Spring Break
Top 10 Oscar moments
Libby Segal
Issue date: 2/24/09 Section: Entertainment
02/24/09 -There were speculations about this year's Oscars ceremony: the budget was low, Heath Ledger wouldn't be present and Brad Pitt was up for best actor in a picture where his body wasn't present in most of the film.
But the Academy Awards, broadcasted live on Sunday, broke free of all the doubt chains. In fact, the night was extraordinary to watch.
Sure, there were presenters who messed up their words, attempted (and failed) to make good jokes, got caught staring at the teleprompter for too long and who seemed to be a waste of time and an embarrassment- cough, Ben Stiller, cough.
But the show, hosted by Hugh Jackman, was filled with heartfelt speeches from various award recipients and a masterful "2008 Movie Yearbook," by far overcame the flaws that occurred.
Fortunately, we didn't have to hear Miley Cyrus sing, and we didn't have to witness Kate Winslet lose again. Fortunately, there were no pre-Oscar beat-downs like the pre-Grammy one that has been circulating the news for weeks now.
Fortunately, we were given a comic clip of Seth Rogen and James Franco reprising their roles from "Pineapple Express" to examine the comic films of the year and fortunately we were blessed with a gorgeous host.
Here are my top 10 moments from a night full of magic.
1. Hugh Jackman's intro discussed how the Academy loves diversity. This caused Anne Hathaway to do some impromptu singing. It also mocked all of the people who wanted "The Dark Knight" to be nominated for best film of the year. Jackman pointed out that many of the actors were nominated for playing roles outside their own culture, however, he was upset he wasn't nominated as an Australian playing an Australian.
2. "Slumdog Millionaire" taking seven awards at the show. That was just stellar. The movie that had almost no budget. Director Danny Boyle's speech was excellent.
The most important question last night was "Which film could take all the awards?" The answer: "Slumdog."
But the Academy Awards, broadcasted live on Sunday, broke free of all the doubt chains. In fact, the night was extraordinary to watch.
Sure, there were presenters who messed up their words, attempted (and failed) to make good jokes, got caught staring at the teleprompter for too long and who seemed to be a waste of time and an embarrassment- cough, Ben Stiller, cough.
But the show, hosted by Hugh Jackman, was filled with heartfelt speeches from various award recipients and a masterful "2008 Movie Yearbook," by far overcame the flaws that occurred.
Fortunately, we didn't have to hear Miley Cyrus sing, and we didn't have to witness Kate Winslet lose again. Fortunately, there were no pre-Oscar beat-downs like the pre-Grammy one that has been circulating the news for weeks now.
Fortunately, we were given a comic clip of Seth Rogen and James Franco reprising their roles from "Pineapple Express" to examine the comic films of the year and fortunately we were blessed with a gorgeous host.
Here are my top 10 moments from a night full of magic.
1. Hugh Jackman's intro discussed how the Academy loves diversity. This caused Anne Hathaway to do some impromptu singing. It also mocked all of the people who wanted "The Dark Knight" to be nominated for best film of the year. Jackman pointed out that many of the actors were nominated for playing roles outside their own culture, however, he was upset he wasn't nominated as an Australian playing an Australian.
2. "Slumdog Millionaire" taking seven awards at the show. That was just stellar. The movie that had almost no budget. Director Danny Boyle's speech was excellent.
The most important question last night was "Which film could take all the awards?" The answer: "Slumdog."
