I'm not ashamed to say I love watching the Academy Awards. I love watching because I love movies, and although it's beyond hokey, I love watching dreams come true. A big collective dream is about to come true tomorrow night, when Kathryn Bigelow breaks through Hollywood's super-thick glass ceiling and takes home the first Oscar for Best Director ever awarded to a woman. You bet I'll be tuning in for that.
I'm a connoisseur of Oscar acceptance speeches. Penelope Cruz was my fave last year. So genuine, unrehearsed and charming. I like what Whoopi had to say when she won for Ghost, that bit about being from the projects. Good stuff. I mean, we want the fantasy, you know? The one we can easily insert ourselves into--projects, trailer park, lost in the suburbs--not an homage to nepotism, or yet another Yale graduate. And I like funny and smart acceptance speeches, like those given by the Coen brothers and Jack Nicholson. The best Oscar speech of all time is Cuba's, for sure. It's everybody's favorite for a reason--he wasn't afraid to show his genuine excitement. He wasn't too cool for Oscar.
I'm not too cool for Oscar, either. I'll be curled up in my favorite PJ's, watching dozens of lifelong dreams come true, watching speeches rehearsed in bathtubs, inserting myself right into the fantasy. Plus, my girl gives me an Oscar party (for one) every year, complete with treats and champagne. (We used to have guests, but I don't like talking during the Awards, so I stopped inviting people.)
Here are my predictions for the main honors:
Best picture: The Hurt Locker
Best director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Best adapted screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up In The Air
Best actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best supporting actress: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Okay, now my predictions are pretty much the same as all of the critics, bloggers and insiders who write about this stuff, so I'm really not going out on a limb. If I could vote, would I vote in alignment with my predictions? Nope. I'd give the Best Picture award to Inglourious Basterds and I'd give the Best Actress award to Gabourey Sidibe for her lead role in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.
Haven't seen a blogger predict who will give the best Oscar speech yet, so I'll throw my hat in and say Sandra Bullock will give us a great speech. She's got her priorities straight and she knows who she is, so she'll be witty, genuine and to the point. Thanks in advance, Sandy.
Who's watching tomorrow night?
3 comments:
I suppose watching movies is a prerequisite to having any idea about this Oscar stuff. Count me out.
I watched and thought the best acceptance speech was the very first one, when Christoph Waltz told a story about all the important people who came together to make this happen. It was a way of mentioning everyone without sounding like he was reading off a list. I thought it was very classy, and a beautiful way to open the show. Good blog, and isn't it interesting how much better the party gets when you don't invite anyone?
I don't know--I would have liked to have you at the party. But yes, on the whole I prefer to go solo for Oscar night. Jams, champagne, diet root beer and snacks.
I missed Christoph Waltz, because like millions of New Yorkers, I lost my ABC feed due to the Cablevision/Disney dispute. They did turn it on eventually, though, so I caught most of it.
The Oscars dragged this year, and the speeches were not great. I did tear up a few times--when Jeff Bridges held his Oscar up to the sky, when Sandra Bullock looked genuinely surprised to win, during the John Hughes tribute and when Kathryn Bigelow won not one, but TWO Oscars.
Next year will be super exciting, I predict. Lots of potentially great movies coming out this year.
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