The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[Thumper]

I watched "The Wife" on a plane flight.  Liked the movie and loved Glenn Close's performance!  As someone else mentioned, it was a very subtle, restrained performance (until the end) -- I could just feel her emotions welling up underneath her "calm" demeanor.  Very impressed.

[galaxygirl76]

1 hour ago, OpalNightstream said:

Yes to this! No one makes a stink about the lack of Asian representation. 

I was curious so I went to the wiki page for Asian or Asian descent Academy Award winners or nominees and this is what I found there:

Best actor: 2 nominations, 1 win. Ben Kingsley won for Gandhi in 1982. Most recent was also Ben Kingsley for House of Sand and Fog in 2003

Best actress: 1 nomination. Merle Oberon was nominated for The Dark Angel in 1935(!)

Best supporting actor: 7 nominations, 1 win. Haing S. Ngor won in 1984 for The Killing Fields. Most recent nomination was Dev Patel for Lion in 2016.

Best supporting Actress: 5 nominations, 1 win. Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayanora in 1957. Most recent was Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit in 2010.

Edited February 26, 2019 by galaxygirl76
I can't spell

[SuprSuprElevated]

11 hours ago, Camille said:

If they died the day before the ceremony, I can understand, obviously, but not when there's been plenty of time to include them.

I don't understand if they died a few hours before the show.  One could add them in with freakin' Power Point, let alone the fancy shmancy software used for the broadcast.

 

10 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Probably just me, but ^this almost looks like Ms. Ross is wearing her implants on the outside of her breasteses.

[Shannon L.]

1 hour ago, Blakeston said:

Rami Malek allegedly contributed "some of the vocals" to Bohemian Rhapsody (insert eyeroll emoji here), but I can't imagine him singing a Queen song live in public under any circumstances, let alone at the Oscars.

He would have had to sing, even if it was so bad that they had to drown it out completely, because I don't think you'd be able to lip sync well enough to get all the muscles in your face, and neck to look like you're singing, no matter how good you are.  And even if it was possible, I can imagine it would be much easier to just sing your heart out, whether you sucked or not. 

[DC Gal in VA]

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

Regarding the song performances, I was not a fan of "Shallow" in the least.  I can see why people looked at Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga and squeeeeeed over how their faces were touching and how they longingly gazed into each others' eyes.  But whatever.  I think it's a particularly boring song and I thought it was a boring performance.  In fact, I wasn't all that impressed with the nominated songs this year.  None of them had that huge production number quality, they were all "stand at microphone and sing".  The song from "Mary Poppins Returns" was boring, although I think Bette Midler did her best to inject some style and emotion into it.  The country song was ok I suppose.  But Jennifer Hudson was awful.  I think she was off-key at times and actually missed a few notes to the point where my 10 year old daughter said "ugh, if she sang this on Masked Singer I would totally vote her off".

Regarding the bolded part: Okay blackwing thanks for bringing this up. So though, unlike you, I am a real fan of "just stand there and sing" most of the time since I find that some of the on stage antics of certain performers tend to overshadow the actual song. However mega ITA with you and your daughter about Jennifer Hudson, and I'll take it one step further:

I don't like Jennifer Hudson's voice at all; never have. As a matter of fact I don't think that she's the great, amazing singer that so many people just seem to swoon over. Sorry, but I just. Don't. Get. It. What she is is really LOUD and she can hold that really loud note very, very long. And frankly every damn thing she sings sounds the same to me. Apologies to all the rabid Jennifer Hudson fans out there.

Loved Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper though! Hee.

Edited to add: The one song that was sung by Jennifer Hudson years ago that I did like was "I Am Telling You I'm Not Going." It's one of those belt it out from your soul, sing to the back of the house type songs and she really delivered with that one. My problem is that she sings everything like that IMHO.

Edited February 26, 2019 by DC Gal in VA
Additional comments and typo.

[Archery]

5 hours ago, cpcathy said:

Keegan Michael Key is awesome, I'm thinking no one noticed the homage to the presidential umbrella failure.

[small voice] I pointed it out last night on this thread. [/sv]

I think the nice part about not having a host is that there was no forced choice between fawning over all the famous people in the audience and having to act too cool for school.  

DC Gal said:

Quote

I don't like Jennifer Hudson's voice at all; never have. As a matter of fact I don't think that she's the great, amazing singer that so many people just seem to swoon over. Sorry, but I just. Don't. Get. It. What she is is really LOUD and she can hold that really loud note very, very long. And frankly every damn thing she sings sounds the same to me. Apologies to all the rabid Jennifer Hudson fans out there.

Okay, I LOVE Jhud's voice, have from the beginning.  She has one powerful instrument.  But it doesn't work for every song, or in every environment.  Here, there was no build to the song -- it was just cranked up to 10 the whole time.  She has wonderful shading, but not in this song.  It felt forced, and wasn't very good.  When Idina Menzel did "Let It Go," she had the same problem.  Everyone was waiting with bated breath for the powerhouse climax of the song, and she really overshot.  Maybe she was nervous, Maybe she needed the build. Maybe the sound director didn't know what to do with a Broadway voice (my actual opinion).  Either way, in both cases, it was a let down, because you know what they can do.  

While I'm on it, I wish Emily Blunt had been able to do Place Where Lost Things Go.  Her soundtrack version was a tear-inducing hug of a lullaby.  Bette Midler's was a pop song.  

Edited February 26, 2019 by Archery
more thoughts

[Crs97]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

5 hours ago, Crs97 said:

I forgot this annoyance from last night:  if the academy threatens to move a category to the commercials and the public has to fight to get it back on prime time, having the presenters of said category joke about it looks particularly tacky.

Read more  

Yes, but IIRC, Best Makeup was one of the categories that was supposed to be a commercial break awardee, and frankly, I wish it had been.  Those three winners from "Vice" were perhaps the absolute worst acceptance speech of the night.  The tall woman in the middle pulled out a piece of paper and they apparently were supposed to take turns rattling off a list of names.  It started off with "you go", "no, you go, I already did", "ok if you insist, Plan B!"  It was awkward and awful.  I believe the orchestra started up pretty quickly for them and it was a deserved "play off the stage" moment..

Yes, I totally agree about their acceptance speeches and commented my approval of the play-off at the time.  What I was referencing was the presenters sarcastically saying they got to give the “big” award for documentary short.  To the nominees it is the “big” award so shut your mouth and be gracious and grateful that you are presenting an Oscar; if you think it’s beneath you, then decline.  Yes, I am sure they will say it was a joke, but it’s jokes like this that give the academy ideas.

[slowpoked]

37 minutes ago, Archery said:

I think the nice part about not having a host is that there was no forced choice between fawning over all the famous people in the audience and having to act too cool for school.  

That's why I liked the bit part of Tina, Amy and Maya pointing out that had they hosted the awards show, it would have gone something like this.... that it will just be a mixture of praise and roast for certain subjects. And the three of them did it so much better in just under 2 minutes.

Edited February 26, 2019 by slowpoked

[yowsah1]

9 hours ago, blackwing said:

Spike Lee, who looked like a video game character with his purple hat and suit.

It was an homage to Prince.  The necklace he was wearing was the Prince symbol.  That is why I gave it a pass.  🙂

[Ohwell]

52 minutes ago, DC Gal in VA said:

I don't like Jennifer Hudson's voice at all; never have. As a matter of fact I don't think that she's the great, amazing singer that so many people just seem to swoon over. Sorry, but I just. Don't. Get. It. What she is is really LOUD and she can hold that really loud note very, very long. And frankly every damn thing she sings sounds the same to me. Apologies to all the rabid Jennifer Hudson fans out there

I swear, every time she's on tv, I change the channel until she's finished.  I never liked her singing on American Idol, and that hasn't changed.

[Slovenly Muse]

I wasn't really a fan of ANY of the songs this year, but I will speak up in defense of "poor" performances. Yes, Jennifer Hudson and Bradley Cooper, and perhaps others, did not sound their best, but they were performing live under stressful conditions... We don't realize how many performances we see (even at live concerts & events) that are pre-recorded to perfection and lip-synced or artificially enhanced (like Mariah's high notes during that New Years debacle). Hearing someone sing in a way that is natural and not produced or touched-up in studio is always going to sound rough compared to the way we are used to hearing those songs. Kudos to them for doing it the scary way.

The Best Picture win was thoroughly disappointing, but I agree with others that it often is. For my money, a "Best Picture"-calibre film leaves me walking out of the theatre feeling impressed by what was accomplished, like my horizons and preconceptions about what cinema can be, and what depth or nuance of stories it can tell, have been expanded. Films that I maybe thoroughly enjoyed, but that leave me thinking more about what I WISH had happened, or what could have been improved, are not Oscar-worthy in my mind. This year, The Favourite, Black Panther, and Roma were the nominees that wowed me (First Reformed actually hit that same button, and I'm amazed it wasn't nominated considering what was). BlacKkKlansman really impressed me, but I had a few issues with it. Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody I had a LOT of issues with, even though I enjoyed both films. I think more often than not, an enjoyable film I have notes for wins BP over something that truly dazzled me, sorry that this year fit the pattern.

I am glad Alfonso Cuaron won best director, even though it was from a selection of STILL all-male nominees (there were several female directors who had films nominated for Oscars this year, but none of them for best director. Hmm.) And I'm happy for Ali, but I was pulling for Adam Driver in the supporting actor category. He never seems to get the recognition he deserves. I thought best lead actress was Glenn Close's for sure, but I'm glad it was Olivia Coleman she lost to, as her performance was very deserving. Overall, a pretty unremarkable ceremony.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I was curious so I went to the wiki page for Asian or Asian descent Academy Award winners or nominees and this is what I found there:

Best actor: 2 nominations, 1 win. Ben Kingsley won for Gandhi in 1982. Most recent was also Ben Kingsley for House of Sand and Fog in 2003

Best actress: 1 nomination. Merle Oberon was nominated for The Dark Angel in 1935(!)

Best supporting actor: 7 nominations, 1 win. Haing S. Ngor won in 1984 for The Killing Fields. Most recent nomination was Dev Patel for Lion in 2016.

Best supporting Actress: 5 nominations, 1 win. Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayanora in 1957. Most recent was Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit in 2010.

See my issue with those statistics is that in my opinion, there is a wide disaparity amongst those nominees in terms of what it means to be an Asian actor.  There is a huge difference in the challenges in getting roles faced by someone like Constance Wu versus a Ben Kingsley or the Tilly sisters.  Ben Kingsley is half-Indian but often gets cast in white roles because he has an ambiguous look.  The Tilly sisters almost exclusively got cast in roles for a white actress.  I am hard pressed to think of any role they took which was written for an Asian character.  And Hailee Steinfeld?  Pffttt.  Had to look her up because I had no idea.  She is 1/8 Filipino, 1/8 black, 3/4 white and looks entirely white.  I highly doubt anyone ever discriminated against her because she is ostensibly Asian.  

When lucky to even get a role in a mainstream movie that isn’t set in Asia, the Asian actor has historically gotten stereotypically cast as the evil ninja, the tech nerd, the goofy sidekick, the doctor.  Hardly ever the lead or a major character.  Constance Wu as lead on “Fresh Off the Boat” has been very vocal about the challenges she faces as an Asian actress.  Which is why “Crazy Rich Asians” was every bit as groundbreaking as “Black Panther” and I’m still disappointed it couldn’t get any nominations at all, not even for Michelle Yeoh.

If we look at the list of Asian acting nominees and take out the ones that have never been discriminated against because they are Asian or has never been told by a casting director that they are being rejected because they want a white person in the role and that audiences don’t want to see an Asian actor as the dramatic or romantic lead, then the list of Asian acting nominees becomes much much smaller.

[ProudMary]

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Rami Malek's press room speech, you should take a look.

[slowpoked]

30 minutes ago, blackwing said:

See my issue with those statistics is that in my opinion, there is a wide disaparity amongst those nominees in terms of what it means to be an Asian actor.  There is a huge difference in the challenges in getting roles faced by someone like Constance Wu versus a Ben Kingsley or the Tilly sisters.  Ben Kingsley is half-Indian but often gets cast in white roles because he has an ambiguous look.  The Tilly sisters almost exclusively got cast in roles for a white actress.  I am hard pressed to think of any role they took which was written for an Asian character.  And Hailee Steinfeld?  Pffttt.  Had to look her up because I had no idea.  She is 1/8 Filipino, 1/8 black, 3/4 white and looks entirely white.  I highly doubt anyone ever discriminated against her because she is ostensibly Asian.  

When lucky to even get a role in a mainstream movie that isn’t set in Asia, the Asian actor has historically gotten stereotypically cast as the evil ninja, the tech nerd, the goofy sidekick, the doctor.  Hardly ever the lead or a major character.  Constance Wu as lead on “Fresh Off the Boat” has been very vocal about the challenges she faces as an Asian actress.  Which is why “Crazy Rich Asians” was every bit as groundbreaking as “Black Panther” and I’m still disappointed it couldn’t get any nominations at all, not even for Michelle Yeoh.

Yes, I agree with this. It is with the "look". If Hailee Steinfeld looked more porcelain and she had more Oriental eyes, and her last name isn't Steinfeld but Chu, then we can talk about the struggles that she face as an Asian American actress.

The once sad part about CRA is that a big studio was ready to take on it, but decided to pass on it because according to the studio exec "Too bad your lead female isn't white...". That's the struggle that Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Lucy Liu, etc., face.

The other groundbreaking part about CRA was that, not only it was a 100% Asian cast - it told their story. Like you said, Asians get easily stereotyped in movie roles. In CRA, there was no token Asian because it is their story, they're not part of someone else's story. An Oscar nom for Michelle Yeoh and maybe, Production Design would have gone a long way in recognizing the glass ceiling the movie broke.

[Growsonwalls]

Re: Gaga and Bradley Cooper I seriously doubt there's anything going on. They're good friends but their duet of Shallow was an attempt to recreate the film where this duet was the start of the Ally and Norman love story. I respect Gaga and Cooper for not lip-synching. I happen to know several major singers who always lip-synch at major awards shows. If that meant Cooper's vocals sounded a bit raw, at least it was authentic.

[shoregirl]

8 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Yes, I agree with this. It is with the "look". If Hailee Steinfeld looked more porcelain and she had more Oriental eyes, and her last name isn't Steinfeld but Chu, then we can talk about the struggles that she face as an Asian American actress.

The once sad part about CRA is that a big studio was ready to take on it, but decided to pass on it because according to the studio exec "Too bad your lead female isn't white...". That's the struggle that Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Lucy Liu, etc., face.

The other groundbreaking part about CRA was that, not only it was a 100% Asian cast - it told their story. Like you said, Asians get easily stereotyped in movie roles. In CRA, there was no token Asian because it is their story, they're not part of someone else's story. An Oscar nom for Michelle Yeoh and maybe, Production Design would have gone a long way in recognizing the glass ceiling the movie broke.

Crazy Rich Asians was one of my favorite movies last year. I would have loved to see Michelle Yeoh nominated she was wonderful. I shocked it didn't get a production design nomination.  I also think being a Romantic Comedy also hurt it. I don't think the Academy views  them as award worthy which is a shame. I think they are very snobby as far as comedies in general are concerned but especially Romantic Comedies.

[ChiCricket]

11 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

I don't want to just pick on the ladies and will be back to share some of the men's Oscar fashion fails.

Let me help. 😁

Silly looking.

Wear long pants like you are grown.

Too matronly looking. 🙄

Edited February 26, 2019 by ChiCricket

[Unusual Suspect]

Hard disagree on Billy Porter's magnificient dress. Sure, the King of Siam will be confused, but I love it.

[Moose135]

25 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

Wear long pants like you are grown.

Looks like he traded in his Arby's hat for a Cub Scout uniform...

[sweetcookieface]

29 minutes ago, ChiCricket said:

Let me help. 😁

Silly looking.

Wear long pants like you are grown.

Too matronly looking. 🙄

Ha! Different strokes for different folks because I love all of these (with the possible exception of Pharell's, which I'm lukewarm on)!

[biakbiak]

I might have missed it but was there a reason there was no performance or at least I longer clip for the Black Panther best song nominee?

[Bridget]

On 2/24/2019 at 7:01 PM, Calvada said:

My mom would tell this guy from First Man to buy a comb.  I miss Mom . . .

Who designed the set - it's awful.  I guess it's a matched set with all the ugly dresses.  

The production designer is David Korins. He and his team are the same people who designed the set/stage for a little Broadway show called Hamilton.

My BFF from 6th grade, who works with David Korins, was one of the art directors this year. 

[ChiCricket]

Oof..how embarrassing. Poor Rami.

I have nightmares about stuff like this happening to me.

[DC Gal in VA]

1 hour ago, ChiCricket said:

Let me help. 😁

Silly looking.

Wear long pants like you are grown.

Too matronly looking. 🙄

Oh. My. GAWD. ChiCricket you beat me too it!😂 I was downloading some of the more heinous crimes against fashion while you were posting this.

As for the above three:

Oh Spike, Spike, Spike what can I say. Love your amazing talent as a director and story teller, but your fashion sense, not so much. Notwithstanding his homage to Prince child please DON'T 'cause no one did justice to the color purple like Prince.

Well Pharell the only thing this outfit is missing is that Smokey the Bear hat he wore several years ago at the Grammys I think. This is the kind of outfit a mom might dress a cute little six year old boy in and NOT what a grown ass man wears to the Oscars.

Billy Porter on no, just no. I have no problems with a man in full on drag--hey Ru Paul is my hero, actually met him in Law Vegas after seeing his show, Gorgeous!--but whatever statement Billy Porter was trying to make came off as an epic fashion fail for me.

Jason Momoa. He seemed to be really happy to rock this pink velvet MANstrosity with his matching pink scrunchie on his right hand. It's not so much that it's fugly but ill-fitting fugly. For the amount of money he must have paid--no, I don't want to know how much--to have this tux custom made, he could have at least have it fitted properly.

Will have to look up his name which escapes me at the moment. Okay his name is Stephan James. Gonna have to give him the same treatment I gave Pharell above except this would be a mom dressing her adorable six year old little boy for the annual church Christmas pageant and again NOT suitable for the Oscars. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by DC Gal in VA
Effing Autocorrect!

[truthaboutluv]

24 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I might have missed it but was there a reason there was no performance or at least I longer clip for the Black Panther best song nominee?

Kendrick Lamar declined to perform.

[DearEvette]

Billy's outfit was apparently an homage to the late legendary father of the house of Xtravaganza, Hector Xtravaganza.

Between this and Shangela walking the red carpet at the Oscars in full drag as part of the cast of a major motion picture, I can't help but think of how proud the Paris is Burning ball walkers would have been.

Edited February 26, 2019 by DearEvette

[Bruinsfan]

I was not impressed at all by Gaga & Cooper's song, my impression was it was just them repeating "in the shallow" about 500 times. Really, the only song I liked was "The Place Where Lost Things Go," and Hell must have frozen over because my mom agreed despite hating Mary Poppins with an intensity that puts multigenerational Eastern European blood feuds to shame.

[DC Gal in VA]

I really feel for the guys fashion wise when attending these awards shows. Of course they're expected to wear the same old black tuxedo which can be so boring.

But it is possible to buck convention and be a fashion hero. Case in point is this stunning gorgeous red tuxedo worn by actor David Oyelowo at last year's Oscars:

Beautiful shade of burgundy, great complimentary bow tie and shoes. A real fashion DO.

[catrice2]

Who was the strange lady in the red dress who did not let her partner speak and snapped at him for being on her dress? She was very annoying. 

I must be the only person who had not heard Shallow...I have to say I was unimpressed.  They keep repeating the same word over and over....none of the songs were great. I did think Bradley sounded way better than Lada Gaga...who is so over rated it is vomit inducing....and who also manages to look strange all the time. 

Is it strange that I find Trevor Noah attractive? I just realized this watching this on tape delay 

Regina King looked amazing...I wanted her makeup until I realized her lipstick was $38!!  Hmmm maybe not. Avoided a disaster

I am fast forwarding through most of things.  I can't say that I think they needed a host.  Wanted Glenn Close to win, but to be fair I have not watched all of the movies this year.  

I have to say there was no real 'man candy" on show. I can't think of one that crossed the screen that were interesting...where was Idris?? ha ha...Chris Pine.....the cleaned up one..even a not scruffy Sebastian Stan..sigh...I can only wish

Missed seeing Halle Berry...she is always gorgeous....Serena could have picked a better dress, or not opted for nude lipstick to give her face color....k, I am nit picking...time to go to bed and stop fast forwarding

Liked Rami in Mr. Robot...I am o.k. with his win, but I think Crazy Christian brings it every time....Williem Dafoe has always been under rated.  Has Rami mentioned being Egyptian all awards season? I am not saying he tried to hide it or downplay it, I just don't think he has spoken about being an immigrant before, but I don't watch all the shows...maybe he has. 

I don't think anyone should have even come close to Carter for costume design...so glad to see that win

Odd how sometimes I think Tessa Thompson is drop dead gorgeous and others...not so much. She looked good last night

Crazy Sam..I will always love his voice.   

[Silver Raven]

18 hours ago, OpalNightstream said:

Yes to this! No one makes a stink about the lack of Asian representation. 

And let's not forget Linda Hunt winning an Oscar for playing an Asian man.

 

16 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I was curious so I went to the wiki page for Asian or Asian descent Academy Award winners or nominees and this is what I found there:

Best actor: 2 nominations, 1 win. Ben Kingsley won for Gandhi in 1982. Most recent was also Ben Kingsley for House of Sand and Fog in 2003

Best actress: 1 nomination. Merle Oberon was nominated for The Dark Angel in 1935(!)

Best supporting actor: 7 nominations, 1 win. Haing S. Ngor won in 1984 for The Killing Fields. Most recent nomination was Dev Patel for Lion in 2016.

Best supporting Actress: 5 nominations, 1 win. Miyoshi Umeki won for Sayanora in 1957. Most recent was Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit in 2010.

Does Shohreh Aghdashloo count?

 

12 hours ago, DC Gal in VA said:

Jason Momoa. He seemed to be really happy to rock this pink velvet MANstrosity with his matching pink scrunchie on his right hand. It's not so much that it's fugly but ill-fitting fugly. For the amount of money he must have paid--no, I don't want to know how much--to have this tux custom made, he could have at least have it fitted properly.

He was dressed to match his wife.

[catrice2]

It is not true, I guess it depends on how you look at it.  Many people have spoken out about the lack of diversity in the Academy and in films.  Although some of them have specifically targeted Black actors, many have either just indicated minority, or used the term lack of diversity.  The problem is that in this country whenever someone hears diversity or minority THEY immediately assume that people are talking about a Black person, especially if it is a Black person speaking. 

Many people are advocating for people of color, of any color, which is precisely why now some people choose to use that phrase. They were tired of everyone assuming that they were only talking about advocating for Black people.  So when people say "no one raises a stink," who are they talking about?  My parents always taught me that you also have to advocate for yourself.  Perhaps the Asian actors/actresses, etc. should mobilize and do more advocating for themselves, especially if they feel that no one is doing it for them 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

6 hours ago, thejuicer said:

I just have to speak up and say how much I love Julia Roberts. Seems like a very unpopular opinion. Love her and all her movies, she is the ultimate movie star to me. Don't hate me!

I feel like I slept through whatever reason it is we're supposed to hate her for. I can think of like 100 more celebrities that annoy me more than her. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

25 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Does Shohreh Aghdashloo count?

She's Persian (and such an understated actor!), so I personally wouldn't include her in the "Asian or Asian descent" category, but see my previous post about Middle Easterners and where we (don't) fit in. 😆

Also I didn't realize one of the women who won for the period documentary was Persian. That made me even more happy it got an Oscar.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

4 hours ago, Archery said:

When Idina Menzel did "Let It Go," she had the same problem.  Everyone was waiting with bated breath for the powerhouse climax of the song, and she really overshot.  Maybe she was nervous, Maybe she needed the build.

Adele Dazeem can do no wrong! 🙂

[slowpoked]

3 hours ago, shoregirl said:

I think they are very snobby as far as comedies in general are concerned but especially Romantic Comedies.

What was the romcom that got nominated for a major award? Four Weddings and a Funeral?!

[DC Gal in VA]

3 hours ago, ProudMary said:

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Rami Malek's press room speech, you should take a look.

I just finished listening to this and it was great. I guess that I am one of the 10 or 12 fans, as mentioned in a previous post, of his work on Mr. Robot. There is a depth to him that I find refreshing and almost haunting, especially after listening to his very thoughtful responses during the press conference.

Thank you for sharing this video.

[justmehere]

3 hours ago, ProudMary said:

If you haven't had the opportunity to see Rami Malek's press room speech, you should take a look.

OK, I didn't need convincing at all, but wow. LOVE this guy. So impressed.

[Simon Boccanegra]

7 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

What was the romcom that got nominated for a major award? Four Weddings and a Funeral?!

There have been several since then that are on the bubble. Jerry Maguire. As Good As It Gets. Chocolat. Lost in Translation. Silver Linings Playbook. But I can see a case for disqualifying all of those because they have dramatic elements or they're not exclusively about a couple getting together or not. Two of them are also about mental illness; one is also about the world of sports agents; one is a tolerance parable, etc.  

[DC Gal in VA]

Would the movie Shakespeare In Love qualify as a romantic comedy? It won for Best Picture in 1999 along with a slew of Oscars for that movie including Best Performance by a Lead Actress, Gwyneth Paltrow.

[VCRTracking]

Richard E. Grant is the MVP of this awards season for me:

Edited February 26, 2019 by VCRTracking

[ChiCricket]

I thought some of you might appreciate this.

TCM remembers 2018

Edited February 26, 2019 by ChiCricket

[MrsE]

On 2/25/2019 at 4:08 AM, Crs97 said:

It may run over, but this is the first time it doesn't feel like it's running long.

Sad for Glenn.  I haven't seen anything Olivia has been in (waiting patiently for The Queen), but she has been adorable in every talk show I've seen her in.  Very sweet of her to acknowledge Glenn like she did.

She's not in The Queen, she plays EIIR in The Crown.  Try and find some of her other television work;  she's a natural comedian, but was heartbreaking in Tyrannosaur.

[Crs97]

Good catch; I meant The Crown!

Regarding Bradley and Lady Gaga getting a second standing ovation: Does everyone return to his/her seat via the stage?  If not, then the very cynical part of me has some questions.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Crs97

[Bunnyto4]

19 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

This is not directed at you per se because random individuals commenting on this on boards like these is not a big deal. But personally I have a very real problem with the media seemingly pushing this narrative.

Whatever one thinks of Irina, that shit is disrespectful to the woman. Not to mention that Irina and Bradley have a kid together. Frankly, it doesn't help that I didn't even think Gaga and Bradley's chemistry in the film was that amazing.

I just find the whole thing a bit over the top and cringe worthy at this point. And I'd really need the entertainment media to quit with the side comments and jokes about them being "so in love". 

In my original post I didn’t mean to infer that anything is going on between them-my point was that it was such an intimate performance (and really reflected the movie, which many times these performances don’t) that I found it very, ahem, hot. I also love that BC always brings his mother to the awards too.

[truthaboutluv]

9 hours ago, catrice2 said:

Has Rami mentioned being Egyptian all awards season? I am not saying he tried to hide it or downplay it, I just don't think he has spoken about being an immigrant before, but I don't watch all the shows...maybe he has. 

Yes he has, in many interviews, particularly when discussing the roles he had to take in the past. Such as, surprise, a terrorist. And how eventually he had to take a stand and say he wasn't going to do those anymore.

He's also talked about it many times in the past when saying how he didn't think he'd be cast for a show like Mr. Robot when the lead character's name is Elliot Alderson

Edited February 26, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[Shannon L.]

I love that video of Rami Malek. 

Shallow was my least favorite of the three songs that were put up for consideration by the academy (all separated by the slimmest of margins), but I can appreciate why it was nominated.  The Oscar performance was toned down a bit from the movie version and I think to fully appreciate the song, you need to see it in context.   Having seen the movie three times, I still prefer seeing it unfold on screen more than I like hearing it on my phone (I bought the soundtrack) or seeing the two of them perform it life, which is good, but not like the scene in the movie, imo.

[truthaboutluv]

By the way, if we need anymore proof that social media has created a culture where people look to be offended about something, apparently a few people have criticized Rami's acceptance speech for let's see one, not mentioning Freddie Mercury by name. Because of course no one had a clue who was referring to in talking about a gay immigrant who was unapologetically himself. And it's not like Rami's been invoking Freddie's name every single time he won an award this season and in his many media interviews. 

Then some are outraged because he called Freddie gay, when he was, according to those who were offended, really bisexual (ignore that Freddie Mercury himself never identified himself one way or the other), so they see that as bi-erasure. Mind you, this after there was outrage from some other sections throughout the season because Rami never called Freddie gay in his speeches. That was to some his hetero-washing Freddie's sexuality.

And finally, some AIDS organizations are outraged because he didn't mention Freddie's dying of AIDS and use his moment on stage to shed a spotlight on the continuing AIDS crisis. So in other words, in a moment where this guy was likely overwhelmed, nervous, probably trying to remember his own name, various people all felt entitled to his recognizing an issue that mattered to them. In other words, he was supposed to be all things to everyone. 

I seriously sometimes read comments on social media and wonder how some of these people manage day to day being so offended about everything. Like how do you live searching for something to be pressed about every damn day. But as someone so aptly put it once, god forbid they not all try to earn their woke points of the day.

Oh and the best part was that many of the ones on their outraged bandwagon, were referring to Rami as a white man repeatedly. So while they're busy being so offended because he called Freddie gay or didn't mention AIDS awareness, they're all dismissing the man's heritage and identity.

Edited February 26, 2019 by truthaboutluv

[msrachelj]

9 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

I feel like I slept through whatever reason it is we're supposed to hate her for. I can think of like 100 more celebrities that annoy me more than her. 

she aggressively went after and "stole" another woman's husband and humiliated her publicly. there  have been a few times she showed just how out of touch she is with middle/lower class people. one i remember is she was on a talk show and was bragging about how she made most of her kids clothes because, you know, clothes are expensive. for a billionaire. i personally can not stand her phoniness. or how people worship her , show me what charities she supports and i'll get back to you.

[Vixenstud]

Let's not forget the pompous "I can't imagine wanting to live in a world where Denzel Washington doesn't win a Best Actor Oscar"....this was right before he won for Training Day.  

This year's program was very entertaining

For me the highlight was Regina King (BRENDA JENKINS from 227, ya’ll!) winning BSA….her mother looked so beautiful and proud.  Regina was one of 17 best dressed (couldn’t think of the ladies of you put a gun to my head but I do remember the gowns).

Sam Rockwell was rockin’ the bald look but Michael Keaton?  Sir, Mr. Vixenstud has given his blessings (looks around) for me to shove you against the wall and give you a deep, passionate soul kiss if I should ever cross your path.  Gotdamn but he looked like a hot bowl of sexy!!

Edited February 26, 2019 by Vixenstud

[msrachelj]

15 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

I don't understand if they died a few hours before the show.  One could add them in with freakin' Power Point, let alone the fancy shmancy software used for the broadcast.

Probably just me, but ^this almost looks like Ms. Ross is wearing her implants on the outside of her breasteses.

holy shit. if she didn't have someone helping her dress, did she at least not look in the mirror?!