Oscars 2009 - the final awards

So, my power cut out there just as we were getting to the last awards...

Best Foreign Language film was, by all accounts, a surprise winner! The Baader Meinhof Complex? No! The Class? No! Revanche? No! Waltz with Bashir? No! No the winner was an excellent looking Japanese film called Departures. The director was charming but absolutely struggling for English so just charmed and winked and waved Oscar with his colleagues. All very lovely...

And now, if I recall the order correctly, the footage of those Hollywood greats who have passed away this year. Queen Latifah sings "I'll be thinking of you..." very beautifully, live, over a mildly stomach churning (only because of the editing) ever moving collage of clips. Mostly we knew about these people but seeing them in one huge clipreel is always very sad and there's always one or two you didn't hear about. Various sharp intakes of breath ensure. We close on Paul Newman with Heath Ledger not having featured. Having said which the Best Actor award was a whole personal tribute. But gosh. Does that mean they know what's going to happen before the envelopes are opened? Or maybe there was always a plan for the Ledger family to do a wee piece anyway regardless of whether Heath won or not. But of course he did so... Anyway...

Next up. Directing. Presented by Reece Witherspoon. OK.. Noms are a lot of by now familiar films: Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionnaire. And...

WINNER: Slumdog Millionnaire!

Yay! Danny Boyle has won me round with the Tigger bounce he apparentlty always promised to do should be ever win an Oscar. Too cute as is his speech. The movie isn't the best ever but in this category it's a more than fair choice.

Actress in a Leading Role. The ghost are back so lets analyse the pairings: Shirley Maclaine = Anne Hathaway - clearly a guarantee of low valued but much loved parts for many a decade me thinks. The wee pep talk is all about how it's Anne's first nomination but surely will not be her last (I happen to concur) which sounds a lot like "not this time kid, sorry"; Nicole Kidman=Angelina Jolie - Nicole did a good job but it's a weird pair, almost like "well you two are both better known for who you sleep with than what you do" or something. But we know Angelina (or indeed Brangelina) is not going to win this time frankly; Halle Berre=Melissa Leo - black is different but hot and black is so less Hollywood outcast than over 50 that Melissa Leo should be feeling the big big breaking the mould love here; Sophia Loren = Meryl Streep - much hilariousness indeed here. Sophia barely got Meryl's name right and was wearing insane yellow frilly frockage straight out of Pricilla Queen of the Desert, indeed the big hair, red muscley neck and all those frills made her look scarily drag; Marion Cotillard=Kate Winslet - I think this is the official bestowing of Euro class on Kate's Reader accent. Marion genuinely seems terribly excited by Kate's performance, maybe she's seen the results?1

WINNER: Kate Winslet.

But then we knew that going into this evening didn't we? Kate seems to have known but nonethless does a charming british gaffathon telling Meryl that everyone in the category was just amazed to be let in by Meryl and that Meryl should just suck up that joke. You know 15 noms is a recipe for love-in bullying at these things. Kate almost has a nervous breakdown here but then flips into alarming efficiency and name dropping. Watch out for her speech on YouTube too. Not only does her speech include a few great gaffs but she gives her statuette a hand-job throughout. She also provided the most spontaneous moment of the entire night though much be her requesting her dad whistle to make himself known and him whistling incredibly loudly back. Genius.


Actor in a Leading Role. And again with the spiritual 12 step love partnering. Adrian Brody=Richard Jenkins - is this something about character actors or just lanky lads? Either way Richard gets his moment on screen and I wish he could win for The Visitor even though I feel sure he won't... ; Michel Douglas = Frank Langella - Micheal's getting younger dammit! He gives great speech at this stage though so Frank looks very pleased with his lot. Robert De Niro = Sean Penn - cue a lot of weird stuff about both Penn's acting and his humanitarian work. Plus some good jokes about Penn's temper. Mutterings run round the room though about the comparative homophobia levels of De Niro and Penn. We don't think either has a perfect reputation and it troubles us; Anthony Hopkins = Brad Pitt - Anthony has gone all extra Welsh and is chatting away to Brad like a man who's been at the free bar. Memories of that weird film they were in together are not helping me like the pairing; Finally Sir Ben Kingsley=Mickey Rourke - a lovely pep talk to officially welcome Rourke back into the arms of Hollywood, the crowd love it.

WINNER: Sean Penn.

And so to an acceptance speech that I love on every level but also get irritated by on every level. Sean is fabulous on shouting out that the Academy are "Commy Homo-loving Sons of Guns". I think we shall take that as a compliment for that. Sean effectively donates his speech to Prop 8. He tells people that when you see the banners of hatred they saw today (something whitewashed from all my coverage) on the way into the theatre you know that people will and should be ashamed for voting against gay marriage and that everyone should have equal rights. Indeed his speech is the gayest thing you will ever see at Oscars and, unlike the fabulous Milk screenwriter confessional number earlier, will be very very hard to cut down to edit out the politics. My money is that the cut will be "I know I make it hard for you to appreciate me sometimes". Anyway I guess Go Sean. It was a good performance. I would just so much would have preferred to see Mickey Rourke win (and cry about his pooch as a speech) or, even better, Richard Jenkins. Penn is a fair choice though. Would be nice to see a gay actor talking against Prop 8 and playing a gay icon though...

Best Picture. Stephen Spielberg entered the stage in show off moving video panel fashion... Ladies and Gentlemen it's the top award! In the running are: Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader; Slumdog Millionnaire. Much as I like a good clip show these look unnervingly like the long length trailers. It's an odd thing to watch at home, how much odder in a theatre eh?

WINNER: Slumdog Millonnaire!

So at first I was not for this but now I am swept up in the fun and the dream. And I love that there is now a 98% Indian stage invasion of excitable folks who are going to have a really really weird week! Hollywood looks simultaneously delighted but also a bit alarmed. After all the money from Slumdog is British and from TV licensing. It's low budget and independent(ish) and it's made back loads of cash despite it's lead actor only being known previously as a troubled teen in a late night drama (Skins). It is quite the coup.

The night closes out with Hugh Jackman introducing, of all things, 2009 previews. Not just any previews mind, no trailers for Angels and Demons and Ice Age 4 and Terminator, er, 4? 5? and Night at the Museum 2 and such...basically previews of dire films which will not be featuring at next year's award ceremonies except, maybe, for makeup or animation. If they're lucky. What an odd way to end. Oh except that they end with the rules which are fullsome and lovely big print...

All in all a fabulous Oscars night in terms of awards - I would have picked some differently but am not outraged at any of the selections and think that most were the right choice. The stagey thing was sort of good but also not perfect at all times. The "return of the musical" number just wasn't up to the job musically and Hugh Jackman may have a lot of charisma but not enough to extend to all his co-stars and hoards of dancers for that sequencer. The international note of the night was interesting too. Japanese film makers, Penelope with her excellent English but picking up a bilingual Oscar really, the many wonderful Indian stars and crew of Slumdog. The contrast between interesting humble international winners and comedy/TV orientated industrytastic hosts could not have been more stark. Nor could the crucial difference between British and US filmmakers: Breasts. The brits (even Kate Winslet) have them. The Hollywood types just seem to consider them optional when tiny gowns are at stake. I"ll stick with the down to earth poorly paid properly curvy folks any day I think!

For me personally I had an awesome night of friends and snacks and co-vlogging the frockage. Neil was an awesome host and the red carpet cake, the waffles and bacon, the home baking and sweeties and such were all fabulous! And now, at about the time my alarm normally goes off, I am off to my bed...

Happy Oscars 2009 all!