The 96th Academy Awards

[Sarah 103]

14 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I wouldn't have minded just having the two singing as the song is lovely, but no dancing, nothing to distract from the people who had passed. 

I totally agree with you 100% on this. I think my basic rule would be the cameras are not allowed to cut away from the screen. During the In Memoriam segment, you can have singers and/or musicians but the camera needs to be focused on the screen for the entire segment so the people at home can actually see what is on the screen for the entire segment.  

[slowpoked]

13 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I totally agree with you 100% on this. I think my basic rule would be the cameras are not allowed to cut away from the screen. During the In Memoriam segment, you can have singers and/or musicians but the camera needs to be focused on the screen for the entire segment so the people at home can actually see what is on the screen for the entire segment.  

The Emmys did it wonderfully, having live singers with the segment, with some personalized touches for the bigger stars.

[Moose135]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Al Pacino.  Was he drunk?  Was it just old age? 

While watching, I was wondering if he was drunk or having a stroke.

[annzeepark914]

19 hours ago, slowpoked said:

The Holdovers isn’t a big movie like Oppenheimer and Barbie, so that’s why I feel like a clip of Da’vine’s performance would have suited her better, rather than a tribute by Lupita, to show to the casual viewer why she won over the ones in more popular movies like Emily and America.

Maybe. Maybe not.  I was surprised that Da'Vine was nominated. She did less acting than Dominic Sessa (who didn't even receive a nomination) & Giamatta. My only memory of Da'Vine is of her sobbing or being depressed. She didn't have many lines, was only in a few scenes 

[shapeshifter]

So the producers of this show are not going to win any awards.

As bad as the Memorium was on a large-screen TV, I presumed it would be clear and legible on TikTok and elsewhere later. But no, not better.
Here's ABC's YouTube release:

But the list of also-died at the end is not any more legible, because the camera never zoomed in:

So pausing and zooming in is pretty awful:

Considering that their work can still be viewed by generations to come, I don't get the lack of respect. 

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I'm glad others liked Emma's speech, but...Call me old, but if you even have a chance of winning an award, prepare something cogent and meaningful, deliver it coherently, and thank the Academy graciously. This blubbering flood of emotion just makes it even more "about you" than winning an Academy Award!

Eh, in general, sure. But if your gazillion-dollar gown has a serious wardrobe malfunction on prime time TV at the f'in' Oscars, you're entitled to make the best of it in the acceptance speech, however you see fit. IMO, she pulled it off kept it together as well as possible under the circumstances.
Plus, as others above already said, she probably did not expect to win.

[libgirl2]

34 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

So the producers of this show are not going to win any awards.

As bad as the Memorium was on a large-screen TV, I presumed it would be clear and legible on TikTok and elsewhere later. But no, not better.
Here's ABC's YouTube release:

But the list of also-died at the end is not any more legible, because the camera never zoomed in:

So pausing and zooming in is pretty awful:

Considering that their work can still be viewed by generations to come, I don't get the lack of respect. 

Oh my! I knew about Treat (how I adored him), but David McCallum? Burt Young??? I knew they passed but the should have been up there with a picture. Sinead O' Connor I would have left off though I think she did some acting at some point. Her death is better addressed at the Grammys. 

Edited March 11 by libgirl2

[Phebemarie]

58 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Maybe. Maybe not.  I was surprised that Da'Vine was nominated. She did less acting than Dominic Sessa (who didn't even receive a nomination) & Giamatta. My only memory of Da'Vine is of her sobbing or being depressed. She didn't have many lines, was only in a few scenes 

Dame Judi Dench won her Best Supporting Oscar for 5:52 minutes (four scenes) in Shakespeare in Love doing some fairly straightforward work as Queen Elizabeth.  I imagine the only acting challenge for her was wearing the heavy costumes.  I think Da’Vine’s screen time and work were more than award worthy.  
 

I agree Dominic Sessa should have gotten a nomination, too, but the Academy probably thought he’d have other chances in the years ahead.  
 

[paul4295]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I suspect he was asked as it was The Godfather II's 50th Anniversary.

Since they were reuniting castmates from classic movies, I wonder if they asked Robert DeNiro, who was also in The Godfather, Part II, to present with Al Pacino, but he refused.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Phebemarie said:

Dame Judi Dench won her Best Supporting Oscar for 5:52 minutes (four scenes) in Shakespeare in Love doing some fairly straightforward work as Queen Elizabeth.  I imagine the only acting challenge for her was wearing the heavy costumes.  I think Da’Vine’s screen time and work were more than award worthy.  

Judi Dench's Oscar is widely considered by many to have been a make up award for losing Best Actress (Mrs. Brown) to Helen Hunt the year before.  Although a veteran of British stage, I don't think Judi was that well known to worldwide audiences at the time.  She was only beginning to achieve worldwide recognition because she had appeared as M in "GoldenEye" recently.  But her movie wasn't that popular.  Helen Hunt was in a very popular movie with Jack Nicholson and was well known because of her starring role on "Mad About You".

I thought DaVine was good but I don't know if I would call it Oscar winning.  Personally I would have given the award to Emily Blunt.

3 minutes ago, paul4295 said:

Since they were reuniting castmates from classic movies, I wonder if they asked Robert DeNiro, who was also in The Godfather, Part II, to present with Al Pacino, but he refused.

Al Pacino was supposed to present with the luminous Michelle Pfeiffer.  They had touted a Scarface reunion weeks ago.  But I think she had some kind of family emergency and had to bail.

Edited March 11 by blackwing

[slowpoked]

Al Pacino states it wasn’t his intention, and decision, to omit nominees:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/al-pacino-oscars-best-picture-explained-1235849601/

 

[Spartan Girl]

Re Pacino: It was supposed to be a Scarface reunion, but Michelle Pfeiffer had to pull out at the last minute because of a family emergency. Maybe having someone else there would have helped.

[slowpoked]

Apparently there’s some minor controversy of JLaw trying to “snatch” the Oscar award from Michelle so she herself can give to Emma. 🙄

But the queen herself clarifies things;

 

 

Edited March 11 by slowpoked

[TakomaSnark]

15 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

now, if they could just crack the in memoriam…

 

Many (myself included) have said for years they need to back the money truck up to the team who does it every year for TCM. And NO LIVE PERFORMANCES to take away from the reel.

7 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Re Pacino: It was supposed to be a Scarface reunion, but Michelle Pfeiffer had to pull out at the last minute because of a family emergency. Maybe having someone else there would have helped.

Thanks for the information, I knew Michelle was on the scheduled list of presenters and expected her to be Best Picture. Was wondering what happened.

[DanaK]

Choreographer Mandy Moore talks about how the “I’m Just Ken” number came together

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/ryan-gosling-62-kens-im-just-ken-oscar-performance-1235849758/

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Judi Dench's Oscar is widely considered by many to have been a make up award for losing Best Actress (Mrs. Brown) to Helen Hunt the year before.  Although a veteran of British stage, I don't think Judi was that well known to worldwide audiences at the time.  She was only beginning to achieve worldwide recognition because she had appeared as M in "GoldenEye" recently.  But her movie wasn't that popular.  Helen Hunt was in a very popular movie with Jack Nicholson and was well known because of her starring role on "Mad About You".

I thought DaVine was good but I don't know if I would call it Oscar winning.  Personally I would have given the award to Emily Blunt.

Al Pacino was supposed to present with the luminous Michelle Pfeiffer.  They had touted a Scarface reunion weeks ago.  But I think she had some kind of family emergency and had to bail.

She was amazing in Mrs. Brown and should have won. 

[DanaK]

Viewership up over last year

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/2024-oscar-ratings-academy-awards-1235933476/

[GHScorpiosRule]

And HOLY OIRISH BROGUES, Batman! How did I NOT know that Cillian Murphy’s natural accent, err, brogue was a bootiful Oirish one?

This was me when he was making his acceptance speech last night:

[ruby24]

17 minutes ago, DanaK said:

Viewership up over last year

https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/2024-oscar-ratings-academy-awards-1235933476/

I was hoping for more, tbh. 

This was the real test of the theory that it's the movies themselves. If they can't do better than this with Barbie and Oppenheimer nominated then it won't ever happen again.

[GHScorpiosRule]

MEME! Perfecto!

Edited March 12 by GHScorpiosRule

[slowpoked]

42 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I was hoping for more, tbh. 

This was the real test of the theory that it's the movies themselves. If they can't do better than this with Barbie and Oppenheimer nominated then it won't ever happen again.

I think the landscape has changed permanently. It’s no longer the “event” that it was before, with all the other viewing options. But I hope that the producers get the right lessons from the increased viewership - that the viewers like a fast-paced, simple, run-like-a-tight-ship production with not a lot of gimmicks, and continue on this trend.

One statistic that I hope can be quantified is the international viewership. Now the Oscars has significantly increased its international membership, and international movies are getting nominated in more categories other than just the token Best Foreign Film, it will be interesting to see how much more of the world watches the Oscars than before.

Edited March 12 by slowpoked

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, paul4295 said:

Since they were reuniting castmates from classic movies, I wonder if they asked Robert DeNiro, who was also in The Godfather, Part II, to present with Al Pacino, but he refused.

There's a joke about "make him an offer he can't refuse" somewhere in this but I can't quite find it/put into words. 

[slowpoked]

Here’s an interesting article that opines on why Emma won over Lily - that Lily is really more in a supporting role whereas Emma is undoubtedly lead, and Emma pulled from the international vote.

https://www.vulture.com/article/why-emma-stone-beat-lily-gladstone-at-the-2024-oscars.html

12 hours ago, paul4295 said:

Since they were reuniting castmates from classic movies, I wonder if they asked Robert DeNiro, who was also in The Godfather, Part II, to present with Al Pacino, but he refused.

I highly doubt DeNiro was asked - he was part of a BP nominee, and although it’s not the front runner, it would have still been awkward to stand on stage with your film losing.

Unfortunate re: Michelle Pfeiffer. Two years now that we have been deprived of glorious reunions - last year we missed the Air Force One reunion, and now, Scarface. 

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

Here’s an interesting article that opines on why Emma won over Lily - that Lily is really more in a supporting role whereas Emma is undoubtedly lead, and Emma pulled from the international vote.

https://www.vulture.com/article/why-emma-stone-beat-lily-gladstone-at-the-2024-oscars.html

BULLSHIT. Anthony Hopkins had less screen time than Lily in Silence of the Lambs and he STILL won Best Actor that year!!!!!

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

BULLSHIT. Anthony Hopkins had less screen time than Lily in Silence of the Lambs and he STILL won Best Actor that year!!!!!

I always felt that his role was more supporting. 

[Milburn Stone]

IMO, the problem with singing during the memoriam is that it forces the viewer to evaluate "are these words appropriate?" in a way that an appropriate orchestral backing doesn't. Or put it this way: it increases the risk of a wrong choice considerably. 

[Cotypubby]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

BULLSHIT. Anthony Hopkins had less screen time than Lily in Silence of the Lambs and he STILL won Best Actor that year!!!!!

Anthony Hopkins winning over 30 years ago has no relevance to who won this year. The voting body is different, there are more international members, and the movies and performances are different.

Edited March 12 by Cotypubby

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Anthony Hopkins winning over 30 years ago has no relevance to who won this year.

No, but it brings up the point that roles can be subjective. Some that are nominated for supporting can seem more like a leading role and vice versa. 

[blackwing]

4 hours ago, slowpoked said:

Here’s an interesting article that opines on why Emma won over Lily - that Lily is really more in a supporting role whereas Emma is undoubtedly lead, and Emma pulled from the international vote.

https://www.vulture.com/article/why-emma-stone-beat-lily-gladstone-at-the-2024-oscars.html

I would agree with that.  I have thought that if Lily Gladstone had been submitted as Supporting, she would have been the clear winner.  Her character kind of disappears in the second half of the movie.  Emma Stone was fantastic throughout her entire movie.

Lily didn't get a BAFTA nomination which was a bad sign for how she was perceived in Britain/Europe.  She won the SAG which seemed to indicate that her fellow actors really loved her.  But the actors alone weren't enough to give her the win, so it does seem like the international vote made a difference.

Lily had a more subtle performance while Emma was more showy.  I think similar thoughts with Glenn Close losing to Olivia Colman several years ago.  Glenn was considered the sentimental favourite and was the front runner.  Her performance was very nuanced and subtle.  Olivia was a lot more showy and being British, she definitely seemed to have captured a good portion of the international vote.

[slowpoked]

35 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

No, but it brings up the point that roles can be subjective. Some that are nominated for supporting can seem more like a leading role and vice versa. 

More than the roles being subjective, it also comes down to the studio’s decision of what category to submit whom. They all want Oscar glory - the actors and studios themselves. If they feel their actor has a better chance in a certain category because of “weaker” competition despite of their actual role, they would do it. Category fraud has long been an accepted game in the Oscars. If you can manipulate it to your advantage, then so be it. Is there a solution to this? Who knows. And if there is even one, I would think there’s not much appetite to fix it.

I agree that if Lily had been submitted for the supporting category she probably would have been the runaway winner. But to the article’s point, the studio didn’t want the perception that her character, the reason why there’s even a story in the first place, is only a supporting role. And then this goes back to the criticisms of KOTFM that they centered the wrong character and chose the wrong POV in the first place.

[libgirl2]

3 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

More than the roles being subjective, it also comes down to the studio’s decision of what category to submit whom. They all want Oscar glory - the actors and studios themselves. If they feel their actor has a better chance in a certain category because of “weaker” competition despite of their actual role, they would do it. Category fraud has long been an accepted game in the Oscars. If you can manipulate it to your advantage, then so be it. Is there a solution to this? Who knows. And if there is even one, I would think there’s not much appetite to fix it.

I agree that if Lily had been submitted for the supporting category she probably would have been the runaway winner. But to the article’s point, the studio didn’t want the perception that her character, the reason why there’s even a story in the first place, is only a supporting role. And then this goes back to the criticisms of KOTFM that they centered the wrong character and chose the wrong POV in the first place.

Very good point and very true. They want the person in the best possible position to win. 

Edited March 12 by libgirl2

[blackwing]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/03/11/robert-downey-jr-emma-stone-oscars-snubs/72938001007/

Article on the alleged snubs of Robert Downey Jr. of Ke Huy Quan and Emma Stone of Michelle Yeoh.

In looking at the clip of RDJ, I definitely agree that he just grabs the Oscar from Ke without even looking at him.  He shakes the hand of Tim Robbins, fist bumps Sam Rockwell and then briefly does the "I'm cool and pointing at you" to Ke.  Yes, Downey and Quan were photographed hugging backstage, but still, it does seem like he could have at least acknowledged Ke first since he was the one actually handing him the Oscar.

As for Stone, it was nice of Michelle to post what she did, but in the clip, it definitely looks like Michelle got moved over by Emma pushing towards Jennifer.  Then Jennifer pointedly pushes the Oscar into Emma's hands.

What's telling about this to me is that the amazing Sally Field is seen  tugging on the back of Jennifer Lawrence's Laura Ashley looking dress (which, BTW seemed more appropriate for a picnic in Paris on the banks of the Seine instead of the Oscars).  I can't make out any words but Sally seemed to be saying, back off Jennifer, this is Michelle's moment, let her hand off the Oscar.  I think maybe she said "oh, come on!"   Sally Field rocks.  

I get that Emma and Jennifer are good friends but it did seem odd that Emma beelined right for Jennifer and kind of ignored Michelle.  Barely looked at Michelle.  No "thank you" or handshake or hug.  Said thank you to Jennifer and hugged her.

Edited March 12 by blackwing

[TakomaSnark]

4 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

BULLSHIT. Anthony Hopkins had less screen time than Lily in Silence of the Lambs and he STILL won Best Actor that year!!!!!

The difference, in my opinion, is that Hopkins/Lecter still felt tangible throughout almost all two hours of TSOTL, whether or not he was on screen. It's only after the fact, when one goes back and counts the literal screen time, is it an astonishing fact and accomplishment.

Lily disappears for two hours of a nearly four hour movie. And that absence was noticeable.

Edited March 12 by TakomaSnark

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, TakomaSnark said:

The difference, in my opinion, is that Hopkins/Lecter still felt tangible throughout almost all two hours of TSOTL, whether or not he was on screen. It's only after the fact, when one goes back and counts the literal screen time, is it an astonishing fact and accomplishment.

Lily disappears for two hours of a nearly four hour movie. And that absence was noticeable.

I agree. He was a HUGE part of that movie even when he wasn't there. 

[MicheleinPhilly]

28 minutes ago, blackwing said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/03/11/robert-downey-jr-emma-stone-oscars-snubs/72938001007/

Article on the alleged snubs of Robert Downey Jr. of Ke Huy Quan and Emma Stone of Michelle Yeoh.

In looking at the clip of RDJ, I definitely agree that he just grabs the Oscar from Ke without even looking at him.  He shakes the hand of Tim Robbins, fist bumps Sam Rockwell and then briefly does the "I'm cool and pointing at you" to Ke.  Yes, Downey and Quan were photographed hugging backstage, but still, it does seem like he could have at least acknowledged Ke first since he was the one actually handing him the Oscar.

As for Stone, it was nice of Michelle to post what she did, but in the clip, it definitely looks like Michelle got moved over by Emma pushing towards Jennifer.  Then Jennifer pointedly pushes the Oscar into Emma's hands.

What's telling about this to me is that the amazing Sally Field is seen  tugging on the back of Jennifer Lawrence's Laura Ashley looking dress (which, BTW seemed more appropriate for a picnic in Paris on the banks of the Seine instead of the Oscars).  I can't make out any words but Sally seemed to be saying, back off Jennifer, this is Michelle's moment, let her hand off the Oscar.  I think maybe she said "oh, come on!"   Sally Field rocks.  

I get that Emma and Jennifer are good friends but it did seem odd that Emma beelined right for Jennifer and kind of ignored Michelle.  Barely looked at Michelle.  No "thank you" or handshake or hug.  Said thank you to Jennifer and hugged her.

I didn't even notice the Emma Stone thing while I was watching (probably too sleepy at that point) but I definitely noticed the RDJ snub and was pissed. He was too preoccupied with rushing to the microphone and holding his arms in the air like he just won a damn Olympic gold medal. 🙄

Sorry, but RDJ has been rubbing me the wrong way all awards season. 

[tv echo]

Oscars Team Tells All: Getting John Cena Naked, Jimmy Kimmel’s Trump Joke and Why Al Pacino Skipped the Best Picture Nominees (EXCLUSIVE)
'Jimmy Kimmel Live' executive producer Molly McNearney and Walt Disney TV alternative head Rob Mills share the behind-the-scenes scoop on how this year's Oscars telecast went down
By Michael Schneider   Mar 11, 2024
https://variety.com/2024/tv/awards/oscars-producers-nude-john-cena-trump-tweet-1235938486/ 

Quote

Al Pacino wasn’t supposed to recap the best picture nominees before announcing the winner, so we weren’t nearly in danger of another ‘envelopegate’ as it seemed.

When Pacino came out and immediately went to open the envelope to reveal the best picture winner, viewers were concerned. But McNearney said his presentation was always supposed to be fast.

“It was a creative decision we made because we were very worried that the show was going to be long,” McNearney says. “By the time you get to the end of the show, you’ve seen all ten best picture clip packages. People just want to hear who wins, and they’re pretty ready for the show to be over. At least that’s what we anticipated. So, we did not give him a clip package. We did not give him nominations to read. I apologize if our decision to not have to read through all those nominations put him in a tough spot.”

Of course, it’s on Pacino for opening the envelope in a bit of a confusing way: “Here it comes,” he said. “And my eyes see… ‘Oppenheimer.’”
*  *  *
The “I’m Just Ken” number has actually been in the works for months.

The story behind how “I’m Just Ken” actually deserves its own piece — which you can read shortly on Variety.

“One of the privileges of this job is getting to see all the rehearsals, so I saw that number four or five times, which was incredible,” Mills says of Gosling’s barn-burning power ballad performance. “You could just see in every rehearsal and everything that this was a moment he never wanted to miss.”
*  *  *
The decision to bring back the ‘Fab Five’ concept — in which five previous winners paid tribute to this year’s five nominees in the acting categories — was a nod to a similar idea in 2009.

It was producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan who were eager to revive the format. “I was fully on board with it because I remember loving it,” McNearney says. “Our only hesitation was length and not using clips. But you also don’t want to be too clip-heavy in a show. It starts to become a little over overwhelming. We wanted them to feel personal, and we let most of those presenters write their own copy because we wanted it to feel intimate, and we wanted it to feel like a friend speaking on your behalf. I think they succeeded at that.”
*  *  *
Complaints about the ‘In Memoriam’ segment are duly noted.

After some viewers griped that they had a hard time seeing the names and photos of people who had died over the past year — particularly at the end, when a screenful of names were included at once — Mills says he took the criticism to heart.

“I have to say, maybe it wasn’t perfect, but the effort was great. And it was done beautifully,” he says. “But that feedback is totally merited. We’ll look at it, and certainly what it does tell you is how much that part of the show means to people. I think it’s important for us to listen to it. What I loved was going back to the clips with the sound ups. Hearing Ryan O’Neal say, ‘love means never having to say you’re sorry,’ and hearing Tina Turner and hearing Alan Arkin. I think that’s the superpower of the Oscars In Memoriam, and I think we’ll probably lean into that more next year.”
*  *  *
A Mel Brooks “Blazing Saddles” anniversary tribute and a “Steel Magnolias” reunion were among the ideas that ultimately didn’t make it on to the show.

Edited March 12 by tv echo

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I didn't even notice the Emma Stone thing while I was watching (probably too sleepy at that point) but I definitely noticed the RDJ snub and was pissed. He was too preoccupied with rushing to the microphone and holding his arms in the air like he just won a damn Olympic gold medal. 🙄

Sorry, but RDJ has been rubbing me the wrong way all awards season. 

Yep.  He gets the Oscar and then turns around with his hands outstretched like he is the Emperor of Rome, "I exist for you to show me how much you love me".  His demeanor reminded me so much of his character Tony Stark in one of the Iron Man movies, the scene where he is hosting a huge party at his house.

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/03/11/robert-downey-jr-emma-stone-oscars-snubs/72938001007/

 

As for Stone, it was nice of Michelle to post what she did, but in the clip, it definitely looks like Michelle got moved over by Emma pushing towards Jennifer.  Then Jennifer pointedly pushes the Oscar into Emma's hands.

What's telling about this to me is that the amazing Sally Field is seen  tugging on the back of Jennifer Lawrence's Laura Ashley looking dress (which, BTW seemed more appropriate for a picnic in Paris on the banks of the Seine instead of the Oscars).  I can't make out any words but Sally seemed to be saying, back off Jennifer, this is Michelle's moment, let her hand off the Oscar.  I think maybe she said "oh, come on!"   Sally Field rocks.  

I get that Emma and Jennifer are good friends but it did seem odd that Emma beelined right for Jennifer and kind of ignored Michelle.  Barely looked at Michelle.  No "thank you" or handshake or hug.  Said thank you to Jennifer and hugged her.

I probably would never win an Oscar in my lifetime, or even come close to it, but in Emma’s case, I can probably imagine how overwhelming the moment was. You didn’t expect to win, your brain is a fog, your dress ripped up, and all of a sudden there’s 5 people onstage trying to get a piece of you. If there’s another argument against a 5-presenter bit thing, this is it. It can be pretty overwhelming for a winner to try and greet everyone graciously and properly, especially for an award towards the end of the show where producers are most anxious for the running time. This should just have been Michelle’s moment alone to congratulate Emma. And I imagine if there’s one presenter on there, who didn’t try, or look like it, at least to congratulate the winner, there will be a different controversy. In the barrage of her emotions, Emma was probably glad to see a familiar face there.

Last year, it was already overwhelming as it is to have dual presenters onstage. And not everyone will have the quick thinking of say, a Jessica Chastain letting Halle and Michelle have their moment first, before going in. JLaw was probably so excited to get to her best friend, that it looked like she mowed through Michelle. I don’t think there’s anything malicious in it, but that will always be an issue for a multiple-presenter thing.

As for RDJ, I think of it differently because he’s been the favorite for that award all season long, and clearly he expected to win, so I can imagine he’s already had some time to think of how he’ll be onstage.

I’ll close with this - if Meryl Streep had been in RDJ’s shoes and had his issues instead, I don’t think she’ll get the kind of comeback that he did. Good for RDJ for turning his life around, but he’s lucky he’s also working in a position of privilege.

[ProudMary]

Look, I enjoy RDJ as an actor and have going all the way back to the '80s, but there was NO doubt that the man was the perfect choice to play Tony Stark because it wasn't much of a stretch for him to play!

[Spartan Girl]

I’m going to give Emma the benefit of the doubt because she was obviously overwhelmed in that moment and if Michelle thought she didn’t mean any offense, good.

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

"We wanted them to feel personal, and we let most of those presenters write their own copy because we wanted it to feel intimate, and we wanted it to feel like a friend speaking on your behalf. I think they succeeded at that..."

No problem with the concept. But the producers should have given each presenting actor the requirement that their words be no longer 60 seconds. That's actually a lot of time if you use it right.

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

“I have to say, maybe [the In Memoriam] wasn’t perfect, but the effort was great. And it was done beautifully,” he says. “But that feedback is totally merited."

Wasn't perfect? WASN'T PERFECT?!??? Obviously this guy didn't learn anything from the feedback, despite saying that he did.

[Spartan Girl]

So I rewatched Emma Stone’s acceptance again and…I don’t know, maybe Michelle was the one pushing the award to Jennifer to hand off. We can dissect and interpret it all we want, but we weren’t the ones on that stage. 

Also note that she didn’t hug any of the other presenters either, just Jennifer. But again, she was surprised and embarrassed about her dress, so let’s give her a break. We all do dumb/rude things in the heat of the moment.

[NUguy514]

I am finally caught up on this thread, and, just because it was discussed right at the end, JLaw and Emma are really good friends in real life; I imagine sharing such a moment together must be really moving.  Also, there are pictures of Emma hugging Michelle onstage (I think just after her speech).  Another very sweet moment: as Michelle was announcing the winner, she saw the name, looked and smiled at Emma (who didn't seem to realize the meaning of that look) for about 1.5 seconds, and then announced her as the winner.  People will look for anything to nitpick (not here, just in general).

I was invited to a friend's small viewing party (there would've been six of us), but I decided not to go because I get so overly invested in these goddamn awards, and it's sometimes better to hide my insanity from the world.  To wit, when Emma won, I cried a little.  She gave my favorite performance of the year, by far, and I wanted her to win so badly.  I went into it at length in my SAG Awards post.

I will say that if you follow the awards season closely, her win really isn't a surprise (even though Emma herself seemed totally stunned).  Killers of the Flower Moon wasn't winning anything all season long other than awards for Lily, and I sensed that the Academy would not go for it or for her.  I know the SAG win made everyone switch or double down on their predictions, but there really isn't much overlap between SAG and the Academy in terms of membership.  Having SAG and the Oscars overlap completely last year and the year before is actually pretty unusual, and it just seemed to me that the more international, more diverse (in terms of jobs/roles in the industry) Academy wasn't going to respond to KotFM.  That's on top of Lily not really being a lead.  All of the think pieces talking about her being the heart and soul of the movie – no, she's not a lead, and the story is not about her (to the movie's great detriment).  Scorsese did not, in fact, recenter the story around Mollie; he recentered it around the white men committing these atrocities, so Apple's campaign strategy likely really annoyed people when they watched the film and saw that the central character was Ernest, not Mollie.  Lily would've had a much better shot in Supporting Actress.  In contrast, Poor Things was being embraced outside of Emma and had won a few of the design guild awards, and it was certainly a movie that was playing well internationally.  The BAFTA snub for Lily and the BAFTA win for Emma were probably the two biggest tells leading up to Sunday because it foretold how the sizable international contingent of the Academy might break.

Also, as has been stated, the Academy isn't really interested in narratives; some people whine about Michelle's win over Cate last year, but Michelle won because her movie was the movie everyone was crazy about and because she was phenomenal in it.  She didn't win because she's Asian, although that was a very welcome side benefit; Academy voters just liked her performance more, the same way that they liked Anthony Hopkins' more than Chadwick Boseman's, Olivia Colman's more than Glenn Close's, Emma's more than Lily's, Cillian's more than Paul's, Da'Vine's more than Jodie's, etc.

It might seem minor, but if you want clues for the winners of the big awards in tight races, look to the winners of the smaller awards: when Poor Things won Makeup, which it was not necessarily expected to do (most people thought Maestro would win), I started to feel surer that Emma was going to win (the Makeup wins for The Whale and The Eyes of Tammy Faye presaged wins for Brendan Fraser and Jessica Chastain the last two years).  Also, KotFM won nothing before Best Actress, while Poor Things had amassed three wins.  Actually, when The Boy and the Heron (which I predicted) won over the heavily predicted Spider-Man, I knew the prognosticators might be wrong about Actress because that would also mirror the more international sensibilities.  (By the way, it was mentioned way upthread, but this is Miyazaki's second Oscar win after Spirited Away in 2002.)

Another fun little fact about KotFM: its runtime was actually longer than that of the entire Oscars ceremony; that's another reason why it wasn't embraced: it was too damn long!

By the way, @Laurie4H, Halle Berry was completely stunned by her win; she was interviewed afterward and said that she thought Sissy Spacek was going to win (as did most people), and that level of emotion is not something even Meryl Streep can fake.  She was genuinely overwhelmed, and understandably so.

I sincerely did not mean this to be some crazy diatribe over Best Actress, but here we are; I told you all it's better to hide my insanity!🤪

I didn't care much for Oppenheimer, but at least the Nolan fanboys can settle down.  I wouldn't have voted for either, but I can be happy for both Cillian and RDJ.  Da'Vine Joy Randolph was my second favorite win after Emma's – a beautiful performance, and I'm beyond thrilled for her.  My third favorite win was really random, but it just made me so happy: the Sound win for The Zone of Interest.  Now, I did not like that movie.  At all.  However, the sound work in it is phenomenal, and I'm so thrilled such subtle, powerful work won!  Both screenplay wins were terrific (and Cord Jefferson is dreamy).

Jimmy did a good job, the show ended blessedly early (that's the biggest shock of the night!), "I'm Just Ken" was eeeeeeeeeverything, I want that sequined pink suit (preferably with Ryan Gosling in it!), and please send naked John Cena to me posthaste – thanks much!

Edited March 13 by NUguy514

[Hedgehog2022]

I recorded the Academy Awards but only watched a about 30 minutes of it. I guess I am offically an old person now because I just can't sit through all the self serving speeches and other schtick. Also, I only saw one of the movies that were nominated. 

Just a word about this awards show...so many great films have been nominated as well as actors but never receive best picture best actor/actress. I'll never forget when Paul Newman got passed over for best actor for The Verdict and  Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi. Both were deserving but Paul Newman's performance was his swan song and was outstanding. I felt the Academy was being political for their choice...Newman was active politically and was a great champion of civil rights, women's rights and a pacifist. Kingsley was the safer choice. This has been the MO for the Academy for a long time. Generally speaking they are older more conservative members  and vote that way much of the time. I am always disappointed by the choices of the Academy and wonder why I bother to watch them or even record the show. 

Finally...there are so many awards shows that are on television leading up to the Oscars that it is almost overload...I often wonder why they need to have so many awards shows and so much self adulation. Well... the awards season is finally over and I say YAY! 

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I recorded the Academy Awards but only watched a about 30 minutes of it. I guess I am offically an old person now because I just can't sit through all the self serving speeches and other schtick. Also, I only saw one of the movies that were nominated. 

Just a word about this awards show...so many great films have been nominated as well as actors but never receive best picture best actor/actress. I'll never forget when Paul Newman got passed over for best actor for The Verdict and  Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi. Both were deserving but Paul Newman's performance was his swan song and was outstanding. I felt the Academy was being political for their choice...Newman was active politically and was a great champion of civil rights, women's rights and a pacifist. Kingsley was the safer choice. This has been the MO for the Academy for a long time. Generally speaking they are older more conservative members  and vote that way much of the time. I am always disappointed by the choices of the Academy and wonder why I bother to watch them or even record the show. 

Finally...there are so many awards shows that are on television leading up to the Oscars that it is almost overload...I often wonder why they need to have so many awards shows and so much self adulation. Well... the awards season is finally over and I say YAY! 

Aren't the Oscars the oldest out of all of them? For me, that means a lot. The history of the past winners, some wonderful, some not so wonderful. These awards just seem like they are "the big one" to win. 

Edited March 12 by libgirl2

[ProudMary]

Also, on the alleged "snubs" by Emma Stone and RDJ:  If people are going to give a pass to Emma (which I do) for heading over to her good friend Jennifer Lawrence in the heat of the moment, you'd also need to give the same pass to RDJ, because he and Sam Rockwell are also good friends IRL, and also worked together. If you read well upthread, about five of us here all posted at the same time that Justin Hammer was extolling the talents of Tony Stark/Iron Man, which made for a special moment!

[GHScorpiosRule]

37 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I'll never forget when Paul Newman got passed over for best actor for The Verdict and  Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi. Both were deserving but Paul Newman's performance was his swan song and was outstanding. I felt the Academy was being political for their choice...Newman was active politically and was a great champion of civil rights, women's rights and a pacifist. Kingsley was the safer choice.

Let me just say that I love Paul Newman. But Ben Kingsley EARNED that Oscar and deserved it. He was absolutely phenomenal and Attenborough had been working to get Gandhi made for 20 years. 

[ProudMary]

49 minutes ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

 

Just a word about this awards show...so many great films have been nominated as well as actors but never receive best picture best actor/actress. I'll never forget when Paul Newman got passed over for best actor for The Verdict and  Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi. Both were deserving but Paul Newman's performance was his swan song and was outstanding. I felt the Academy was being political for their choice...Newman was active politically and was a great champion of civil rights, women's rights and a pacifist. Kingsley was the safer choice. This has been the MO for the Academy for a long time. Generally speaking they are older more conservative members  and vote that way much of the time. I am always disappointed by the choices of the Academy and wonder why I bother to watch them or even record the show.

I have to disagree here. 1982 was one of the strongest years in Oscar history in the Best Actor category. Ostensibly, the award could have gone to any one of these legendary actors, for some of their very best roles across the board. That said, I think the Academy got it right. Kingsley, the "new kid" at the time, up against a Murderers' Row of multi-nominated and/or previous Oscar-winning actors, gave the best performance that year. Also, calling it Newman's swan song is a bit of a disservice to the actor, who continued to work consistently over many years, and of course, winning the Oscar four years later for his work in Martin Scorcese's The Color of Money. 

Was Newman's performance in The Verdict stronger than his performance in The Color of Money? If I were ranking them I would say yes, but that's just the way it goes with the Oscars. Was DiCaprio's performance in The Revenant his best? Was Pacino's in Scent of a Woman?  Definitely not, in either case, but that's the Oscars for ya!

According to this enjoyable Oscar-hierarchy article, Paul Newman is quantifyingly one of Oscar's Five Kings. Fun read!

[Shannon L.]

4 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

  My third favorite win was really random, but it just made me so happy: the Sound win for The Zone of Interest.  Now, I did not like that movie.  At all.  However, the sound work in it is phenomenal, and I'm so thrilled such subtle, powerful work won! 

I wasn't crazy about Zone of Interest, either, but there were some technical things about it that I thought were really good and the use of sound was one of them. I'm glad it won. I can relate to the randomness of caring for a less exciting category because, while I usually get over Oscar snubs and losses, one of the few that I never got over was Baby Driver not winning the sound awards. 

[Sarah 103]

3 hours ago, Hedgehog2022 said:

I'll never forget when Paul Newman got passed over for best actor for The Verdict and  Ben Kingsley got it for Gandhi. Both were deserving but Paul Newman's performance was his swan song and was outstanding.

Here is my mini-rant about Paul Newman and the Oscars. Although Paul Newman finally won for The Color of Money, he should have won for The Hustler or Cool Hand Luke. 

Back to the topic of this year's ceremony: I'm not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but there's some fascinating behind the scenes stuff about the naked John Cena bit. It starts at 5:19.