UPDATED: Well, that's it. Another Oscar show, another 365 days at the movies come and
gone. While last night's telecast had its surprises (12 Years A Slave for Best Picture? Did anyone but the
politically correct-minded see that
one coming?) as well as its foregone conclusions (Frozen for Best Animated Feature and Best Song, plus
Alfonso Cuarón nabbing Best Director honors for Gravity), Oscar 2014 will likely go down as the most social media-centric ceremony
in the history of ever, with host Ellen DeGeneres' star-studded "selfie" breaking records as Twitter's most retweeted photo of all time. (My favorites: Kevin Spacey
and resident sour-puss Angelina Jolie joining in on the fun, or Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch photobombing Best Actor hopeful Chiwetel Ejiofor mere
seconds later.)
Oscar, Oscar, what could you possibly be thinking?
From what I watched,
the show was every bit as random and rambling as it has been in previous years, with pompous
tributes (how, exactly, did The Wizard Of Oz earn a special remembrance for its 75th anniversary, while other
classics like Gone With The Wind and Stagecoach
did not?) and pointless attempts at
grandiosity dominating the night (dedicating the ceremony to "heroes" in film, animated
and otherwise, only to show endless clip montages populated mostly by men?
Dudes, your women must be so proud!). All this, plus John
Travolta hilariously mispronouncing Idina Menzel's name during her otherwise top-notch
rendition of "Let It Go"? Oh, the humanity!
Winners have
been bolded (with an asterisk) at the end of this post. For anyone who stuck through to the
end, what are your thoughts, reminisces, complaints? Did any
acceptance speech or musical performance rub you the wrong way? What winner
took you most by surprise/had you rolling your eyes? Is anyone else fully on board
the McConaissance like I am? Please post your responses below!
Oscar, Oscar, what could you possibly be thinking?
Each year, we're subjected to our share of cop-outs and
controversies surrounding the Academy Awards. Often, these range from the
obsessively petty (How did that person
even get nominated?) to the borderline offensive (celebs who mistake their
time at the podium as an opportunity for political grandstanding). Other times,
Oscar seems to have an agenda all its own (the 69th Annual Academy Awards, for
example, for which The English Patient
took home the coveted prize for Best Picture, might have been dubbed The Year
of The Independent Film; in 2004, Oscar was all about The Lord of The Rings: The Return Of The King, winning every award for which it was nominated;
two years ago, I argued that the nominees for Best Picture at the 84th Academy
Awards were steeped in nostalgia for times gone by).
