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February 24, 2013 · 8:38 PM

Liveblogging: The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Song Lyric of the Day:

Something still unclear / Something not yet here / Has begun. / Suddenly the world / Seems a different place / Somehow full of grace / And delight. / How was I to know / That so much love / Was held inside me?

Les Miserables Cast / “Suddenly“

8:25PM

My predictions for who will take home Oscars tonight:

Picture — Argo; all signs have been pointing to this winning

Actor — Hugh Jackman; who doesn’t love Hugh? More people love him than Daniel Day-Lewis

Actress — Jessica Chastain; it’s her year

Supporting Actor — Philip Seymour Hoffman; The Master got people talking

Supporting Actress — Anne Hathaway; she’s lobbied her ass off for this and I think it will pay off

Animated Feature Film — Wreck-It-Ralph; it was more beloved than Brave

Directing — David O. Russell; I think Silver Linings Playbook resonated emotionally with people more than Lincoln did. And, you know, Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated since Argo magically directed itself.

Foreign Language Film — Amour; mostly because it’s the one I’ve heard the most about

Original Song — “Skyfall” by Adele; this one’s a no-brainer

8:31PM

“Argo tells the previously classified story about an American hostage rescue in post-revolutionary Iran. Now, the story was so top secret that the film’s director is unknown to the Academy.” Well said, Seth.

8:34PM

On Django Unchained: “This is the story of a man fighting to get back his woman who’s been subjected to unthinkable violence. Or as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it, a date movie.” Now there’s the Seth MacFarlane we know and love. And expect.

8:38PM

Captain James T. Kirk plays a recording of a song Seth will sing which will ruin the Oscars, “We Saw Your Boobs”: Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures and Jude and Hamlet and Titanic and Iris and Little Children and The Reader and whatever you’re shooting right now. We saw your boobs. We saw your boobs.

Seth: “Just so you know, I’m not actually a member of that (Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles) chorus. I was just joining in at the end there.”

Captain Kirk: “Oh, trust me, in July 2015, you join the chorus.”

8:41PM

A sock-puppet version of Flight? I’d watch that.

8:47PM

I love that Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joined Seth and the chorus on stage for that last song, “Be Our Guest.” A new Broadway musical starring all of them is already in development.

8:50PM

First Oscar of the night goes to Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained. I picked this one wrong, but I’m happy — Waltz is a great actor. “I borrowed my character’s words. I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

8:56PM

I hope Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy go backstage and slap the writers who wrote their awful dialogue.

8:57PM

“Paperman” wins for Animated Short Film.

8:59PM

Brave wins for Animated Feature Film. Good thing I didn’t bet any money on my picks, eh?

9:05PM
“The Avengers is was the most popular movie of the year, which is why it was only nominated once.” And out come Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Renner.

9:07PM

Claudio Miranda wins for Cinematography for Life of Pi. Deservedly so.

9:10PM

Life of Pi wins for Visual Effects. The team got played off by the Jaws theme. That was a bit harsh. In an ironic way, considering their movie is about a man and a tiger adrift in a boat, no?

9:16PM

At least I didn’t bet on whether or not Jennifer Aniston would’ve branched out style-wise. Woman, do something different!

9:18PM
Costume Design goes to Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina. Les Miserables wins for Makeup and Hairstyling. Now we’ll never hear the end of Anne Hathaway’s short hair — it’s been validated.

9:24PM

Loved the Bond tribute. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the Academy for the shot of Daniel Craig in the blue swim briefs. Sigh. And, oh, Sean Connery, we miss seeing you on screen.

9:27PM

Dammmmmmn, Shirley Bassey! Woman’s still got some pipes on her. Kudos on the much-deserved standing O.

9:34PM

Shawn Christensen wins Live Action Short Film for Curfew. Documentary Short Subject goes to Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine for Inocente. Which by all appearances has nothing to do with the concept of “inocente” Modern Family introduced us to last year.

9:41PM

Discussing actors who have portrayed Lincoln, Seth comments, “I would argue, however, that the actor who really got inside Lincoln’s head was John Wilkes Booth.” The audience groans in horror. “Really? A hundred and fifty years and it’s still too soon, huh?” Switching gears to praise Ben Affleck’s upward trajectory: “I feel like we’re six months away from having to call him Benjamin Affleck … I thought we cut this joke, but really, you wanna do it? The first time I saw him with all that dark facial hair, I thought, ‘My God, the Kardashians have finally made the jump to film.'” When the audience laughs, Seth adds, “OK, alright, so it worked. This is why it’s live.”

9:44PM
Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn’s “Searching for Sugar Man wins for Documentary Feature.

9:49PM

“It’s Sunday, everybody’s dressed up. This is like church, only with more people praying.” Jennifer Garner and Jessica Chastain come onstage to present the next award. Jennifer’s dress looks like it’s birthing Big Bird’s cousin, while Jessica is almost invisible thanks to her dress color washing her out. She’s far too pale for that dress.

9:50PM

Amour (unsurprisingly) wins for Foreign Language Film. Finally, one of my picks wins!

I need to take a break, make some popcorn, walk around or something. This year’s ceremony is very boring so far. Oh, I can write a blog post for tomorrow, too. I’ll still be watching and liveblogging this, though.

9:53PM

I really wish John Travolta would give up the hairpieces. His hair tonight looks like something I’d find on one of Coraline’s Little People dolls. Or a Lego person.

10:12PM

Mark Paterson, Simon Hayes, and Andy Nelson win the Oscar for Sound Mixing for Les Miserables. I need to hurry up and see that movie.

I’m kind of weirded out by Ted co-presenting with Mark Wahlberg. Guess we know who drew the short straw tonight.

There’s an audible gasp from the audience when Mark Wahlberg announces there’s a tie for Sound Editing: one Oscar goes to Paul N.J. Ottosson for Zero Dark Thirty and the other goes to Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for Skyfall. I can’t even remember the last time there was a tie for an Oscar.

Thank you, Google. Now I know this was only the third tie in Oscar history.

10:22PM

Surprising absolutely no one, the Oscar for Supporting Actress goes to Anne Hathaway. You just know she’s had her speech memorized for weeks now.

10:34PM

A win for Argo: William Goldenberg for Film Editing.

Jennifer Lawrence looks like a living Barbie doll — in a good way — when she introduces Adele to sing “Skyfall.” They may as well hand her the Oscar mid-performance.

10:47PM

Seth introduces presenters Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart: “He’s a boy wizard and she’s a girl vampire. So together they’re pretty much everything the Christian right says is wrong with Hollywood.” I imagine presenting will be the closest Kristen ever gets to an Oscar.

Rick Carter and Jim Erickson win the Oscar for Production Design for Lincoln, the only nominated movie other than Amour I’m not that interested in seeing.

10:50PM

Oh. My. God. This year’s ceremony is soooooo boring! There hasn’t even been an interesting/funny/entertaining/amusing/notable/stirring acceptance speech in the bunch. When the host is the only person worth quoting tonight, something is wrong.

10:56PM

George Clooney introduces the In Memoriam segment. Time to get the tissues.

The final tribute, to composer Marvin Hamlisch, seques into Barbra Streisand singing “The Way We Were.”

11:10PM

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifah, and Richard Gere give a coma-inducing presentation. The applause when Mychael Danna wins for Original Score for Life of Pi woke me up.

Oh, look the four most boring presenters of the night are back. Yawn.

11:15PM

Oh, look, Adele wins Original Song for “Skyfall.” As surprising a win as Anne Hathaway earlier tonight. Not. I need to go and buy the song in iTunes already. At least Adele’s speech made me happy — peppiest speech of the night.

11:22PM

If only the rest of us mere mortal women could pull off a hairdo as short as Charlize Theron’s and look even halfway decent.

Chris Terrio wins Adapted Screenplay for Argo, further convincing me the movie is going to win Best Picture later.

11:26PM

Woohoo! Knoxville native Quentin Tarantino wins for Original Screenplay for Django Unchained. Our hometown boy done good.

11:30PM

How are the Oscars not done yet? It’s not like anyone gave an extra-long speech tonight. Eh. I’m going to walk the dogs now.

11:34PM

Wow — Ang Lee won the Directing Oscar for Life of Pi. Didn’t see that one coming.

11:43PM

Holy crap — Jennifer Lawrence wins Actress in a Leading Role for Silver Linings Playbook. And she tripped on the stairs on her way to the podium. It looks like Hugh Jackman rushed to help her. (See? He deserves an Oscar just for being a gentleman.) I thought Jennifer’s speech reflected her genuine surprise at winning.

11:47PM

Presenter Meryl Streep cuts to the chase, doesn’t she? And the Oscar goes to Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln. Again, I’m glad I didn’t bet any money on my picks this year.

Ha — Daniel says he’d been committed to playing Margaret Thatcher three years ago and Meryl Streep was actually Steven Spielberg’s first choice to play Lincoln. He goes on to pay lovely tribute to his wife. Color me impressed.

11:52PM

A late surprise: Jack Nicholson introduces FLOTUS Michelle Obama via satellite to help present Best Picture.

And the Oscar goes to Argo. Yay! The win is all the more impressive since it directed itself.

“I want to thank my wife, who I don’t normally associate with Iran, but, uh … I want to thank you for working on our marriage for ten Christmases. It’s good, it is work, but it’s the best kind of work. And there’s no one I’d rather work with.” I get why Ben moved Jennifer to tears. Sweet that Ben choked up when he dedicated his award to his kids: “Violet, Sam, and Sera, I love you. This is for you.”

And now it’s time for bed.

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February 27, 2011 · 6:31 PM

Liveblogging: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards

Song Lyric of the Day:

Now I’m here / Blinking in the starlight / Now I’m here / Suddenly I see / Standing here / It’s oh, so clear / I’m where I’m meant to be

8:30PM

And the Oscars have started with a montage of the 10 Best Picture nominees.

8:32PM
Co-hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco are edited into Inception. Alec Baldwin + Ambien in a juice pouch = hilarious.

8:33PM
Anne and James are still in search of Alec Baldwin to seek hosting tips. From The Social Network to The Fighter to True Grit, this skit is as good as any of Billy Crystal’s opening songs. 

8:35PM
Back to Inception, complete with Morgan Freeman narrating, then The King’s Speech and now Black Swan. Worth it to see James Franco in a unitard.

8:37PM
A ride in the time machine from Back to the Future and the skit ends with Anne and James walking onto the stage.

8:40PM
Anne Hathaway’s mom chides her to have better posture. And there’s James Franco’s grandma. Or so he says … Grandma Franco: “I just saw Marky Mark.”

8:41PM
Anne: And it’s been a great year for lesbians.
James: That’s right.
Anne: Not just in general, but in movies.
James: The Kids Are Alright.
Anne: Lesbians.
James: Black Swan.
Anne: Dancing lesbians
James: Toy Story 3.
Anne: Where’s the dad?

8:43PM
Tom Hanks is up as the first presenter.

8:45PM
Art Direction nominees: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Inception, The King’s Speech, and True Grit. The winner, not surprisingly: Alice in Wonderland.

8:46PM
Nominees for Cinematography: Black Swan, Inception, The King’s Speech, The Social Network, and True Grit. The winner: Wally Pfister for Inception.

8:50PM
Anne and James introduce living legend Kirk Douglas. He gets a standing ovation.

8:53PM
Kirk Douglas introduces the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. Time to see if I guessed this one right.

8:58PM
The Oscar goes to Melissa Leo. So far I’m one for one! I’ve loved her since her days on Homicide: Life on the Street.

8:59PM
… aaaand Melissa Leo becomes the first person to be censored.

9:00PM
James: “Congratu-effing-lations, Melissa.”

9:01PM
Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake come out to present. Justin cops to being Banksy.

9:02PM
Not digging Mila’s dress. It looks, oh, unfinished somehow. She and Justin are going to present Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short.

9:03PM
The Best Animated Short Film Oscar goes to The Lost Thing.

9:04PM
As much as I liked Toy Story 3, I really would like to see How to Train Your Dragon win for Best Animated Feature.

9:06PM
No surprise there: Toy Story 3 won.

9:12PM
I love Anne’s dress. Beautiful. She introduces Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem as presenters.

9:13PM
Penelope Cruz looks remarkable — beautiful and well rested — for a new mom.

9:14PM
I called it: Aaron Sorkin wins Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network.

9:15PM
The music starts playing, Aaron Sorkin keeps talking. The music gets louder, he keeps going. It’s like he has his own score playing.

9:16PM
Javier and Josh’s white tuxedo jackets and ties are doing them no favors. They look like waiters who stumbled onto the stage at the Oscars.

9:18PM
David Seidler wins the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for The King’s Speech.

9:19PM
Seidler gives a charming speech, wrapping it up by accepting on behalf of all stutterers: “We have a voice, we have been heard, thanks to you, the Academy.”

9:23PM
Anne’s changed into a tux. She still looks good, mostly because of the very sparkly high heels. She sings about an unnamed Aussie who bailed on her for a planned duet. The camera zooms in on Hugh Jackman, right before Anne sings about having fake retractable claws stuck into her heart. 

9:25PM
James comes out dressed as Marilyn Monroe and confesses, “The weird part is I just got a text message from Charlie Sheen.”

9:26PM
Russell Brand and Helen Mirren come out to present the next award. She speaks French, he translates: “Yo, my Oscar-winning performance as a queen was much more realistic than Colin Firth’s as a king.” She speaks French again, clearly calling Russell an idiot. He says he’s flattered, but that he’s a married man.

9:27PM
The Oscar for Foreign Language Film goes to Denmark’s In a Better World. 

9:29PM
Reese Witherspoon comes out to present the award for Best Supporting Actor. She looks like a vintage Barbie doll. With a pointy chin.

9:31PM
Well, I finally got one wrong. I thought Geoffrey Rush would win, but the Oscar goes to Christian Bale. I can only hope his beard is for a role.

9:33PM
At least he’s honest: Bale says of his co-star Melissa Leo, “I’m not going to drop the f-bomb like she did, I’ve done that plenty before.”

9:34PM
Bale gives a shoutout to www.dickeklund.com, the site of the trainer he portrayed in The Fighter. The site has already crashed.

9:38PM
The presidents of AMPAS and Disney ABC Television Group come out to talk. Mentally tuning out … now.

9:39PM
OK, so now we know ABC will be home to the Oscars through at least 2020.

9:40PM
Anne’s in a new, gray dress. I don’t like this one as much as the white one she had on earlier. She introduces Hugh Jackman as “once again the Wolver to my Ine” since they made up backstage.

9:41PM
Hugh and Nicole Kidman’s intro about music in movies leads to a live symphony that starts out with — what else — the theme from Star Wars.

9:43PM
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross win the Oscar for Original Score the The Social Network.

9:45PM
Scarlett Johansson and Matthew McConacrazy come out to introduce the award for Sound Mixing.

9:47PM
The team from Inception wins the Oscar for Sound Mixing.

9:49PM
Inception wins again, this time for Sound Editing.

9:54PM
Marisa Tomei could smuggle a family of five under that dress of hers. It’s huge!

9:55PM
Cate Blanchett’s dress wins the award for What the Hell? Dress.

9:56PM
The Wolfman wins the Oscar for Makeup.

9:59PM
Collen Atwood wins another Oscar for Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland. Fancy costumes or not, that movie was BORING.

10:00PM
You’d think an Oscar-winning costume designer would know those gloves are a huge fashion mistake.

10:02PM
Kevin Spacey introduces himself as George Clooney. He introduces the first nominee for Best Original Song, Randy Newman singing “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3.

10:05PM
Next up: Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi performing “I See the Light” from Tangled. I never knew Chuck could sing. Love the color of Mandy’s gown, even if the bottom half of it looks like 100 Muppets were skinned to make it.

10:11PM
Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal present the nominees for Best Documentary Short Subject.

10:13PM
Strangers No More wins the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject.

10:15PM
God of Love wins the Oscar for Live Action Short Film. The first thing out of the winner, Luke Matheny’s, mouth: “I should’ve gotten a haircut.”

10:16PM
Luke Matheny gets a cheer for thanking his mother, who did craft services for the film. He gets a collective “aww” for thanking his composer/love of his life.


10:17PM
James Franco: “NYU, what’s up?”

10:18PM
Anne is now wearing a pretty gold, one-shouldered flapper-fringe-style dress. They introduce a fake video for “Tiny Ball of Light,” purportedly a duet between Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1. It’s autotune at its finest. A couple more fake videos/songs leads us to Edward Cullen singing “He Doesn’t Own a Shirt” from Twilight: Eclipse.

10:19PM
Oprah Winfrey’s a presenter? Of course she is.

10:21PM
The winner for Documentary Feature is Inside Job. Sadly, Oprah does not pronounce it “Inside Jo-OB!”

10:26PM
Anne introduces Billy Crystal. Any chance he’ll sing one of his songs? Look at that — standing ovation.

10:29PM
No song, but an introduction to a clip of Bob Hope hosting the Oscars.

10:31PM
Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. come out to present the Visual Effects Oscar.

10:32PM
Jude to Robert about visual effects teams: “If it wasn’t for them, your closest association with a superhero would’ve been in 2001, when you got busted in a cheap hotel with a woman dressed as Batgirl.” Uncomfortable laughs all around. Robert’s retort: “OK, first of all that cheap hotel room cost $1250 a night with a corporate discount. Secondly, it was 2000, not 2001. And most importantly she was dressed as Wonder Woman.”  Wonder if Ricky Gervais wrote this joke.

10:33PM
Inception wins again, this time for Visual Effects. Rightly so, I might add.

10:35PM
The Social Network wins for Film Editing.

10:41PM
Anne’s now wearing a beautiful ruby-red strapless dress.

10:42PM
Jennifer Hudson comes out to present the final two nominees for Original Song. First up: “If I Rise” from 127 Hours, performed by A.R. Rahman and Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine. Yay!

10:44PM
I’m officially on the Go Away Gwyneth Paltrow train. Enough already.

10:46PM
Randy Newman wins for Original Song, his second Oscar.

10:48PM
Randy turns out to be very self deprecating, pointing out he’s been nominated 20 times and only won twice. He thinks a chicken dish has been named in his honor at the Academy luncheon.

10:52PM
Celine Dion begins to sing “Smile” for the In Memoriam segment. Cue the tears.

10:55PM
After a nice, understated (for her) performance by Celine Dion, Halle Berry comes out to introduce a tribute to Lena Horne.

10:59PM
The Oscars are really underwhelming this year. I’m multitasking and uploading photos to my Flickr account as I’m liveblogging.

11:01PM
I want Anne’s shiny blue dress.

11:02PM
Hilary Swank introduces Kathryn Bigelow to introduce the nominees for Directing. Tom Hooper wins for The King’s Speech.

11:05PM
Loved Tom Hooper’s heartfelt acceptance speech, especially how he thanked his mom for suggesting he make an unknown little play into his next movie: “The moral of the story is listen to your mother.”


11:06PM
Annette Bening introduces a clip for the 2nd Annual Governor’s Awards honoring lifetime achievements in film.

11:10PM
I think Anne’s done changing outfits for the night.

11:12
Jeff Bridges introduces the nominees for Best Actress.

11:16PM
Another non-surprise: Natalie Portman wins for Black Swan.

11:19PM
Anne flubs while introducing Sandra Bullock, who comes out to introduce the Best Actor nominees.

11:25PM
Way to go, Colin Firth. “I have a feeling my career has just peaked.” Not by a long shot.

11:31PM
I was wrong. Anne changed again. She and James introduce Steven Spielberg to introduce the Best Picture nominees.

11:36PM
And now I need to make the time to see this year’s Best Picture, The King’s Speech.

11:38PM
The choir from P.S. 22 in Staten Island, N.Y., comes out to perform and close the ceremony. They sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The kids are joined by Anne, James, and all the night’s winners. Fitting end to the evening.


And now it’s off to bed.

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January 25, 2011 · 11:03 AM

83rd Annual Academy Award Nominees

As those of you who know me are aware, I call the night of the Academy Awards telecast My High Holy Night of Television. I’ve liveblogged it the last two years, and will hopefully be able to liveblog it again this year. Instead of predicting who I think will win moments before the winner is announced, I decided this year to make my predictions the day the nominations came out. Below are some of the major categories, followed by my predictions.

 

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
  • Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
  • Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
  • Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
  • James Franco in “127 Hours”

Colin Firth: This is his Oscar to lose and it’s the Academy’s chance to award him when he should’ve won last year for A Single Man.

Dark horse: Jesse Eisenberg, for his most critically acclaimed performance ever and first-time nod.

Why the others won’t win: Bardem and Bridges are previous, recent winners; James Franco starred in a critically adored movie no one saw.

Actor in a Supporting Role

  • Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
  • John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”
  • Jeremy Renner in “The Town”
  • Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
  • Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Geoffrey Rush: The King’s Speech is beloved by pretty much everyone who’s seen it, moviegoers and critics alike. His last Oscar win was long enough ago that he stands a good chance to win for Supporting Role this time around.

Dark horses: Jeremy Renner, since he was such a strong contender for The Hurt Locker and some think he should’ve been the one to walk away with last year’s Leading Role Oscar. Christian Bale can be offputting with his, shall we say, intensity, but you can’t dismiss his acting chops and physical transformations for his roles.

Why the others won’t win: John Hawkes starred in a critically adored movie no one saw; Mark Ruffalo’s performance is secondary to costars Annette Bening’s and Julianne Moore’s showier, starring roles and Bening’s nomination.

 

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
  • Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
  • Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”
  • Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
  • Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Natalie Portman: This is her Oscar to lose. She’s everywhere and on everyone’s minds; she’s the one to beat.

Dark horse: Annette Bening because the Academy snubbed her equally hyped costar, Julianne Moore, and might want to make up for that acting slight for their film.

Why the others won’t win: Nicole Kidman got raves for a movie too depressing for most of us to want to see; Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams both starred in critically adored movies no one saw.

 

Actress in a Supporting Role

  • Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
  • Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
  • Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
  • Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
  • Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Melissa Leo: She’s been adored by critics since her days on Homicide: Life on the Street, and has consistently delivered real, harrowing, utterly convincing performances in everything since (21 Grams, anyone?).

Dark horse: Helena Bonham Carter, because, again, everyone loves The King’s Speech, and crazy hair or no, Helena’s one hell of an actress.

Why the others won’t win: Amy Adams’ nomination is canceled out by her costar Melissa Leo’s nomination; Hailee Steinfeld’s buzz has dwindled to barely a hum; and how many of us outside of her native Australia have any idea who Jacki Weaver is at this point in time?

 

Animated Feature Film

  • “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
  • “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet
  • “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich

Toy Story 3: It provided a full-circle, emotional wrapup to the beloved series. Bonus points: It made grown men cry.

Dark horse: How to Train Your Dragon was pretty much as amazingly well-done, moving, and fun a movie as Toy Story 3. There might also be some voters who want someone other than Pixar to win this Oscar.

Why the other one won’t win: Because when I heard The Illusionist, I thought of the Edward Norton movie. I’ll be I’m not the only one.

Directing

  • “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
  • “The Fighter” David O. Russell
  • “The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper
  • “The Social Network” David Fincher
  • “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Tom Hooper: Have I mentioned that everyone on earth loves The King’s Speech?

Dark horses: David Fincher, David O. Russell, and Darren Aronofsky because the Academy owes them all some serious love at this point in their careers.

Why the other one won’t win: The Coen brothers’ movie received mixed reviews and may be seen by some as not being their best work. Also, this year’s competition is really stiff.

 

Best Picture

  • “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
  • “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
  • “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
  • “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
  • “The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
  • “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
  • “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
  • “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
  • “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
  • “Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers

The King’s Speech: See all the above comments. This is the one to beat, and there’s only one movie I think stands a chance to do that, which is …

Dark horse #1: The Social Network. Critics loved this one, but will the Academy want to award a movie seen by some as merely That Facebook Movie?

Dark horse #2: Black Swan. Overhyped? Possibly. Undeserving of that hype? Not necessarily. Easy to dismiss? Not so fast.

Why the others won’t win: Because it’s ridiculous to have expanded this field to 10 nominations from a more practical and far less crowded five. Inception won’t win since it didn’t get the Academy love it expected, Toy Story 3 was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, and the others just crowd the field further.

 

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

  • “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
  • “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
  • “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
  • “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
  • “Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

The Social Network: Aaron Sorkin’s script is largely credited with this film being more than just That Facebook Movie.

Dark horse: Toy Story 3, because the Academy (and moviegoers) loves Pixar.

Why the others won’t win: Because they’re up against The Social Network and Toy Story 3.

 

Writing (Original Screenplay)

  • “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
  • “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
    Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
  • “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
  • “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
  • “The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler

The King’s Speech: Don’t make me say why again.

Dark horse: Inception, because confusing as some people found the movie, Christopher Nolan is a gifted writer of truly original movies and concepts.

Why the others won’t win: Because somebody has to go home empty-handed.

Now to wait and see how many I end up predicting correctly. I didn’t do too bad last year, so we’ll see if my streak continues.

Click here to see the complete list of nominees.

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March 7, 2010 · 6:31 PM

Liveblogging: The 82nd Annual Academy Awards

8:30PM
Nice to introduce the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees, but a bit pointless.

8:32PM
Neil Patrick Harris singing in a sparkly jacket = WIN.

Who I expect to win tonight: Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz, and Mo’Nique for the acting awards; The Hurt Locker and Up for Best Picture and Animated Feature Film, respectively; and Kathryn Bigelow for Best Director. Avatar will sweep all the technical/artistic awards. Not sure about the writing categories.

8:35PM
“And this is Alec Baldwin.” Well said, Steve Martin.

8:42PM
Steve Martin: “In Inglourious Basterds, Christoph Waltz played a Nazi obsessed with finding Jews. Well, Christoph (spreading his arms over the auditorium) … the motherload!”

8:44PM
OK, Steve and Alec need to move on from this pseudo-roast. This is exactly the kind of timewaster that makes the Oscars run two hours long.

8:48PM
Christoph Waltz takes the Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar.

8:55PM
Cameron Diaz looks like a living Barbie doll. Oddly enough, I think this is the most put together I’ve seen her in years.

8:58PM
Dug! And the winner for Animated Feature Film: Up!

9:00PM
Way to try to class up Miley Cyrus by pairing her with Amanda Seyfried. Miley looks like a 45-year-old while Amanda, on the other hand, looks like a beautiful young princess.

9:03PM
Colin Farrell can sing, too. Love him.

9:04PM
Original Song goes to Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett for “The Weary Kind” from Crazy Heart.

9:13PM
Loved Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr.’s banter. I’m guessing Fey wrote it since it’s been the funniest, best-written bit since NPH’s opening song.

9:15PM
Mark Boal takes the Oscar for Original Screenplay for The Hurt Locker. I have to see this movie ASAP.

9:17PM
Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick presenting a tribute to John Hughes. I now feel very old, and am saddened all over again that Hughes died so young.

9:23PM
Nice to see John Hughes’ family at the Oscars. I don’t remember any other tributes like this.

9:27PM
Zoe Saldana is gorgeous, but what is she wearing? Are Barney or Grimace missing? Any purple Muppets that haven’t been seen in a while?

9:31PM
After a boring short feature about short films, Logorama wins the Oscar for Animated Short Film. Nicolas Schmerkin “I have to thank the three thousand non-official sponsors that appears in the film. And I have to assure them that no logos were harmed during the making of the project.”

9:34PM
The Oscar for Documentary Short Subject goes to Music By Prudence. And Elinor Burkett just very rudely interrupted Roger Ross Williams’ acceptance speech. What the hell?

9:36PM
I’m over this “short” category. The New Tenants wins for Live Action Short Film.

9:37PM
Ben Stiller’s dressed as a Na’Vi from Avatar. I can only hope this is funnier than his Joaquin Phoenix fiasco last year.

9:39PM
Nope. Not funnier.

9:41PM
Star Trek‘s team wins for Makeup.

9:49PM
The Oscar for Adapted Screenplay goes to Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire. He seems very sincere and incredibly humbled. And nervous. I can tell he’s going to make me cry.

9:54PM
“The thought when I get home that I’m gonna have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting I can hardly stand it.” Lauren Bacall is made of awesome.

9:59PM
Surprising absolutely no one, Mo’Nique wins for Actress in a Supporting Role for Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire.

10:01PM
Why the face, Samuel L. Jackson? Didn’t like Mo’Nique’s speech? Hmm.

10:05PM
Sigourney Weaver looks fab, and her dress is a gorgeous red. We should all age so well.

10:07PM
In another non-surprise, Avatar wins for Art Direction. The Oscars are beginning to feel like the Superbowl in that we’re past “halftime” and now it’s becoming predictable.

10:09PM
I noticed this during the red carpet special, but what the hell did Sarah Jessica Parker do to herself? Roll around in self-tanning lotion? She looks splotchy orange.

10:10PM
The Young Victoria wins the Oscar for Costume Design.

10:11PM
Oh, Charlize. No. Bad dress! Bad dress!

10:17PM
Loved the Paranormal Activity spoof with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

10:18PM
It’s about time the Oscars had a tribute to horror movies.

10:20PM
In retrospect, this horror retrospective is going to probably give me nightmares tonight. Too many boogeymen and scary characters/situations too close to bedtime.

10:22PM
Edward Scissorhands is not a horror movie. And not one zombie movie that I saw among those clips (unless I blinked and missed one). For argument’s sake, I’ll say Twilight isn’t a horror movie, either. Horrible, maybe, but not horror.

10:25PM
The Hurt Locker wins for Sound Editing. I’d love to see Jeremy Renner in an upset win for Lead Actor; he’s always made really fascinating movie choices and has been underrated for so long. But I think this is Jeff Bridges’ year. But I digress … Double sound category victory for The Hurt Locker, this time for Sound Mixing.

10:35PM
Sandra Bullock looks gorgeous tonight. And Avatar wins for Cinematography, yet another stroke to James Cameron’s ego.

10:37PM
Demi Moore introduces the In Memoriam segment. Now I’m definitely going to cry.

10:41PM
Alas, James Taylor singing along to the In Memoriam segment sucked the emotion out of it for me. Never been a fan of his.

10:46PM
The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers takes to the stage to highlight the nominees for Original Score. First up: Hans Zimmer’s jaunty Sherlock Holmes score.

10:52PM
Michael Giacchino wins for Original Score for Up. I need to add that one to my collection (ditto Sherlock Holmes).

10:54PM
Thank you to the Oscar director for not pairing Gerard Butler with Jennifer Aniston in presenting the Visual Effects Oscar. Bradley Cooper is a vast improvement.

10:55PM
Avatar wins the Oscar for Visual Effects. Color me shocked.

11:04PM
The Cove wins for Documentary Feature. I love what the filmmakers aimed to do with this movie, but I honestly don’t think I have the stomach to watch it. The sign reading “Text Dolphin to 44144” was a nice touch during the acceptance speech, though.

11:07PM
The Hurt Locker wins for Film Editing. I wonder if this is another harbinger over the ultimate win over Avatar.

11:08PM
Oh, Keanu. You look a wee bit too skinny. I hope it’s for a role.

11:15PM
Quentin Tarantino and Pedro Almodovar introduce the Foreign Language Film winner: Argentina’s The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos).

11:24PM
Squee! Colin Farrell! Did I mention I was thisclose to him in Toronto? The boy cleans up real nice.

11:26PM
Sigh. This is yet another timewaster that is making the Oscars run long. Is anyone else out there still watching? Boring. And yet I’ve watched this long into it …

11:32PM
The Dude wins! It’s Jeff Bridges’ year: He wins the Oscar for Actor in a Leading Role for Crazy Heart.

11:41PM
I’m over these tributes, but I’m really hoping tonight is Sandra Bullock’s night.

11:47PM
Really disappointed/disgusted to see Sean Penn presenting the Actress in a Leading Role award after his comments the other day. Blech.

11:48PM
YES! Sandra Bullock wins her first Oscar, for Actress in a Leading Role for The Blind Side. Despite my innate dislike of sports movies but because of my love of Sandra, I will have to watch it now.

11:52PM
Sandra’s words about moms, particularly her own, got to me. Tears.

11:55PM
Oscar history in the making: Kathryn Bigelow is the first female director to win the Oscar for Directing (for The Hurt Locker). Woot!

11:58PM
It’s Bigelow’s year: The Hurt Locker wins Best Motion Picture.

That’s all folks. Goodnight!

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February 22, 2009 · 6:36 PM

Liveblogging: The 81st Annual Academy Awards

8:31PM.
Gawd, Hugh Jackman looks good.

8:36PM.
Enjoying Hugh Jackman’s opening number. You can’t say he’s not giving it his all.

8:38PM.
“I am Wolverine” — awesome!

8:40PM.
Oh, look, Angelina’s wearing a black dress. Again.

8:41PM.
Eleven minutes in, and we’re on the fist time-suck montage of the evening. Any guesses as to how many more of these they’ll have? I’m going to say three. Make that five.

8:43PM.
My prediction for Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz. Don’t know why, but I just think it’s her night.

8:46PM.
I really hope every category’s nominees aren’t presented this way. It’s. Taking. Forever.

8:47PM.
At least if Marisa Tomei wins, it should shut up all the My Cousin Vinny doubters.

8:48PM.
First winner of the evening: Penelope Cruz! I’m 1 for 1 so far. I should quit while I’m ahead. Wonder if Javier was her date tonight?

8:50PM.
Loosely translated, Penelope thanked her fellow Spanish actors and said this moment is shared with them and this award is in a sense theirs, too.

8:51PM.
Predictions: Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor (duh), but if anyone else steals it, I think it’ll be Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder. Best Actress: I think this will be Meryl’s year, but Melissa Leo could be the wild card. Best Actor: I really, really want to see Mickey Rourke win. I think he’s earned it more than Sean Penn, especially since Penn’s already won in the past.

8:53PM.
Ah, Tina Fey and Steve Martin together again. Love them. Best Original Screenplay: I think it’ll go to Wall-E, although I’d love to see In Bruges honored.

8:56PM.
The Oscar goes to Milk. Boy, was I way off.

8:59PM.
I think Best Adapted Screenplay is Slumdog Millionaire‘s to lose.

9:01PM.
The Oscar goes to — you guessed it — Slumdog Millionaire.

9:03PM.
Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black are presenting a montage. At least it’s for animated movies that came out in 2008. Oh, look, Angelina’s smiling. That’s nice.

9:06PM.
I’m going with Wall-E again, this time to win Animated Feature.

9:07PM.
It’s official: Rich and I need to see Wall-E, especially since it just won the Oscar.

9:08PM.
Best Animated Short Film? I don’t know any of them. Any of them have the penguins from Madagascar? I love the penguins.

9:09PM.
I’m going with the French La Maison En Petits Cubes to win. Or Presto because the bunny’s really cute.

9:09PM.
Yep, the French animated short won.

9:16PM.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s sporting some impressive cleavage tonight. Daniel Craig’s tuxedo is wearing him well, as always. They’re presenting the award for Art Direction. I think it’ll go to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, although it should go to The Dark Knight.

9:17PM.
The Oscar for Art Direction went to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Bah.

9:19PM.
Nominees for Costume Design now. I’m guessing the Academy will again show its appreciation for Mr. Button.

9:21PM.
And The Duchess smacked down Mr. Button for Costume Design. These Oscars are really boring so far. I’m going to paint my nails now.

9:24PM.
Hellboy II or The Dark Knight should’ve won Makeup instead of Benjamin Button. Bah.

9:25PM.
Glad Robert Pattinson shaved. He looks like Wolfboy with too much stubble. He and Amanda Seyfried are introducing our third montage of the evening. At least it’s using “Lovers in Japan” by Coldplay for the music.

9:29PM.
I forgot Judd Apatow created a short film for the Oscars. Here’s hoping that livens things up. Cinematography award is coming up, too. My prediction: Slumdog Millionaire.

9:32PM.
Natalie Portman looks gorgeous as usual. Ben Stiller’s spoofing Joaquin Phoenix. Waiting for it to get funny.

9:35PM.
Slumdog’s cinematographer wins it. Ben Stiller’s bit never got funny.

9:39PM.
Jessica Biel’s giving a rundown on the Scientific and Technical Awards, which she hosted recently. My husband just caught a glimpse of her and informed me that she is his “boo.” News to me. And to her, I imagine.

9:44PM.
At least Seth Rogen and James Franco’s bit is funny.

9:46PM.
Time for the Live Action Short award. I think The Pig will get it. No idea why, though.

9:47PM.
The Oscar went to Spielzeugland (Toyland). I don’t know anything about it or any of the other live action shorts. In totally unrelated news, my dog is snoring. Which is what I’ll be doing soon if the awards show doesn’t get any livelier.

9:53PM.
Hugh Jackman’s leading a musical number. Beyonce just chimed in. Dear lord, now they’re singing a song from Grease. My puppy’s head just exploded.

9:56PM.
Lord help me if Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron start singing a song from High School Musical. I’ll have to shoot myself.

10:02PM.
Montage! Number four, I think.

10:03PM.
Looks like it’s time for the Best Supporting Actor award. They’re doing the same multiple-presenter thing as for Best Supporting Actress. I’m going to watch my dogs wrestle for a few minutes.

10:08PM.
Congratulations to Heath Ledger’s family. They’re making their way to the podium now to accept his posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

10:10PM.
Very moving speech by the Ledger family. Also very moving to see so many of his fellow actors with tears in their eyes, too.

10:12PM.
Montage # 5, this time of documentaries that came out in 2008.

10:13PM.
My prediction for Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire. Documentary short: The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306.

10:15PM.
Man on Wire won. No surprise there.

10:18PM.
Smile Pinki won for Documentary Short Film.

10:23PM.
Montage # 6! At least it’s for action in movies in 2008. Fun!

10:26PM.
Will Smith’s presenting the award for Visual Effects. I’d love to see Iron Man or The Dark Knight win, but I’ll bet Mr. Button gets it.

10:27PM.
Fucking Benjamin Button. Even after all its awards won tonight, I still have no interest in seeing that movie. I’m allergic to schmaltz.

10:29PM.
Now on to Sound Editing. Again, I’d like to see The Dark Knight or Iron Man take it. But I think it’ll go to Wall-E.

10:29PM.
Congrats to The Dark Knight for Sound Editing. I imagine it will also win the upcoming Sound Mixing Oscar, too, unless the Academy decides to award Benjamin Button again. You know, because if you listen closely enough, you can hear him aging.

10:32PM.
Slumdog Millionaire wins for Sound Mixing. And I once again win as one of the worst Oscar predictors ever.

10:34PM.
Will Smith prepares to hand out the fourth award for which he’s presenting, the Oscar for Film Editing. This is one category I love — editing, when done well, is an art unto itself. I predict Slumdog Millionaire will win.

10:36PM.
Woohoo! I was right.

10:38PM.
I could swear the announcer said a tribute to Jerry Lewis is coming up. That’ll be the obligatory dog-walking segment, then.

10:42PM.
Eddie Murphy is presenting the Jean Hersholt Award to Jerry Lewis. Time to walk the dogs and surf some blogs.

10:51PM.
Michael Giacchino is conducting an orchestra in playing music from this year’s nominees for Music (Score). They’re on Defiance now.

10:54PM.
Zac Efron and Alicia Keys are presenting the Music (Score) award. I’d like to see Defiance win, but I’m going with Slumdog Millionaire.

10:55PM.
Slumdog can do no wrong tonight. If it doesn’t win Best Picture later, I’ll be really, really surprised.

10:55PM.
I predict that the song “Down to Earth” from Wall-E will win best Music (Song). Just because it’s a tiebreaker against the other two songs nominated, both from Slumdog Millionaire.

11:01PM.
Slumdog Millionaire takes the Oscar for the song “Jai Ho.”

11:06PM.
Liam Neeson and Freida Pinto presenting the award for Best Foreign Language Film. I’m going to say The Class will win.

11:07PM.
Departures from Japan won Best Foreign Language Film. Thank God I didn’t join any betting pools for this year’s Oscars. I’d be screwed.

11:11PM.
Queen Latifah is introducing the In Memoriam segment. She’s singing Billie Holiday’s “I’ll Be Seeing You” as images appear on the screen behind her.

11:13PM.
Bernie Mac died way too soon. And I still can’t believe Michael Crichton’s gone.

11:19PM.
Oh, Reese. You do remember you’re not 50 years old yet, right? What’s with the dress?

11:20PM.
Best Director has to be Danny Boyle.

11:21PM.
Yep, it’s Danny Boyle. I’ve got to get out and see Slumdog Millionaire this week.

11:27PM.
Time for the Best Actress award. I think it’s down to Meryl and Melissa.

11:28PM.
I take it back. I think Kate Winslet’s going to win. Sorry, Meryl and Melissa.

11:30PM.
Oh, Sophia. That dress does not do you justice. Now, if it were prom …

11:32PM.
Go, Kate Winslet! Now there’s an actress who epitomizes glamour.

11:36PM.
Best Actor is up next. Still pulling for Mickey Rourke. And if he wins and mentions his late dog, Loki, I’ll probably cry.

11:40PM.
I love Richard Jenkins. I’ve loved him since Flirting With Disaster. in which he played an FBI agent. Who happened to be Josh Brolin’s life partner. And who accidentally ends up on an eventful acid trip. Makes you want to see it, doesn’t it?

11:43PM.
Sean Penn won. I’m disappointed.

11:47PM.
What’s left? Best Picture? We all know who’s winning that one: Slumdog Millionaire.

11:53PM.
Slumdog Millionaire caps off an amazing night. And now I’m heading to bed.

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February 24, 2008 · 7:03 PM

My High Holy Night of Television

Song Lyric of the Day:

Merry little voices clear and strong / Come and roll your sleeves up / So that we can pitch in / Cleaning crud up in the kitchen / As we sing along / And you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub

Amy Adams / “Happy Working Song“

9:06PM.
After a day spent changing litter boxes, doing laundry, flipping the mattress, getting organized, working out, and conducting an archaeological dig to uncover Rich’s tall dresser, I’m now relaxing by watching the 80th Annual Academy Awards. After blogging live throughout last year’s ceremony, I decided not to bother doing that again this year. Why? Because (1) it’s a pain in the ass, (2) other than Juno, I’m really not excited about most of the other nominees or haven’t seen them yet, and (3) no one’s going to check here for live coverage anyway.

That said, so far this year’s ceremony is boring. And, though I love Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, he’s turned out to be my least favorite Oscar host; I think he’s out of his element in this venue. Hopefully he can still turn tonight’s show around, but we’ll see.

Before I forget, here’s who I think will win: Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor, Ruby Dee for Best Supporting Actress, Julie Christie for Best Actress, and Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor. Now who would I like to win? Javier Bardem for Best Supporting Actor, Ruby Dee or Amy Ryan for Best Supporting Actress, Ellen Page for Best Actress, and Johnny Depp for Best Actor.

I may or may not blog later on. But only if something interesting happens during the Oscars.

9:21PM.
Yay! I was right — Javier Bardem won. God, that man cleans up nice. Love his comment about the Coen Brothers putting “one of the most horrible haircuts on history over my head.” And, for those of you who don’t understand Spanish, when he thanked his mother, he also dedicated it to her, to her grandparents, her parents, and to Spain, among others.

9:27PM.
Oy vey — Jon Stewart just got to introduce a very unfunny bit about what we, the viewing audience, would be watching if the writers’ strike was still going on. Which prompted Rich to just now comment that “it sounds like he’s dying.” Maybe not dying, but definitely floundering.

***

Keri Russell looked beautiful as she introduced the performance of “Raise It Up,” a song nominee for August Rush. And what a beautiful performance it was, too.

9:32PM.
Owen Wilson looks good. He’s introducing the live action short film nominees.

9:34PM.
I’m tired of Jerry Seinfeld promoting Bee Movie, but this montage of some of his “earlier work” was kind of cute. And now on to the short animated film nominees.

9:37PM.
Alan Arkin’s announcing the best supporting actress nominees. And the winner is …

9:39PM.
Tilda Swinton! Wow, didn’t see that one coming. Congrats to her, though. She’s one of our most fearless actresses today.

9:42PM.
Commercial break! Time to check on the load of laundry in the dryer.

9:49PM.
This is the closest Jessica Alba’s ever getting to an Oscar: as a presenter.

9:50PM.
Jon Stewart’s first truly funny joke (about Jack Nicholson affecting the pregnancy rate at the Oscars).

9:51PM.
Oh, Josh Brolin, you were one of my first-ever celeb crushes. I was yours from the first time I watched The Goonies. It’s great that you’ve matured like a fine wine.

9:52PM.
Best Adapted Screenplay goes to the Coen Brothers — no surprise there. I think they’re going to win best picture and direction, too. My money’s on Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay for Juno.

9:57PM.
Miley Cyrus has a huskier voice than I would’ve thought. Reminds me — it’s official that her new movie will be filmed in Nashville, not Louisiana. Which is a GREAT thing for Tennessee.

9:59PM.
Kristin Chenoweth is the bomb. I’ve loved her ever since seeing her in Wicked on Broadway. Makes me wish that Pushing Daisies was going to air new episodes soon. But a fall return is better than no return at all.

10:04PM.
Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen look frighteningly alike tonight. I blame it on their fros.

10:05PM.
Best Sound Editing went to The Bourne Ultimatum. Next I’d like to see Best Sound Mixing go to Transformers because of the ABC News story tonight about nominee Kevin O’Connell being the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. Here’s hoping the 20th time is the charm.

10:08PM.
Alas, The Bourne Ultimatum takes Sound Mixing, too. Next year, Kevin O’Connell. Next year.

10:12PM.
Best Actress category already? Really? Wow. At this rate, the show will wrap in its allotted three hours. One can hope.

10:15PM.
And the Oscar goes to Marion Cotillard. The dark horse won it by a nose.

10:19PM.
I want to play the Wii on a screen that big!

***
Colin, I’m so happy you’re doing well these days and cleaned up and sober. Now please get a haircut.

***
ONCE! That’s what I need to add to my Netflix queue. “Falling Slowly” — I love this song. Simply beautiful.

10:22PM.
Okay, ONCE is already in my Netflix queue. Right after Black Sheep.

10:24PM.
Who were those unfeeling harpies in the front row not applauding Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s sublime performance? I WANT NAMES.

10:31PM.
Good to see Renee Zellweger at a healthy weight. That weight being more than that of a blade of grass.

10:34PM.
Nicole Kidman looks beautiful pregnant. Although her forehead is still suspiciously — how shall I say this? — immobile.

10:39PM.
Robert Boyle’s speech is going on forever. Let’s watch the new Indiana Jones trailer instead!

10:46PM.
McDreamy pretties up the Oscars.Niiiice. Oh, and he’s introducing the last of the five nominated songs, too.

10:49PM.
After hearing all the nominated songs, I think the Oscar should go to “Falling Slowly” or “Raise It Up.” But if an Enchanted song must win, it should be “That’s How You Know.”

10:50PM.
Holy chia pet, Batman! What happened to John Travolta’s hair?

10:51PM.
Yes! Glen and Marketa won for “Falling Slowly.” I’m going to run out and buy that soundtrack this week. That and the one for Juno.

10:56PM.
The Steven Spielberg flashback for his Schindler’s List win reminded me of the emotional acceptance speech given by Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissman Klein many years ago. I’ve never forgotten what she said about being alive to appreciate the “magic of a boring evening at home.”

10:59PM.
Very generous, classy move on Jon Stewart’s part bringing Marketa Irglova on stage to get her chance to say thank you for her song win.

11:03PM.
Hilary Swank’s introducing the In Memoriam segment now. I’ll be crying as soon as they show Heath Ledger.

11:06PM.
RIP, Roscoe Lee Browne, Suzanne Pleshette, Bob Clark, and Heath Ledger. But where was Brad Renfro? To be overshadowed and forgotten in death so soon after his passing…for shame.

11:15PM.
Interesting way to incorporate our soldiers overseas into the broadcast.

11:18PM.
Will Michael Moore win for documentary? Surprisingly, no. The winner is Taxi to the Dark Side.

11:25PM.
Oh, Harrison Ford. The first man I officially wanted to marry (when I was 8 years old). Remember how you met my mom and godmother in NYC a couple of years ago? While I was across town in Times Square with my sister meeting the Naked Cowboy? Yeah, I’m still pissed about missing out on the meeting of a lifetime, too.

11:26PM.
Thundercats are a GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Told you Diablo Cody was going to win Best Original Screenplay. With a name like that and a script to match, how could she not?

11:29PM.
Diablo Cody’s speech comes in as a close second for best of the night, after Tilda Swinton’s.

11:32PM.
Helen Mirren is da bomb. Who better to announce the nominees and winner for Best Actor?

11:36PM.
Who’s that drinking your milkshake? Daniel Day-Lewis!

11:38PM.
I think that’s the happiest I’ve ever seen Daniel Day-Lewis.

11:44PM.
I was right again — the Coen Brothers won Best Directing for No Country for Old Men. Ethan Coen gets right to the point: “I, uh, don’t have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you.” I like that. Now for them to win Best Picture. Because I’ve never understood how the two awards don’t always go hand-in-hand.

11:47PM.
Denzel just announced it: Best Picture goes to No Country for Old Men. And there you have it. I’m off to bed as soon as they wrap up their speech.

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