Okay, I’m weak. I just said I wouldn’t live-blog the Oscars and here I am staring like an idiot at my new plasma screen at 4:24 in the afternoon, watching an event that is taking place literally within five minutes drive from my house at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood…. five minutes on a normal day anyway because today half the streets are tied up, making it more like fifteen… the duration of a brisk walk downhill from my house.
I’m listening to Roger Ebert interview Johnny Depp now. I wonder how he (Ebert) does it year after year… the same dull questions. I love movies but talking about them always seems somewhat dumb. I mean what is there to say, really? It’s only a movie. Some are good, most bad. Well, there’s a lot to say, but it’s not the kind of thing you would talk about at the Oscars.
So far the most interesting figure to me is Hilary Swank, because she looks like a real person, not a STAR, but she really is in the deepest sense.
People have asked me what it was like when I was nominated. I barely remember and not because it was 15 years ago. The amount of hype and glitz is just so overwhelming you can’t process it. And, as a writer, the media is not that interested in you anyway, so you bob down the red carpet in a semi-conscious condition hardly able to realize you are there. I never expected to win that evening (and I didn’t), so I wasn’t especially tense, but it was kind out of body experience.
5:16 = It hasn’t even started yet and already it feels like a long evening. Does anybody really care who wins these awards, other than the nominees themselves and their friends and family? But it is nice to see Don Cheadle there. I am always pleased to see people you would never expect to see nominated for Oscars, but who deserve them, like Cheadle.
As for the dresses, my six and a half year old daughter Madeleine says “They look pretty but they don’t look comfortable.”
Wolfgang Puck’s “smoked salmon Oscar” looks pretty good.
Chris Rock is bombing. He’s not funny and he doesn’t understand movies….
Oprah is not laughing. I don’t blame her. This is endless and stupid.
Beyonce is singing quite well. ANd she looks great. Don’t know if this is the same as when I was nominated, but when the camera is off the audience, people are being marched around and seated in different seats.
I didn’t vote in the best song category, but I must say the French song sounded better than most. It’s been a long time since the movies had great music that was original. Ray obviously has great music but it sure ain’t new.
One of the reasons I don’t like Rock is the “black thang” as he does it sounds so old. Pryor did this shtick much better twenty-five years ago. Enough already. The movie business is filled with terrific black talent and has been for years. Rock acts like there is still something controversial about all this. What, exactly?
I love the Edith HEad character from The Incredibles doing the costume design award. I voted for Lemony Snicket in this as well. As I said earlier, LS had great “tech credits” as they say in the business. But as predicted The Aviator won this category. Great job too.
I am writing right now, before the award is given, that Blanchett will win for The Aviator, just to risk making an ass of myself, although I voted for Sophie Okenedo.
Well, risk rewarded, I suppose. She’s a terrific actress and did a good job. Kudos to Tim Robbins for keeping his mouth shut about politics. Is there a new worry abroad in Hollywood that they could be alienating people? Don’t know, kemosabe.
Dinner time. I don’t wwant to spill my chicken all over the computer. There are others doing this, I understand. I’m out of this for now. Will say the editing award should have gone to Collateral. But, as predicted, it went to The Aviator, which was a half hour too long. But, hey, in the end, it’s all about opinions. Ciao.
Back: Just wanted to say Taylor and Payne seem like nice guys. As predicted, they won for Sideways. I voted for Million Dollar Baby. Spider-Man 2 deserved to be nominated in the writing category, even though it won in visual effects (hey, another one I actually voted for –it’s been a while, although I started out well.)
Hooray for Sidney Lumet – an OScar well deserved and a speech well delivered. Some wonderful acting in his movies. Didn’t Newman look great in that clip from The Verdict?
Jeremy Irons is actually funnier than Rock, never thought I’d say that.
For those who don’t know, the whole Academy does not vote for Best Live Action Short, only those who show up for the nominee screening. That would be (guessing here) about five percent of the membership.
Kate Winslet is my favorite actress of the moment – a glorious performer and glorious looking. The cinematography award for The Aviator was inevitable. Robert Richardson made Oliver Stone’s career years ago. Scorsese obviously didn’t need as much help. But Richardson is a great DP and one can only say – great hair!
Hayek and Cruz together. I prefer Hayek on all levels. Ray gets a sound award? Okay, that’s a surprise. I don’t get it.
Santana in a cornball Che t-shirt. So far, I like the French song best. This is dull schmaltzy fare. If Che hadn’t died young, people wouldn’t worship him so blindly and we wouldn’t have to listen to this sentimental crap. Deep down the whole Che cult is just about looks. Can you imagine people still running around in Che t-shirts if he had just been some ordinary looking guy?
Finding Neverland, a movie I could barely sit through, wins for best score. I think I predicted that (it’s getting late). Met the guy who won at a dinner party. He was interesting. This is the kind of film where you remember the score because the movie was tedious.
AM I wrong or was that a much shorter number of movie industry dead this year? No Theo VAn Gogh, of course, but his contribution to the cinema was certainly not on the level of the others cited,not by a long shot. Still, a short list and I found the Yoyo Ma addition slightly pretentious for the occasion.
Prince gives the best song. Well, no “Singin’ in the Rains” here. They gave the Oscar to the song from The Motorcycles Dairies. The composer sang his own song a lot better than the others. I saw him smirking during the Santana performance.
Sean Penn takes on Chris Rock for his snide and dumb comments about other actors at the beginning.
Best actress: I thought both Swank and Winslett were great. I voted for Swank but could have gone the other way. Liked both movies a lot. Swank is fascinating person. I think she will be moving us in films for decades to come. She has really got it. Special kudos to her for thanking the writer Paul Haggis. Swank reminds me of some of the great actresses of the forties. It’s not about looks.
ANother great younger talent just been honored. Charlie Kaufman. He is the most original voice in American film now, bar none. Malkovich, Adaptation, now Mind. THAT is impressive. What’s next? Directing, I know. Let’s hope Kaufman is smart enough to give himself as good a script as he gave other directors.
Has Clint just gotten started? His mother’s 96. What genes. This victory for this incredible man has one simple message: never think about retiring.
The amazing thing about Million Dollar Baby is that it was made in 37 days. Some people wouldn’t make the movie if offered only that much time.
Big Winner tonight: Clint Eastwood. Big loser: Chris Rock.
And hey, it didn’t run too late.
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123 Comments
1. Eric Deamer:I love movies but talking about them always seems somewhat dumb. I mean what is there to say, really? It’s only a movie.
I’m so, so sorry Roger, but the second statement really seems to contradict the first. Loving movies would seem to mean discussing your favorite shots, lines, moments, performances; arguing all night about what’s good and what’s bad and why. It’s only a movie!? It’s only art. It’s only culture, whether high or low, good or bad. If I meet someone who doesn’t enjoy talking about film, I usually assume it means they don’t like it, let alone love it. After all, if you like mystery novels you’ll probably like talking about them, if you’re interested in politics you’ll probably like talking about politics etc. etc. That’s the point of this blog, right, talking about things that interest you. If something interests you you’ll want to talk about it, right? I’m really mystified.
Having said that, I think the Oscars suck. But Carnivale’s on tonight, so you can still have a meaningful cultural experience if you’re willing to switch to HBO.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:35 pm 2. TedM:okay. that is ENOUGH.
I left.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:41 pm 3. Eric Deamer:The bit Chris Rock did about how much black movies suck compared to black movies was hilarious.
Seriously.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:43 pm 4. Eric Deamer:I meant black movies compared to white movies, obvs.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:48 pm 5. Sandy P:TONE DEAF!
Ahhh, Robin would have been a better host.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:53 pm 6. BurbankErnie:I think it will be an all black men’s night, with Foxx winning best actor for Ray.
Chris Rock really sucked though, not funny.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:54 pm 7. Eric Deamer:Hah! Robin Williams does a viagara joke and a Joan Rivers joke. How edgy! How original. What a comic genius.
Now some hack impressions. Good lord. Gimme Chris Rock anyday.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:56 pm 8. lindenen:Robin Williams spent more time talking than Morgan Freeman did upon receiving his award. Shut up, Robin.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:57 pm 9. Peter G.:I will predict that Kate Blanchett will NOT win the supporting actrress award. The Academy usually only throws one curveball and it’s usually in the Best Supporting Actress category. So I’m predicting anyone but Kate.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:59 pm 10. BurbankErnie:Enough GAY cartoon characters? Gads, Hollywood drives a giant wedge between “Middle America” whoever we are, and the Elites.
Feb 27, 2005 - 5:59 pm 11. Sandy P:It’s the Oscars, not supposed to be edgy.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:00 pm 12. Joe McReynolds:That’s odd. It seemed like everyone was laughing at Rock’s jokes.
Around here, at least — and me, especially — Chris Rock reduced me to tears. Incredibly funny.
Not as good as his best stuff from ‘Bring the Pain’, obviously, but still about as good as you can get on a ‘family’ telecast. Though I don’t like Rock when he’s being this tame.
Robin Williams wasn’t half bad either.
Still, Chris Rock is now pretty well cemented as the best choice for an Oscar host the Academy’s made in the past ten years or so.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:00 pm 13. Sandy P:Alright, go back to the Oscar lunch.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:01 pm 14. Sandy P:What is up w/Drew’s hair?
She looks old.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:02 pm 15. lindenen:Yeah, her hair looked awful.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:03 pm 16. Joe McReynolds:“Enough GAY cartoon characters? Gads, Hollywood drives a giant wedge between “Middle America” whoever we are, and the Elites.”
Uh, since when can middle America (Of which I’d like to think I’m a member — a normal, middle-class guy from a normal, middle-class family) not enjoy that? It seems well within the bounds of good taste and enjoyability for an Oscar telecast.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:03 pm 17. Joe McReynolds:Ooh, Drudge has a thing up about the Robin Williams song we didn’t get to see:
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3oc.htm
A shame. Looks like it would have been good.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:06 pm 18. BurbankErnie:IMHO, Williams pushed the GAY meme for having his song parody pulled, so he did an “I’ll show you” and picked off the most popular cartoon characters that folks my age (old) relate to, to upset evangelicals. Plus, they were not FUNNY. But again, it is My Opinion.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:08 pm 19. Bean:I’m glad I am not doing the Oscars Drinking Game. I would be smashed by now, I think Chris Rock hit half of those points.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:09 pm 20. Hermie:Gee Rock does an anti-Bush tirade and the entire audience laughs.
How unexpected…not.
I wonder if his ‘jokes’ are understood by anyone from Afghanistan and Iraq?
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:11 pm 21. Keith:I am a big fan of CR and I enjoyed his opening monolog. It’s OK Roger that you are not such a fan, I am still a big fan of yours. He is probably much like Robin Williams in that you either love him or hate him. I am a big fan of Robin as well and have been for a long time.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:12 pm 22. Joe McReynolds:OH MY GOD.
That last skit of “going to the movies with real people” was quite possibly THE MOST INCREDIBLE MOMENT I’VE EVER SEEN ON THE OSCARS.
When Chris Rock said, a while back, “Awards for art are f***ing stupid”, I knew he was on the right page.
I knew he’d slip it in, in a classy way that shows just how silly the idea is.
AND HE DID IT.
My god, that was sheer brilliance.
“I loved White Chicks!”
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:15 pm 23. John Pearley Huffman:“And now welcome the multi-talented Drew Barrymore!”
Okay, name two talents possessed by Drew Barrymore.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:22 pm 24. Joe McReynolds:“”I love the Edith Head character from The Incredibles doing the costume design award. “”
No offense Roger, but if you ever wanted to be in the tiny, tiny minority on something…
…Can I be the only one who found that to be quite possibly one of the most annoying things they’ve ever experienced on an oscar telecast? Just curious.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:23 pm 25. Sandy P:Don’t mess w/Edna, dahling.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:32 pm 26. Kevin P:Roger:
I like Chris Rock.The bit in the theatres about black movie tastes and the the fact that Hollywood is so disconnected from vast segments of America, not just african americans, was both funny and pointed. The opening monologue was brutal. There was laughter in the audience but it was polite to say the least. His stuff on Bush was pedestrian. WMD and the deficit, he could have made those jokes a year ago. I almost expected some OJ jokes after that. When Rock is funny he is biting, even without foul language. This sounded like Leno on a bad night. And please, no more references to actors gaining or losing weight for a part. OLD, OLD, BORING, AND POINTLESS. Robin Williams needs new material and he needs to drop his ghetto voice routine. He is not hip and he is not funny, just tired.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:38 pm 27. Charlie (Colorado):…Can I be the only one who found that to be quite possibly one of the most annoying things they’ve ever experienced on an oscar telecast?
Two words, Joe: Sacheen Littlefeather.
Or is that three words?
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:38 pm 28. Charlie (Colorado):That said, though, I’ve got to admit the notion of chromakeying in an animated character on a live performance has worn out its welcome.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:40 pm 29. richard mcenroe:Charlie(Colorado) ó Two more words: Michael Moore.
How soon they forget.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:45 pm 30. richard mcenroe:Two more words: Richard Gere.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:47 pm 31. Kevin P:Roger:
Adam Sandler and Chris Rock- thud,on a bunker busting bomb scale.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:47 pm 32. Juliette:Two more words: Al Pacino
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:52 pm 33. holdfast:Is it normal for about a third of the seats to be empty? If members of the Academy or whatever don’t want to go, they could drive down to Pendleton and hand them out to the wives of Marines in Iraq.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:53 pm 34. Sandy P:Al, comb your hair.
Annette, looks like you used a mixer on yours.
I will never understan mega-$ dresses and shoes and men wearing everyday ties – even if they’re black silk.
It’s The Oscars – used to mean something.
Feb 27, 2005 - 6:58 pm 35. holdfast:Beyonce just sang some sone with the word “Lonely” in the title, and all I could think of was “I’m Ronery, so Ronery…”
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:08 pm 36. BurbankErnie:Roger,
Did a Google search, and you are the only Academy Member WITH a Blog AND are Blogging the Awards!
Question: Do they put any humor in this show, or just when they honor Johnny Carson?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:08 pm 37. Hermie:Most likely the empty seats are for all the nominees who had to be gathered backstage for their 3 minutes of airtime.
Rock is making a big impact….to never hire him again.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:09 pm 38. holdfast:Hermie – no these are the cheap seats – lots of them. You could see it when they do a really wide shot. The front block is always kept full (they use fillers) when folks go up on stage.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:14 pm 39. Sandy P:Phantom – either have the guy sing a song from it or Crawford.
Not Beyonce – or another person.
It’s Phantom, for Pete’s sake!
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:14 pm 40. Sandy P:And if some lesser beings must accept their award in the aisle, then so should either 1 or 2 of the top awards.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:15 pm 41. Hermie:holdfast:
Well, I doubt liberal Hollywood would even consider giving these seats to military families.
This just goes to show you that not only are their tv ratings dropping, but they can’t even get their own people to fill up the place.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:17 pm 42. Wallace:Chris Rock……intelligent and very funny guy. To bad he tries so hard to portray otherwise. Perhaps, as Roger suggests, they should try and find a luminary who does “understand” the movies.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:18 pm 43. Hermie:Roger:
Irons at least demonstrated he could think fast on his feet and say something halfway funny.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:21 pm 44. Wallace:By the way….I’m surfing back and forth between the Oscars© and TVLand’s lineup of Leave it to Beaver, Sanford and Son, and All in the Family.
So far TVLand is getting more air time.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:24 pm 45. Hermie:Now tell me the truth…is anybody listening to Cruz and Hayek, or they ust staring at them?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:24 pm 46. Sandy P:So, Che was “idealistic” eh, Salma?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:29 pm 47. Gerard Van der Leun:You know, a 14 inch rod of rebar nailed down the center of my spine would be less numbing than this dumb show.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:31 pm 48. Gerard Van der Leun:One babe with the brain of a singer doing 2 (two?!) of the songs? Having a shortage of singers in Hollywood are we?
And the second walk-on, did she collide with a low flying chandelier en route to the catwalk?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:32 pm 49. jab245:Where’s Rob Lowe and Snow White when you need them?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:33 pm 50. Terrye:Doesn’t sound like I am missing much.
But at least Joe is having fun watching all the beautiful people.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:34 pm 51. G-Dub:Hey Antonio Banderas is singing with Carlos Santanta…that would be fun to sing with Carlos. I don’t know about the venue, but, fun nevertheless. And to think only 15 years ago he was loco Ricky in “Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down”.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:34 pm 52. BurbankErnie:Santana was dressed EXACTLY as Che; beret, shades and all. Only thing missing was an AK-47 (but the guitar was the substitute). The audience also had affection for the Murderer. Brilliant.
Natalie Portman is GORGEOUS!
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:35 pm 53. Eric Deamer:If you actually watched this stuff over the last hour and a half instead of watching Carnivale and Unscripted you shouldn’t be complaining about the state of the culture. You should be seeking out better stuff.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:35 pm 54. Morgan:I’m not even tuning it in, but reading the comments here I feel like I’m watching an oddball episode of MST3K – one on which they forgot to show us the movie.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:35 pm 55. Rick Ballard:Gerard,
C’mon, that set for the paen to ‘Ernesto’ was really funny. Banderos and Santana made Cheech and Chong look classy.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:36 pm 56. Carmelita:Did anyone notice how totally strange Renee Zellwegger looked tonight? Like the Botox treatments didn’t work and her cheeks had weird angles. Also, the black hair is awful.
Chris Rock is doing an atrocious job. The clips of Johnny Carson made me long for the days when the hosts were more classy.
Glad “Finding Neverland” finally won something. That is an under-rated movie and really should have done better commercially.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:42 pm 57. Sandy P:Anyone else think Roger Meyer looks like Cheney from the side?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:43 pm 58. G-Dub:“Ray gets a sound award? Okay, that’s a surprise. I don’t get it.”
Not really, he died this year and it’s an awards show. Look he even got a few Grammy’s. Same thing in my eyes. We probably could have won some money on an online betting site. Although, the payoff, I’m sure, wouldn’t be worth it.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:43 pm 59. Sandy P:–Did anyone notice how totally strange Renee Zellwegger looked tonight? —
Great minds think alike, I was also going to post something.
She didn’t look so hot last year, in fact, I don’t think she ever looks good at awards ceremonies.
Last year her cheeks were red, red, red.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:46 pm 60. G-Dub:RE: John Pearly Huffman
Okay, name two talents possessed by Drew Barrymore.
I got it! Fabrizio Morretti
The only thing to come to mind
)
Hey did the Oscars always have so much music involved in them?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:49 pm 61. Carmelita:Has anyone noticed how weird Renee Zellwegger looked tonight. Like her Botox treatments made her cheeks look very ridged and she looked tired. The black hair didn’t help.
Yo-Yo Ma is on right now, adding some desperatedly needed class to this show. The crowd bared clapped when they showed Ronald Reagan’s clip, but they clapped like crazy when Chris Rock did his stupid Bash Bush thing at the beginning.
Glad that “Finding Neverland” won something. That was a magical movie. Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet were great and it should have done better commercially.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:49 pm 62. richard mcenroe:Poor Che ó if only the Green Berets had dragged his corpse through the streets and hung it from a bridge…
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:50 pm 63. Carmelita:How much time has gone on in this show with absolutely no really important award — about an hour?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:51 pm 64. Eric Deamer:This is great from Defamer (not liking because I have problems posting HTML here for some reason)
5:57: The best thing about Robin Williams (besides the Ebonics Black Guy, the Phlegmy Jewish Guy, and the Lisping Gay that live inside him) is that he never makes an event all about him.
Oh, The Incredibles, Mortal Oscar Lock number two of the evening, wins?while Robin Williams gropes a spokesbimbo in the background. He just keeps giving!
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:53 pm 65. Hermie:They memorialize an agent, but they can’t find a couple of seconds for Theo Van Gogh?
They make cooing sounds towards a terrorist, but can’t find time to say anything about one of their own who was a victim of terrorism?
Heads in the sand.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:54 pm 66. Kevin P:Roger:
Sidney Lumet. class act, brief, heartfelt, a homage to what is great about Hollywood. Hayak, drop dead gorgeous, great actress, infantile politics. Of course since she did a bio pic of Frida, a women who had a picture of Stalin put in her casket, should we be suprised that she goes for Che, someone who would have hung artists who didn’t toe the party line, but heck he is so passionate and handsome and he feels for the poor so we will ignore the fact that if he had won his “noble” war artistic freedom would be a thing of the past and freedom of speech would have gone the way of those other boushy ideas such as individual freedom, private property, and the ability to vote. Don’t you just love Mercedes Benz revolutionary dilletants. VIVA LA REVOLUCION
! CHE LIVES!
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:56 pm 67. neo-neocon:This is really unusually boring. And yes, Drew Barrymore should never, never, never again dye her hair black. Or wear black, for that matter.
But that Yo-Yo Ma thing really was beautiful. Does anyone know what piece he was playing?
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:58 pm 68. Kevin P:Roger:
of course no van Gogh, he is no Che, he has passion but was a bit dumpy and doesn’t have that star quality. I am a big Yo Yo Ma fan even if it doesn’t fit the occassion.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:59 pm 69. Eric Deamer:I just found out The Aviator won for cinematography over House of Flying Daggers. The streets will choke with blood. At least if I have anything to say about it.
House of Flying Daggers should’ve been nominated for best picture, or at least best foreign film.
Feb 27, 2005 - 7:59 pm 70. Carmelita:The Yo-Yo Ma piece was a requiem. Can’t remember whose right now but lovely.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:00 pm 71. Dick Mansuetto:Minority positions up the yang yang. Tasteless African American jokes (if you can call them that), Bush bashing by the losing side, Spanish language songs presented by a Spanish speaking Spanish person who cannot sing. This has been a long night so far. (Why make the walk on the main stage to the microphone so long? ) At least they are eliminating the walk up to the stage by having all of the nominees stand nearby. 2005 is another loser.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:01 pm 72. Carmelita:Did the Motorcyle Diaries just win for the best song? The French song was so much better.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:01 pm 73. G-Dub:RE: Hermie
“They memorialize an agent, but they can’t find a couple of seconds for Theo Van Gogh?
They make cooing sounds towards a terrorist, but can’t find time to say anything about one of their own who was a victim of terrorism?”
Agreed 100%
I haven’t seen the entire film (Submission), but, it obviously has had the largest and most extreme impact on filmmaking in my lifetime. That I can remember anyhow, and not ONE Mention. I don’t think it even has to be nominated. Just a bit of recognition would be suitable. I don’t think the crowd in that auditorium should let that tragic event slip their minds. After all, they do have a microphone larger than most throughout the world. Use it for progress for once. Please.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:05 pm 74. Carmelita:Why does the Academy even nominate five people in the acting categories? Every year the frontrunner wins. Just as Hilary Swank just won and is thanking everyone who ever existed and saying how brilliant and amazing everyone is.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:07 pm 75. richard mcenroe:Meanwhile, back in the real world where people take real stands …
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:07 pm 76. Charlie (Colorado):And yes, Drew Barrymore should never, never, never again dye her hair black. Or wear black, for that matter.
In the immortal words of Tom Selleck: “With your coloring?!“
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:13 pm 77. Coisty:Sean Penn must be great fun at parties. It was a joke, Sean! To me Penn is almost everything I dislike about Hollywood wrapped into one person.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:17 pm 78. olivia1:Had to smile at the Beyonce- Josh Grobin duet…..we have beautiful Beyonce with her artifically straightened hair and we have beautiful Josh with his silly,overdone “artistic” curls. Ah, the vanity of humanity…no matter how nature has blessed you!
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:17 pm 79. Eric Deamer:Counterpoint from Defamer again:
8:03: Sean Penn laments that five thousand actors can?t be nominated for Best Actor/Actress each year, the only way that the craft can be properly respected. Lesser Baldwins watching from check-cashing instutitons silently nod their approval
And later:
She saves thanking Clint Eastwood to the end?then, as the music blares, erases any genuine Clint sentiment by loudly thanking ?her best friend and publicist.? This will go down as one of the worst speeches in the history of spoken language. Can they get that statue back and hand it to the Botox-paralyzed Annette Bening, who won?t know she?s lost until the middle of the Vanity Fair party?
I missed whatever happened with Chris Rock and Sean Penn, but I can’t imagine that Sean Penn was on the right side of any dispute, ever. So on principal I’m on Chris Rock’s side.
More accuratlely I’m on Kid Rock’s side:
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/29612004.htm
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:20 pm 80. ROA:Didn’t anyone like the Kerry/Oprah joke? I thought it was pretty accurate.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:20 pm 81. BurbankErnie:OK, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but what did Chris Rock mean when he told Penn his accountants would be contacting him? I must be pretty slow, I cannot figure it out.
Kaufmann is an incredible writer……
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:20 pm 82. G-Dub:Charlie Kaufmann deserves the screenply award. He writes great stories with his own peculiar vision. “Eternal Sunshine…” was outstanding IMHO. Although Michel Gondry had alot to do with it too. The actors too. Hell, the entire team was perfect.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:20 pm 83. Carmelita:Sean Penn is truly an idiot. It’s not like Jude Law needed Sean Penn to go out there and say “Jude Law is a fine actor, blah, blah, blah.” Sean, take a yoga class or something.
I’m still mad that Johnny Depp didn’t lost last year to that yutz.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:21 pm 84. Patrick Tyson:I’m happy.
What Sidney Lumet said and “I didn’t die.” and River alive from the biographical short were the highlight prior to Charlie’s name being called.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:24 pm 85. Coisty:Johnny Depp is another member of the Che cult. He wears a necklace with the great martyr’s image on it.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:24 pm 86. G-Dub:If only DiCaprio could hold an accent. He hasn’t done a good film since “Basketball Diaries”. Now that Johnny Depp and turn himself into a native from anywhere.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:25 pm 87. Hermie:Maybe Puff Daddy is there to take care of anyone who insults Rock.
Penn might find himself capped by some of the East Coast boy, or as they might say ‘the accountants’.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:25 pm 88. Eric Deamer:From Defamer again. (Okay. Last one.)
8:16: Charlie Kaufman wins for Best Original Screenplay! Sweet justice! Kaufman notes the 30-second shot clock that limits his speech, because Gil Cates knows that no one wants to hear writers speak (this might result in increased DVD residuals for WGA members). Kaufman meekly retires from the stage, glad that he wasn?t forced to accept his award from the back of the theater, staring at the bald spot on the top of the sound editor from Spider-Man?s head. Did we mention that Eternal Sunshine was the real Best Picture? It was.
Couldn’t agree more.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:31 pm 89. lindenen:Yecch. I already knew Santana was an idiot that one time I heard him talking about making music and he sounded like a raving lunatic. This just confirms it.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:38 pm 90. Eric Deamer:I liked Chris Rock’s final shout-out to Brooklyn. He won me over with that. He’s New York which is probably why the LA cats like Sean Penn don’t get him.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:41 pm 91. Rick Ballard:Thank you, Roger. No way would I have watched without your (and the other commenters here) remarks.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:44 pm 92. lindenen:I once read that Johnny Depp wanted to get Roman Polanski to sign his Charles Manson t-shirt and someone had to dissuade him from asking Polanski. Poor Johnny didn’t seem to understand why, so let’s not forget that many of these people are criminally dumb. I wish I could remember where I read this. I’ll look for it if anyone’s interested.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:46 pm 93. G-Dub:RE: lindenen
He probably owns the printing company and is going for advertising.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:47 pm 94. Eric Deamer:If that toothless Robin Williams schtick about gay cartoon characters is supposed to be an example of HOllywood “alienating middle america”, then social conservatives are even more bizarre than I thought they were. I’m not sure if I can continue to vote for Republicans at this rate.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:49 pm 95. BurbankErnie:Clint was my first Favorite Actor. Since the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns through Dirty Harry, he was the Man. When he came back from Italy and saw how popular his movies were, he started Producing Westerns himself, a very risky venture since Westerns were on the way out. His comedies were semi painful, but it was Clint, and to me he could do no wrong. Roger, 37 days is short for an Indie Film, let alone a Major Motion Picture. From what I have heard about Clint’s Directing, is he takes no Bullshit, trusts his actors,and has had the same core inner group since he started Malposa Films. He trusts the first take, and moves on, and I am sure the intimidation factor of screwing up in an Eastwood Movie makes the Actors better. But what do I know, I am just a fan, and I could be wrong about everything, but Clint is still the Man.
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:50 pm 96. chrees:The tie between politics and Oscar winners is always clearer after the fact.
And tonight, I think the reason “Million Dollar Baby” won so many major awards is that it reflects the assisted suicide that the Democratic party performed on itself this past year.
And as was mentioned earlier, Theo Van Gogh was worth a mention but they didn’t seem to find the few seconds necessary in the memorial. Until a murder like that happens here…….. wait…a movie with anthing critical about Islofascism being made in the U.S.? Sorry… I forgot where I was for a moment. Nevermind…
Feb 27, 2005 - 8:52 pm 97. Sean M.:Am I the only one who thought Dustin Hoffman was drunk as a skunk out there on the stage?
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:00 pm 98. kevin:I’m surprised no one mentioned Rock’s joke about tim robbins boring us to death about his politics.
That actually made me laugh out loud.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:14 pm 99. Gerard Van der Leun:I don’t know about Dustin Hoffman, but I wish I’d been drunk for this over-the-hill passion play. To me, the whole charade underscored the fact that this industry is running on fumes. And it is intoxicated with the smell of its fumes. If it wasn’t for the dresses and the women watching to see the dresses, this thing would have ratings somewhere south of MSNBC.
From the chortles at Rock’s snide put-downs through the utter absence of anything that would even begin to be a song to remember through the drooling embarrassment of Robin Williams to the sneering crapulousness of Sean Penn to the vast whirling set decoration that was either a bad model of the DNA molecule or a pastry case in a Greek Restaurant, this show bombed from first to last.
Imagine what it must be like for a talent like Clint Eastwood. Good news, you’ve won for Best Picture. Bad news, you have to kiss Barbra Striesand.
That’s the whole thing really, a big wet sloppy kiss on the butt of Hollywood by itself.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:27 pm 100. Sandy P:BORING!
Even the background music – could have been edgier.
Geez, where’ Cher when you need her?
As for the Oprah/Kerry joke, Cabana boy would be taking a pay cut, Ter-ay-zha’s worth more.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:43 pm 101. Sandy P:Via Drudge:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050227/482/la10402272258
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:45 pm 102. Harry:Down the years…
2001 A Space Odyssey, Citizen Kane, All The Presidents Men, Taxi Driver, Shawshank Redemption… Hardly recognised…
Forrest Gump, Rocky, Titanic (!?!) get a hatful.
Check out this from 1976:
Best Picture nominations:
All the President’s Men
Bound for Glory
Network
Rocky
Taxi Driver
Rocky gets Best Picture.
This from 1994:
Best picture nominations:
Forrest Gump
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Pulp Fiction
Quiz Show
The Shawshank Redemption
Forrest Gump gets Best Picture.
Total madness.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:48 pm 103. Sandy P:Dustin and Anne Bancroft were great presenting an award from NY a few years ago.
Are you trying to seduce me??
Not any more.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:53 pm 104. Sandy P:Too bad you won’t be able to fill us in on any skuttlebutt over the next few weeks, Roger.
But we don’t want you to get in any deeper than you are.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:54 pm 105. Sandy P:From EOnline’s blog:
11:12 p.m.: “I really wanted to sing my song [during the telecast]…I wanted to do my version, too.”–Jorge Drexler, winner of Best Original Song for The Motorcycle Diaries’ “Al Otro Lado Del RÌo,” on why he sang his acceptance speech.
Feb 27, 2005 - 9:57 pm 106. Sandy P:8:30 p.m.: I’m confused–did the Oscar telecast just start, or are the TV sets back here tuned to the History Channel?
Feb 27, 2005 - 10:00 pm 107. Stephen_M:Eric Deamer – For 30+ years Hollywood luminaries have been stepping in front of TV cameras to “bring awareness to” social conservatives. Unrelentingly tedious tin-eared arrogance for so long a period is alienating. In and of itself. Sure, some wacko somewhere might get agitated about the sexual symbolism of a cartoon. But more likely, social conservatives will be irked by Robin Williams positioning himself as a kind of national scold. After all this time it’s boring. And THAT’S alienating.
Feb 27, 2005 - 10:12 pm 108. Anondson:About Chris Rock and his comment about Tim Robbins.
Well, looks like Tim Robbins had a response to Chris Rock. Tim didn’t take the comment lightly it appears.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/050228/482/kdk30702280459
Did anyone see if this was seen on television?
Feb 27, 2005 - 10:18 pm 109. Harry:Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: The Aviator – Thelma Schoonmaker
LOL!
Feb 27, 2005 - 10:26 pm 110. ahem:The theme from Terminator??? I repeat: the theme from Terminator???
Yeah, something was definitely wrong with Dustin. Streisand looked like she wanted to slap him into alterness. Hoffman can be a real pill. And he was.
Renee should be paid to never dye her hair black again. She appears to be on the verge of some sort of breakdown.
Oh, and talking about pile-ups, what exactly happened to Adam Sandler up there? Was Catherine Zeta-Jones actually expected? I suspect he’ll be drinking like a fish tonight.
Empty seats at the Oscars? The world as we know it has ended. Also, this ceremony was notable for the talent that stayed home.
The poor composer of the winning song looked like he wanted to rush the stage and start stabbing people. And it was only marginally better when the he sang it himself. Why didn’t they let Beyonce sing it? She was doing fine. (Counting Crows deserved the award, but that singer’s gotta do something about the hair: it makes him look like an insurance salesman having a mid-life crisis.)
Midway through, my mother started searching for the telecast on another channel: “I think they’re showing it without commercials.” “Perhaps, Mom, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be ending any faster.”
ps: I thought the Yo-Yo Ma piece was a Sarabande from one of Bach’s 6 cello concerti.
Feb 27, 2005 - 10:30 pm 111. heather:Since I live in Canada and object to the CRTC, I can only get CSpan on the satellite dish (and it bleeps in and out)…. I couldn’t watch the Oscars.
So thank you for the marvellous series of comments all of you Roger members… uniformly fun and clever.
Even the grumps (you know who you are) contributed reality – it is true that the most important part of the whole show, the part I truly regretted missing – was seeing the dresses parading around. And Brad Pitt of course. Was he there?
Feb 28, 2005 - 12:06 am 112. rasqual:A bad night at the Oscars. There’s been much talk about how all the awards shows are down about 30% in ratings this year (yes, all of them). This year’s Oscars will send another 30%, probably, to the video store next year.
Rock was dull, sadly. Robin Williams was his ineluctably predictable, puerile self. Pacino and Dusty appear to have been drunk. Far be it from me to appreciate much from Sean Penn, but I sympathized with his retort in defense of Jude Law against Rock’s oddly humorless jabs (what’s up with that?).
I wish Hotel Rwanda had come in for more recognition, but it was up against tough competition and I can’t say I was distressed by any awards tonight. Kudos to Eastwood & Co.
Feb 28, 2005 - 12:06 am 113. rasqual:Oh, and hey — what’s with Gwyneth Paltrow’s peevish “I didn’t get to draw attention to myself ’cause (by implication) others have taken up too much time before my turn came” thing? Hello~? The Oscars are not about your aspirations to exhibitionist polyglotism, gurl.
Feb 28, 2005 - 12:12 am 114. heather:After wading through the Yahoo photos of the Oscars, and FINALLY getting to Rene Zellweger… yes, she should re-think that black helmet hair do.
Also, she is in one her skinny phases, when she breaks out into a tiiiiight dress, but this time it looks as if she has also been into serious weightlifting, which makes her look a mite odd.
Feb 28, 2005 - 12:33 am 115. melk:In response to two questions asked:
The Yo Yo Ma piece is by Bach.
The Chris Rock “accountant” threat referred,I’m sure,to his two gigantic Price Waterhouse”accountants” who had appeared earlier with him.
Feb 28, 2005 - 4:55 am 116. MRTrauffer:I normally don’t watch the oscars anymore, but we went to a friends house last night and we all filled out our own ballots, which made it a bit more interesting. (I got 7 out of 24)
Anyway, it was good to see Hollywood showing their true colors again…which confirms my reasons for not going to the movies as often as i used to. I really wish “entertainers” would just stick to “entertaining”. Chris Rock’s opening monologue was just pointless and boring. The only thing i enjoyed about this entire show was the Johnny Carson clips and the “Believe” song, other than that, the rest of the show was a waste of time…in my opinion.
Feb 28, 2005 - 6:38 am 117. Matt Evans:I had forgotten the Oscars were on until the news discussed winners this morning.
Like Eric Dreamer, I watched Carnivale- what a great show. Next week, Deadwood at 9 and Carnivale at 10. – back to back quality TV goodness.
Feb 28, 2005 - 6:39 am 118. Fausta:Deep down the whole Che cult is just about looks. Can you imagine people still running around in Che t-shirts if he had just been some ordinary looking guy?
Having grown up in Puerto Rico, where Cantinflas was hugely popular, so help me, but Che’s a dead-ringer for Mario Moreno.
Feb 28, 2005 - 6:45 am 119. richard mcenroe:Robin Williams has been doing that gay Elmer Fudd thing for 30 years now. You’d thinking he could at least update it a little bit ó “Elmer Fudd, hunting the wabbits wif his big mean gannon, I mean cannon…” ó Oh, well, I guess they haven’t heard of the internet in Hollywood yet…
Feb 28, 2005 - 7:16 am 120. Percy Dovetonsils:Instead of watching these narcissists preen, my wife and I put our brains on hold and took in the neo-stoner opus Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.
From what I’m reading here, I am convinced we made the right viewing choice.
Feb 28, 2005 - 9:34 am 121. Solomon:Harold and Kumar rules!
I tuned in just in time to see Rock bashing Bush, then giving a sincere thank you to the troops overseas “defending freedom” – after bashing their Commander in Chief and everything they’re sacrificing for. Some people are just not well thought-out.
I actually think he’s funny, although I too am sick of the “Hi! Did you notice I’m Black?” humor.
I didn’t watch much beyond that, although I did flip through once in awhile. Iron Chef America was on.
Funny, the group that named Nazi-propagandist Leni Riefenstahl for honor last year, couldn’t spare a breath for Theo Van Gogh this year, and they celebrate a film that honors a mass-murderer, Che, when if he had had his way, that broadcast would have been coming to us from the inside of re-education camp.
Feh.
Rene Zellweger’s cheeks are just bizarre.
Feb 28, 2005 - 11:24 am 122. BeckyJ:Roger – for the record, Jim Taylor is a nice guy (college friend).
Actually didn’t watch last night. I find I don’t really care any more.
Feb 28, 2005 - 12:47 pm 123. richard mcenroe:Solomon ó Harold and Kumar is great, but it’s no Get Crazy or Roadie…
Feb 28, 2005 - 6:14 pm