Well, hours before the Academy Awards, I posted an epic two-part piece on what's wrongs with the Oscars, why the show used to be a bigger deal for me, and my suggestions on how to improve the show in the future. And it seems, as I was busy typing my tirade out, Sacha Baron Cohen had finally been allowed to attend the show as his "Dictator" character. My only thought was, why did Cohen have to ask permission in the first place? It would have been a lot more entertaining if he had had done it unannounced. Instead, the public had to demand that the Academy allow him to do it, making it seem almost anti-climatic when he finally was allowed to attend in character. Don't get me wrong, it was funny watching him spread dust on Ryan Seacrest, telling him it was Kim Jong Il's ashes, but if had done it without anyone knowing, it would have worked a lot better as a performance.
As for the Oscar ceremony itself? Well, it was a hell of a lot better than I expected. (Then again, after the true embarrassment that was the previous year's show with James Franco and Anne Hathaway, literally anything would have been better.) Billy Crystal was always the man you associate with a great Oscar host. Only he could get away with the kind of material that would ruin anyone else's career. From the opening parody montage to his opening musical number, every he did was just plain entertaining. He even did a joke about Christian Bale's infamous "eyeline" diatribe, which, I have to say, cracked me up as much as anything. Of course, the show had it's flaws. I was ready to scream after the 478th montage of actors talking about the "experience of going to the movies". HEY, ASSHOLES! If people didn't love going to the movies, we wouldn't watch the stupid goddamn awards show in the first place! START MAKING MOVIES PEOPLE WILL LIKE, AND MAYBE THIS SHIT WILL SEEM LESS SELF-SERVING!!!!
Also, as much as I love Cirque De Soleil and Danny Elfman, was their joint performance absolutely necessary? No, it wasn't. I felt the same way about the "Wizard Of Oz Focus Group" sketch. I love Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, and Fred Willard as much as the next person, but this was as boring as all hell! This belongs on a Second City reunion show somewhere in the future, not the Oscars! And can anyone explain what Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr. were doing with the "documentary" routine they were doing on stage? Who was that for?
Still, I have to give the Academy credit for cutting more bullshit out than usual this year, and I hope they take more of my suggestions next time.
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