Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
I know, you’ve been just dying to find out and so I’m here to tell you. Yes, I watched the Oscars last night. I did. I enjoyed it, particularly when I fell asleep at midnight and the show was still going on (hey, I had to get up and go to work this morning). But, no, I’m not being tongue-in-cheek or sarcastic, I did enjoy the show. I thought Ellen was really, really funny and despite the ridiculous number of montages and stuff I didn’t need to exist as a part of the show, Ellen was able to keep me from turning the channel. I like that Ellen.
Did Ellen make a mistake and say Penelope Cruz was from Mexico? I’m not sure, it went by too quickly for me to say definitively. The upside of it was though that Ellen came out to clear up any misunderstanding and Penelope got more screen time, and that’s really all the upside anyone could ever ask for.
And, Ellen in the audience? Great stuff. Her with Clint and Scorsese and Spielberg. Just loved it. Loved it.
Those weird, weird performers that made the designs with their body, that was pretty cool too.
And that Tom Hanks? Not funny. I don’t know why, but he wasn’t funny in his speech, was he? Especially when Jack Black and Will Ferrell did such good job (as did Seinfeld, what I wouldn’t give to have him back on TV on a regular basis), why did Hanks’s thing come off so badly?
Speaking of bad, what was up with the little introductions they gave? Jennifer Lopez is a great reason to get a high definition TV? Michael Arndt used to be Matthew Broderick’s assistant? And other weird, weird ones. Was someone a climber? You just never quite knew what was going to come out of the announcer’s mouth, and it was disturbing. Sedate as it is, I’d much rather have “This is So-and-So’s thirty-fifth nomination and twenty-second win,” and be done with it, the announcements last night would’ve added “that’s right, So-and-So can set up two bowling alley lanes with the number of Oscars he has and have two to spare.” It’s just not necessary, is it?
So, a big old, “Go You!” from TV and Film Guy to the winners and a slightly more quiet “don’t worry about it, you’ll get’ em next year” to the rest of the nominees (see, look at that, I can be politically correct).
In closing, I’d just like to reiterate that I like Ellen DeGeneres and really wouldn’t mind seeing her around in the future. She’s such a natural, she should have her own show.
