What will you do instead of watching Oscar? [and now Oscar discussion]

[Ghoulish Delight]

Well, the only movies of note we saw this year were Frost/Nixon and Dark Knight, so I can make no comment about any of the big category winners.

I will comment muchly about the short film winners. HORRIBLE CHOICES!!! HORRIBLE! HORRIBLE! Boo, boo, boo, and triple that. Boo.

Okay, with that out of the way, LOVED the show itself. The presentation of the big acting awards was fabulous, though after the amazing, heartfelt presentations for best actress, the old men reading their lines off teleprompters for best actor fell kinda flat.

Did I miss Heath Ledger? I didn't see him. It was very hard to read the names.

Heath died in '07 or early '08 and was in last year's memorial.

I really liked the memorial this year. The multi-screen presentation, a beautiful live song performance. What wasn't to like?

Nicole Kidman was gorgeous. What the hell happened to Sophia Loren. Ouch.

Conspicuously absent were, Jack Nicholson and Samuel L. Jackson's hat.

But yeah, I though the writing, staging, and overall showmanship were outstanding this year, a real cut above what they've offered in a long time.

[ozron]

I have to agree - really enjoyed the show this year. Of course there were highs and lows.

Loved the opening number - hated the musical number.

I did like the presentation of the acting awards. It gave new meaning to the overused "It's an honor just to be nominated" statement. But yeah, the best actor presenters were generally awkward.

Torn on the memorial. I loved the multi-screens, but the camera work made it hard to focus - they actually pulled back at times to the point of not being able to read the captions. I generally like Queen Latifah, but I thought her performance was off. Not really a good song for her.

Overall, a B+.

[Deebs]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

The presentation of the big acting awards was fabulous...

Agreement. I really liked the new format, even though my friend just told me he thought the ego stroking was too much to stomach. I agreed that a few of the remarks were over the top, but not so offensive that I could give you an example. And I can't even remember the last time I saw Shirley MacLaine! I enjoyed it.

I really liked the memorial this year. The multi-screen presentation, a beautiful live song performance. What wasn't to like?

My mom came over and watched with us (she is 83) and cried at that song. She loved the whole show. And actually, I wouldn't have even watched the show at all if she had not asked. I didn't see enough of the nominated films to make the effort worth sitting through the boring bits, but did for Mom.

Hugh Jackman didn't offend me at all. I thought he did a fine job.

What the hell happened to Sophia Loren. Ouch.

Dude, she's like, 500 years old, give her break. Well, ok, I just checked and she is actually 74. I am sure she's spent just plenty of money and had a lot of work done, but I think she is still beautiful. Her dress was lovely and her hair looked a lot better than Kate Winslet's -- who my mother insisted was wearing a wig.