PHOTO COURTESY CLIFF1066 VIA FLICKR AND CREATIVE COMMONS
The 2009 Oscars broadcast from Los Angeles, CA. I agreed with Danny Boyle's Best Director speech. I liked it. I thought it was remarkably well done and classy -- more intimate, definitely not over the top, and it felt like a awards show and a tribute to Hollywood; the way it should be. Compared to past Oscars, it felt less like a hammy affair and more like a regal ball. In fact, Hollywood stars from the golden age probably would've felt more at home here than in the stifling cruft-filled productions in the far more overzealous and melodramatic affairs of the past. There was a giant dose of humility in the theater, it seemed, and a lot of choking up at the appropriate parts. Most of all, it felt like Hollywood was back again -- and stars were stars, instead of egocentric maniacs shouting out to their myriad long lists, or those pretending they are simply just too cool to care (about their own careers and the industry) in between the long drawn out comedic stylings of the host for nothing more than courtesy laughs and face time.
On a tangent, I did kind of wonder if the times lent itself to a broadly more responsible and classy affair. Perhaps the days of reckless abandon are behind us or left in the wake of classier stars like Anne Hathaway and even Queen Latifah.
The middle number did fall flat though. To Baz Luhrman I say, get it together. Later, Bill Maher came off like a jackass of self-promotion. Those things aside, all in all I watched the whole thing all the way through without wanting to gag. I'd call that a success.
This post was taken from an email I sent to The Rob and Jeff. Upon realizing I write more in emails than I do on the blog, I ported the post here. What the hell, right?
