Oscar observations

I'll preface this by saying I don't always watch the Oscars... and I don't usually stay up late enough to watch them all the way through. (Hey, my children are young enough that sleep has been the bigger priority for a few years now.) Last night, however, I made it from the first red carpet interview to the last farewell from Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

There weren't any real surprises last night, but plenty to snark about. For example:

I wondered why they opened the field for Best Picture up to ten movies when there really might as well have been only three in the running. How many times last night did someone (the announcer, the presenter, etc., etc.) "The first movie directed by a woman, the first movie directed by an African-American, and oh, Avatar." The little snippets introducing the ten nominees throughout the evening were marginally interesting, but after a while became more promotional nonsense than real substance. And what is with that District 9 film anyway? (Yes, I basically live under a cinematological rock most of the year.) Is it supposed to be funny? Scary? Both? Why is it set in South Africa?

Could they have found someone besides Babs to award Best Director? Was I the only person to find her in-your-face feminism annoying? I'm tickled that a woman director won, but I'm pretty sure she would have preferred to have been acknowledged for being the BEST DIRECTOR. Period. Pointing out her sex over and over during the actual ceremony, I felt, demeaned the achievement somewhat. Maybe I'm a post-modern feminist. I don't feel the need to rub it in everyone's faces when a woman does well. I am grateful to Barbara Streisand and other women who broke down innumerable barriers... but their attitude seems embarrassingly askew in today's reality. Kind of like your grandmother using the word "negro." It's not wrong, per-se. She's trying to be polite and correct. But it's just underlining how out of touch she really is.

Did anyone else find the large woman in purple (best documentary short), grating? She sort of barged onto the stage, interrupted her colleague, and launched into a well-meant-but-still-strange lecture. I found myself wondering who, exactly, she was. And what it must have been like to make a motion picture in her company. Even a short.

Was there any question at all that Sandra Bullock had Best Actress wrapped up? It reminded me of the night Julia Roberts won. She looked so stunning, they might as well have just handed her the statuette as she arrived. More power to her. She always comes across as a nice gal.

ABC's red carpet coverage prior to the formal show? Really uncomfortable to watch. I was trying my hardest to place the stunning mannequin spanxed into that unbecoming sequin gown (Kathy Ireland). She looked gorgeous, but was not well suited to celebrity interviews. Unless all you're looking for is a very sincere "Have fun in there [celebrity]." And that Sherri (?) from The View? Obnoxious is only acceptable when paired with funny. And hitting on George Clooney in front of his date wasn't really very funny. He didn't think so. His date didn't think so. And I'm pretty sure, cute as George is, that joke is not at all funny anymore. The other red carpet guy, editor of something or other, was perfect.

I'm looking forward to the best and worst dressed reviews. I didn't spot too many disasters. Sarah Jessica Parker stood out from the crowd in a good way. Demi Moore stood out in her own mutton-as-lamb way... too fussy a dress, too high a heel, too much (over tanned) leg, and tuck those annoying curling-ironed tendrils behind your ear you twit, you're wearing great earrings.

Finally, did anyone really expect Avatar to win either big award? I mean, I thoroughly loved the movie. But I felt, as did most of the academy apparently, that given 10 years, a staff of thousands to carry out my tiniest demand, and a practically unlimited budget, I probably could have done as good.