Sporadic Live Academy Awards Show Coverage: Oscars 2007

*Keep in mind I’m trying to balance blogging throughout the Oscars with the hubby’s birthday. Wish me luck!

8:42PM.
Love Ellen’s outfit. Hell, I just plain old love Ellen DeGeneres. She rocks. Her joke about Jennifer Hudson not being voted to win American Idol but being up for an Oscar, followed by her joke that Al Gore was voted for President but still lost, was classic.

8:55PM.
Yes! Pan’s Labyrinth wins a much-deserved second award. The film has now won Oscars for art direction and for makeup.

9:14PM.
The Hollywood Sound Effect Choir (I’ll double check the name later) is pretty cool. They’re way more entertaining than that lame song by Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and John C. Reilly.

9:15PM.
Ha! Steve Carell says that sound editing, like sex, is “…usually done alone, late at night, surrounded by electronic gadgets.”
…and the Oscar goes to the sound editors of Letters from Iwo Jima.

9:20PM.
Dreamgirls wins for sound mixing. I haven’t seen the movie yet — hell, I still haven’t seen Chicago — but if Jennifer Hudson wins Best Supporting Actress tonight, I’ll go see it. I think it’s a safe bet to say she’s a lock for the Oscar.

9:23PM.
Rachel Weisz looks faboo. But then again, she always does. Finally — the first acting award, Actor in a Supporting Role.
…and the Oscar goes to Alan Arkin! Yes! I’ve worshipped this man for years, and it’s fantastic to see him win. Go, Alan! And if you haven’t seen Little Miss Sunshine yet, run and get it. Right now!

9:27PM.
Hmmm…Ellen’s screenplay, Goodmommas (a cross between Goodfellas and Big Momma’s House), sounds interesting. I’m sure the idea will be ripped off by, oh…now.

9:31PM.
Great recap of The Departed, hands-down the best American crime drama I’ve seen in years. I’ll take this opportunity to put in a plug for the Hong Kong original, Infernal Affairs. I need to add both movies to my DVD collection.

9:32PM.
Oh, thank God – Randy Newman’s not actually singing his Oscar-nominated song from Cars, “Our Town.” Beautiful job by James Taylor.

9:35PM.
The ever-inspiring Melissa Etheridge performs “I Need to Wake Up” from the Al Gore documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. Another great song and pitch-perfect performance.

9:37PM.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore together again at long last. Leo takes the initiative, asking Al if there’s anything he’d like to announce. Neat – this is the first-ever green Oscars. I’ll bet Leo drove his Prius to the ceremony tonight.
Brilliant – Al Gore starts to formally announce his intentions to run for the presidency, only to be played off by the orchestra.

9:44PM.
Cameron Diaz has an expression that says, “So help me God, if I see Justin with anyone new tonight, I’ll take the nearest Oscar award and shove…” Sorry, got distracted. She really needs to work on better hairstyles, though.
…and the Oscar for Animated Feature Film goes to Happy Feet. I still need to see that. I kind of wish Cars had won, though.

9:47PM.
Previous Oscar winner Ben Affleck is presenting…an old typewriter montage. Which leads us to a slightly more interesting montage of writers in movies.

9:50PM.
Thank you, Tom Hanks, for finally getting rid of that long, greasy, stringy I-think-I-look-so-cool-and-not-25-years-older-than-I-actually-am hair. (“It’s for The Da Vinci Code, I swear!”)
Helen Mirren lends Hanks street cred as they present the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay: Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Children of Men, The Departed, Little Children, and Notes on a Scandal. In addition to The Departed, I’ve also seen Children of Men; I highly recommend it.
…and the Oscar went to William Monahan for The Departed. Having seen the original movie, I do have to say he did indeed write a great adaptation. I was impressed he not only stayed true to the source material but put an effective twist on the Americanization of the story in its switch to a Boston setting. Not an easy thing to do.

10:00PM.
Hmm. Ellen is now wearing an “Ellen Oscar Bjorn.”

10:01PM.
The Costume Design award is being presented by Anne Hathaway (whose gown I don’t like all that much) and Emily Blunt (whose gown is a bit prettier). Meryl Streep is being a good sport with the lame Devil Wears Prada-inspired shtick.
Interesting – the show is actually using models in the Oscar-nominated costumes. Much better than the usual sketches and behind-the-scenes routine we get.
…and the Oscar goes to the costume designer for Marie Antoinette. Did anyone out there actually see the movie? I’m just asking because I don’t know anyone who did.

10:06PM.
Tom “Controlled Crazy” Cruise is presenting a special award to Sherry Lansing. And now’s as good a time as any to take a shower.

10:14PM.
Pan’s Labyrinth just scored its third award for Achievement in Cinematography. I wonder when it comes out on DVD?

10:22PM.
Hard to tell if Naomi Watts is pregnant, as the rumor mill says. Empire-waist dress — well-played, Ms. Watts. Regardless, she looks beautiful.
Robert Downey, Jr. just elevated self-deprecation to an art form.
…not surprisingly, the Oscar for Achievement in Visual Effects goes to the visually stunning Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

10:25PM.
Catherine Deneuve and Ken Watanabe introduce a foreign film montage. I really want to see All About My Mother.

10:31PM.
That howling at the moon you just heard? That was me when Clive Owen, smashing in all black, walked out to announce the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. Oh, and Cate Blanchett looks pretty, too.
Will Pan’s Labyrinth win its fourth Oscar for the night?
…and the Oscar goes to Germany for The Lives of Others?!? I can’t believe Pan’s Labyrinth didn’t win this one. I won’t even get started on how All About My Mother didn’t get a nod.

10:35PM.
That contortionist troupe is awesome.

10:36PM.
The perpetually smarmy George Clooney presents the Actress in a Supporting Role award.
…and the Oscar goes, not surprisingly, to Jennifer Hudson. Take that, American Idol! Beyoncé is gracious and puts on a brave, supportive face. As soon as they go to commercial, she’ll run backstage and pull her hair out.

10:40PM.
Another commercial break. Is it just me, or are the Oscars pretty lackluster this year? We don’t have a clear runaway mega-blockbuster up for Best Picture this year, a la the Titanics and Lord of the Rings of years past. No real surprises so far.

I’m betting Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren walk away with the top acting awards later on. And if Martin Scorsese doesn’t get the Directing Oscar, I’ll throw a hissy fit on his behalf.

10:43PM.
Good God. What is Eva Green wearing? Note to Eva: Hire a new stylist. Or pay your current one a lot more money.
…and the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject goes to The Blood of Yingzhou District. No, I don’t have any idea what it’s about, either.
I’m going to have to go online to find and watch most of these short films, live and animated. My curiosity is piqued.

10:48PM.
Turns out I’m not in the mood for Jerry Seinfeld’s comedic stylings after all. Imagine that.
…and the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature goes to An Inconvenient Truth. Reminding me that I need to finish switching all of my house’s light bulbs to the new fluorescent ones.
Why, oh, why, didn’t Al Gore get to be our president? Sigh.

10:51PM.
Clint Eastwood is presenting an award to the composer Ennio Morricone. I think I’ll go upstairs and see how Rich is enjoying either the XBox or tonight’s new episode of Battlestar Galactica.

11:01PM.
At least Clint Eastwood is translating what Mr. Morricone is saying. Subtitles would’ve been nicer, though.

11:08PM.
I love Penelope Cruz’s gown. Very Cinderella-like. Although it has to be difficult to move around in such a big dress.
…and the Oscar for Best Original Score goes to Babel. I know the movie’s gotten mostly good reviews, but I just can’t get interested in this movie. I blame it on Brad Pitt’s presence; he’s never been a big draw for me.
Woohoo! Gustavo Santaolalla just gave a shout out for all Latinos! Muy bueno!

11:13PM.
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst present the nominees for Best Original Screenplay. I’d love to see either Little Miss Sunshine or Pan’s Labyrinth win.
…and the Oscar goes to Little Miss Sunshine! Yay!
Ha — turns out that writer Michael Arndt‘s family actually did take a 600-mile trip in a Volkswagen bus with a broken clutch. Write what you know.

11:20PM.
Commercial break. Entertain yourself by watching West Bank Story, the newly-minted Oscar winner for Best Live Action Short Film. The film’s director, Ari Sandel, gave a lovely acceptance speech about how “hope is never hopeless.” Very true.

11:24PM.
The Jennifer Hudson/Beyoncé Dreamgirls performance isn’t doing a lot for me. It’s nice and all, but the songs are kind of boring so far. Although since Jennifer Hudson won the Oscar earlier, I’ll have to see the movie now out of curiosity.

11:29PM.
Did John Travolta borrow one of Nicholas Cage’s hairpieces? Who does he think that thing is fooling? Good joke referring to his upcoming Hairspray role, though. Queen Latifah is made of awesome, as always.
…and the Oscar for Original Song goes to Melissa Etheridge for “I Need to Wake Up.” Wow. Didn’t see that one coming (the Dreamgirls snub), but way to go.

11:37PM.
How much longer until the Oscars are over? Ugh. We haven’t even gotten to the “In Memoriam” segment yet.

11:42PM.
Kate Winslet looks smashing, as usual.
…and the Oscar for Film Editing goes to The Departed. Cool.

11:46PM.
Jodie Foster introduces the “In Memoriam” segment. This part always makes me cry, and I’m sure tonight’s tribute will be no exception.
The ones I will miss the most: Bruno Kirby, Don Knotts, Red Buttons, Darren McGavin, Joe Barbera, Peter Boyle, Sidney Sheldon, Robert Altman.

11:53PM.
Looks like Philip Seymour Hoffman forgot to brush his hair. Wonder if he knows. Or cares. Doubtful.
…and the Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role goes to — big surprise — Helen Mirren for The Queen. I can’t wait to see this movie. Here’s hoping it’s still playing at Regal Downtown West 8.
Awesome – it still is.

12:02AM.
Reese Witherspoon looks nice. A lot skinnier than I’m used to seeing her, but still pretty.
I think the Oscar will go to Forest Whitaker, but it’d be nice to see Peter O’Toole win, too.
…and the Oscar for Lead Actor goes to Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. Now, that was a heartfelt speech. Well said.

12:08AM.
Good to see George Lucas has a good sense of humor about never having won an Oscar. Fingers crossed for Martin Scorsese.
…yessssssssssssss! Scorsese finally wins a Directing Oscar!

12:14AM.
It’s nice to see Diane Keaton sans hat, gloves, coat – all the usual things she uses to cover herself up. I’d love to see either The Departed or Little Miss Sunshine take the top prize.
…and the Oscar for Best Picture goes to The Departed! Awesome!

And now I’m off to bed. Finally.