74th Annual Academy Awards

March 24, 2002 6:44 PM

74th Annual Academy Awards aka The Oscars are on. History was made tonight? or just the same old, same old? Please note the discussion may give away the winners, as does the linked page.
posted by riffola (155 comments total)

I just love the interaction between Joan Rivers and her duaghter. I can't get enough of it. The witty repartee, the biting glances, the nervous pauses. I say it's high time that the Academy gets a clue and give an Oscar to Miss Joan Rivers!

Also, it's a shame that Tom Hanks won another Best Actor Oscar. I say they should have given it to Russell Crowe. He was really good in Gladiator.
posted by MarkAnd at 6:49 PM on March 24, 2002

is it just me.... or are farah fawcett mid 70's hairstyles back in vogue? - while catching the oscars ive also been checking this out - which by the way, is much more interesting in my opinion.
posted by specialk420 at 6:56 PM on March 24, 2002

Heh. I can see Cameron Diaz's nipples through her dress. These are the things I notice. And oh, Moulin Rouge and Momento were ripped off for the award for editing.
posted by Windigo at 7:13 PM on March 24, 2002

I think the writing being fed to the presenters is truly better or at least more rehearsed this year. While we will be forced to endure Enya later in the show, watching Cirque du Soleil is certainly better than listening to Phil Collins sing the soundtrack theme to an animated film about a mouse in a tweed suit.
posted by machaus at 7:20 PM on March 24, 2002

yawn.
posted by ronv at 7:23 PM on March 24, 2002

I think using Donald Sutherland and Glenn Close as announcers is a bit odd. I agree that the writing is much better than before.
I just hope Lagaan wins best foreign film.
posted by riffola at 7:37 PM on March 24, 2002

Hey, who hosted the pre-show for you guys? In Australia we had Roger Ebert, Caprice, and a couple no-names. Ebert aside, it really sucked.
posted by web-goddess at 7:44 PM on March 24, 2002

who's caprice?
posted by panopticon at 7:48 PM on March 24, 2002

I wouldn't mind Caprice - better than an overweight Ananda Lewis, Something Connelly from MTV and that fake hostess from one of those trash hollywood daily shows.
posted by catatonic at 7:49 PM on March 24, 2002

An "international supermodel", supposedly. In reality she's a big breasted vapid tart who poses nude on page 3 of the UK tabloids.
posted by web-goddess at 7:50 PM on March 24, 2002

Caprice is a model turned singer. Pre-show hosts in the US were Chris Connelly, Leeza Gibbons, and Ananda Lewis, I think they all are MTV VJs. (Got that from the TiVo guide)
posted by riffola at 7:52 PM on March 24, 2002

Ahh... I think I'm getting her confused with Jordan. She still looked trashy and didn't have anything interesting to day, though.
posted by web-goddess at 7:53 PM on March 24, 2002

specialk420 - i've been wondering what's up with the "messy bun" look so many of the women are sporting. looks like they all forgot about their hair this year. sad thing is, someone probably spent a couple of hours to make it look like they just pulled it back at the last minute. and how do they all decide to have the same hairdo on the same night without consulting each other?
posted by centrs at 7:55 PM on March 24, 2002

Who would have thought it. "Mulholland Drive" wins Best Picture on a write-in vote. My faith in the academy is restored.
posted by mrhappy at 8:07 PM on March 24, 2002

At 75, Sidney Poitier could kick any of your asses without having to raise a hand. That is a man who defines cool, and simply oozes dignity from every pore.

I knew he would be receiving an honorary oscar tonight (no spoilers, then), but the presentation and his speech were both marvelous. Congratulations to you, MR. Poitier, and all the other American (black, white, or otherwise) for whom you have shown the way.
posted by yhbc at 8:12 PM on March 24, 2002

actors. American actors.
posted by yhbc at 8:13 PM on March 24, 2002

Too bad they don't actually allow write-ins anymore.

And, uh, what Windigo said...
posted by NortonDC at 8:13 PM on March 24, 2002

You're not talking about the "bed head", aka the Look of 1999, are you?

And boy, is But late 70s-early 80s one of the looks that's out there. Sheesh, Kylie Minogue on SNL last week could have been right out of one of the classic re-runs.
posted by dhartung at 8:15 PM on March 24, 2002

Well it looks like the whore over at that site is just eating this up, because he's led to believe he's one of them.

Oh and insert some Bruce Vilanch bashing right.... here.
posted by geoff. at 8:21 PM on March 24, 2002

I just hope Lagaan wins best foreign film.

I'm actually rooting for Amelie. The theme for tonight's Oscar seeme to be comedy, witness Woody Allen, the funny repertoire between the presenters (hell, even Russell Crowe is smiling).

Also, the tribute to NYC was nice, although I don't know why Woody would have to plead with filmmakers to use NYC...Another observation: the number of foreigners (Australians, New Zelanders, British et al) dominating the awards so far...

BTW, I can't believe Owen Wilson is nominated, for anything.
posted by Rastafari at 8:22 PM on March 24, 2002

How can Sting not win? I mean Randy Newman won sheesh. Even Paul McCartney's Vanilla Sky is better than the song from Monsters. Inc
posted by riffola at 8:23 PM on March 24, 2002

Mister Poitier? That's Sir Sidney to you. (You gotta love dual citizenship. I do.)
posted by quirkafleeg at 8:24 PM on March 24, 2002

Regarding the hair. I read a puff piece in the NYPost today which asked Hollywood hair dudes how they'd style various stars heads for the really-big-shew. Regardless of the star they all chose either foof head (they called it "40's") or messy bun.
posted by HTuttle at 8:25 PM on March 24, 2002

Oh my. Gwyneth's boobies were squished all over the place there. No wonder Ethan Hawke was grinning at that awful pantyhose top of hers.
posted by quirkafleeg at 8:36 PM on March 24, 2002

Well, the Oscars are generally something of a "lifetime achievement" award in some categories/years; Newman's been nominated 16 times- including this year- so he won in a "Susan Lucci" sort of way. He's written better songs, in some years the real best song- so the Academy decided it was a weak year (it was), figured "Newman's been cranking out some catchy movie tunes for a while- let's give it to him", and voila. Monsters, Inc was not his best work at all, but what the hell- there wasn't a stand out winner nominated this year (how nothing from Moulin Rouge was nominated for either Song or Score, I'll never understand).
posted by hincandenza at 8:38 PM on March 24, 2002

God, Whoopi is such a lousy host. Impressively bad- unfunny in the worst way.
posted by hincandenza at 8:39 PM on March 24, 2002

hincandenza: don't Oscar songs have to be specially written for the film?
posted by quirkafleeg at 8:39 PM on March 24, 2002

I don't know why they put 'To Be Announced' on the foreign film one, it'll be Amelie. The Oscars are generally quite populist, and that's the only one most people have heard of. Although, there were rumours some countries were trying to throw the results by not inviting certain judges to see their film, meaning the judges couldn't vote..
posted by wackybrit at 8:51 PM on March 24, 2002

ew. gwyneth's dress was such a disappointment. what was she thinking? i know a stylist that's going to be fired soon.
posted by centrs at 8:53 PM on March 24, 2002

I just hope Lagaan wins best foreign film.

Shoot, Lagaan lost. It was one of my favorite films this year. When I saw it, the four hours of it's length just flew by. To see this film is to love it.

The highlights of the film include a cricket match that takes place over the final hour and a half. And the Indian song and dance numbers were wonderful.
posted by bobo123 at 8:55 PM on March 24, 2002

MarkAnd: I say they should have given it to Russell Crowe. He was really good in Gladiator.

Aye, but if he ever got a Best Actor for anything it'd be A Beautiful Mind.. and.. he didn't. Gladitor was good, but his work in A Beautiful Mind kept that film from totally bombing. Besides, Gladiator wasn't valid for this awards AFAIK.
posted by wackybrit at 8:59 PM on March 24, 2002

I liked Gwyneth's dress.
posted by geoff. at 8:59 PM on March 24, 2002

They gave Crowe the award for Gladiator to make up for the fact they didn't give it to him for The Insider.
posted by mrbula at 9:05 PM on March 24, 2002

I charge Gwyneth Paltrow's stylist to please stop at the nearest JCPenny and buy the poor darling bird a bra. Her breasts are an unnatural shape, hang oddly, and swing in patterns that give blind men eye strain. Go now, and you may make it back before the Oscar after-parties.
posted by FunkyHelix at 9:05 PM on March 24, 2002

Wanna know what the best thing about her tits is though?

They don't talk.
posted by Settle at 9:13 PM on March 24, 2002

I'm just glad that Tom Cruise had the daring and courage to say that movies are still needed after Sept. 11. (Something to the effect of, "We started thinking, 'Are our jobs really important?' 'Does anyone really need us?' Well, dare I say it . . . yes. More than ever.") As if he were Czeslaw Milosz with transparent braces and a statuesque redheaded ex-wife or sumpin'.
posted by raysmj at 9:16 PM on March 24, 2002

Halle was acting a bit too hysterical for me, so I turned the sound off. Anyone mind telling us what she said?
posted by mrbula at 9:18 PM on March 24, 2002

Halle Barrey said, at one point, that when things get hard for her, she thinks of Syndey Poitier. She's clearly insane. Her acceptance speech was only further evidence for this.
posted by Doug at 9:20 PM on March 24, 2002

She thanked everyone and anyone she could, including her lawyers.
posted by riffola at 9:20 PM on March 24, 2002

She also thanked Oprah, a clear sign of dementia. She was pretty terrific in Monster's Ball and, though she didn't get my vote, i'm happy she won.
posted by evanizer at 9:22 PM on March 24, 2002

I have to say that Halle Berry's speech was the most amazing acceptance speech I think I've ever seen. That was just fabulous. Heartfelt to the core, unexpected, and so very very grateful and appreciative for what it represents. Her performance was stunning in the movie and it's great to finally see something like that rewarded properly. I only wish Iris would have come out back in the Shakespeare in Love days so Judi Dench could have been properly recognized for a performance, not just eight minutes of screen time. Anyway, bravo to those behind the Oscars tonight; I've been amazed at how good the show has been. Even Whoopi was tolerable. What're the odds?

p.s. Sidney Poitier's a genius and battled some huge odds himself. I hardly think she's insane for being inspired by that when times get tough for her.
posted by evixir at 9:23 PM on March 24, 2002

Lagaan was excellent. Amelie, very good.
posted by rushmc at 9:28 PM on March 24, 2002

There is a God. Russell Crowe lost it! To Denzel! A beautiful turn of events.
posted by evanizer at 9:29 PM on March 24, 2002

This has turned out to be one of the better Oscars in recent times.
posted by riffola at 9:35 PM on March 24, 2002

Denzel Washington came out repeating "God is good, God is great." I half expected to see security rush out and tackle him to the ground.
posted by Doug at 9:36 PM on March 24, 2002

I take that back, there is no God. Opie the hack won for that distended episode of One Life To Live. Ugh.
posted by evanizer at 9:39 PM on March 24, 2002

But Evanizer, look at it this way: If Ron Howard can win an oscar, ANYBODY can. Kind of reassuring.
posted by Doug at 9:42 PM on March 24, 2002

He got two!
posted by mrbula at 9:43 PM on March 24, 2002

Damn. Ron Howard makes a slightly less mawkish film than usual, and double-bags. Ah well, Peter Jackson has next year. And the year after.
posted by quirkafleeg at 9:47 PM on March 24, 2002

I'm hoping that the academy is planning on holding off on giving Ian McKellan (who was with quite the young hunk) and LotR awards until Return of the King. That's why they didn't win this year, right? Right?
posted by droob at 9:50 PM on March 24, 2002

i don't care how long they are, i love the oscars.
posted by o2b at 9:51 PM on March 24, 2002

wow: uma's boobs
posted by mathowie at 9:51 PM on March 24, 2002

those boobs mean business.
posted by Succa at 9:54 PM on March 24, 2002

Uma's wearing something to lift her boobs up, s'all...
posted by metrocake at 9:56 PM on March 24, 2002

Ian McKellan (who was with quite the young hunk)

Wasn't that Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the film?
posted by JollyWanker at 10:01 PM on March 24, 2002

Funky Helix: " Her breasts are an unnatural shape, hang oddly, and swing to patterns that give blind men eye strain."
Sounds perfectly normal to me. just as god made them. amen.
posted by G_Ask at 10:01 PM on March 24, 2002

Um, didn't Uma just have a baby? The boob fairy's been very, very good to her. (Wonder if she had to wear breast shields to prevent milk leakage all over her nice dress?).

Fashion report: Uma, Kate Winslet and Halle Berry all looked great. Gwynneth Paltrow looked horrible and Jennifer Connelly looked wan, skinny, and lethargic in an il-fitting dress in a non-colour. And Jennifer Lopez had a fairly nice dress, but that hair was awful. She looked like a startled cocker spaniel.
posted by maudlin at 10:05 PM on March 24, 2002

uma thurman has lost an arm!
posted by pinto at 10:08 PM on March 24, 2002

wow: uma's boobs (and subsequent follow-ups)

MeFi a Boyzone? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
posted by cyniczny at 10:09 PM on March 24, 2002

BTW ... that's a tongue-in-cheek comment.
posted by cyniczny at 10:11 PM on March 24, 2002

cyniczny, I don't think anyone here is ogling her breasts cause they look attractive. They look Lovecraftean. They seem to have their own geometry. Look at the way they attach to her body...the picture looks photoshoped.
posted by Doug at 10:11 PM on March 24, 2002

I was on a board that was almost totally female tonight and there was a *lot* of boob talk there, too.
posted by maudlin at 10:12 PM on March 24, 2002

BTW ... that's a tongue-in-cheek comment.

Well then...uh, that Sidney Poitier sure is a hell of a guy, huh? Yeah...
posted by Doug at 10:13 PM on March 24, 2002

Uma's wearing something to lift her boobs up, s'all...

Indeed, there was much Miracle Bra-age happening, plus she's benefitting from extended breastfeeding of the Thurman-Hawkelette #1, plus 30-something weeks of pregnancy with Thurman-Hawkelet #2. (Still gestating, not yet delivered.) Alas, naturing mothering breasts, getting notice in a sea of silicone enhanced plasticine divas. Made my little heart proud.

Btw, Halle and Denzel. Kick ass!
posted by Dreama at 10:14 PM on March 24, 2002

Matt: surely one of Uma's boobs in the earlier pic was actually an arm (please, let's hope. Here's the cleavage shot).

On a non-boobies topic, I have to say that all I've heard about "A Beautiful Mind" is very positive, and I guess I'll just have to go see it to make up my own mind now. For the fan-boys, I also think that there was no way the academy was going to give the first part of a trilogy (no matter how good it was) the best pic award. Agree? Flame?
posted by yhbc at 10:16 PM on March 24, 2002

how could amelie not win for best foreign film? it's the highest-grossing french film ever. i don't understand.
posted by panopticon at 10:17 PM on March 24, 2002

They don't talk.

hahahaha.... ive laughed many times at mefi threads... tonights posts top had me rolling from top to bottom

... my sisters boyfriend a hair stylist of 10 + years was particularly mortified by jay-lo's concoction of a hairdo...

and whoever hoodwinked paltrow into that "dress" of hers deserves an award of their own - :)
posted by specialk420 at 10:19 PM on March 24, 2002

I think the cast shadow in the first pic posted makes her near breast look distorted. There were many audience shots of her tonight and she looked quite robust, but not frighteningly so, in each one.

According to the official web site, Uma gave birth to her second child in January. Some architectural support plus several hours worth of Nature's Perfect Food contributed to her profile tonight.
posted by maudlin at 10:24 PM on March 24, 2002

Worst. Oscars. Ever.

Sorry to sound like a fanboy, but this was the most hideous show I've seen in a long, long time. I could list my complaints all night, but I'll limit myself to three:

1. Whoopi was completely inappropriate. How can she marvel at the dignity of Sidney Poitier then turn around and make a series of Stepin Fetchit "black folks" jokes (The Way We 'Was'). Whoopi, you're black. We get it. Next joke, please.

2. Hey, I LOVE Cirque du Soliel. Great, fantastic, amazing group. But this is what people are bitching about when they say the show is too damn long. Was this really necessary?

3. Things I hate year after year but were particularly bad this year:

Laundry lists of "thank yous." I was with Halle Berry until she started thanking her lawyers and Oprah.

During the "Parade of the Dead", people clap loudly for the most popular among the dead and give NO applause to the dead 20's stars and makeup artists.

Those were the worst songs imaginable.

"A Beautiful Mind" was a mediocre movie (at best) with a hell of an ad campaign.
posted by ColdChef at 10:25 PM on March 24, 2002

I was surprised that Randy Newman won after fifteen straight losses--and instead of Paul McCartney, even. But I think this was the year for Hollywood to pay symbolic debts. Hence, too, the awards to Halle and Denzel. I have to wonder, though, if it will be another 38 years or so before a black person wins again.
posted by Rebis at 10:28 PM on March 24, 2002

yhbc: surely one of Uma's boobs in the earlier pic was actually an arm

Shadow effects.
posted by peterbaer at 10:29 PM on March 24, 2002

huh huh.... you said uma's boobs.... huh huh....

In any case, seems to me there was all kinda weird boobness going on at that show.... like the fashion du jour must be to have your saggies hang as far away from your face as possible. Oh well....
posted by spilon at 10:30 PM on March 24, 2002

Oh c'mon Chef, there were some good points. I actually liked Whoopi's bit, since it was (at that point) admitting that it had turned into a "let's honor the black actors/actresses" show. They even kept switching to Monsieur Sidney in the box to point out the fact. She was goofing on that, I thought.

At the risk of keeping this going, though, it does kind of seem like Denzel's oscar may have been less a case of "this is his best performance ever" than "he's a great actor, he's done a hell of a lot of great performances over the years, we don't wan't to give that Australian the nod two years in a row, and it's a good year to honor a black, sorry, African-American actor".

Umm, comments?
posted by yhbc at 10:36 PM on March 24, 2002

She looked like a startled cocker spaniel thank you! i was trying to figure out what/who she reminded me of all night. you nailed it.
posted by centrs at 10:45 PM on March 24, 2002

I thought the writing stunk this year. The best comedic moments came from people who are actually funny (Woody Allen, Nathan Lane, Julian whats his name who write Gosford Park). Plus Whoopi is awful. Bad writing + bad delivery = yecch.

Why must we be subjected to so many film montages? A few are useful (In Memoriam, etc.), the NYC one was nice, but all the other ones about "how important movies are" are the first thing I'd deep-six.

No, make that the second. Cirque du Soleil is #1. Of course, that provided a perfect chance for me to make popcorn.

I agree that it was not one of Randy Newman's best songs, but yes, he was overdue.
posted by pmurray63 at 10:46 PM on March 24, 2002

No way were these the worst oscars ever. Not even close. Did Val Kilmer come out with a horse? No? I rest my case.
posted by smackfu at 10:51 PM on March 24, 2002

They really need to make the show 1 hour and just give out the damn awards. But that's about as likely to happen as Gwyneth Paltrow to win a hawaiian tropic contest.
posted by chaz at 10:54 PM on March 24, 2002

Randy Newman was long overdue, but he should've won last year, so that the very deserving Sting could've won this year, instead of vice versa.

it's the highest-grossing french film ever. i don't understand.

Highest grossing does not equal best. The academy made that mistake once before, Titanic vs. LA Confidential, they needn't make that mistake again.

Whoopi, in a year of Halle and Denzel and Will and Sidney Poitier is an embarassment. I don't care if she has won an Oscar, next year they have to bring back David or Steve or Billy. She's just the worst.
posted by Dreama at 10:54 PM on March 24, 2002

I was amazed at how much the awards have de-emphasized the host. I didn't have a problem with Whoopi because she only got 2 minutes of screentime per hour. Is that something recent, to basically remove the host from the proceedings?

I was disappointed in the best director category. Ron Howard sticks out in that list as "one of these things is not like the other, one of these things does not belong" but he won anyway. To say he outperformed Altman or Lynch ever in his life is a disservice. Ron Howard is the Tom Hanks of directors, he's the crowd pleaser that doesn't take many risks. Aren't the awards chosen by those that know the craft? Why did beautiful mind get so many awards?

After four hours of the proceedings we looked it up, and according to google, 2001's awards were the longest ever at 4 hours, 9 minutes, but I think this years was about 4 hours and 25 minutes, so it quite possibly could have been the longest oscars to date.
posted by mathowie at 10:55 PM on March 24, 2002

Well, I didn't care for the film, much, but Denzel was absolutely kickass in 'Training Day.' Totally against his usual type: commanding, cool, manipulative, relentless, and so very, very un-Denzel. And the character had no redeaming values whatsoever, which makes it kind of a surprising Oscar choice.

As for Whoopi, I hope they didn't pay her much. She did nothing but annoy, and -yes- she's black, and Sidney is too, and Denzel, and Halle (partly), but 92% of her 'jokes' were race-related. Which would be forgiveable, but 93% of them weren't funny. Most of them were along the lines of "Ain't no black hobbits." "Ain't no black schizophrenic mathematicians." "Ain't no white people being inspired by Sidney Poitier." I was waiting for a lame 'Moulin Noire" joke, but I guess she ran out of steam. Unless I was in the can.

And I have to agree with the Lovecraftian assessment of Uma's superstructure. In a word: cyclopean. Not a lot in the way of cleavage, surprisingly. We were playing Oscar bingo and one of the squares to fill in was "_____ displays vast tracts of cleavage." Halle, Julia, even J Lo, fer chrissake, let us down. And no one thought to pencil in that art director for Moulin Rouge. Or Uma, dammit. And no shallow, heartfelt mentions of 9-11 in anyone's thank yous, either, which sort of surprised me.
posted by umberto at 11:02 PM on March 24, 2002

Moulin Rouge was snubbed. Thank God. It was cute. Eye candy. Novelty. Dat's it. Moulin Rouge will be forgotten ten years from now, and so will the fact that someone thinks Nicole Kidman can sing. LOTR was never going to get best film. The Academy doesn't award scifi/fantasy films best picture, because they discourage entertainment over art. The bastards. Beautiful Mind won by default.

FunkyHelix: "[Gwyneth Paltrow's] breasts are an unnatural shape, hang oddly, and swing in patterns that give blind men eye strain."

Yes but we nearsighted men wearing glasses happen to like that form of eye strain.

mrbula: "Halle was acting a bit too hysterical for me, so I turned the sound off. Anyone mind telling us what she said?"

She thanked her ancestors for being slaves so that she could gloat about being a vessel for their retribution. Or words to that effect. Personally I'm just sick and tired of skin color being referred to as anything other than vanilla and chocolate. Like Whoopi Goldberg said when she talked about Robert Redford: in one way or another we all came Out Of Africa. Well, either Africa or the Mediterranean, depending on which version of ancient history you believe in.

They do realize the eventual direction that black/white desegregation will go, don't they? By "they" I mean anyone of any color still clinging to this racism/antiracism crap. Either black people will eventually take over the world and force white people into indentured servitude, or the cultures of black people and white people will eventually become the same culture, and we'll stop all this foolishness.

This means interracial marriages. This means I get to wear those crazy African shirts and hats that I've always thought were cool, and nobody looks at me funny. This means some white people will be able to jump and some black people won't have rhythm. This means some black people actually liking Lawrence Welk. This means some white people eating chitlins. Dogs and cats living together. Mass Hysteria!

Personally I'm looking forward to it, because I love chocolate. Sidney Portier has kicked butt for his entire career and he kicked butt tonight. When the day comes that a black person can get an award of this magnitude and no one bats an eye at the color of his skin for good or ill, that's when we'll all be winners.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:19 PM on March 24, 2002

The time management of the Oscars is always terrible. They spend a lot of time on artistic crap like Cirque du Soleil, then rush people through their acceptance speeches. For most of those people, it's their only chance at the spotlight, and they get rushed off the stage by the seven-foot-tall blonde Amazons. The ending of this show felt very rushed.

Whoopi was pretty bad. Based on last year's show, I think they should always have Steve Martin.

I think Denzel win was a "sorry about Malcolm X/The Hurricane" win, although he gave a strong performance in Training Day. He gave a classy, elegant, movie star speech. Halle Barry's performance in Monster's Ball is supposed to be fantastic (I haven't seen it). I thought the shock and emotion in her speech was moving, until she sarted going through her phone book. And what's up with thanking the lawyers and not Billy Bob Thornton? (Isn't it traditional to thank your co-star?)

I picked five out of the Big Six (I pick what I think is going to win, not what I think should win). Nanny, nanny, boo-boo. I missed on Ian McKellan for Best Supporting Actor, but they're probably waiting for the last movie. My second choice was the vein in Ben Kingsley's forehead in Sexy Beast, but I'm glad Jim Broadbent won. He's a wonderful actor.

wow: uma's boobs

Va-va-vooma Thurman!
posted by kirkaracha at 11:20 PM on March 24, 2002

Matt: 4 hours and 27 minutes to be precise. And yet it was the longest Oscar ceremony to date. But it was worth it for the Berry speech, to say nothing of the Errol Morris film and the unexpected Woody Allen appearance.
posted by ed at 11:21 PM on March 24, 2002

How come no one is mad about the joke she made about John Nash when the government like guy came from behind her. It was like her going "Oh ha ha ha ha, I'm sane you're not" Especially when he was right there in the audience.

Oh and I think this may have been Woody's first appearance? I remember the reason why he doesn't go is because he plays his clarinet every Sunday at a bar or something. Maybe a Woody fan can clear that up.
posted by geoff. at 11:23 PM on March 24, 2002

In response to various comments:
--I agree with Matt that giving the award to Ron Howard over Lynch and Altman was insulting.
---As for the foreign film award, I haven't seen Lagaan, or some of the others, so I can't say that the Bosnian film was the best of the bunch.. but it was a damn good film, capturing the sickness/absurdity of war, especially civil war with sardonic black humor.
posted by Rebis at 11:33 PM on March 24, 2002

Normally, I'd be all over this, putting my two cents in. But having a young one about the house has really cut back on movie attendace at my household. Of all the films in all categories, I only saw four (Lord of the Rings, AI, For the Birds, and Monsters Inc.) So I have no leg to stand on critically - just watched tonight's show for the spectacle, and there wasn't much of that. I felt bad for one of the visual effects winners from LOTR that got cut off as he was about to thanks someone - cut out a bit of the Circus act, or reign in Redford's speech a bit, but don't stifle what might be this guys one chance at making such a speech...jeez. At least LOTR won for cinematography - I don't know what it was up against, but am happy it won.

(I also wonder how many of the voters have truly seen every film they vote on... hmm?)
posted by kokogiak at 11:35 PM on March 24, 2002

I reallly don't care for that guy you are talking about- what's his name? Whoopi-something? Anyway...yawn...Hollywood? what ever...their are filmakers that actually develop characters and shoot REAL movies- they are called "indie filmakers"- check out their film festivals in your town...fuck all of these fake-ass people. (yeah, I know- Worthington's Law says they arre more important than me because they make more money than me....whatever...)

signed,

Bitter Guy With DV Camera
posted by ayukna at 11:37 PM on March 24, 2002

The entire room of people at the Oscar party I attended screamed in horror at Gwyneth's dress. One of them, who practically worships the ground Gwyneth walks on, said "Please, Gwyn, put on a sweatshirt or something." When that guy doesn't want to see Gwyneth's boobs, you know something is truly wrong.

Incidentally, I think Nathan Lane would make a good Oscar host.
posted by litlnemo at 11:39 PM on March 24, 2002

mathowie: The best director category has often been sadly ignorant of the real best directors, people who, as you pointed out, should be grand technicians, great storytellers, visually inventive and psychologically incisive. John Ford, for How Green Was My Valley?, won Best Director over Orson Welles, who was nominated for Citizen Kane. While Ford was a great director, Welles clearly deserved that award for Kane, which also lost best picture, best art direction and (worst of all) best cinematography to How Green Was My Valley?.

And Stanley Kubrick, who I consider the greatest film director who ever lived, never won an Oscar, save one for best visual effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was nominated quite a few times too. When he died in 1999, the Academy Awards did one of those little film montages just for him, apart from the "In Memoriam" section, and I sat there thinking: "Fuck you guys, giving him this little plug like you loved him after standing him up for his whole career." Ick. The awards are a forced smile gown-fest, designed to give prizes for the best advertised and most digestible pictures and actors. The only things they usually get right are the technical awards. I agreed with all this year's choices, save best cinematography for LOTR. That wasn't cinematography, it was Maya (or whatever the hip cg kids are using these days).

Did Etahn Hawke looked baked out of his mind to anyone? And three words for Russell Crowe: 1. HA! 2. Shave 3. Haircut.
posted by evanizer at 11:42 PM on March 24, 2002

Denzel's oscar may have been less a case of "this is his best performance ever" than "he's a great actor, he's done a hell of a lot of great performances over the years ..."

Please. Washington was ferocious in "Training Day," way ahead of the other contenders. However, because he was overlooked by just about everybody, let me put in my two cents' worth for Tom Wilkinson's performance in "In the Bedroom." He and Sissy Spacek were heart-breaking in that excellent movie, which was so wrenching that I never want to see it again. Still, Washington had a meatier role than Wilkinson, and he played it perfectly, so he deserved to win.

And I agree with whoever said "A Beautiful Mind" won by default. A fine movie, but the least good of the five contenders. I was pulling for "LOTR," but I knew there was no way it'd win.
posted by diddlegnome at 11:46 PM on March 24, 2002

And what's the deal with Woody? He's become a total whore and a total cariacture of himself. When he won for Annie Hall he didn't even show up!! And he gave the Oscars he won to his parents!

The times they are a' whatever...
posted by evanizer at 11:47 PM on March 24, 2002

Oh man, Nathan Lane would make a fantastic host for the show. Here's hoping he's on the short list to host next year.
posted by mathowie at 11:48 PM on March 24, 2002

evanizer - the cinematography of LOTR that impressed me had a lot more to do with the awesome vistas, landscapes and well-composed shots than any CGI or post-production. I couldn't think of a better PR film for New Zealand tourism. I actually think it's got to be tougher for the DP of an effects-heavy film, since he wants his own vision/artistry to show up, as well as make the compositions workable for the digital post-production.
posted by kokogiak at 11:50 PM on March 24, 2002

We should start a grass-roots campaign to influence the Academy. "Down with Whoopi! Nathan Lane in 2003!" Check to see if nathanlane2003.org is registered. You never know.
posted by kokogiak at 11:53 PM on March 24, 2002

Hey, ladies of MeFi....now we know how to completely sidetrack this forum. All we'd have to do is post pics of our cleavage and these guys would be distracted for days. Might set some sort of record for most comments on a single thread. ;)
posted by gutenberg at 11:53 PM on March 24, 2002

Geoff: I remember the reason why he doesn't go is because he plays his clarinet every Sunday at a bar or something. Maybe a Woody fan can clear that up.

Actually, he plays clarinet every Monday. The oscars used to be on Monday nights but last year (or the year before) they changed it.

This was the first year in about 20 that I didn't watch the Oscars. I thought last year was a wonderful year for movies (I think every year is), but that this year's nominations were dreadful.

Were I in charge, nods would have went to Donnie Darko (direction, cinematography, and Mary MacDonnell), The Princess and the Warrior (actress, actor, direction, cinematography, editing), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (actor, direction, song, adapted script), The Piano Teacher (actor, actress, direction adapted script, picture), Mulholland Drive (picture, editing, script, direction), Memento (actor, script, editing, direction).

I think it'll be interesting to see in future years when the line between indies and hollywood flicks further blurs. I think some of the more unknown folks will get their due.
posted by dobbs at 12:02 AM on March 25, 2002

viva la hedwig! did you know robert redford was a producer for that film? and yeah, it should have at least been nominated for best song.
posted by centrs at 12:08 AM on March 25, 2002

Robert Redford didn't produce HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, it was "workshopped" as a film project at the Sundance Institue, along with many other films.

More importantly, where did Will Smith go when his award category was announced? He was in the front row with his wife before that...
posted by jca at 12:12 AM on March 25, 2002

How come no one is mad about the joke she made about John Nash when the government like guy came from behind her.

I couldn't believe they did that. It was really petty.
posted by homunculus at 12:16 AM on March 25, 2002

The Ron Howard naysaying is interesting, considering that he did win the Director's Guild Award (I'd link, but they've got a rotten, framed, flashed-out unlinkable site. Boo.) which pretty much confirms that his peers thought highly of his work on A Beautiful Mind. The DGA winner has been the Oscar winner all but five times -- and Howard is one of those five, he won the DGA for Apollo 13 in '85, but was snubbed by the Academy in the year that was All Things Braveheart.
posted by Dreama at 1:12 AM on March 25, 2002

Paltrow's controversial boobies courtesy of YAH(.)(.)
posted by milnak at 1:20 AM on March 25, 2002

Hey, ladies of MeFi....now we know how to completely sidetrack this forum. All we'd have to do is post pics of our cleavage and these guys would be distracted for days.

Uh...you JUST figured this out?
posted by HTuttle at 1:46 AM on March 25, 2002

dobbs: they haven't been on Monday for years, but they weren't ever cast in stone -- over 75 years they've probably been on Sunday most of all, especially the last 20 years.

mathowie: Yes, they really are trying to be time-sensitive. Two years ago they had Peter Coyote doing those transitional announcements, just in order to keep things moving quickly. Every year they say they've shaved every possible minute from the broadcast, and every year it's a few longer. Argh.

The host business is a problem. The best ones, like Steve Martin and Billy Crystal, just don't want to do it year in and year out. Other hosts play well with the US TV audience (e.g. Letterman) but not necessarily overseas, or with the locals. The key requirement is someone who's Hollywood more than s/he is funny, while being famous enough on their own to be unafraid to make stinging in-jokes -- and Whoopi fulfills that, even if she grates on a lot of people.

There's always at least one incident by which the telecast will be remembered. Cameron screaming, inappropriately, "I'm King of the World!" (and not mentioning the Titanic dead); Richard Gere suggesting we create peace in Tibet with a moment of silent thought. There are clowns like Benigni or Cuba Gooding who make their acceptances memorable. This year it was Halle's near-breakdown, which was unsettlingly close to the replay of her acted breakdown on film.

And what was up with the camera focusing on her husband when she was gushing thanks to her manager as her "only real father"? A bit awkward.

Oh, and let me tell you. I've been to Oscar parties with girls. There's more boob talk there than with guys. Actually, that' mainly because guys don't, as a rule, have Oscar parties...
posted by dhartung at 2:27 AM on March 25, 2002

By the time it finished over here in the UK it was 6am and I had to grab some sleep before work, so I'm coming at this late; but....

I loved Halle Berry's speech, all the way from what was clearly genuine shock at having won, to the "Oh My God!"s to the clearly raw and honest speech itself. I'll also give significant credit to whichever network bigwig gave the nod to let her go with it rather than starting the music. Though yes, dhartung, the camera on the husband thing clearly showed that the producers of the show hadn't the faitest idea which one actually was her manager. Monster's Ball hasn't opened here yet, but it's on my 'go and see the day it opens' list.

Julian Fellowes was easily the most deserving winner of the Best Original Screenplay, and I would have loved to see Altman win for Directing it, but I gather he's seen as having shot himself in the foot after those remarks he made, so I guess this year of all years he wasn't going to get that.

I can't see any real reason for the two big awards to have gone to A Beautiful Mind - it was mawkish and overdone, and any of the other Best Picture nominees was actually a better picture, and any of the other Directors (except Black Hawk Down, which I can't comment on) did a better job.

I think Whoopi Goldberg makes a great host (for all the time that she's actually allowed to be on stage, as has been noted). She's *much better than Billy Crystal, who always seems so smug to me that I hate to watch him. I love the dig Whoopi made at the inanity of the Oscar system when she noted that Moulin Rouge! had apparently achieved all it had "without a Director". Yes, the hallucination joke was in poor taste, but then, so was A Beautiful Mind :-)

That said, I can certainly get behind the Nathan Lane 2003 campaign.
posted by jonpollard at 2:37 AM on March 25, 2002

nevermind paltrow's boobs.... what's with the mascara overload?
posted by bwg at 2:41 AM on March 25, 2002

dhartung: they haven't been on Monday for years, but they weren't ever cast in stone -- over 75 years they've probably been on Sunday most of all, especially the last 20 years.

Um, sorry, but no. From this page: From 1959 until 1998 the Oscars were, with a few exceptions, presented on a Monday night. Only since 1999 did the Awards ceremony take place on a Sunday.
posted by dobbs at 2:41 AM on March 25, 2002

re: all your sickening boob talk... too bad the actors don't walk around with their bollocks out of their pants, we could all laugh about how oddly they hang. You are the arses in T&A.
posted by prolific at 2:51 AM on March 25, 2002

Wasn't that Orlando Bloom, who played Legolas in the film?

No, it was McKellen's boyfriend (art student from New Zealand). Veddy cute.

I made it about 1/3 of the way through. Glad to hear that Gosford Park won something (although Altman should have had the director's prize), and that we had the annual Best Over the Top Speech Award. I was rooting for McKellen, to make up for him being robbed for Gods and Monsters, but a win for him here probably would have meant robbing Broadbent, so...
posted by thomas j wise at 3:07 AM on March 25, 2002

The Oscars were on last night??
posted by adampsyche at 4:37 AM on March 25, 2002

Has anyone found out what happened to Will Smith at the end of the show? It was very odd that he'd go missing (for his "I hope I win" camera moment) right at that point. Unless he told them NOT to put him on camera because he was too nervous? Who knows.

Personally, I LOVED the Cirque de Soliel performance. Then again, anything involving acrobats instead of dancers gets my vote. It was entertaining and very neat how they mimicked the movies in the background. And I can't remember the last time one of those "interpretive dance" numbers got a standing ovation from the live audience.
posted by Grum at 5:16 AM on March 25, 2002

kokogiak: LOTR had "well-composed" shots? Come on...
posted by Potsy at 6:00 AM on March 25, 2002

This was not just an award for Ron Howard, but for Penny Marshall and Rob Reiner and all the old sitcom stars that cleared the path with him, making it now possible that one day Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen will stand before a billion people holding the award won by Mel Gibson and Kevin Costner, but never Alfred Hitchcock.
posted by TimTypeZed at 6:51 AM on March 25, 2002

Surprised no one mentioned the Errol Morris clip at the beginning. They do a similar sort of thing all the time, but in Morris' hands it was actually fun to watch.

I wonder how much the Cirque paid for that live advertising?
posted by mikel at 7:04 AM on March 25, 2002

And what's the deal with Woody? He's become a total whore and a total cariacture of himself. When he won for Annie Hall he didn't even show up!! And he gave the Oscars he won to his parents!

All the more reason to respect him, I say. To set aside his personal feelings about the Academy and its ridiculous, political prizes in order to show support for the City he loves... That couldn't have been an easy thing for him to decide to do, but there's no living entertainment business personality who better represents New York than Allen.
posted by JollyWanker at 7:08 AM on March 25, 2002

But the Errol Morris clip was basically a Gap advert...
posted by quirkafleeg at 7:16 AM on March 25, 2002

Highest grossing does not equal best. The academy made that mistake once before, Titanic vs. LA Confidential, they needn't make that mistake again.

Maybe, but Amelie is very high on the IMDB Top 250. It's not the perfect ranking, but the IMDB Top 250 is spot on more often than not. Of course, all of the films there are still 'known' and generally not indie films.
posted by wackybrit at 7:29 AM on March 25, 2002

Listen, I just saw this thing, and I need any fellow Mefities who own an anvil to drop it on Halle Berry immediately.
I'll pay to have it cleaned.
posted by dong_resin at 7:38 AM on March 25, 2002

I'm sorry, but I've got to post this -- I love this red carpet photo of an unidentified man checking out J. Lo's ass, right in front of her husband.
posted by jennak at 7:47 AM on March 25, 2002

I'm not sure who to feel sorry for, there.
posted by dong_resin at 7:49 AM on March 25, 2002

jennak - Why is it pointy? Is that where her forked tail is coiled up?

I got a charge out the Cirque du Soleil stuff. It looked like it was mostly drawn from Quidam.

When I finally do get out to Vegas, a big part of what got me there will be desire to see O and Mystere.
posted by NortonDC at 8:38 AM on March 25, 2002

But the Errol Morris clip was basically a Gap advert...

I noticed that too.

J-Lo looked like she should've been singing "Mr. Sandman" in a Holiday Inn somewhere.
posted by Ty Webb at 9:01 AM on March 25, 2002

howbout that Spacy doing the In Memoriam part.....subtle huh.
posted by clavdivs at 9:01 AM on March 25, 2002

Re: the whereabouts of Will Smith, I saw on some postshow that a family emergency came up so he had to bust a move on out of there.
posted by Mrmuhnrmuh at 9:18 AM on March 25, 2002

isn't one of halle barry's folks white, and the other black? if so, why is she considered black? is it up to the person to decide what they are? just curious.
posted by billybob at 9:21 AM on March 25, 2002

Actually, that' mainly because guys don't, as a rule, have Oscar parties...

They sure do in my universe...
posted by bingo at 9:22 AM on March 25, 2002

and just for prolific, here's a shot of Julia Roberts getting some photo-illusion augmentation that would make even Uma wonder.
posted by NortonDC at 9:23 AM on March 25, 2002

I got a charge out the Cirque du Soleil stuff. It looked like it was mostly drawn from Quidam.

It looked like La Nouba to me: aerial ballet, cycles, german wheel, aerial cradle and trampoline.
posted by ahughey at 9:28 AM on March 25, 2002

how about ben kingsley for best supporting actor?? - his role in sexy beast was one of the most powerful things i have seen on screen in a long time...... probably to hot for the academy folks to handle though.
posted by specialk420 at 10:13 AM on March 25, 2002

Billybob "isn't one of halle barry's folks white, and the other black? if so, why is she considered black? is it up to the person to decide what they are? just curious."

I have a friend whose son is 'mixed' but that doesn't lessen his appreciation for his black roots, or his right to claim his ancestry. In a recent interview Barry explained though her mother is white, at a very young age her mother told her to embrace her blackness because that was how the world would measure her. She took that to heart. I find it further evidence that mankind's present obsession with skin color is insulting to all skin colors. Skin color is the flavor of Man, not the core. The fact I happen to be vanilla and not chocolate shouldn't belittle the fact that I too was equally proud of Sidney Portier last night, and always have been. The man is a living legend.

And as of last night, so is Ms. Barry. Not because of her epidermal flavor, but because she's a proven actress of considerable respect to the craft, who has fought her inner demons to be the best actress she knows how to be. The fact she happens to be chocolate is merely icing on the cake to the core of her true being.

LitlNemo: "Incidentally, I think Nathan Lane would make a good Oscar host."

My God! You're absolutely right! He would bring humor and class to the proceedings in a way that I don't think any other human being on the planet ever could. Why hasn't anyone in Hollywood ever thought of that? Is there some way to lobby the Academy to insist on that for next year? Maybe some grass roots effort? Who would we write to for this?

Reading down further, I see I actually agree with Mathowie and Kokogiak about this. Wow.

Re: Best Pic - Beautiful Mind

This film won by default because the smear campaign that an opposing studio started against the film backfired. When people figured out they were being had, the voters retaliated. It's more politics than anything.

I've often believed that all nominees should be treated like winners. Though the Oscars is the Olympics of Cinema, the gold statuette doesn't necessarily mean the same as a gold medal (...used to mean). Consider the tens of thousands of talents each year vying for attention. Five are given the nod on average for each category. Just getting on that shortlist is an award. Winning the Oscar is gravy.

I believe the Oscars should be entirely revamped for the 21st century. Not only is it too short, it no longer means what it once did.

Evanizer: "Ick. The awards are a forced smile gown-fest, designed to give prizes for the best advertised and most digestible pictures and actors."

Or maybe that's always all it was meant to be, but it should be so much more.

JollyWanker "[For Woody Allen] To set aside his personal feelings about the Academy and its ridiculous, political prizes in order to show support for the City he loves... "

I agree that was an amazing choice for him to make and I'd also add to that, anyone who belittles him for being a caricature of himself truly doesn't respect and understand his life's work. He is a caricature of himself and has been since he was a neophyte standup comic many decades ago. He's aware that he's a clown. He probably uses a different word than 'clown,' but he's first and foremost a comedic actor and director - and he loves his city. Woody Allen is the epitome of New York to me. He's never claimed to be more than an entertainer and a catalyst for entertainment. Many have dissed him in recent years due to his personal life, but that's no way to measure a talent of his calibre. It was so very cool that the Academy gave him a few minutes to just riff. They owe him so much more than that.

Which brings me to the time of the awards. Whoever runs the Academy Awards seems to forget that the real reason for the superfluous blowout is to reveal the names of the winners. It's pathetic that they give Cirque Du Soliel a full blown segment and they had nothing to do with the awards, yet they'll wave off the winner of the Best Actress Award at her moment of triumph.

Kill all the filler. Dump the campy visual montages. Truly Nine Eleven was terrible, but over six months later have we not had enough moments of silence yet? I miss Jack Lemmon & George Harrison too, but why do the Oscars take so much time acknowledging the dead?

Either Sutherland & Close or Whoopi. Not all three. Sutherland & Close were like co-hosts. They were doing what was decidedly Whoopi Goldberg's job. Either let Sutherland & Close co-host or let Whoopi do the voice-overs. In fact, do we really need a host? The host's job is basically to introduce other people who actually annouce the nominations & recipients. Cutting out the host would dramatically cut down the time.

The focus of the evening should be the recipients of the awards. Instead, they get announced and then quickly wisked off to the wings to make way for more filler. Huh? So what's the point of the show at that point?
posted by ZachsMind at 10:13 AM on March 25, 2002

"I believe the Oscars should be entirely revamped for the 21st century. Not only is it too short, it no longer means what it once did. ." Typo. Sorry. I meant too LONG. Duh. That's what I get for typing so fast.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:26 AM on March 25, 2002

I can't find a picture, but towards the end of the show the camera slowed on Ethan Hawke in the audience, and he had a bruise on his right cheek. On the red carpet, he didn't.

Uma Thurman didn't even look pregnant, well besides the boobage. But the pregnancy explains why she looked radiant and lovely.

Jennifer Connelly looked bad to me. Bad all over; too thin, too washed out.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:35 AM on March 25, 2002

Still, Washington had a meatier role than Wilkinson, and he played it perfectly, so he deserved to win.

You might reconsider not seeing In the Bedroom again. I found Wilkinson's performance so delicately nuanced, so powerfully subtle that I couldn't shake it for a week. I saw it two more times shortly afterward, and I am anxiously awaiting the DVD release date so that I can discover the multitude of layers at work in the film.

Denzel was terrific, but if you were handing out statues based solely on the performance for which they are nominated, Wilkinson has got it hands down.


And Halle Berry's Oscar belongs in the paws of Naomi Watts.

Oh and Jennifer Connelly should really eat a sandwich.
posted by brittney at 10:37 AM on March 25, 2002

ahughey - It opened with the headless guy who is the personification of Quidam ("Quidam: a nameless passer-by") and Quidam features the German wheel (with a performer made up the same as the one in the show) and the red silk rig looked the same as the one used to tremendously, uh, moving effect in Quidam's Aerial Contortion in silk.
posted by NortonDC at 10:39 AM on March 25, 2002

Thank God for TiVo... If ever there was a program ideal for fast-forwarding on-the-fly, it's the Oscars... 4+ hours of schmaltz boiled down to about 90 min... (The only downside was my neighbor cheered when Denzel won for Best Actor, while I was about 15 min behind the live broadcast, ruined the surprise oh well...)

Good for Denzel and Halle. Not sure how "A Beautiful Mind" won Best Pic, but none of the other four were clearly better, so no travesty... Woody was cool.

Gosford Park mystifies me, though. I finally saw if Saturday and left scratching my head, wondering how the hell it got nominated for so many awards. Totally mediocre movie with some strong acting...
posted by mattpusateri at 11:11 AM on March 25, 2002

Oh, and forgot to mention Uma's boobs. Good LORD! Looked like some kind of explosion was imminent...
posted by mattpusateri at 11:14 AM on March 25, 2002

I'm convinced Uma stole Jennifer Connelly's boobs.
posted by crunchland at 11:28 AM on March 25, 2002

kingsley for a nomination. Woodys done to many smaltz capers. 'Take the Money and Run' though is a masterpiece. I liked the snipets of O'Conners red bathrobe from 'Kellys' Heros'.
"It so happens that Mickey Mouse aint got no race. He stands for all the men. Thats why Walt made him a mouse...So when a guy like Billy tells me that Disney World is the place he wants to go to die..."

-Archie Bunker.
posted by clavdivs at 11:32 AM on March 25, 2002

I can't find a picture, but towards the end of the show the camera slowed on Ethan Hawke in the audience, and he had a bruise on his right cheek. On the red carpet, he didn't.

I saw that too. This photo from the after-show party looks as if it was covered up with make-up...
posted by quirkafleeg at 12:05 PM on March 25, 2002

why were john travolta and sharon stone on poppers?
posted by milkman at 12:14 PM on March 25, 2002

don't know what's happened to jennifer connelly but it sure is sad to see. those were the days.
posted by Dean King at 12:23 PM on March 25, 2002

All we'd have to do is post pics of our cleavage and these guys would be distracted for days...

****must resist urge....must resist...you're a new age male now, jonmc, come on, get a hold of your self****

AUUUUUUGH!!!
posted by jonmc at 12:52 PM on March 25, 2002

jon, please let go of yourself. it's creeping some of us out.
posted by ColdChef at 1:02 PM on March 25, 2002

um, not what I meant, chef...but thanks for sharing....
posted by jonmc at 1:09 PM on March 25, 2002

It opened with the headless guy who is the personification of Quidam ("Quidam: a nameless passer-by") and Quidam features the German wheel

The headless guy is definitely Quidam, but the rest of the show seemed right out of La Nouba to me. Granted, there are several similarities between the two shows, but I suspect the headless guy was just thrown in for the invisible man clip.

La Nouba uses the same aerial silk and german wheel as Quidam, but Quidam does not have the trampoline or cyclist routine. The web has yielded no information on who was performing last night, but I imagine it's buried in the end credits of the telecast. Any Tivo-ers wanna check for us?

No matter which show/performers we saw last night, it was still a nice number.
posted by ahughey at 1:17 PM on March 25, 2002

Ron Howard should have received an Oscar for Apollo 13. I still think it's his best directed film ever. So getting it for A Beautiful Mind is satisfactory, and long overdue. Although I personally have no interest in seeing A Beautiful Mind. I'm still upset with Ron Howard about Ransom. God, that one was a drag to watch. He owes me two hours of life.

Crunchland, this link didn't work because the server's owner is one of those guys against "hotlinking." Perhaps this will work better for people to see the difference. She must have had a boob tuck or something. Damn shame. She had god-like cleavage once.

"All we'd have to do is post pics of our cleavage and these guys would be distracted for days..."

Fine. I'll bite. So when are the women of MeFi gonna start posting their cleavage? The men are waiting patiently. *taps foot*
posted by ZachsMind at 1:48 PM on March 25, 2002

Will Smith's daughter has an ear infection and a high fever, so he left to go take care of her. You have to respect that man.

For me the biggest upset was LOTR not winning for Art Direction. Grant Major's work was beautiful and artistic and quite deserving.

For the comment way up at the top on Moulin Rouge not being nominated for score or song, the score was little more than an arrangement of existing material. The song that rewarded Moulin Rouge an AFI for Best Song was actually written for Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet". Imagine if the Academy handed out oscars for non-original songs like that -- the next year there would be five movies using songs from Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, and the like, with the thinking, "well, they won before--why couldn't they win again?"
posted by LuxFX at 2:04 PM on March 25, 2002

Ron Howard should have received an Oscar for Apollo 13. I still think it's his best directed film ever. So getting it for A Beautiful Mind is satisfactory, and long overdue.

That's the whole problem. Dave Barry summed it up pretty well:

"... the Oscars always go to the wrong people ... Each year, the Academy gives the awards to people who really should have won LAST year. The reason they didn't win last year was that the Academy was giving the awards to people who should have won the year before THAT. This has been going on all the way back to the first Academy Awards, which apparently were handed out by total morons."
posted by MiddleSea at 2:32 PM on March 25, 2002

I just made this petition partially in response to the mention of Nathan Lane in here. Good idea? Bad idea? If anything it should be good for a laugh.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:08 PM on March 25, 2002

Forget Nathan Lane. Get Eddie Izzard.
posted by Ty Webb at 5:20 PM on March 25, 2002

Lane, on Conan, on hosting the Tony Awards: "It is terribly nervewracking. You don't get to enjoy the evening or congratulate your friends when they win, and it's just not terribly enjoyable. I'd rather be in the audience." We may petition (I too think he'd be priceless as a host.) but I don't think he'd do it if offered. If not him, I say bring back Steve Martin.
posted by Dreama at 5:40 PM on March 25, 2002

If they paid him enough, he'd do it. He may rather be in the audience, but just sitting in the audience you don't get a paycheck.

I just noticed a spelling error slipped by me, but I can't go back in there and edit it, which sucks. Oh well. It was just a thought.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:42 PM on March 25, 2002

I can't sign the petition. I would love to see Nathan Lane as the host, but I also love the film montages. (In an evening supposedly celebrating movies, it's one of the few times we get to see any of 'em.)

For that matter, I don't object to the length of the show at all, as long as I am reasonably entertained through the whole thing. (Then again, I am on the West Coast, so it's not keeping ME up late.)
posted by litlnemo at 6:21 PM on March 25, 2002

jonmc, I don't understand your AUGH. Are you expressing disdain, enthusiasm, or what?
posted by bingo at 12:16 AM on March 26, 2002

Uh..it was more of a "brink of insanity" type of auugh, bingo, my man. You know, last week I pledge to be come a new age male in MeTa, and only then do the MeFemme's decide to post their cleavage, my attempt at self-parody...missed the mark, i guess.
posted by jonmc at 10:01 AM on March 26, 2002

Too good to not link it:

Fametracker's Oscar Winners and Losers in the Galaxy of Fame
posted by ColdChef at 11:17 AM on March 26, 2002