Well, the box office juggernaut that is Avatar wasn’t able to topple Oscar favorite The Hurt Locker after all. We at Entertainment Weekly managed a pretty decent 19 out of 24 predictions record at this year’s awards (we missed Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Animated Short, and both Sound categories). I watched the telecast at the Elton John AIDS Foundation party; in my final OscarWatch TV installment, here’s my wrap-up from the carpet at the event, where I talk about the night’s biggest surprise and my favorite speech of the year. Check it out and let me know if you agree with me.
Thank you Dave! You made this awards season interesting for me.
WORST. OSCARS. EVER.
I’ve watched every minute of every show since 1972 and this was easily the worst. Poorly produced, boring and predictable, it dragged on and on. For people employed in the ENTERTAINMENT business, they put on a weak attempt at entertaining us. If this was their attempt to win back viewers, tehy failed. Terrible, terrible show. Embarrassing.
Hmmm….I disagree. I too am an avid Oscar watcher. I thought last night’s show was good. The hosts did well. It was educational (I learned more about the purpose of short films last night than I ever did in the past. Also learned about sound editing…). They showed plenty of clips from nominated films/performances. And the stage was gorgeous. My one complaint: the sound was terrible. Many many sound mistakes…..that part was embarrassing. Otherwise, I liked it! (the producers can’t control if the winners were predictable…)
I think it was not a memorable Oscars, neither bad or any good. What I liked
1. Steve Martin – he could have hosted by himself, Alec is funny but seemed out of place.
2. John Hughes Tribute – easily the best part of the evening – those are what teen movies should be like – SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL RULES!!, where was Mary Stuart Masterson – Watts is the best!
3. Tom Hanks quick delivery of the best picture (unlike the melodramatic queen Barbara Streisand)
What I did not like
1. Neil Patrick Harris – I get that he his popular and talented BUT there is such a thing as overexposure and I start to roll my eyes whenever I see him because he is on everything these days.
2. Barbara Streisand stating – “The time has come” and before stating will it be the woman, the minority, or the other guys – This award should be based on MERIT, which Bigelow did earn the award, but it should not be made political. Bigelow EARNED the award, not because she was a woman but she did good work, no one is entitled to win anything – look at Scorcesse, after decades he only recently won. Streisand annoys me, she seemed like she wanted to hog the spotlight.
Gee, someone complaining how long the Oscars are. You never hear that. Get some new material.
Every year, there are the usual ‘worst evers’. That gets boring.
I actually thought it was the LEAST boring Oscars in years… the jokes were mostly funny, the speeches were mostly great (and SHORT), and the right actors and films won (for the most part). I will agree that there were a lot of technical problems (what was up with the sound?) and the dance number was unnecessary.
Good, succinct summary. I agree.
TorontoTom – also here in Toronto – I agree with you – this is the first time, i think ever where i have actually contemplated going to bed….i didn’t, but it was a bad bad show.
I don’t know if I’d say they were the worst ever, but they were pretty dull, with intermittent moments of entertainment. Next year, just get Steve Martin to host.
ew ocar watch tv the wrap
I thought last night was pretty good too.
Then again, I think I’m the only one who thought that Letterman was actually a pretty good host….
Hey, Dave – after such a long Oscar season, I think you deserved the cocktails you undoubtedly chugged at the Elton John party. You thought the show was “great”?!? (Maybe you didn’t drink enough…)
P.S. I got 21/24 in my pool. Missed both Screenplay awards and Music by Prudence.
What is with you Canadians? Why was this show so terrible? Not enough Bryan Adams or Celine Dion???
have to agree… this was a bad show. long drawn out clips. too much talking, especially the actors who come out to talk about the nominees (best actor and actress). ugh…
This isn’t a YouTube clip. I like seeing actors, instead of the nobodys hogging screen time thanking their teachers.
Some complaints every year. Cliche.
You are repeating your complaints about people repeating their complants. Cliché squared.
I know you are, but what am I? I’m rubber, and you’re glue… Tom, you’re a whiner.
Geez, Jenn – how do I top THAT?!?
GOD DAMN! I’ll settle this…
Shamrock you’re a anoying hate-filled troll.
TorontoTom you’re confusing and annoying.
Jennifer, who cares? Let them have their fun.
Dave you are seriously HOT!
Damn, isn’t he? Really, Dave, every time I see you I wish I could get you up against a wall and kiss you madly.
I loved them! granted I agree there were some parts that were a little slow, and it lacked a lot of the great things from the show last year.
Two things I did like Steve and Alec, who were great, and the best origional score. When I hear that Sytycd dancers were going to be on the show, I was a little irritated because I thought it would bring the show down a notch, but I liked how we got to hear the scores again at length
I liked that we got to hear the scores at length, but I thought the dancing was extremely awkward (even though the dancers were very talented).
Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur aren’t included in the In Memoriam for not being movie stars but Miley Cyrus is asked to appear?
I think maybe Farrah and Bea are seen more as television (or in Bea’s case – stage) stars than movie stars and that is why they weren’t included. I still can’t get over how many people fail to take a step backwards and look at it from that point of view. No one was dissed here…
As for Miley, it might have been an effort to draw in younger viewers. (see Efron, Stewart & Lautner).
yet they recognized michael jackson…??
Miley, Kristen, some of the other “young” stars need someone to correct their attrocious posture!
Yes, they don’t know how to stand up straight! If anything, though, it does show that these girls can be just as self-conscious as regular girls. Clearly, they are not completely comfortable in their own skin (and height).
That really bothered me too! Especially Miley – stand up straight girl!
It’s nice to not read complaints that “Avatar” didn’t win. Artistically, it just couldn’t compete with “The Hurt Locker”. This does not mean people couldn’t enjoy the movie, it just lacked the merit to win the awards.
Avatar got screwed, and the Academy raised a middle finger to America, to the world by their choice of Best Picture. Bottom line.
Oh, please, AVATAR was just “The Matrix” meet “Dances with Wolves.” A technical marvel, yes, but not the best film of the year. The critics and the Academy were making a statement about the importance of THE HURT LOCKER’s subject matter. The fact that THE HURT LOCKER bombed at the box-office is not surprising, given that the public tunes out anything related to Iraq (including much of the news on a daily basis), which is why every Iraq war movie has bombed. I think the six Oscars for THE HURT LOCKER is a clear example of the influence of the critics and their awards.
And I raise a middle finger to you who apparently wouldn’t know a good movie if it spanked you on the ass. Avatar blew and didn’t even deserve to be nominated.
You don’t win Oscars because your subject matter is important. That is a completely arbitrary criterion. The Hurt Locker was a mediocre film and every bit as much of a retread of timeless themes as Avatar was.
If The Hurt Locker were directed by a man, it wouldn’t have won anything. This is on par with Annie Hall beating Star Wars and Shakespeare In Love beating Saving Private Ryan. In the long run few will remember The Hurt Locker.
I agree with Billy – had it not been directed by a woman, the movie would have been forgotten by now. It bombed at the box office and really wasn’t all that good. Avatar’s story was too trite for it to win — the real creativity this year: Inglourious Basterds, District 9, Up, and Up in the Air were all ignored relatively speaking.
It is really amazing to me how many Avatar hater have “seen” The Hurt Locker. The thing bombed at the box office only about a 3 millions people saw it….so how did they all congregate to EW????? Its a joke I have actually seen it and it was good but NOT best picture material, I dont really know if Avatar was either be being a woman definately did give her an advantage
“If The Hurt Locker were directed by a man, it wouldn’t have won anything.”
What a truly idiotic thing to say, just incredibly stupid! Do you really want to play ‘what if’ games? If Avatar wasn’t directed by James Cameron it wouldn’t have been nominated…or, it might have won…or it might have been direct to video. The films were directed by who they were directed by, don’t be such a dumb a*s.
I’m sure James Cameron will be fine and can dry his tears with all the publicity and money he’s made on the movie.
@ Billy- My thoughts exactly.
@ hf- Don’t shoot down, Billy so quickly. The Hurt Locker could have been directed by Michael Bay. Also Avatar wouldn’t have been nominated for Best Picture if it wasn’t directed by James Cameron is right- only a visionary like him could have made something so awesome.
P.S. Seriously though, I think that Billy might not be right about the woman thing (I haven’t seen the Hurt Locker so I can’t really judge- it’s at the top of my Netflix queue though!), I do believe that there were some votes that were definitely because she was a woman (just look at Barbara’s presentation), but from what it looks like she was worthy of her award and the film’s Best Picture win. I just feel that Avatar deserved it.
I don’t get this line of thinking. Since when do people think the oscars are about what THEY want to win, America, the masses, whoever? The last time I checked, there were only 6,000 some memebers of the Academy and they are in the industry and THEY vote. It’s not a popular contests. It’s always been selective. The Oscars are not about what movie the American people think is best–never has been. It is a peer voted award. Now you may disagree with the choice and that’s fine, but this notion that somehow the American people have any right to the award or to say who wins it is ridiculous.
Hurt Locker didn’t even deserve the nominations it got. It was “average” at best. The academy had the opportunity to make history and give the director award to a woman (even though she didn’t deserve it), and dis the man they all hate (Cameron) by giving the award to a WOMAN who just happens to be Cameron’s ex-wife. It was a set up from the beginning. Too bad too, as there were other more deserving films nominated.
Exactly. This was just about punishing Cameron and Fox by using his ex-wife. Avatar will be remembered in 100 years. WHAT Locker???
Agree with Billy 100%. I think the Hurt Locker is a damn good movie, but was massively overrated by critics and media alike in a snowball effect kind of way. Inglorious Basterds would have been my pick for Best Picture.
I was glad Avatar didn’t win, but as others have pointed out, best Picture noms like District 9, Inglorious Basterds, and Up in The Air were better, more original films. I do wish, that since Kathyrn Bigelow won Best Director, that one of these other movies had won Best Picture.
Also, I was confused by Avatar winning for art direction and cinematography. It was all CGI, so I felt a film with real actors and sets should have won.
Art direction can be with CGI, and and a decent amount of scenes were actually filmed not on a green screen. That being said, alot of movies use that.
Mo’Nique’s Acceptance Speech really irked me… Because if that woman got the money that she was asking for, she would’ve been playing the game like the rest of them… Like they say money talks….. And lets give a shout out to my BET Show and not talk about anyone I shared the screen with.. Really Mo’nique? It could be just me, but I was really disappointed with the way she accepted this award…
That’s just you. She won every single award for best supporting role lately and she thank the cast and director several times.
“thanked”, sorry
Didn’t the producers instruct the people that they wanted them to limit what they said, and name all of the people on their “Thank You Cam” backstage? I
She should be trying to help the film and do the PR “political” interviews. She didn’t put up the money for the film, so what does she care? so selfish
I agree! And Im a black man!
That opening had to be the worst I have seen in my life and I have been watching the academy awards for almost 30 years…. I love Steve Martin but last night the two of them had me groaning from the first sentence and that dance sequence was horrendous…..
Monique’s speech was hypocritical. She promoted herself as much as Sandra and Jeff did. Christoph did not. His TRULY was the performance, and not promotion.
Karger sounds disappointed that Avatar lost. No way in ___ should it had even had a chance. The irony is, it would have been an upset either way (Oh my gosh, Avatar beat Academy darling The Hurt Locker!)
Anyway, I’m thrilled Precious won adapted screenplay, and even more thrilled that Up in the Air went home with nothing (that movie bored me) but overall, a predictable night through and through, and I can’t fully agree that it was a good show.
But Dave’s Oscar Watches are always a pleasure.
Thank you, and see you next season!
Mo’nique is getting criticized since she isn’t an ‘insider’, ‘A-Lister’, and ‘hip with the latte swilling yuppies’
I still think it blows that Sandra won. She’s not the first to win best actress who did not deserve it, and I’m sure she will not be the last. I am sure, that she’ll return to making movies of the “All About Steve” caliber. Hopefully, after next year when she presents the Best Actor award, she won’t grace an oscar stage ever again.
You know – the thing about her win is – it wasn’t just the Oscar that she got this year – she won pretty much all of them. I’m especially puzzled by the “she didn’t deserves” because she also won the SAG award – which is actors voting for actors. They seemed to find her performance deserving, so I have no problem with it.
I agree, znachki, if actors, directors, producers, executives, and others in the film industry thought Sandra was deserving, then she WAS deserving. Hopefully this win will open the doors to more serious, dramatic roles for Sandra.
CJ, it is apparent that you have not had the pleasure of enjoying the many entertaining movies that Sandra has made. Your comments were juvenile and totally bias. Sandra will be around making quality movies that are enjoyable while you sit at your keyboard living out your boring life!
I’ll take a minute to agree with CJ…
I think her performance was great only in the context of the rest of her career. Had someone who is frequently nominated (maybe Kate Winslet) turned in the same performance – no nomination. And yeah – I don’t really expect her to shy away from lighter fair in favor of more challenging/interesting work in the future.