83rd Annual Academy Awards

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by vega2K

That's a very valid point, but I wonder if it seemed that way just because the character was so much more memorable/visible/interesting, compared to the Wahlberg character. I do tend to agree with you though. Although, if Bale was nominated for Best actor, it seems he probably would have lost to Firth (I've yet to watch Kings Speech).

I can't wait to hear what Franco has to say about the backlash his hosting perfomance is getting! I wonder if this will bite him in the @$$. I feel sorry for him because even before the Oscars (during the Red Carpet Event), he just seemed to be totally against hosting the show. Almost as if he just did not want to do it. I don't think he was impaired, but I do wonder whether he was pissed, or nervous or he just plain sucks as a host?? I think he just sucks as a host and need to focus on acting.

I have no doubt that he was impaired. On what, I have no idea. I have known people who have taken a mild dose of Valium to reduce anxiety at a funeral, only to have it hit them too hard and they were toast. Franco may have taken something legit to take the edge off of stage jitters, or he may have been baked. Whatever it was, he wasnt even there. His eye lids were drooping and his eyes were rolling around. He wouldnt/couldnt even respond to Anne. Most telling though was the fact that they parked/hid him back stage for the final hour. Did you notice he disappeared? That was the producers trying to save the show, and IMO they chose wisely. At the end when he spoke he was slurring. He was toast. I'm not judging him because it may well have been an accident, but he was hammered.

There were are few other indications that something was terribly wrong as Pop Eater is reporting that the Oscars executives became concerned after watching the live interview on Sunday night just before the performance began.

"This was a disaster," one TV executive tells me. "Before the show began something was wrong with James. His live interview on ABC backstage should have been a warning sign. He was awkward and looked as if he knew what a terrible evening was ahead for all of us."

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

I have no doubt that he was impaired.

Well whether he was or wasn't, I hope it will not be the excuse they will latch-on to as to why the Oscars were so sh!tty this year. What was Anne's excuse? Or the boring agenda? Or the convoluted movie scenes? or the boring presentations? Even the Memorium presentation was not as emotional as previous ones - I hated how they didn't fade to black and go to commercial right after and instead had Halle Berry interrupt it. Oh well, at least I would assume next year's is guaranteed to have a different format.

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

Zhang Yimou!

I'm incredibly hyped for this project. I really enjoyed House of Flying Daggers and I plan on seeing Hero soon.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Well whether he was or wasn't, I hope it will not be the excuse they will latch-on to as to why the Oscars were so sh!tty this year. What was Anne's excuse? Or the boring agenda? Or the convoluted movie scenes? or the boring presentations? Even the Memorium presentation was not as emotional as previous ones - I hated how they didn't fade to black and go to commercial right after and instead had Halle Berry interrupt it. Oh well, at least I would assume next year's is guaranteed to have a different format.

Oh, I wont argue that the show was good, because your points are valid.

Although I thought Anne gave it her all. Must have been hard for her when her co-host went MIA.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Well whether he was or wasn't, I hope it will not be the excuse they will latch-on to as to why the Oscars were so sh!tty this year. What was Anne's excuse? Or the boring agenda? Or the convoluted movie scenes? or the boring presentations? Even the Memorium presentation was not as emotional as previous ones - I hated how they didn't fade to black and go to commercial right after and instead had Halle Berry interrupt it. Oh well, at least I would assume next year's is guaranteed to have a different format.

When your co-host is either MIA or not looking at you and giving one word jokes, it's a little hard to do a good job.

[Foggy]

There is a theory going around that Franco seemed to not care about the awards to get a message across to the producers of the show that the young crowd aren't going to watch the show, and because he was used to get a larger crowd.

And another theory is that he was downplaying himself so the limelight would be on Anne Hathaway

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Well whether he was or wasn't, I hope it will not be the excuse they will latch-on to as to why the Oscars were so sh!tty this year. What was Anne's excuse? Or the boring agenda? Or the convoluted movie scenes? or the boring presentations? Even the Memorium presentation was not as emotional as previous ones - I hated how they didn't fade to black and go to commercial right after and instead had Halle Berry interrupt it. Oh well, at least I would assume next year's is guaranteed to have a different format.

It goes in cycles--Every year they get the Good Host, and then the show comes in on time, so the producers get so overconfident that they try to ramp it up a notch with the Wrong Hosts and a few new "tweaks". Then the Wrong Host gets kicked off, the "tweaks" go over like lead balloons, they try to hire one of the old Good Hosts back, there's a last minute cancellation, and they find some other Good Host at the last minute.
(Eg. we can't get Steve Martin back after Chris Rock, but how about giving Ellen DeGeneres a try?)

In this case, the whole point (as noted by the Alec Baldwin jokes) was to try and get Hugh Jackman back, and (as musically noted), they couldn't.
So, we'll get a comic next year, and cycles tell us that whoever it is should be good for the job.
(And technically Alec Baldwin was one of the Good, if at least serviceable, hosts, it was just too hard to tell with all the other wrong ideas being tossed about the ceremony last year.)

[Gamma_Winstead]

I don't even remember the Oscars from last year. Who hosted?

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

When your co-host is either MIA or not looking at you and giving one word jokes, it's a little hard to do a good job.

I hear what you are saying and I can see how having a co-host screwing it up can be a distraction, but I still think even when she was alone, she just seemed to be struggling and hanging on for dear life. I felt almost as if she was over compensating to try to make it more than it really was. I am not necessarily blaming it on her, afterall, she was mostly reading the teleprompter, but she just felt out of place, flubbed a few lines, her expressions seemed out of synch with what she was saying, her attempts at humor fell flat, laughed hysterically at her co-hosts attempts at humor, and on and on.

I think all the hype and the commercials before-hand, gave the expectation that these Oscars were going to be more hip and new and fresh, .... and funny. It failed because it didn't do any of these things. I think if the expectation would have been of a less-funny, more serious, more elegant/classy, more "to-the-point", and the format was done as such, it may have worked better. When you have an Oscars show for so many years, where we expect the unexpected and expect to laugh and be entertained -- then we have hosts that don't have this type of experience, well what did you think would happen? I guess they thought having Billy Crystal would compensate -- I think even Billy Crystal was pissed, did you notice when Anne introduced him and tried to kiss him, he immediately turned his face and walked away.

[Agent Bond]

I don't even remember the Oscars from last year. Who hosted?

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by vega2K

But aside from the more popular tracks, like the one you point out, IMO he is a genius with lyrics and music in general. Listen to some of the other songs in his albums. Also, some of the tracks on the Ghosts album are very haunting and unique and he used some of them in the movie. To me, one of the things that stood out from the Social Network was the music/sound track and is the main reason why I bought the movie. It will be the same with Tron - aside from the obvious eye candy, the music/soundtrack is what stands out and the main reason why I want to own the movie.

No you misunderstood me. I like NIN and in fact have all their discs.

I'm just saying he's come a long way from nihilistic fringe artist to well, winning an Academy Award.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

No you misunderstood me. I like NIN and in fact have all their discs.

I'm just saying he's come a long way from nihilistic fringe artist to well, winning an Academy Award.

Got it!

[42041]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

I'm just saying he's come a long way from nihilistic fringe artist to well, winning an Academy Award.

I'm not sure how a streak of multi-platinum selling albums qualifies NIN as "fringe"

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by vega2K

I think all the hype and the commercials before-hand, gave the expectation that these Oscars were going to be more hip and new and fresh, .... and funny. It failed because it didn't do any of these things. I think if the expectation would have been of a less-funny, more serious, more elegant/classy, more "to-the-point", and the format was done as such, it may have worked better. When you have an Oscars show for so many years, where we expect the unexpected and expect to laugh and be entertained -- then we have hosts that don't have this type of experience, well what did you think would happen? I guess they thought having Billy Crystal would compensate -- I think even Billy Crystal was pissed, did you notice when Anne introduced him and tried to kiss him, he immediately turned his face and walked away.

An Oscar host has to be three things:
- 1) He has to be a Master of Ceremonies toastmaster, who's used to the ceremonial speechmaking and pleasant bon mots of an awards, roast or testimonial, and knows his duties to keep the agenda running on time. (David Letterman tried to, but didn't have experience.)
- 2) He has to be the host of a live stage show where most of the guests work at the same profession, know each other personally, and show up every year--He has to know the stars, the stars have to know him, and he has to know how to in-joke them to keep the stage show fresh. (Who the heck is Chris Rock, and who invited him?)
- 3) He also has to be the host of a TV-entertainment event, and have enough talkshow-host quips ready to fill in ten minutes of monologue, and cover unexpected happenings with Tonight Show ad-libs. (Which, if Franco and Hathaway had ever hosted a talk show, they would know how to do.)
In short, if you're ever hired to give out awards at a plumber's convention, you will be expected to study up and come up with some plumbing jokes. Good ones.

Johnny Carson and Jon Stewart (first appearance) were talkshow hosts. Bob Hope was a toastmaster back to the 40's shows. Billy Crystal had done many more borscht-belt clubs before this one.
Steve Martin knew how to ad-lib on camera, and Ellen DG was conscious enough of her comic on-screen persona and had used it to host a talk show where she could shmooze it friendly with the stars.
Hosting the Oscars is the same complaint we have about SNL performers--It's not just some job promotion you get when you reach a certain negotiating level, you have to KNOW HOW TO DO IT once you actually get the job.

[Biged917]

Originally Posted by Gamma_Winstead

The oscars are a joke, but you are completly ignorant if you think acting is that easy.

Acting is very easy......I act like I give a shit all the time at work. So your welcome. LOL

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Biged917

Acting is very easy......I act like I give a shit all the time at work. So your welcome. LOL

Holy sh!t! Now that you put it that way, I think I deserve an Oscar!

[Biged917]

Originally Posted by vega2K

Holy sh!t! Now that you put it that way, I think I deserve an Oscar!

You and me both. Hell I'll take the pay raise that Oscar winners get.

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by 42041

I'm not sure how a streak of multi-platinum selling albums qualifies NIN as "fringe"

Fringe as in alternative. As in only having one category at the Grammy's.