5:56 PM: I wasn’t sure if I was going to live-blog tonight since I’d exhausted my movie-talk yesterday. But I’ve got nothing else to do. It’s this or just talk back to my TV screen.I’ve been prepping for the Oscars by listening to a lot of movie soundtracks. Last night was Star Wars and Close Encounters. I’ve played these a lot, of course, but I really gave them a thorough listen last night, and I was reminded how truly great they are. The finale to Close Encouters is breathtakingly gorgeous and the battle music in Star Wars heartpoundingly exciting. I listened to Prisoner of Azkaban earlier, I just finished E.T., and now I’m listening to A.I..
6:33 PM: seriously, TV Guide Channel is bleeping the word “boobs”?! How tight-assed a country have we become?
7:28 PM: soundtracks update: now listening to Napoleon Dyanmite (because Pedro is with Melissa Rivers).
8:28 PM: oops, I forgot ABC might want to do a pre-show too. At least Billy Bush didn’t make a complete ass of himself. (Sentence bleeped by TV Guide Channel.)
8:46 PM: Catwoman 2?
First prediction is wrong. I was about to change my mind and root for Finding Neverland, but I would’ve been wrong either way.
8:48 PM: I got one right. I didn’t go out on much of a limb though. Even fellow nominee Alan Alda said, on Joan & Melissa’s preshow, that Morgan Freeman was going to win.
8:52 PM: Pepsi bastardizes a classic movie moment. I am not amused. I would boycott, but Vanilla Pepsi is so tasty.
8:54 PM: soundtracks update: now listening to Jerry Goldsmith’s Legend.
8:56 PM: Robin Williams has monologue envy.
9:02 PM: another Pixar victory. As it should be. And now, for no known reason, the first best song performance. Time for a Double break.
9:13 PM: aaahhh!!! Actors have taken over the theater! They’re everywhere! Cate Blanchett has invaded the main floor. Scarlett Johanson has taken up a position in the balcony. Nowhere is safe!
9:22 PM: got another prediction right with Cate Blanchett’s win, but I was almost ready to pick Virginia Madsen just now.
9:30 PM: please don’t insult documentaries by likening them to reality TV shit.
10:10 PM: no, I didn’t stop watching. I’ve been taking my popcorn break and didn’t want to get fake butter all over my PowerBook keyboard. I had some incredibly witty stuff to say, but it’s all lost now. You’re just stuck with this. Did I miss anything? I thought that was Colin Mochrie in those Snack Fairy commercials. Jake Gyllenhaal, presenting the special effects award, has a weird-shaped Silly Putty head and an extremely wide Muppet mouth. In fact…
Separated at Birth
10:13 PM: a woman says “dog’s bollocks”. Good thing the TV Guide channel stopped its Oscar coverage.
10:23 PM: The Aviator gets Cinematography too. I’m too lazy to check the nominees list: is this a Return of the King sweep yet? Will we be reading articles about the Academy can only focus on one blockbuster now and can’t evenly distribute its awards any more?
10:27 PM: nope. Beat out by Ray for sound recording. So much for the maxim that a movie needs helicopters, machine guns, and explosions to sound good. (Note: maxim still stands for home theater demonstrations.)
10:39: original score. And a surprise write-in win for Sky Captain! Actually, Finding Neverland wins, for handily capturing many styles. But—soundtracks update—I’m now listening to Edward Shearmur’s Sky Captain. So there.
11:00 PM: oh yes, please, refresh my memory on the Best Song nominees. Let’s spend even more time on this useless category.
11:03 PM: Hilary Swank knocks out Annette Bening, goes tomorrow’s inevitable headline. She might even get best back, but that award actually goes to Melanie Griffith. I was half-hoping Imelda Staunton would win for Vera Full of Drake—not that I’ve seen it, but just because it would upset the predictions and piss off the red states.
11:10 PM: maybe The Sea Inside’s win will piss off the red states instead (the ones upset by Million Dollar Baby, that is). ‘Cept they don’t watch those movies you gotta read.
11:29 PM: no surprises with Best Actor. Jamie Foxx wins…and makes a teary acceptance speech that would make me feel bad to make fun of.
11:31 PM: soundtracks update: I am now listening to Eric von Korngold’s Adventures of Robin Hood. Maybe some Max Steiner’s King Kong and Michael Kamen’s Baron Munchausen on deck.
11:36 PM: Martin Scorsese has once again struck out. At least Clint Eastwood is not undeserving.
11:40 PM: wow. The E! guys were right. They said The Aviator was the initial frontrunner but of late there has been a groundswell for Million Dollar Baby. Did Martin Scorsese do such a bad job that he can assemble award-winning ingredients but can’t pull off an award-winning movie from them? So I’m told, but I didn’t get that feeling when I was actually watching his film. If anything, Million Dollar Baby was the one that seemed flawed to me, since its big plot twist makes it feel so much like two movies. Obviously the Academy doesn’t have a problem with it. But then again, it’s my blog.
P.S.: producer Albert Ruddy looks like a cross between Frank Langella and Brad Garrett. Not that that matters. I’m just still feeling snippy. I have to say something nice about the production though. I liked the way the technical nominees were grouped together, either in the seats or on stage. It’s like the producers are staging this like a show more than just covering it like a live event. It’ll probably get an Emmy next year. The monitors embedded in the stage and swooping across the ceiling were cool too. And I’m glad to see the big Chris Rock controversy turned out to be a big nothing, as I expected.
Anyway, off to E!’s post-show, more soundtracks off my iPod, some Double, and, maybe, if I’m still awake, a movie. Possibly…SKY CAPTAIN!!!
