pimblr.com

Sometimes the possibility of losing something makes people appreciate it even more. And like a child who almost lost a favorite toy, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members seemed especially appreciative of Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony, since it was almost lost because of the writers strike.
Jon Stewart looked much more comfortable this year, his second as Oscar host. In fact, Stewart may be “the man” for several more years, that’s how much he’s slipped easily into the role. His opening monologue ranged from pointing out that Javier Bardem’s character in “No Country for Old Men” was a mix of Hannibal Lecter and Dorothy Hamill, with his murderous ways and wedge haircut, to a political joke about Julie Christie’s role in “Away From Her,” about a woman’s struggle with Alzheimer’s who forgets who her husband is. Stewart joked that Hillary Clinton said it was “the feel good movie of the year.”
His best joke in the opening monologue was reserved for one of the pompous post-Oscar parties. Vanity Fair magazine, which traditionally hosts the post party with the most A-list guests, canceled this year’s party “to support the writers.” Stewart pointed out that Vanity Fair could really support screenwriters by inviting them to the party.
Here are some other observations about the 2008 Oscars, which managed to be only 20 minutes longer than the three hours it was allotted:
We’re 80 years young: The academy marked the 80th Oscars with several very appropriate retrospectives of past winners in
various categories, and some nice vignettes with past Oscar winners Barbra Streisand, Sidney Poitier and Stephen Spielberg. But a retrospective of the Best Picture winners can show how wrong the academy can be sometimes (”The Greatest Show on Earth” won in 1952 over “High Noon”) and how quickly tastes can change (”Oliver” won in 1968, followed the next year by “Midnight Cowboy”).

nctimes.com

Tags: 7, episode, jabbawockeez