This is an experiment in live blogging; I am writing this as I watch the Oscar ceremony. In the UK, it is on far too late for me to have seen it. I have seen many of the movies nominated this year. My one hope is that the horribly pretentious and overrated mess of a film, Babel, does not win Best Picture; especially as the Americans seem incapable of pronouncing the name. However appropriate it is not called babble. I am hoping that the fabulous “Pan’s Labyrinth” gets the recognition it deserves.
I am watching the pre-Oscar show, with interviews on the red carpet. I have just learnt that at 31, Kate Winslett is the youngest actress to have received five nominations. Saw the three Mexican directors, two of whom created great works this year and the other directed “Babel”.
The Departed is an excellent movie, but Scorsese has done better work. The law of the Oscar’s implies that he may just win for this one while Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and The Aviator all failed.
I am watching with my mother-in-law, who has actually been to the Oscars in the late sixties.
Ellen DeGeneres is hosting and wearing a burgundy suit with a white shirt and shoes. Not sure about her dress sense, but she has a wit that is sharper than one would expect for a show of this type. She has just pointed out Jennifer Hudson, the American Idol reject “Who America did not vote for” and Al Gore “For whom America did vote”; that played better with the Hollywood audience than my mother-in-law who did not vote for the man who was once America’s next president.
First award is Best Art Direction. The winner is Pan’s Labyrinth. Yay!! One win from its six nominations so far.
We have to put up with commercials.
Will Ferrel is singing a song observing that comedians never win the Oscar, joined by Jack Black.
Thirty minutes in and 2nd nomination; best makeup. Another win for Pan’s Labyrinth. So my desire for its recognition seems to being fufilled.
Best animated short is third. I have not seen any of them, so nothing to say other than to note that “The Danish Poet” won.
Best Live Action Short goes to “West Bank Story”.
Now we are on the fifith award, for Sound Editing. This is a win for “Letters from Iwo Jima”; the partner movie to the disappointing “Flags of Our Fathers”.
Now we have sound mixing, which is presumably different from sound editing. The nominations seem similar for the two categories. The winner of the previous category, however is not in the overlap. The winner is “Dreamgirls”.
The set background looks as though it has been lifted from the Tardis.
We are now on the first major award, Best Performance from an Actor in a Supporting Role. The winner is won by Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine”.I did not see the movie, but Mark Wahlberg’s performance was a stand out in the excellent “The Departed”.
We are now listening to a song from the wonderful “Cars”, written and performed by Randy Newman with help from James Taylor. This was a film that spoke to the heart of the decline of Main Street in small town USA, with this song putting words to that core sentiment.
Now a song from Melissa Etheridge from an “Inconvenient Truth”, Gore’s climate change movie. She is preaching to the converted, Californian’s emit less than half the green house gases of the average American.
Al Gore and Leonrado de Caprio have both put on weight, Leonardo offered an opportunity for Al Gore to join the packed field of 2008 Presidential hopefuls. Al Gore just showed that he can do a joke other than his “I am the man who used to be the next President”. On the other hand, I have just shown I will use that joke twice in a single blog entry.
Ellen is joining in the Al Gore inspired green theme by recycling old jokes.
Cameron Diaz is announcing nominations for Best Animated Film. The winner is “Happy Feet”, an award that should have gone to “Cars”
The next award is for best adapted screenplay. The intro has clips that included the most famous screen portrayal of a writer, Jack Nicholson at a typewriter in a remote out of season resort. The winner is “The Departed”. This is major recognition that the film was “inspired” by a Japanese movie called “Infernal Affairs”, the writer even thanking the original movie. Hopefully, not the last win for this good film.
Nine down and Pan’s Labyrinth is leading, as the only movie with two wins.
We are now have moved to Best Costume design, presented by two of the stars from “The Devil Wears Prada”. The award going to “Marie Antoinette”, the winner taking her third Oscar as she wears a tux and seems far more nervous than one would expect from such an experienced winner.
Ellen just telling Spielberg how to take a picture of her with Clint Eastwood.
Gwyneth is announcing the award for Best Cinematography. The category has the most deserving set of nominations so far and is the third win of three for Pan’s Labyrinth. Every winner has struggled as English is not their first language.
Visual Effects is next up, with a win for “Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest” A film that may have flaws, but had effects fully deserving of the award.
Foreign language film, previewed by a French woman and Japanese man. This is an award I want to go to “Pan’s Labyrinth”, a fourth win would cement it as tonight’s big winner. But it is won by “Lives of Others”, which I have yet to see.
Ellen has changed into all white.
George is on stage to present Best Supporting Actress. The Oscars agreeing with the Baftas and the Golden Globes, while disagreeing with the viewers of Fox network and Simon Cowell and have given the award to Jennifer Hudson in a tear filled acceptance speech.
Best Documentary, Short Subject, is the “Blood of” something; ok this a category about which I know nothing. One of the two winners giving her speech in Chinese.
We now move onto Best Documentary Feature, which to the shock of no one was awarded to the previously mentioned Al Gore for “An Inconvenient Truth”. I saw this movie on a flight from Dallas; no points for spotting the irony. He reminds us that we have all we need to solve the crisis, except the will to act, which is a renewable resource. ( I think this might be a nod towards 2008)
A special Oscar for Ennio Morricone, these are awards given to old people who common sense tells you should have had a shelf full of them by now. If for nothing else, the iconic music of “For a Few Dollars More” deserved recognition.
While Celine Dion does her screeching, time to summarise the scores so far: Pan’s Labyrinth 3, Dreamgirls 2.
Ennio delivers his acceptance in Italian with Clint Eastwood translating a beautifully gracious speech into English.
Hugh Jackman and Penolpe Cruz announcing Best Score, which grants us the realisation that Hugh actually has an Australian accent. The winner is Babel, another Oscar not won by Pan’s Labyrinth.
The stars of Spiderman announce the nominations for Best Original Screenplay, the award least likely to go to Pan’s Labyrinth. The award goes to “Little Miss Sunshine”, its second of the night and a further delay to the “Brits are coming” night, as “The Queen” failed to win. So my favourite film won three of its six nominations and so is still the biggest winner of the night… so far.
Songs from Dreamgirls being performed by Jennifer Hudson and some wannabe called Beyonce.
Show was scheduled to end at 8:30, it is now 8:26. I wonder if they will scrap best song, best actor, best actress, best director, and best film… or will the show overrun? I wish I knew the answer.
Best Original Song is won by Melissa Etheridge for “We Need to Wake Up”, a shock as Dreamgirls had three of the five nominations in the category. This is the second win for Al Gore’s movie.
Kate Winslett is announcing winner of best Film Editing, which has a set of major films nominated. I hope that “Children of Men” gets the award, for it deserves recognition. The winner is “The Departed”. So maybe, it will be Martin’s night at last.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, last year’s winner of Best Actor to award the most obvious cert of the night; “Best Actress in a Leading Role”. The award goes to Helen Mirren for “The Queen”, a phrase I typed before the actual announcement. Based on recent wins for actors playing Capote, Elizabeth I, and Ray Charles I have a tip to thespians who wish to win an award; play a real life character. Helen dedicates the award to Her Majesty.
Most notable advert has been one for a product that is not available and will not be purchasable until June. The product is the i-phone from that well known manufacturer of music players; Apple.
I have just been reminded that in addition to the real life winners I mentioned previously, Reese Witherspoon won for June Carter Cash. The winner goes to Forest Whitaker for playing Idi Amin; oh another winner playing a real life person. See my Oscar rule seems to be proving itself in front of my eyes.
Steven, Francis, and George are on stage to present Best Director. Mr Lucas is having the micky taken from him for not having won an Oscar from Spielberg and Coppola (What a shock that The Phantom Menace did not get the award). Now Martin can join in the jokes as he wins Best Director.
We are now at Best Picture, presented by Jack Nicholson and Dianne Keaton. Please let it not be “Babel”. The winner is not that terrible mess of a portmanteau movie, “Babel”. At last it is Martin Scorsese’s night. “The Departed” is this year’s best movie, even if it it had the worst cover of a Pink Floyd song of any movie. Winning its fourth Oscar of the night, it is the big winner pushing Pan’s Labyrinth with three wins.
Two wins for Al Gore’s ”Inconvenient Truth”, ”Dreamgirls”, and ”Little Miss Sunshine”
The 79th Oscar Ceremony finishes at 9:17, just 0:47 beyond the scheduled time.
Biggest shock of the night, Al Gore gets most votes but is declared the winner anyway.
So ends my 1st attempt at live blogging.
