Gonna make you, make you, make you notice.
Last night's Oscars made me happy. I know not everyone cares about them, so if you don't care, don't click .
One of the biggest surprises last night was Alan Arkin's win for best actor. Everyone said Eddie Murphy was the frontrunner (for Dreamgirls), and I had predicted it would go to Mark Wahlberg for The Departed. But instead, it went to this deserving veteran and Second City alum for his phenomenal turn in Little Miss Sunshine. This the third nomination and first win for the 73-year-old Arkin, whose gracious acceptance speech contrasted starkly with his foul-mouthed character in the film. I was really happy to see him win, and the decision to give an award to an older actor rather than a member of the Hollywood in-crowd was encouraging.
Of course, when Martin Scorcese finally got his due at the end of the night (times two!), I was standing and applauding from my seat at Hollywood Boulevard. Others did the same.
What a phenomenal, influential director, and The Departed is easily one of his best. His self-deprecating acceptance speech made it even better. I'm so glad he didn't have to wait for the obligatory Lifetime Achievement Award to be recognized by his peers. This was truly Marty's night, even before he won.
I was happy Pan's Labyrinth got so many technical awards, and even cinematography. However, their loss in the foreign film category was perhaps the biggest upset of the night. I haven't seen any of the other nominees--and I'm sure each was worthy of the nod--but I still wish Pan's could've gotten this one.
Other highlights included Marie Antoinette's win for best costume design--definitely warranted, and my pick for who SHOULD win, but not who WOULD (most critics agreed it would go to Devil Wears Prada, another worthy contender). Little Miss Sunshine took home the gold for original screenplay, much to my delight.
I enjoyed Ellen's quirky humor and natural delivery between awards. My favorite two moments: Her comments at the beginning saying something along the lines, "You never know with these awards shows. On one hand, you've got Jennifer Hudson, who America didn't vote for, and she's nominated for an Oscar now; and on the other hand, you've got Al Gore, who America DID vote for, and now he's up for an Oscar as well. So you can never tell, really." I'm sure that pissed off some conservative viewers but I was glad she got that dig in. My second favorite Ellen moment was when she went up to Clint Eastwood in the audience and made Steven Spielberg take a photo of her with Clint "for myspace." Fun stuff.
Jerry Seinfeld's appearance made little sense, and while he was entertaining, it just didn't seem like the place for a stand up monologue that ended with what could be interpreted as a disparaging remark about the best documentary nominees ("five depressing films"). I just wasn't feeling it, and it seemed a little inappropriate to me.
Ennio Morricone's tribute was certainly earned, but Clint Eastwood's introduction seemed clunky and I wondered if Dirty Harry wasn't a little intoxicated. In any case, it's about time this incredible composer got honored.
One of my absolute favorite moments of the evening was the presentation by Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore. I knew it was foolish to even hope that the set up by Leo would lead to anything significant, I still sat on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the "very important announcement" that got cut off by music. No, Gore isn't running for president; but he's obviously still wielding a pretty powerful influence--and perhaps he can do more for the cause outside the White House than inside it. At least environmental responsibility is a little more visible in the public consciousness now, even among people who normally don't pay attention to events transpiring inside the Beltway.
Fashion-wise, my favorite look of the evening was Jessica Biel.
How gorgeous is that dress? And after her notable turn in The Illusionist this year, it seems appropriate that she would wear something grown up to signal her transition from 7th Heaven alum to serious actress.
Overall, I'd say this year's Oscars were my favorite so far. Everyone who won deserved to win; and there seemed to be a spirit of comraderie rather than rivalry last night. And kudos to the academy for recognizing such a diverse cross-section of films and people from all over the globe. Nice to see that kind of representation at long last.
The weekend was fun. I had a great time with my sister Trisha yesterday. We watched Little Miss Sunshine which she loved, and went to Hollywood Boulevard for the Oscars party. It was nice to hang out with her and share some good times. She spent the night and took me to work this morning, which was also fantastic.
Saturday I worked and then hung out with the usual suspects (Tim, Mark, and Sarah) to watch Alice in Wonderland and SNL. The three-hour Alice in Wonderland was certainly made endurable by our constant (and inappropriate) mockery of it; and despite Carol Channing's harrowing performance, I managed to not have nightmares about it. Seeing Rainn Wilson and Arcade Fire on SNL made me super happy. Also, Rashida Jones made a surprise appearance which made it even cooler because I'd just interviewed her the day before. This was definitely one of the best SNLs in a long time. Due to the inclement weather, I stayed at the Hotel of Mark and Beara on Saturday night. (Thanks guys!) Woke up to a flooded basement, and lots of craziness. Thumbs down for apartment managers and maintenance folks who are totally unhelpful; thumbs up to the innovations of Mark and Josh who channeled their inner MacGyver (or MacGruber) to at least come up with a temporary fix to the problem.
Friday was fun as well. I finally watched The Prestige, which was fantastic, and then headed back to Naperville. I *almost* beat Tim at baseball, and one of these days it's gonna happen. Also played tennis and bowling which are always fun. After the Wii playing, we hung out at Mark and Sarah's and watched some fun YouTube videos, including one about Shoes. And another involving a unicorn and candy mountain. Good times.
I am at work now, and in the process of trying to book Chris Rock for an interview on his new movie, "I Think I Love My Wife." Looks like I'll be attending a screening of that and also Kal Penn's new film, "The Namesake," in Chicago on March 13 and 14. Exciting! I heart Fox Searchlight, who make such things possible. We're also really close to having an interview booked with Shareeka Epps of Half Nelson, and Abigail Breslin's people promised to get in touch soon "but right now we're just trying to make it through academy week." Next on the agenda: Cillian Murphy for "Sunshine" and Rainn Wilson for "The Last Mimzy." If I can make those happen, I will be out of my mind with happiness. But I'm not getting any hopes up yet.
Time to get back to work. Hope everyone's doing awes and staying troubs-free.
What what.
One of the biggest surprises last night was Alan Arkin's win for best actor. Everyone said Eddie Murphy was the frontrunner (for Dreamgirls), and I had predicted it would go to Mark Wahlberg for The Departed. But instead, it went to this deserving veteran and Second City alum for his phenomenal turn in Little Miss Sunshine. This the third nomination and first win for the 73-year-old Arkin, whose gracious acceptance speech contrasted starkly with his foul-mouthed character in the film. I was really happy to see him win, and the decision to give an award to an older actor rather than a member of the Hollywood in-crowd was encouraging.
Of course, when Martin Scorcese finally got his due at the end of the night (times two!), I was standing and applauding from my seat at Hollywood Boulevard. Others did the same.
What a phenomenal, influential director, and The Departed is easily one of his best. His self-deprecating acceptance speech made it even better. I'm so glad he didn't have to wait for the obligatory Lifetime Achievement Award to be recognized by his peers. This was truly Marty's night, even before he won.
I was happy Pan's Labyrinth got so many technical awards, and even cinematography. However, their loss in the foreign film category was perhaps the biggest upset of the night. I haven't seen any of the other nominees--and I'm sure each was worthy of the nod--but I still wish Pan's could've gotten this one.
Other highlights included Marie Antoinette's win for best costume design--definitely warranted, and my pick for who SHOULD win, but not who WOULD (most critics agreed it would go to Devil Wears Prada, another worthy contender). Little Miss Sunshine took home the gold for original screenplay, much to my delight.
I enjoyed Ellen's quirky humor and natural delivery between awards. My favorite two moments: Her comments at the beginning saying something along the lines, "You never know with these awards shows. On one hand, you've got Jennifer Hudson, who America didn't vote for, and she's nominated for an Oscar now; and on the other hand, you've got Al Gore, who America DID vote for, and now he's up for an Oscar as well. So you can never tell, really." I'm sure that pissed off some conservative viewers but I was glad she got that dig in. My second favorite Ellen moment was when she went up to Clint Eastwood in the audience and made Steven Spielberg take a photo of her with Clint "for myspace." Fun stuff.
Jerry Seinfeld's appearance made little sense, and while he was entertaining, it just didn't seem like the place for a stand up monologue that ended with what could be interpreted as a disparaging remark about the best documentary nominees ("five depressing films"). I just wasn't feeling it, and it seemed a little inappropriate to me.
Ennio Morricone's tribute was certainly earned, but Clint Eastwood's introduction seemed clunky and I wondered if Dirty Harry wasn't a little intoxicated. In any case, it's about time this incredible composer got honored.
One of my absolute favorite moments of the evening was the presentation by Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore. I knew it was foolish to even hope that the set up by Leo would lead to anything significant, I still sat on the edge of my seat in anticipation of the "very important announcement" that got cut off by music. No, Gore isn't running for president; but he's obviously still wielding a pretty powerful influence--and perhaps he can do more for the cause outside the White House than inside it. At least environmental responsibility is a little more visible in the public consciousness now, even among people who normally don't pay attention to events transpiring inside the Beltway.
Fashion-wise, my favorite look of the evening was Jessica Biel.
How gorgeous is that dress? And after her notable turn in The Illusionist this year, it seems appropriate that she would wear something grown up to signal her transition from 7th Heaven alum to serious actress.
Overall, I'd say this year's Oscars were my favorite so far. Everyone who won deserved to win; and there seemed to be a spirit of comraderie rather than rivalry last night. And kudos to the academy for recognizing such a diverse cross-section of films and people from all over the globe. Nice to see that kind of representation at long last.
The weekend was fun. I had a great time with my sister Trisha yesterday. We watched Little Miss Sunshine which she loved, and went to Hollywood Boulevard for the Oscars party. It was nice to hang out with her and share some good times. She spent the night and took me to work this morning, which was also fantastic.
Saturday I worked and then hung out with the usual suspects (Tim, Mark, and Sarah) to watch Alice in Wonderland and SNL. The three-hour Alice in Wonderland was certainly made endurable by our constant (and inappropriate) mockery of it; and despite Carol Channing's harrowing performance, I managed to not have nightmares about it. Seeing Rainn Wilson and Arcade Fire on SNL made me super happy. Also, Rashida Jones made a surprise appearance which made it even cooler because I'd just interviewed her the day before. This was definitely one of the best SNLs in a long time. Due to the inclement weather, I stayed at the Hotel of Mark and Beara on Saturday night. (Thanks guys!) Woke up to a flooded basement, and lots of craziness. Thumbs down for apartment managers and maintenance folks who are totally unhelpful; thumbs up to the innovations of Mark and Josh who channeled their inner MacGyver (or MacGruber) to at least come up with a temporary fix to the problem.
Friday was fun as well. I finally watched The Prestige, which was fantastic, and then headed back to Naperville. I *almost* beat Tim at baseball, and one of these days it's gonna happen. Also played tennis and bowling which are always fun. After the Wii playing, we hung out at Mark and Sarah's and watched some fun YouTube videos, including one about Shoes. And another involving a unicorn and candy mountain. Good times.
I am at work now, and in the process of trying to book Chris Rock for an interview on his new movie, "I Think I Love My Wife." Looks like I'll be attending a screening of that and also Kal Penn's new film, "The Namesake," in Chicago on March 13 and 14. Exciting! I heart Fox Searchlight, who make such things possible. We're also really close to having an interview booked with Shareeka Epps of Half Nelson, and Abigail Breslin's people promised to get in touch soon "but right now we're just trying to make it through academy week." Next on the agenda: Cillian Murphy for "Sunshine" and Rainn Wilson for "The Last Mimzy." If I can make those happen, I will be out of my mind with happiness. But I'm not getting any hopes up yet.
Time to get back to work. Hope everyone's doing awes and staying troubs-free.
What what.