And the Oscar Goes To…The ACTUAL Oscars

That’s right. This year, if I had to give an Oscar for any performance, it would be the one I saw last night. For the first time in a long time, I don’t think I ever looked at the clock to see how long the show dragged on. After last year’s show, which drew the lowest ratings ever for the Oscars, the producers and staff came up with some great ideas from the minute the curtain went up showcasing the crystal arch on stage, to the minute the 2009 movie previews rolled with the credits.

Now I know I was critical of Hugh Jackman in my last post and mentioned Billy Crystal would have been better, Jackman did take a page out of his book by performing some musical acts. But what else would you expect from The Boy From Oz? He wasn’t as funny as Crystal, and without making jokes throughout the show, you almost forget he was there, but not a bad job by Hugh, not at all.

And the Oscars certainly had some creative ideas for the show. First of all, letting five of the past winners of each respective category announce each nominee gave each performer their due in a unique way. I have to admit, it was touching to witness stars like Sophia Loren speaking directly to Meryl Streep and seeing her reaction.

The only nail-biting moment came from Michael Douglas when he announced the winner of Best Actor—Sean Penn. I was hopeful Mickey Rourke would walk home with the Oscar, but he looked too cool to care anyway.

But the Oscars even found ways to make the less interesting categories relevant, by grouping them together and letting one presenter handle the duties. When you combine costume, makeup and visual effects into one related segment, I now see their importance to the movie-making process.

While there wasn’t much excitement on the red carpet (was I the only one hoping that Jen and Angelina would bump elbows?) the Oscars, overall, were an incredibly entertaining show! See below for some highlights!

-Hugh Jackman’s one funny joke of the night:

Jackman to Meryl Streep:

“Fifteen nominations, Meryl. You know, with numbers like that, that can mean only one thing: STEROIDS.”

-Ben Stiller doing his best Joaquin Phoenix impression. I just about died when he wandered off to watch the television behind him.

-The cut to Brangelina while Jennifer Aniston was presenting. How awkward could that have been for Jen!

-James Franco watching his character in the movie Milk, while playing his character in the Pineapple Express skit.

-Slumdog Millionaire’s musical performances, which gave me the chills to see how one culture could impact the Oscars so much.