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Sparkle (1)
Well, The King's Speech got a standing ovation at last night's Oscars. It dominated all the Academy's big awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Director (Tom Hooper) and Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler).
Natalie Portman took home Best Actress for her role as a disturbed ballerina in Black Swan. Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actor and Actress for their work in The Fighter -- Bale for his role as a down-and-out trainer, and Leo for her portrayal of Bale's tough-talking mama.
Hosts Franco and Hathaway
When it came to the TV show, the big question was how Anne Hathaway and James Franco would do as hosts. Well, let's put it this way, they were capable enough that no one will blacklist them from working in Hollywood again. In fact, Hathaway probably gained quite a few more fans because she showed off her versatility, her humor, her willingness to laugh at herself and her ability to look absolutely stunning in an array of haute couture.
Image: © Ampas/Rex Features/ZUMAPRESS.com
However, there's no reason for the Academy to ever ask her to do it again.
As for James Franco -- he came off looking better than he would have if Anne weren't there. Of course, he was playing her straight man, but there were times when he was so straight, he was deadly boring. Pretty in a suit -- but deadly boring.
The two did their best work in the scripted, pre-taped stuff, which for once was very funny. Here's a clip of the opening:
And though the show was short on upsets when it came to the awards, it did have a few surprising moments:
Image © Lisa O'Conner/ZUMAPRESS.com
- When Melissa Leo dropped the "F" bomb during her acceptance speech and seemed to shock herself more than anyone else.
- Kirk Douglas presenting Best Supporting Actress. Kirk is still having a lot of trouble speaking since his stroke, so it took Leo a moment to register that he'd actually said her name instead of someone else's when he announced the winner.
- Billy Crystal came out to remind us why he should be given the job of hosting the Oscars permanently. Yeah, yeah, I know -- he says he doesn't want to do it because it's too exhausting. Tough! We don't care what you want, Billy, we need our Billy Crystal at the Oscars!
- How classy and tasteful the Parade of Dead People was this year.
- In fact, how wonderful all the montages were. From the opening Alec Baldwin schtick to the Best Picture montage at the end, it seems the producers finally hired a real editor to cut them.
- How wonderful to have Halle Berry do a salute to Lena Horne and then see Horne sing the last few lines of "Stormy Weather."
- How choked up Christian Bale got when he was thanking his wife.
- How choked up Colin Firth got when it registered that he was finally holding an Oscar instead of a Golden Globe.
- How many actresses wore red. I love red, so that was fine with me.
- The Auto-Tuning of Harry Potter, The Social Network, Toy Story and Twilight by the Gregory Brothers of Auto-Tune the News fame.
- How the only people not dressed up for the occasion were the kids from PS 22 in New York who sang "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" at the end of the show. Why didn't the producers dress them in formal wear instead of those t-shirts? There was nothing wrong with how the kids looked; it's just that with everyone else so dressed up, it distracted from their marvelous singing.
Image: © Stewart Cook/Rex Features/ZUMAPRESS.com
Best Quotes of the Night
- Melissa Leo: “It’s about selling motion pictures and respecting the work!”
- David Seidler: “My father always said to me, I would be a late bloomer. I believe I am the oldest person to win this particular award. I hope that record is broken quickly and often.”
- Christian Bale: "Melissa...I'm not gonna drop the "F" bomb like she did. I've done that plenty before."
- Luke Matheny, winner for Best Live Action Short, God of Love, and
