1. The Show - While I usually write up a post on the Oscar nominations, it's been years since I've written about the actual show (I prefer the GGs, as a show, even though their nominations are always wild. The show is usually the more entertaining of the awards shows). But this year, the Oscar presentation was WILD. Some of it was great, some of it was a huge disaster. All of it made for some much needed entertainment. First, this was certainly not the year to try out a "no host" event. I don't feel like it ever works. You need someone to move the show along and comment on how the show is going. Second, I LOVED the whole vibe. It felt so much more intimate and accessible. It's annoying that something like a worldwide pandemic finally caused the producers to think outside the box, but maybe this will finally stir things up a bit. However, can we talk about how insane the covid rules are?? Masks off while the cameras are rolling and on otherwise? Do they think covid is camera shy? If everyone has been vaccinated and tested, then just keep the masks off. Taking them on and off again is absolutely pointless. Third, not showing clips is a huge mistake - I stopped paying attention to the presenters because their speeches about the nominees was so awkward and inauthentic. Fourth, the switching of the category announcements is such an embarrassing debacle. It's assumed that they were trying to give Chadwick a big "moment", and it didn't work out how they expected, but why exactly would they want to end the show that way anyway??? Especially this year, when so many people lost loved ones, wouldn't they want to end on a more uplifting moment? It seemed like they were trying to keep things light - especially since the In Memoriam was the fastest it's ever been. And last, I love Questlove and I thought he did a great job as the DJ. I know a lot of people didn't like the trivia game, but I thought it was at least trying to be fun. I wish the show had more of these moments because that's what people remember. Glenn Close doing the Da Butt dance will go down as one of those memorable Oscar moments that people will still talk about decades from now. I'm concerned that people were surprised to learn this morning that it was scripted. SHE HAD A MICROPHONE IN HER HAND. And it was obvious that it was a skit. People are mind-blowingly dumb sometimes. And the actual funny part was how hard Daniel Kaluuya laughed at her, which wasn't scripted.
2. The Winners - Speaking of Daniel Kaluuya...excuse me, Academy Award Winner Daniel Kaluuya, as is how he will forever be credited, and that is awesome. I feel like there are so many great younger actors, who are consistently overlooked, and I thought that was going to be the case for him until this year. I don't even care that people are upset about the supposed category fraud. An actual great young actor won an Oscar! Let's celebrate that! I'm not mad about any of the other acting wins (I haven't seen Minari and Frances McDormand and Anthony Hopkins winning acting awards is always going to be acceptable). I've already accepted the fact that Nomadland was going to win Picture and Director, but the only award it should have won was for Cinematography so it's hilarious that Mank won (seriously, what?). My Top 10 from 2020 has changed drastically since January - I think only two movies remain from the original list - and one of them is Sound of Metal. I was really hoping for an upset with either that or Promising Young Woman (which is my favorite movie from 2020). Also, along with everyone else, I was expecting a Chadwick Boseman win, but if there was an upset, I would have been delighted for Riz Ahmed (which was my favorite performance). The Lead Actress category was the most exciting race this year - with 4 of the actresses splitting the rest of the major awards, so I was kind of hoping for Vanessa Kirby to get the last "big" one. I think the biggest "upset" for me, though, is Emma. not winning for Costume. But the worst part of the whole show was that they gave Tyler Perry a Humanitarian award. I have nothing against him, and I'm well aware of the good things that he has done for many people and for the city of Atlanta, but awarding billionaires Humanitarian awards is incredibly tone deaf. And then him talking about giving a homeless woman a pair of shoes they had lying around the production studio, as if that's impressive, is so fucking insulting. It's hard to believe that someone who CAME FROM NOTHING is that out of touch with the world, but clearly he is. He could buy that woman a house and not even notice the difference in his bank account, but instead he brags about giving her a free pair of shows. Fucking despicable. Anyway, as always, I did learn some things during this years wins: (1) Promising Young Woman was shot in a mere 23 days, which is incredible. (2) Thomas Vinterberg directed The Hunt! I should have realized that, but for some reason I didn't. Also, him talking about his daughter's death was a whole gut punch. Really makes Another Round even more emotional to think about. (3) They didn't have an Asian costume designer for Mulan? Instead, they had her spend a month in China to learn about their culture? And people wonder why inclusivity and diversity is so important?
3. The Fashion - This is going to be incredibly short, because, unfortunately I didn't like any of the dresses. Seriously, not one. I guess Margot Robbie would be my favorite one, but it's also really simple and boring. Also, I love the dress Zendaya was wearing, but not for the occasion. That's something you wear at, like, a beach wedding. I did appreciate the color because aside from her, it was just a sea of red, gold and white blah. The good news is that there weren't really any worst dressed either. I feel like everyone played it pretty safe, which, to me, is always boring.
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