Obligatory Oscar Post

Too busy today to write much, but as I’m contractually obligated to give my Oscar thoughts:

Good show
• Liked Hugh Jackman
• Am I the only one who noticed that for the first time in forever Jack Nicholson wasn’t in the front row? Was he even there?
• Glad Heath won. Well deserved. (Of course I thought Nicholson should have at least been nominated for playing the Joker way back when.)
• Glad Slumdog won, but that’s really the only movie I’d seen.
• Sean Penn: Great Speech. Just the right amount of self awareness and politics, but where was the “thank you” to your wife? Oh, right, it was glaringly absent.
• Celebrity Montage: horrible. Good to see them getting suitably ripped for it today in the press.
• All-in-all: too many sweeping camera shots. The only dizzy people connected with the Oscars should be the winners.
• Every year they claim their “trimming” the show down, and every year there’s at least one completely nonsensical musical number or montage: The Musical is Back?? The musical was back a few years ago. Get with the times, or come up with a better excuse for a dance number. Salute to Comedies??: Having not seen Pineapple Express, it went completely over my head.
• Nicole Kidman: rowr, even if her dress did match her skin tone. Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, and Penelope Cruz looked amazing too.
• Meryl Streep: Now the favorite for winning an Oscar next year for playing Julia Child in Julie & Julia. Not only will she have a leg up by playing a historical figure, but the "15 times a bridesmaid only twice the bride" shtick last night just earned her a lot of sympathy votes. That and she looked amazing. Rowr.
• Sophia Loren: Eeek! She has not aged well, and before you judge me, realize she’s the same age as Judi Dench. Who has aged well.

Prince’s 10 Best Movies of 2008
From my sister Kathy: The Oscars (lot’s of pictures of dresses)
From my sister Sarah: The Oscars…What the F@*% Were They Thinking? (more pictures of dresses)
Also from Sarah: Is it Really THAT Hard to Throw on a Tux? (pictures of suits)
Clay’s Oscar Blog - sort of.