Oscar lives!
I normally don’t watch award shows, they’re normally stodgy and boring. However, last night’s Academy Awards breathed some life into the genre. Mostly I tuned it to see if Heath Ledger would win Best Supporting Actor for his gritty, enthralling portrayal of The Joker in “The Dark Knight.“ I liked the setup for introducing the category, having five former winners on the stage to introduce the nominees. Cuba Gooding Jr. interjected some humor with his introduction of a black-faced Robert Downey Jr. “You’re costing ‘brothers’ jobs” Gooding cracked about Downey’s role in “Tropic Thunder.“ The moment of truth seemed rushed, though. Alan Arkin had the honors of naming the winner, and either he was as excited as everyone else or the fix was in because I don’t think he even had a second to look at the envelope before calling Ledger’s name.
Other highlights:
Host Hugh Jackman’s tribute to musicals with Beyonce, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and the girl from Mean Girls (I know her name, but she’ll always be the girl from Mean Girls to me.) I never thought I’d Wolverine on stage with Troy, Gabriella and Jay-Z’s wife. I kind of wanted him to go berserk at the end.
James Franco and Seth Rogen reviving their characters from “Pineapple Express” to review the Oscar winning movies. Good fun, and I think Rogen has lost weight.
Ben Stiller appearing as Joaquin Phoenix. Stiller is at his best when he’s playing kooky characters, and they don’t get any kookier than Phoenix’s recent antics.
I hate to say it, but while the Academy Awards were improved, they still didn’t hold my attention. Shortly after Ledger won, I went to bed. They still need to shorten the broadcast, most people can’t watch others patting themselves on the back for nearly four hours.
Couch Potato Blog is a blog devoted to Television, written by the Star-Exponent staff. They'll chat about what's on, what's going on and why they watch. Please keep them in the loop on what you're thinking and what you're watching.
