Monday, February 23, 2009

Academy Awards Report 2009

Believe it or not, Gummi Popcorn has not died. It's only been lurking in the shadows for a bit. Due to a massive upheaval of lifestyle and relocations and other drama, it's been rudely shoved to the back burner until the dust settles (which will hopefully be soon!). Rest assured though, new blood will eventually return to inflate the oh-so-critical veins of this here website and the sarcasm and snark will fly once again. So, just to prove we haven't been sleeping (and in case you have been), here's the GP recap of last night's award ceremony.

This year, our host was Hugh Jackman. While it's always difficult not to drool like a maniac when Hugh is in sight, I did feel a little embarrassed for him. It seems that someone at The Academy thought it would be cute to have Wolverhottie prance around and do a few musical numbers. I guess it's a case of Hollywood being jealous of Jackman's time on Broadway. It's not that the man is a terrible singer, but the numbers were poorly planned and even more badly choreographed. Is this The Academy Awards or Saturday Night Live? Have a little class for chrissakes. Even poor Hugh looked like he was thinking of shooting his agent.

Despite a loud, rude and obnoxious crowd at the Oscar party I went to, I miraculously managed to hear snippets of who won what and which hot little hands golden statues went into. Sadly, I haven't managed to get to the theater for most of the nominees this year and Slumdog was at the top of my "must see" list, along with The Wrestler. Predictably, Slumdog Millionaire swept the scene - much like it did at the Golden Globes - and walked away with a total of eight awards (Best Picture, Directing, Music (song & score), Editing, Sound Mixing, Cinematography, and Adapted Screenplay). I love to see small foreign films win big in general. It shows that the industry has an appreciation for culture. What I don't love, is hearing "Thank you, come again" every time someone with an Indian accent stepped up to the podium. That joke was old, I dunno, at least 10 years ago. The same racist jackasses making that comment last night were spreading rumors that Bollywood was moving to Detroit, or some such nonsense. I can't even begin to tell you what's wrong with that statement.

Equally as predictable as the winner of Best Picture, was the winner of Best Supporting Actor; Heath Ledger. While I don't mean to belittle the man's acting skills, it seems that the quickest way to an Academy Award these days is through the grave. Movies like The Dark Knight almost never make it to the awards, just because of the genre. Ledger was great as The Joker, but had he still been alive, there's no way he would have the Oscar for it. The award for Best Actor was achieved by Sean Penn for his role in Milk. His acceptance speech was, by far, the best one of the night. He managed to touch on the gay rights issue, Barak Obama, and get his point across without being long-winded or preachy. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I agreed with everything he said.

The winner for Best Supporting Actress was Penelope Cruz for her role in Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I haven't seen and have no idea if she deserves. Her speech was tearful and heartfelt and it always chokes me up when the award winners seem sincere. I will have to add VCB to my list of must sees. Best Actress in a Leading Role went to Kate Winslet for The Reader. The actress was nearly hyperventilating and who can blame her?

For both the Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role, winners from years past appeared on stage to introduce this year's nominees. It was a nice touch. Two of these presenters were Brodie and DeNiro - two of my ultimate faves!

Of course, one can't discuss The Academy Awards without discussing fashion to some extent. The guys always look the same. It's just suit after suit after suit year after year. I'd love for one actor to wear a kilt or an outfit in any other color than black. I'd settle for charcoal grey even! Snore. The ladies are who everyone focuses on anyhow. What was with the alarming trend of wearing one's drapes as a gown? Jessica Biel had perhaps the most hideous display of this disturbing fashion, but Mary Hart, Heidi Klum, Tilda Swinton and a handful of no-name girlfriends pitched in to. My personal favorite, as far as classy gowns go, was Kate Winslet's dress. It was original, but not tacky.

So, despite being intensely irritated by the company I had during the ceremony, the awards went smoothly. There weren't any horribly flubbed lines, political incorrectness and scandalous wardrobe malfunctions. I went home sober and popped The Fountain into my DVD player, just to get some more Hugh Jackman in before bedtime.