Wrapping Up

Probably the worst Oscar show in memory.

But I really liked that song they played during the clips of upcoming films. Anyone know what it is?

See you at the next live-blog. Which should be...who knows?

Best Picture

The montage...an interesting concept that almost worked.

"Slumdog Millionaire." At least I didn't get shut out on that one.

Best Actor

Michael Douglas looks sharp. Still don't like the long-tie tuxedo look.

Robert DeNiro looks cool, even if he did forget his comb. Good line about straight men.

Damn, I'm really tired of seeing Kung Fu Panda show up in the bottom right hand of my screen.

Adrien Brody...has he been cast as Jesus Christ in a role?

Anthony Hopkins is starting to look old.

Ben Kingsley and Mickey Rourke...an interesting pairing.

You know, I'd much rather see clips from the movies than listen to this.

And the Oscar goes to...

Sean Penn. Which seals the fate on what is probably the worst performance I've ever had with respect to Oscar predictions.

Great self-understanding line to start off the speech.

Best Actress

OK, I've changed my mind...this schtick, especially with the women talking to the nominees in the audience, is definitely not working.

Halle Berry looks great, but I'm not sure what's up with those two big strands of hair coming down on to her face.

Sophia Loren looks great for her age, which still doesn't mean that she should be wearing that dress and that hairstyle.

Nicole Kidman looks like she has done something to her face. Very odd.

Kate Winslet looks radiant, with a hairstyle very reminiscent of Grace Kelly back in the days of "Rear Window." And if you know me, you know that's definitely a compliment.

Danny Boyle

Danny Boyle just said something very interesting in his acceptance speech - that he didn't know what the show looked like on television, but that in person it looked spectacular.

BINGO!

The show on TV looks like crap, and I think that is exactly because the producers produced it for the people in the auditorium.

When, of course, what really matters are the people watching on TV.

The Dead Pool

It's really hard to screw up the montage honoring those who have passed in the past year, but this sure came close.

It Appears That...

...Queen Latifah has been given a promotion in Star Fleet.

We're Back...

Had to take a dinner break...a few random comments:

- Tom Cruise was great in the Jimmy Kimmel commercial. I'm beginning to think that comedy is his forte.

- Surprisingly understated speech from Jerry Lewis. I've never been a fan of his movie work, but I still get sentimental when Telethon time rolls around.

- Bruce really got screwed when "The Wrestler" didn't get nominated.

Best Supporting Actor

Very nicely handled.

Heath Ledger's performance was truly spectacular, and I think he would have won in any event.

Ummm...

Did this just turn into The Tonys? What the hell?

UPDATE: This may very well be the historically bad moment of the evening. Wow.

James Franco and Seth Rogen

I'm gonna hazard a wild guess that people either loved or hated the "Pineapple Express" thing.

I loved it.

Ben Stiller as Joaquin Phoenix

OK, that was the first LOL moment of the night.

Natalie Portman looks great.

First Montage

OK, the "lovers" montage was good.

But for the most part, something seems a bit off tonight. Perhaps that the Awards should be held in the spring (a pet peeve of mine)?

First Win for "Button"

I think this confirms what I predicted..."Milk" and "Slumdog" will split the major acting/directing/writing awards, and "Button" will win more of the art direction/costume direction type of awards.

What's With The Music?

Why does the music keep playing while the presenters are talking?

Random Open Thread #1

In "Twitter" style:

6:03 p.m. Shot of Angelina while Jennifer A. is talking. How clever.

6:04. Sure sign of kids getting old - have seen none of the animation nominees.

6:06. I'm not a fan of the tuxes without bow ties.

6:08. Where does one go to see short animated films?

6:09. A Mr. Roboto reference!

Commercial break.

Steve Martin and Tina Fey

She looks great. His nose looks big. They're funny.

Wow...Best Original Screenplay already? The gimmick isn't working that well.

First win for "Milk." I think I got this one right.

A very heartfelt speech. I like the stage set-up this year: the presenters and winners seem really close to the audience, which allows for some great camera shots.

Do screenplays really have that much detail? For some reason, doesn't sound real to me.

First win for "Slumdog Millionaire." Looks like we could be on our way to a "Benjamin Button" shutout.

Best Supporting Actress

Tilda Swinton looked good; Eva Marie Saint looked elegant; Anjelica Huston chose the wrong outfit; Whoopi Goldberg was funny and probably the only person in the room who could get away with the outfit she was wearing; and Goldie Hawn seemed to have borrowed a dress out of her daughter's closet.

Long descriptions of each role...just asking for trouble? But they handled it fine.

I'm a bit surprised at Cruz' victory, but then again the supporting actor categories are always the ones with the most surprises.

I'm not thrilled with the dress, but the hair looks good.

The Opening

I wasn't entirely sold on the concept of Hugh Jackman as host, but for the opening, he deserves at least some credit for sheer energy alone. It wasn't great - not funny enough to be remembered as a classic (see Billy Crystal), and not bad enough to be remembered as a spectacle (see Rob Lowe). The references to the blockbusters being largely shut out was funny, as was what appeared to be Jackman cracking up for real in the "Reader" section. The "here are all the stars" walkthrough was not hysterically funny, but in the end his charm won the day.

Live-Blogging the Oscars!

I'll be doing my first live-blog of the Oscars this evening, and will start here with my predictions. Take these with a major grain of salt, because the only Best Picture nominee I've seen is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." I liked it a lot, but as you can see below I'm not predicting that it will win the big prize. I think this is going to be another one of those years where the awards are spread around, with a little something going to everybody. But we shall see!

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Gus Van Sant for Milk
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Best Actress: Meryl Streep in Doubt
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis in Doubt
Best Original Screenplay: Milk
Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Film Editing: The Dark Knight
Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume Design: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Score: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Song: Down to Earth from WALL-E
Best Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Best Visual Effects: Iron Man
Best Animated Feature Film: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir -- Israel
Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
Best Documentary Short: The Final Inch
Best Live Action Short: The Pig
Best Animated Short: Lavatory - Lovestory