Let’s go ahead and get the elephant out of the room. Bea Arthur and Farrah Fawcett should have been included in your tribute montage, Academy, and you know it. Both ladies were better known for their TV work, sure, but Fawcett earned both Golden Globe and Independent Spirit awards for her film work, and Arthur should be included for her performance in “Mame” alone. They’re Hollywood icons! Apologize, people. Acting like you left them out on purpose makes you look way worse than just admitting you forgot.
Other than that, there was a little bit of fabulous and a lot of crappy happening at the 82nd Oscars. Here’s a list of things that were awesome about this Sunday’s Academy Awards:
1. Neil Patrick Harris2. Sandra Bullock’s gown3. Mo’Nique winning Best Supporting Actress after refusing to play the schmoozy games that are so often necessary to win an Oscar. That lady should teach a class on acceptance speeches. Costume design winner Sandy Powell can be a guest lecturer.4. The John Hughes tribute. I need all his movies on DVD. Now. 5. “Up” winning Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score, and writer/director Pete Docter wearing the Ellie badge on his tux.6. Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. quipping about the actor/writer relationship.7. Jeff Bridges, Gabourey Sidibe and Meryl Streep. Being fabulous will never go out of style.
And here are the things that were not awesome:
1. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin’s hosting skills. The jokes were tired and bland, and I was très disappointed. Did Jay Leno write their jokes for them?2. Penelope Cruz getting a long shot showcasing her gown before Vera Farmiga. Their gowns were so similar, but Farmiga’s was far more amazing.3. No one wears necklaces anymore? Boo on that. Give me a necklace over some earrings any day.4. Miley Cyrus.5. Molly Ringwald’s (Botoxed, perhaps?) terrified/angry expression while introducing the John Hughes tribute.6. Ben Stiller’s “Avatar” gag. Creepy, but not funny.7. Documentary director Roger Ross Williams getting Kanye-d by his estranged producer, Elinor Burkett.8. The “hey, we like horror movies, too!” montage. It was condescending, irrelevant and took some pretty big liberties with the definition of a “horror” film.9. The dance montage to the themes from each of the best picture nominees. Break dancing is cool, but it’s not appropriate for most of those musical selections – at least not the way it was choreographed. Where are “So You Think You Can Dance’s” NappyTabs when we need them?
As for the other elephant in the room, I have mixed feelings about “The Hurt Locker” winning Best Picture and otherwise sweeping the awards. I know I said in my last column I’d be happy to see it win Best Picture but I feel a little differently now that it has. Perhaps I’d feel less ambivalent about it if it hadn’t won so many other awards – “The Hurt Locker” was good but not six Oscars good.
But my feminist parts couldn’t help but tingle at the sight of Kathryn Bigelow, shaking, breathless, gripping an Oscar in each hand. It may have taken an incredibly testosterone-y film and a lot of politickin’, but a woman finally won Best Director.
And that kind of made this year’s Academy Awards worth my three and a half hours.
Sara Boyd is a 23-year-old general studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_sboyd.
Contact Sara Boyd at [email protected]