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February 27, 2005

Oscars 2005 VII

Sean Combs makes a hilarious entrance, reaching the podium and observing "So this is the Oscars." Nicely understated. Apparently Beyonce is under contract to do all of Oscar's singing this year. No complaints here, as she has a nice voice and is quite attractive as well, but I could still live without the songs.

I can't see Prince without remembering a good friend from college. Roy was a huge Prince fan, and at one concert he managed to catch Prince's attention. Prince looked down at him, saw him waving, and called out "I see you sister." Roy took it remarkably well.

An acceptance speech almost entirely in song, and in Spanish to boot. It certainly sounded nice, but I am somewhat curious what he said.

It's time for Best Actress already, suggesting we're moving along quite quickly. Hilary Swank shocks me by picking up her second Oscar over Annette Bening and Kate Winslett, who were my one and two picks for the Oscar. You can tell they've lost many times, as their smiles looked far more sincere than the two first-time losers. Swank's enthusiasm recalls Cuba Gooding Jr. a few years back, right up to talking over the orchestra. Good for her. Tell me Scorsese isn't getting nervous now, as Million Dollar Baby has now picked up two acting winners tonight.

Breast feed an apple? Huh? It's a good night for Spainophiles, as Spain picks up an Oscar for best Foreign Language Film to go with the Best Original Song win for Motorcycle Diaries.

Apparently the teleprompter ticks down the time winners have to speak before they're drowned out by the orchestra. How obnoxious. Charlie Kaufmann manages to eke out a classy speech despite the countdown. Looks like we're in the home stretch already, so regardless of how little I thought of the timesaving measures, we'll probably see them again next year because they worked.

Looks like a little technical glitch, as we come into the presentation of Best Actor a little late. One has to assume that Jamie Foxx will walk away with this one, but the competition is pretty impressive. DiCaprio and Depp are probably two of the better actors in Hollywood, and Clint has certainly got an amazing body of work. Don Cheadle's no slouch either, although I suspect he will wait some time for another chance at the little gold guy. Foxx gives a very nice speech acknowledging Sidney Poitier and his grandmother, who he calls his first acting teacher.

It's Marty's big moment, and Clint Eastwood picks up his second Oscar instead. That has to hurt. How long until they offer Scorsese an honorary Oscar? Not to take anything away from Clint, of course, who has become an amazing director, but it's hard not to feel for a guy who has made so many amazing films and has yet to bring home anything to show for it.

Now the victory for Million Dollar Baby should be an anticlimax, but you never know: remember that Spielberg got the Director Oscar in 1998 without seeing Saving Private Ryan win Best Picture. Still, with the Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress and Best Director behind it, it's hard to imagine it not winning. And sure enough, after some cute interplay between Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, Clint comes back on stage to accept yet another Oscar. Who could have predicted that back in his spaghetti western days?

It looks like a pretty successful Oscar night unless your name is Scorsese. I suspect Chris Rock will have another opportunity to host, as he acquitted himself reasonably well, although I'm not sure he stacks up against Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg. On the other hand, with his first shot behind him, he may well get better in the future. Let's see if he gets that chance.