It needs to be said: the Oscars were bad.
I have yet to read any reviews or criticisms about the show but I have never been more bored with an award show in ages.
First, the hosts were painfully boring. The entire opening act went far too long and left me confused rather than entertained. Both Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were clearly attempting some sort of monotone comedy which fell completely flat. There was not a single joke in the opening that actually brought about laughter. Even the actors who were poked fun at seemed unamused and those who didn’t were obviously…well, acting. Furthermore, the vast majority of presenter speeches were just as horrid (with the exception of a few). Whoever wrote this show needs to be banned from future writing. I partially blame the writers and hugely blame the hosts. Steve Martin is not funny anymore. Alec Baldwin is at times. The two together were one hot mess. What about Tina Fey? She was in the audience. She could have done a much better job. Steve Carrell? He was there too. Both of them? Perfect! And it would have promoted their movie.
The real sad point came when the person I was watching with turned to me and said, “isn’t The Real World on or something?”. And to be honest, I would have much rather watched The Real World at least they have a housemate who makes me laugh constantly. Get him to host for Christ’s sake!
But I digress.
The show did have a few redeeming qualities…and by a few, I mean four:
1/ NPH! Okay fine, Neil Patrick Harris’ song and dance was actually horribly underwhelming. He can do better and has done better, but I’m going to blame whoever wrote that horrible song. That being said, just seeing him as the opening number made me have some high expectations for the night…which quickly were destroyed.
2/ Ben Stiller. His costume as one of the Avatar’s was absolutely perfect. His was the only presenting speech deserving laughter. Maybe he should have been the host…
3/ The dancers. Whoever had that idea needs to be promoted. It’s not often that any care is given to original score and these amazing dancers did justice to the songs unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the past. It helps that their moves were astonishing and it was difficult to look away. Props to the dancers for their beautiful choreography.
4/ Sandra Bullock. First of all, when three of your friends text you saying various forms of “yay!” you know that someone deserving finally one (or maybe you know that they appreciate your obsession for a certain amazing actress…but that’s neither here nor there). I admit to not actually having seen The Blind Side but I’ve nothing but good things to say about Sandra’s acting since Miss Congeniality (which really should have earned her an Oscar if silly comedies were ever recognized…and yes I really do believe that). It wasn’t just Sandra’s win that made the night worth watching but her acceptance speech. She made us laugh…she made us cry…and more importantly she wasn’t cut off! Sandra’s speech was one of the best I’ve ever seen if not the best and this is coming right off of last year’s incredibly adorable speech by Kate Winslet. Her speech didn’t surprise me and if anyone caught Barbara Walter’s final Oscar interview with Sandra, you wouldn’t have been surprised either. That girl has a great sense of humor and knows how to work the crowd. Special shot out to Maryl, her lover. Best moment ever.