86th Academy awards shows... and Ellen DeGeneres has firmly taken root amongst my favorites. Johnny Carson still reigns supreme in my book. Billy Crystal is second, with a tie by David Niven from 1974 for his adlib after a streaker ran across the stage "One of the nominees for short films, I see....." The MPAA tried Hugh Jackman, then dual hosts... then Seth McFarlane... who was only slightly worse than James Franco. OK, much worse. Finally, back to Ellen. She's funny. She's lively. She can poke fun without being an asshole. She has very bright blue eyes. Let's keep her.
So, on tonight and my completely biased view of both the ceremony itself and the winners. Deserving or not. First of all, the academy voters agreed with me on 13 out of 24 categories. Not bad guys; try to do better next year. I certainly should have placed some Vegas wagers on this. Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Animated Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Documentary Feature and Short, Best Editing.... even best Foreign Language film (and the only one I saw... ). So, what went wrong with Best Picture/Actress/Supporting Actress... first off, "12 Years A Slave" was not a pleasant film. I did not enjoy what I felt followed in the giant footsteps of a brilliant film, "Amistad". The performances were wonderful, the story was compelling.... but I felt beaten over the head with the horrible treatment of people that my own ancestor opposed so vigorously. "Dallas Buyers Club" touched a nerve over something all too often swept under the rug, our federal and state agencies denial and suppression of AIDS related issues and treatment, as well as a personal issue, losing two good friends to AIDS in the late 80's. "Blue Jasmine" was wonderful, and I would be Cates PA in a heartbeat. No one takes care of you like a worshipper. I still thought Sandra Bullock stepping out of Rom-Com and lighter fare "Blind Side" not included, was better. I have a crush on her too, so.... and thank you Cate for "...the world is round!" Galadriel and Elizabeth have spoken Hollywood. You had better listen...
Supporting Actress was a little more of a struggle. My vote finally went to June because, well, she was funnier. Hard to be funny and charming while being an abused slave. Lupita certainly was well deserving of the Oscar. "Frozen" deserved both awards, even if I had to let go of the minions. No one can torch a song like Idina, and o...m....g..... I played it back twice. Very sad to learn that Chris Buck's son had died.
I was overjoyed to see "The Lady in Number 6" win... that film, and her story, were remarkable. Very sad to learn that Alice had died, on Feb 23rd of this year. Speaking of which, I both hate and love the "In Memoriam" section of the Oscars. Christopher Reeves death is till the one that hit the hardest, but I am always saddened to see my heroes, hated foes, lovable side-kicks and others fall along the way. Regardless of where they have gone, I miss not sharing the journey any more. Blessed Be to all of you. We loved you, even if you were sometimes pretending to be horrible people.
Some other moments stood out for me; and some of them I can't read my own notes for, so we will skip them (note to self; don't slam a glass of champagne for the first award... things get a bit iffy after that, like... penmanship). Thank you Angelina, for making the slow walk to help Mr. Poitier look like a stately procession. Kudos to Brad Pitt.. who is so much better now than he was 15 years ago... please re-make "Seven" for me Brad. Thanks to Bette for making the "In Memoriam" better with your voice... and how the hell do you singers keep it together long enough to sing??? Thank you Pink for a marvelous "Over the Rainbow", and Sandra O for a lovely ballad...because nothing says "punk goddess" (way to go, Zack.... look up the words "inspiration" and "aspiration" next time) like a prom formal and a moonlight acoustic serenade... and thank you Idina for knocking another one into low Earth orbit.
Also, I think Chris and Charlize should have kids. They would create perfect Vikings together.
So long, and thanks for all the fish.
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