The 2004 Oscar Diary
Published March 01, 2004
10:42: Naomi Watts and Alec Baldwin do Documentary Feature - Fog of War wins. I guessed it correctly (13 in a row!), but I say Capturing the Friedmans wuz robbed, and this award was given only for political reasons. Still, I met Errol Morris once and he's a great director who deserved an Oscar a long time ago.
Morris thanks Robert McNamara for participating in the film, before comparing the "rabbit hole" of Vietnam to that in Iraq. Which would be true, if we hadn't pulled Saddam Hussein out of a rabbit hole of his own.
10:46: Crystal replies, "I can't wait for his tax audit." Ha.
10:48: Time for a Gregory Peck tribute - damn, there were a lot of celebrity deaths this year. Good thing they'll probably save the John Ritter package for the Emmys.
Here's the rest of the memorials: Elia Kazan is shown and no one sits on their hands; everyone immediately stops applauding once they see Leni Riefenstahl's name. Funniest moment of the night.
10:53: This really must be Bill Murray's night - it's the debut of the Tiger Woods Caddyshack commercial.
10:56: Sting presents Best Score: Howard Shore wins for LOTR, that's six wins, and I'm 14-for-14. It would've been nice to see Big Fish, my favorite movie of the year, win on its single nomination, but what can you do?
11:00: Best Editing goes to: LOTR. 7, and I'm 15-for-15.
11:04: Jamie Lee Curtis introduces A Mighty Wind characters Mitch and Micki (Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara) to sing "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" - this is awesome! Why didn't I know that JLC was married to Christopher Guest?
11:15: Will Ferrell and Jack Black do a comedic song to make fun of the "you're cut off" music. It's funny, but nothing compared to their David-and-Liza thing in Entertainment Weekly. The winner of Best Original Song is ... Annie Lennox's "Into the West" from LOTR - it's award number 8 for them, but unfortunately my historic unbeaten streak comes to an end, nearly three hours into the show.
11:20: Here's Charlize Theron, looking great. Which brings up an interesting point: According to today's Hollywood morality, the best thing a pretty actress can do is look ugly in her movie. And the worst thing a pretty actress can do is look ugly on Oscar night. Anyway, the Best Foreign Language Film is ... Barbarian Invasions. I'm back in the win column, baby!
11:23: Uma Thurman looks goofy - she should've just worn the yellow Bruce Lee suit from Kill Bill. She gives Best Cinematography to Russell Boyd for Master and Commander, but that's only because LOTR wasn't nominated for some reason.
11:28: Sofia Coppola and FFC come out together, as Ride of the Valkyries plays. Classy. As a reader of mine pointed out, it would be really funny right now if Sofia got shot, and then said only "Dad" before dying, like at the end of Godfather III.
- The 2004 Oscar Diary
- Published: March 01, 2004
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: News, Video: Television
- Writer: Stephen Silver
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Comments on this articleComments
Good, there will be no nerd riots this year.
Hurray for LOTR!
Thanks Steve, we needed this.
A few thoughts: Billy Crystal was a good host and kept things very loose, but he looks like shit - he's fat and his face is falling apart.
LOTR swept as recognition of the series as a whole: coordinating such a momumental task and having it hang together at worst, and be inspired for long stretches (though not much in TROTK) is something all of Hollywood can appreciate and marvel at. That and the popularity.
I agree the Mighty Wind tune was both a dead-on parody and a great song - very Spinal Tap in its ability to do both.
I want to see Lost in Translation and A Mighty Wind - DVD purchases await.
The broadcast was entertaining although not very exciting with the LOTR juggernaut.
The running joke of the evening was all of the LOTR winners thanking New Zealanders, where there are more sheep than people.
The clothing was very traditional and elegant - it looks like Joan Rivers really has had an effect.
I thought the song from A Mighty Wind was good, but I am a sucker for Annie Lennox. I really love pretty much anything she does.
Although I was critical of Billy Crystal he really did pull it off.
Also, Jack Black and Will Ferrell were a complete riot with their song parody of the bump music when speeches go on too long. I was really surprised that they did that at one of the more uptight events of the year.
I discussed my thoughts on LOTR here
Basically I didn't play Magic: The Gathering, and I actually had a prom date, so I didn't get LOTR.
Enjoyed your rundown v. much. I agree that t was a bit weird of Bill to recycle old SNL material.
But I believe Elvis Costello and T-Bone Burnett wrote Scarlett Tide. Sting wrote the _other_ Cold Mountain song -- "My Ain True LOve". Allison Krauss sang both so fabulously.
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Mitch and Mickey and "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" were ROBBED!
I'd like to SMACK the academy for giving the best song award to that crappy Annie Lennox thing. It was the worst excuse for a song all night. Just anything attached to LOTR got the nod. Hell, I'd give an Oscar to Billy Crystal's parody of Ol' Man River before that.