Oscars 2013

[Lzcutter]

This was the first time in the last four years that MrCutter and I had the opportunity to see the majority of Oscar nominees. And since we saw it in early October we have been on Team Argo so we were very happy campers tonight.

As for the Oscar telecast, we were both very happy with Seth McFarlane! We had no idea that the guy had such a good singing voice! And Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron channeling their inner Fred and Ginger along with Seth, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe doing a little soft shoe, we were in.

The opening with William Shatner went a tad long but overall, McFarlane kept the show moving. Not his fault that it slowed down in the middle. Shirley Bassey and Adele were great as were the cast from Les Miz.

But the salute to modern musicals could have been done in a montage instead of two musical numbers, no offense to Catherine Zeta Jones and Jennifer Hudson who both looked fantastic.

The In Memoriam piece was very good for the first time in about five years though how you leave Andy Griffith out is beyond me. And I think having Streisand salute Marvin Hamlisch prior to the montage would have been better than afterwards but that's probably nitpicking.

Having the orchestra in a studio at iconic Capitol Records (about a quarter mile from the Dolby Theater) was sheer genius and made them sound so much better. Great music cues especially using the theme from Jaws as the music to play off long winded speech makers. Only eye opening moment, playing Tara's Theme when they thought Quentin Tarantino was done talking after accepting the award for Best Original Screenplay for Django Unchained.

Loved Shirley Bassey and Adele singing songs from James Bond films. Wish they could have gotten all the Bond actors on stage but, alas it was not to be.

Does Renee Zwelliger need glasses? Because she seemed unable to read either cue cards or envelopes.

Loved Meryl Streep giving Daniel Day Lewis a few extra seconds for his speech by opening the envelope off camera. Are you going to accuse Meryl Streep of not reading the correct winner? I thought not.

And who knew that Daniel Day Lewis had such a sense of humor! "Stay alive, I will find you!"

And major props to George Clooney! First he does a masterful job of introducing the In Memoriam and then gives all the speech time to partner Grant Heslov and more importantly, Ben Affleck when Argo won Best Picture.

And Ben Affleck's acceptance speech, just truly made of love! "Never hold grudges", thanking wife Jennifer Gardner and talking about it's not what you do when you're down but what you do with the second chance.

I loved the nominees, the winners and hope Seth McFarlane and the producers get asked back next year.

Here's hoping.......

[charliechaplinfan]

Daniel Day Lewis his 3rd Oscar, it's difficult to get past that one on our news round up, although they did manage to name other winners, Adele first of course. 3 Best Actor Oscars, that's quite an achievement , one more than Spencer Tracy. My thought automatically went this way, is he really the best actor that has ever graced the screen or does he not have as much competition as our beloved classic stars? I don't know the answer as many of my favourites never won.

I couldn't get excited about the Oscars this year, last year I was 100% behind The Artist, this year I seem to know little about some of the films. I'm delighted for Daniel Day Lewis and fellow winners.

Did someone say William Shatner. I love William Shatner, it might not be cool to admit to that but I do.

[feaito]

I watched the whole show and enjoyed most of it, but the "boobs" song was beyond tasteless and it turned me off completely...I am not prude at all, but I felt very uncomfortable during its whole duration.

As I wrote somewhere else, the class acts were Shirley Bassey, Jennifer Lawrence, Barbra Streisand, Halle Berry, Charlize dancing with Channing Tatum...I liked the homage paid to musicals. I felt that besides Andy Griffith some other people were left out of In Memoriam.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

i was miffed about the exclusion of Ann Rutherford, Andy Griffith, Alex Karras, Harry Carey, Jr., and Larry Hagman, myself.
Couldn't they have taken a peek at the TCM Remembers 2012, just for a quick reference?

[RedRiver]

I only caught the last few minutes. It looked like a good show, with McFarlane exercising surprising good taste! I wish I'd seen the 007 tribute. I forgot about that. I haven't seen the Tarantino film, but famous people always win for writing. Anytime an actor, a notorious director, a Woody Allen is up for Best Screenplay, you can bet they'll take home the trophy. I'm not suggesting Tarantino didn't deserve the win. But it was predictable.

[mrsl]

.

I liked Seth MacFarlane also and especially his "needs no introduction" of Meryl Streep. That was funny. I enjoyed most of his material, but now and then he hit on something that seemed offensive.

I knew Charlize Theron planned on being a dancer all her life, but this was the first time I ever saw her actually dancing - how graceful she is for her height, I still think she is one of the best of the younger set.

SueSue:

I couldn't believe the exclusions either! I came to my computer and pulled up TCM, but I couldn't find their memoriam to check my memory but I was sure they had left Dobey and others out and especially Ann Rutherford -- wasn't she the last surviving member of the cast of GWTW? it seems to me that would be a point of interest to everyone.

I love the trend back to the old floor length hoop skirted gowns. To me they are so much more attractive and feminine looking than the slip dresses of the last few years. Was my TV distorted or was something wrong with Jack Nicholson's tux? It looked like the jacket was too big, it sagged at the lapels, the pants looked like pajama bottoms, and he walked like he was out of it or something. Am I too critical? But he was the only man who looked like he was going to a ball game instead of a formal occasion.

Two more points: I don't think that little girl should have been put in direct competition with the adult women for best actress. Why was she not given a special Oscar like Patty Duke was, and a couple of other young actors. All the hype and excitement of going to such a tremendous event, plus having a gown made and hair and makeup is enough to thrill a child, and nine years old is so young to be expected to be able to handle a loss after such a wild couple of weeks of preparation.

Finally: I'm going to anger some folks here, I know it, but I will never agree that Jennifer Hudson is on an equal par with the likes of Adele, Dame Shirley Bassey, and Barbra Streisand. Listen to them actually SINGING a song, - the words just flow even with a difficult number like Goldfinger, and Barbra, although she can't do those impossible notes she used to, still made The Way We Were sound almost like the first time we've heard it. Jennifer just yells loudly albeit on key, but doesn't offer any sense of musical flow or feeling. I've said this before and a few people called me down for it, but her type of singing just does not do it for me, but she isn't the only one, Mariah Carey does the same thing among others.
.

[movieman1957]

Anne:

I'm with you about Hudson. All I heard was yelling. Didn't even bother to listen to all of her song.

Red:

Unless they did some more somewhere else the Bond tribute was no big deal. Halle Berry came out and did a little intro and then there was a film clip montage to some of the Bond songs and Shirley Bassey came out and sang "Goldfinger." (Very well I thought.) And then it was over.

[knitwit45]

Along with the ratings of the fashions, Ms.Lawrence's stumble and graceful recovery, the web has been discussing the poor showing for a celebration of Bond, James Bond. Apparently, Connery and Brosnan had previously declined to appear, and this year was just about the music, and very little of that.

[feaito]

Anne:

I'm with you about Hudson. All I heard was yelling. Didn't even bother to listen to all of her song.

I was quite amazed that she received a standing ovation...Perhaps audiences like that kind of singing, similar to Mariah Carey's like Anne said, where the "vocalizing", to put it in a way, is very apparent....

[mrsl]

.
If you think about all the greats that went before, (not all the non-operatic ones like Julie Andrews, Kathryn Grayson, and Jeannette MacDonald,) but the ones like Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney, Billie Holiday and Dinah Shore, never had the need to contort the notes to make a sensation. I know I'm critical but Hudson's sort of singing, Mariah and Whitney Huston are all hard on the ears, I guess I'm just getting too old. I think I made the first distinction when I heard Whitney singing I Will Always Love You. Dolly sounds sweet, loving from the heart, and heartfelt, but Whitney sounds like she's trying to convince the guy to feel the same way. But then again, Dolly wrote it so she knew what it was supposed to be saying and how it should have been said.

If they hadn't announced that it was to be a night of celebration of 50 years of Bond, I never would have guessed it was. Since Connery and Bronson failed to appear willingly, they should have left it at music alone, but most of the music is very similar. Actually, they probably should have dropped the whole idea when those two refused to comply.

I think it's pretty petty of the way some people are raking MIchelle Obama over the coals about appearing. Presidents and their wives have been appearing since Harry Truman's daughter Margaret played the piano during one telecast, and this is the technical/digital age, why shouldn't the Presidential family join in?
.

[ChiO]

I blame Sam Cooke.

He took his incredible and beautiful melismatic style to a hugh cross-over success. Nearly every Soul singer thereafter expanded upon it and often to great effect (e.g., Otis Redding, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass). But eventually, as with all good things, it morphed into an affectation in all sorts of music.

Carey, Houston, Hudson, et al. have marvelous pipes, but I, too, do not care for how they use them. Hudson singing "Let's Stay Together" at the Inaugural Ball? Oh, Rev. Al, where were you when we needed you?

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Along with the ratings of the fashions, Ms.Lawrence's stumble and graceful recovery, the web has been discussing the poor showing for a celebration of Bond, James Bond. Apparently, Connery and Brosnan had previously declined to appear, and this year was just about the music, and very little of that.

Kees Van Dijkhuizen, Jr., was disappointed in the Oscars show Bond retrospect. So
for anyone disappointed in the 50 Years of Bond segment, here is one that might suffice in its thorough approach:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/201 ... video.html

[CineMaven]

SueSue, I saw that video montage. It gave me chills. It made me cry. It showed the essence of the man that is James Bond. Yeah...it's what it SHOULD have been. There's so much talent out there that's NOT in the industry. If only they'd tap into that instead of putting on these overblown cartoons of ceremony. Oh I'll continue to watch it. But I acknowledge that it is a trainwreck. Thanxx for posting that. I was just about to. Like minds, though I'll never be as learned as you. I've been down in the dumps. THIS video made my spirits soar. I'm okay again thanxx to it.