Monday, March 11, 2013

Revision 2013 Oscar Academy Awards Ceremony: Hosts get two thumbs down


“Here is to the losers… the losers of them all!!!” belted out Oscar and red carpet hosts, Seth McFarlane and Kristen Chenoweth.  The two formed the tackiest duo; their derogatory slurs and mindless prattling clashed with the most exclusive night in Hollywood.

But enough of the losers… let’s talk about the winners of the evening.

Breaking free from his typecast as a pea-brained heartthrob (as seen in He’s Just Not That Into You or Forces of Nature), director and leading actor Ben Affleck received the Best Picture Oscar for Argo on Sunday at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony.  Co-produced by Grant Heslov, George Clooney and Affleck, the “sexiest producers alive” approached the stage to thank their crew, family, and “Canada.” 

According to Oscars’ history, there is a direct correlation between the Best Picture and Director awards, but not last evening.  Ang Lee, the first non-white filmmaker who received Best Director for Brokeback Mountain in 2005, also won the honor this year for his Life of Pi.

Another first in Oscar’s history was its theme: music in film.  Live performances are a whole new world for Hollywood stars; some cannot do without their cappuccino break, so it was incredible to see actors such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliff, choreographed in song and dance.  Catherine Zeta Jones (43 years-old) made it even more surreal as she (still) flaunted her seductiveness in “All that Jazz.” 

However, the show stealer was the cast of Les Miserables, who performed a medley of “One More Day” and “Suddenly.” No wonder people pay thousands for a seat in the nosebleed section. No wonder Anne Hathaway took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.  Wow.

Jennifer Lawrence, a winner for her edgy role in Silver Lining’s Playbook, looked star-struck as she gazed in astonishment at the crowd applauding her for winning Best Actress. 

Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln and Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained received Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor (respectively) for their portrayal of characters from the 19th century.

The two walked the stage and thanked the crowd like gentlemen and exhibited exquisite manners: Waltz paid due gratitude to Tarantino and Day-Lewis bashfully acknowledged that he has “received more than [his] portion on good things in life.” 

Even though Day-Lewis became the most decorated male actor in Oscar’s history, with three Best Actor awards, he received the honor with humility and a smile. 

Perhaps he’ll offer acting classes to McFarlane and Chenoweth, who could learn a little bit of social etiquette.  Or at least learn to feign it. 

2 comments:

  1. This review is very punctual. There are a lot of paragraphs that are no more than a sentence. As a result it's a quick and easy read, but I feel that you have more to say about the Oscars that you've left out.

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  2. Mara,

    This review was fun and flowed well. I love the beginning and your line: "But enough of the losers… let’s talk about the winners of the evening." HA! You covered several of the main points and nicely brought us back to your intro in your conclusion. Well done girl!

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