Reflections on the Oscars

2012 was a great year for Hollywood movies. All of the nominated movies, actors, directors, and producers are deserving this year. Seth MacFarlane is exceedingly talented – much more talented than his material. Even Captain Kirk could not save the introductory set. Seth surpassed the bar set two years ago by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the latter of whom phoned it in. Anne lived the Princess Diaries and even received redemption from the Academy. Tasteless jokes are tasteless jokes, even at the Oscars. The great Johnny Carson and Bob Hope never had to resort to bathroom or sophomoric humor. The Ted skit was especially inane. The Oscars would have finished on time and not 35 minutes late had Seth skipped the lame jokes. If JC Penney is a major sponsor of the Academy Awards, then why didn’t any of the celebrities announce they’re wearing James Cash Penney? Helen Hunt, to her credit, wore H & M. James Bond actually won two Oscars, including the first time for a song. Shirley Bassett reminded us that the right song adds to the movie. Wouldn’t it have been great to celebrate the 50 years of James Bond by having all living Bonds, including George Lazenby, on stage? If only David Niven could have appeared! Rhythm & Hues won the special effects Oscar for Life of Pi after entering bankruptcy and laying off hundreds. Pi remains 3.1416 to infinity, but R & H sits in Chapter 11. Why were the envelopes so difficult to open? Is Quentin Tarantino’s vocabulary limited to “I,” “Me,” and “My”? He should film the new Arrested Development. The CIA is the big winner between ARGO and Zero Dark Thirty. What were the odds that Hollywood would say anything nice about the Agency? What happened to Lincoln? Imagine if Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein worked together on a project? William Goldenberg won an Oscar for Film Editing on Argo. He defeated William Goldenberg who film edited Zero Dark Thirty. Kristin Stewart proved she is incapable of showing emotion, even pain, during the Oscars. She could blame it on a leg injury, giving rise to the actor’s line “Break a leg.” Even the losers took home about $45,000 in swag. Hollywood crossed a political line at the Academy Awards. We actually saw many of the nominated movies this year, but what happened to Salmon Fishing in Yemen and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel? The closing number was the highlight.