures (Japan)

Queen Latifah introduces the in memoriam...oh, and she sings. Her dress is not flattering. This is horrible because they keep puling back so you can't read the names at all. They are not doing these people justice.

Reese Witherspoon is pretty and announcing
Directing - Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Barry, Nicole Kidman, and Marion Cotillard announce
Actress, Leading - Kate Winslet (The Reader) I am very happy for her.

Robert De Niro, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Adrien Brody, and Michael Douglas announce
Actor, Leading - Sean Penn (Milk) Penn's speech was really good!

Steven Spielberg announces
Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire (Christian Colson)


[sorry if anything was incoherent...I did not edit]

81st Academy Award Predictions

Actor, Leading
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

Actor, Supporting
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"

Actress, Leading
Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

Actress, Supporting
Amy Adams in "Doubt"

Animated Feature
"WALL-E"

Art Direction
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Cinematography
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Costume Design
"The Duchess"

Directing
Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire"

Documentary Feature
"Trouble the Water"

Documentary Short
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"

Film Editing
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Foreign Language Film
"Waltz with Bashir" (Israel)

Makeup
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Original Score
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Original Song
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E"

Best Picture
"Milk"

Short Film, Animated
"Presto"

Short Film, Live Action
"Auf der Strecke (On The Line)"

Sound Editing
"WALL-E"

Sound Mixing
"WALL-E"

Visual Effects
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Screenplay, Adapted
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Screenplay, Original
"Milk"

Do you agree? Disagree? Who do you pick?

81st Annual Academy Awards Nominations

The nominations are out. Closer to award night I will of course post my predictions, but for now go here http://oscars.com/nominees/?pn=nominees and check out who got nominated and who got left out.
Feel free to post thoughts for discussion.

66th Annual Golden Globes

Instead of starting the year with a movie review (because I have yet to see one in 2009), I will start this blog off with a look at the Golden Globe Awards.

Let us start with a look at the red carpet.

- Miley Cyrus gets caught doing the 'strapless dress tug' that is oh so common at all award shows. Her speaking voice really irritates me, and I am not sure she is the classiest girl.
- America Ferrera is chatting away and I thought I liked her dress until I saw the ugly mess that the bottom part is.
- Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!...the ! is part of the title, I don't love the movie that much) is great. Pretty, and obviously nervous. Too bad they made her talk about Meryl Streep.
- Blake Lively (LOVE) with her dad. Her dress looks a little small, me thinks. Also...her real life dad looks awefully similar to her Sisterhood dad. I bet it is him. *checks sources* I am right. Her real dad is also her movie dad.
- There is much talk of Heath Ledger.
- Drew Barrymore looks kind of odd...or maybe strange is the right word. I like her dress though.
- Jeremy Piven appears to still be alive despite the mercury poisoning...I am sure Entourage fans are pleased.
- Will Arnet. I miss Arrested Development.
- Kate and Leo!!! I am very excited to see Revolutionary Road. They say they wish to see each other win. Aww, they are cute.
- I am going to go out on a rather short limb and say black and grey/silver are this year's colours. J. Lo., in her gaudy backless gold, missed the memo.
- Nancy O'Dell just dropped the boat when she insisted Sting was nominated when he is only presenting. Way to keep on top of all things entertainment.
- Pierce Brosnan was just asked if singing in Mamma Mia! was difficutl and replied it was easy. I am guessing he never actually watched his singing performance. Pierce + singing = Bad.

Now that actual awards begin.

-J. Lo. in the previously mentioned dress announces the first award. Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture goes to Kate Winslet (The Reader). She looks very pretty this evening...even though she is extremely flustered at the moment.
- Sting looks kind of...how should I put this? Let go. He is telling us Bruce Springsteen (The Wrestler) won for Best Original Song-Motion Picture. During the nominee shots Miley Cyrus stuck her tongue out at the camera. She is SO NOT CLASSY enough to be at the GG Awards.
- This year's second generation performer helping hand out awards is Rumor Willis (Demi and Bruce's daughter).
- Tom Wilkinson (John Adams) for Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini Series, or TV Movie.
- Laura Dern (Recount) for Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini Series, or TV Movie. She was sitting far back but really booted it up to the front, much appreciated Laura Dern.
- Don Cheadle has no hair. He is also introducing the clip for Burn After Reading. Love that movie.
- Anna Paquin (who I hardly recognized b/c she is a little older and much more blonde) wins Actress in TV Series-Drama (True Blood, a show I've barely heard of and never seen).
- Confessions of a Shopaholic commercial was just on. Very exciting. I recommend that you read the books by Sophie Kinsella and then go watch the movie when it comes out.
- Best Animated Feature Film is Wall-E.
- Sally Hawkins wins for Best Actress in a Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy for Happy-Go-Lucky. I've never heard of her or this movie...and the voice has nothing to say about her as she walks up. I care not to google her at the moment.
- All of the actors tend to say the GG Awards are their favourite b/c there is food and wine and they are short. The problem with this is people sit at their tables and talk and make noise and don't seem to be able to quiet themselves quickly when onair. Also, the camera pans the crowd and people are often not looking photogenic or they are furiously texting someone. Then again...maybe that isn't a problem.
- Jake Gyllenhaal introduces the clip for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and I will tell you your not so interesting-interesting fact of the day: the girl who played the young Daisy (Blanchett) in Benjamin Button also played the daughter of Pitt and Blanchett's characters in the movie Babel.
- Best Mini Series or TV Movie goes to John Adams.
- Demi Moore tells her daughter not to hunch and then announces the winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Director Chris Nolan accepts Heath Ledger's (The Dark Knight) award in front of a standing audience. As well as a few words, they play a clip from the movie.
- Best Foreign Language Film goes to Waltz with Bashir (Israel).
- Best Actress in a Mini Series or TV Movie goes to Laura Linney for John Adams.
- Screenplay Motion Picture winner is Somon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire.
- Amy Poehler (who is apparently getting her own show) and Patrick Dempsey announce that Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) wins for Best Actor in TV Series-Comedy or Musical. During my efforts to find out about Amy Poehler's show I found out that they are making a second Hoodwinked movie. This pleases me.
- Paul Giamatti (John Adams) wins Best Actor in a Mini Series or Made for TV Movie.
- Best TV Series-Musical or Comedy winner is 30 Rock. Tracey Morgan is accepting the award b/c apparently he had a deal with Tina Fey that if Obama won then Tracey would be the new spokesperson for the show.
- Another little not all that interesting-interesting point that I've recently heard is that Mamma Mia! has passed Titanic as the highest grossing movie in the UK. I was suprrised too, but I guess they really like ABBA.
- Best Original Score-Motion Picture winner is A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).
- Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical, or Comedy goes to Tina Fey for 30 Rock. Hehe, Tina tells us that she is a huge fan of the Hollywood Foreign Press and that she had all of their action figures when she was growing up. She then addresses some people on the internet who do not like her...by telling them ot suck it. I love Tina.
- Martin Scorsese presents Steven Spielberg with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. They play a montage of basically all awesome films. Spielberg talks about being inspired to make his first movie and about the importance of being a mentor.
- Winner of Director-Motion Picture is Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire).
- Best Actor in Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy goes to Colin Farrell (In Bruges).
- Sacha Baron Cohen talks about the financial crisis and how it is hurting the celebrities: Victoria Beckham hasn't eated in three weeks, Charlie Sheen was forced to have sex with women without paying, and Madonna had to get rid of one of her personal assistants (so sorry Guy). The Madonna/Guy joke produced some displeased murmurs.
- Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy winner is Vicky Christina Barcelona.
- Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) wins Best Actress in Motion Picture-Drama. Yay. I am very excited for her. She is so freaking flustered and I love her.
- Mad Men wins the Best Television Series-Drama.
- Best Actor in Motion Picture-Drama goes to Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler). This win is greated by many many applause. Rourke thanks a lot of people for helping him get back in the biz. He also thanks his dogs for always being there for him (awww).
- Best Motion Picture-Drama (nominees are: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, and Slumdog Millionaire). Slumdog Millionaire wins.