Golden Moments:

Finally! The Right People Won.

• The reason this year was so enjoyable was because for once, the right people won the major categories, with one exception. I’ll get to that in a bit. In the first award of the night, Christoph Waltz took home the supporting actor trophy and gave a speech that was very heartfelt, if not too entertaining. But it paid tribute to Quentin Tarantino, the man who put him in what will be the performance of his career, and that was enough for me.

• Mo’Nique took home the supporting actress statue, and like Waltz, this was expected. Her acceptance speech was a little heavy-handed, but I definitely appreciated what she said about Hattie McDaniel and thought it was classy that she referenced such a wonderful classic actress.

And Then Came My Faves…

• Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock getting up to accept their well-deserved Lead Acting awards was my favorite part of the night. These two actors have gone under-appreciated in the world of cinema for far too long, and this was their time. It was terrific and I busted a tear or two. When Bridges held his statue up to the sky to salute his deceased parents (Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges) I choked up. Jeff Bridges has an amazing resume and his contribution to film over the years has been understated and always enigmatic. His performance in Crazy Heart will go down in the history of cinema as one of the greats. His tribute to his wife and daughters was especially touching.

• Then there was Sandra Bullock. Steve and Alec made a joke in the beginning of the night about how it seems no one dislikes Hollywood’s golden girl, but we may just find out tonight when she accepts the statue and the claws came out. No claws, only a standing ovation (Brigdes got one, too). Many think that Meryl’s performance was better then Sandra’s. Guess what? Sandy deserved this award and her performance in The Blind Side was a career-changing and one that will light a new direction for her future in film. I loved her speech and thought that her tribute to her mother was one of the best in history and when she looked at her husband, you could feel the love. Guess her and Bridges’ strong marriages show you how grounded and inspiring they are!

Other Magic Moments:

• Robert Downey Jr. and Tina Fey were side-splittingly funny. When Downey delivered the line about how writers (they were presenting Best Original Screenplay) are “ugly little mole people” I had tears in my eyes.

• Michelle Pfeiffer’s tribute to Jeff Bridges was touching (If you have never seen Fabulous Baker Boys, rent it NOW. One of their best of both careers, respectively).

• Kathryn Bigelow accepting the Best Director award (first for a woman)

• Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett winning Best Original Song for “The Weary Kind.” Haven’t heard it? Shame on you. Exceptional lyrics and a haunting, melodic tune. Bingham used to be a rodeo cowboy, who turned to songwriting. Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

WTF were they thinking???

• When the producers (one being Adam Shankman of So You Think You Can Dance) cut the Original Song performances, I was fine with it. But when they decided that we needed to see dancers (a couple I recognized from the show) to perform to the best original score nominees, I almost passed out. Then I went to take my dog outside to go to the bathroom.

• Kristen Stewart looked great in her gown (either Monique Lhuillier or Marchesa) but when she got up to co-present the horror films montage, she hacked in the middle of it, on Taylor Lautner, no less. It ruined any new sophisticated cred she had built over the past few hours.

• AVATAR should have took home Best Picture rather than The Hurt Locker. This further proves how Hollywood still loves to cast aside Science Fiction.

• AND! The television audience at home missed out on the stills of Patrick Swayze in the In Memoriam portion of the broadcast. Plus, they seriously cut out Bea Arthur? Farrah Fawcett? But put Michal Jackson in?????? What in the world????

• Sean Penn (who recently said he hopes people die of rectal cancer) presenting Sandra Bullock with the Best Actress award made me cringe. When you have the one of the most unlikeable and opportunistic people in Hollywood giving our girl next door the golden statue, it is time to toss out the rule that last year’s winner of the opposite sex presents to this year’s. I kinda hoped that Keanu would’ve gotten up from the audience and pushed him off the stage. Sandy deserved better than Sean. He also ditched her backstage when she didn’t know where to go after she won! The awesome Forest Whitaker came and helped her out. Assholes like Sean do not belong here.
  

  Dear Academy, please exclude losers/assholes like Sean Penn in the future. Oh, and quit giving him awards. Thanks, all the sane people

• I’m thinking it’s going to be pretty damn hard to top this year’s ceremony. Well, if Sean Penn stays away, I’ll be good to go!

Filed under: Bad Ass Leading Men, Oscars, Sandra Bullock, silver screen by admin