Feb 23 2009
Oscar Night: Many Highs and Few Lows
Tonight was Oscar night, with Hugh Jackman hosting the 81st annual Academy Awards and putting the “show” back in “showbiz”–as he predicted he would during his interview with Barbara Walters. The Oscars got a facelift this year, putting the Hollywood glamor back into the awards show, giving us a stage with a big band feel and tons of sparkle–thanks to a curtain made entirely of strands of Swarovski crystals. The extra bling was just the beginning, however, as Jackman brought the musical numbers back with a vengeance.
His opening number (watch here ) was an entertaining mix of humor, tribute, charm, and song. Anne Hathaway joined him in his movie medley, playing Nixon to his Frost, in a slightly different interpretation…
Hathaway and Jackman played the scene for all it was worth, making for a hilarious and perfectly timed duo. Jackman skirted the potential awkwardness of singing about the Holocaust film The Reader by doing an interpretive dance alongside lyrics about how he’d never gotten a chance to see the film, the lines were too long, he meant to see it but never did, etc.etc. It was funny, without being disrespectful to the film’s message.
Highlights of Oscar night:
The Barbara Walters Oscar special. Barbara once again got us good, giving us a touching and in-depth interview with comeback kid Mickey Rourke and making both him and us cry our way through it. Anne Hathaway proved to be just as appealing as I remembered–she’s smart, and funny, and extremely grateful for everything in her life. Her response to the unsettling experiences of the year (breaking up with her boyfriend, followed by his being convicted of several white collar crimes) was to be thankful for the people in her life that were there for her and saw her through everything. And then we had Hugh Jackman, a man full of admirable qualities, who spoke of his work, his childhood, and even the gay rumors after he played Peter Allen in A Boy from Oz on Broadway. I gush all over him and his lap dance skills over at the Shrine to Actors.
Hugh Jackman, host. On Barbara Walters’ special, Jackman said his acting coach had taught him to “never say you’re nervous; say you’re excited.” And that’s just how Jackman hosted the show–like he was excited to be there. He didn’t seem worried, or awkward, or uncomfortable. He was just so smooth, wooing the audience, teasing them with good-natured jokes, letting everyone relax by not dishing out any off-color or harsh zingers. There was just a whole different vibe this year, and a large part of that was Jackman’s capable hosting, singing, and dancing. He was articulate, he was funny, and he entertained the heck out of all of us.
The Musical Numbers. In years past, the musical numbers were often the worst part of the Oscar telecast, with dreadfully corny numbers that just dragged the show out to intolerable lengths. Rather than entertain us, they usually put us to sleep. This year they went all out, with large production numbers, smaller scale dance pieces, and then Hugh Jackman’s low-budget movie medley. We never knew what was coming at us next, and it lifted the mood of the whole show.
James Franco, Seth Rogen and 2-time Academy-Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminsky. This Pinapple Express-esque skit reviewing all the movies that weren’t nominated (i.e. comedies) as well as the actual nominees was spot-on funny and broke up some of the more serious aspects of Oscar night. Kaminsky was a great sport, and Franco was ridiculously amusing–especially when they got to his own scenes in Milk–kissing scenes that made Rogen understandably nervous as Franco slowly put his arm around him.
Ben Stiller. I have to confess to you–I don’t think Ben Stiller is funny. Out of the multitude of films he’s done, I’ve liked a handful–and three of those were more serious roles (The Royal Tannenbaums, Zero Effect, and Keeping the Faith). Most of the time he just seems like he’s trying too hard. But tonight, as he came out on stage in a scraggly beard ala Joaquin Phoenix, he had me and the audience in stitches. As Natalie Portman played the straight man, Stiller mumbled nonsense and then wandered around the stage while Portman showed the Best Cinematography clips. When Stiller came back to the podium and claimed he was just tired of being the “funny guy”, Portman told him he looked like he worked in a “Hasidic meth lab”. The audience was shocked at the roasting, but gauging by the sounds of laughter, they still found it amusing.
Queen Latifah. Her royal loveliness graced the stage to sing during the In Memoriam segment, adding an extra bit of class and respect for those in the industry who have passed.
The presenters. Oscar presenters often look lost, annoyed, confused, or disgusted with the dorky lines they have to read. For the most part, tonight the presenters had much more lively material to deal with, and seemed on the whole a lot more into making the comedy work.
Honoring the nominees. In one of the night’s best twists, five past winners in each of the four acting categories took to the stage to sing the praises of each of the five nominees. It was an excellent idea that honored those past winners, and drew attention to each of the nominees who normally get quickly discarded once the winner is announced. This way each person got individual notice and praise, and many of them teared up at having the likes of Ben Kingsley, Sofia Loren, Robert DeNiro, and Shirley MacLaine tell them how awesome they were in their respective roles. It was a great addition to the show.
Honoring all the movies of the year. Let’s face it, every year most of us watch the Oscars and realize we haven’t seen most (or any) of the nominated films. This makes it hard to get into the excitement of the awards experience. This year the Academy Awards acknowledged the comedies and action pictures of the year that didn’t necessarily get nominations, but everyone most likely saw. They also did a good job with little mini movies and slide shows featuring how the movies are made, what editors do, examples of films with great costumes, and snippets of all the films to see what they were nominated for. There throughness in presenting the nominees meant I got a lot more interested in some films that I might not have checked out before the ceremony.
Things that didn’t quite work on Oscar night:
The multiple TV screens. Many of the nomination or informational videos were shown on large screens on the stage. Instead of just showing us at home the clips on our screen, the camera would often zoom back and forth between the stage screens. This often resulted in segments not being all that clear, and some of the camera movements inspired Blair Witch Project-like seasickness. This was particularly distracting during the In Memoriam segment, when the camera angles were sometimes too far away or too off-center to see the actual person’s name.
Not enough Hugh Jackman. Every time they give presenters more than one category to cover, they don’t seem that happy about it, and by the time they’re done you can tell they’re ready to get off stage. Hugh Jackman is the host–he should take over some of these segments instead. There were long stretches of the show when we never saw Jackman, when he could easily have been onscreen more and moving the show along.
Aside from some technical difficulties with stage props and camera work, I really don’t have much else to complain about! Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, and to the showrunners who made one of the best Oscar telecasts in recent history.
