Did anybody watch the Oscars Sunday night? Despite not having seen any of the major movies nominated (not a single one!) I just had to watch because of my honey Hugh being the host.
I prefer Hugh as Wolverine, but I must say, he does do nice things for a top hat and tails. Oh, heck, he does nice things for whatever he’s wearing! (Did you all know that Julie, Janelle and I all saw him in Boy From Oz on Broadway a few years back? I actually saw it twice, and was lucky enough to stake out the stage door afterward and actually get to meet and shake hands with him. And yes, he is that gorgeous, and that charming, up close!)
Anyway, back to the awards. Just wondering what everyone thought. I, for one, was very impressed by the changes they made in the program. I really liked the intimate “club” feel of the thing. The way the nominees were right there at the foot of the stage, it very immediate and personal. (Though I felt really bad for Jennnifer Aniston having to stand right there a few feet away from Brangelina…talk about an awkward first-face-to-face with your ex and the woman he left you for–in front of millions of TV viewers!) I also really liked the way the “past winners” came out and spoke about each nominee’s performance and gave them a “moment in the sun” rather than just a clip of their performance playing up on the screen. It felt like the nominees got a little more recognition and it wasn’t just all about the winners.
I teared up for Heath Ledger. I really loved him, ever since I saw him in The Patriot, I’ve kept my eye on him and was so sad when he passed away. What a nice tribute last night and how wonderful that his daughter will grow up knowing how respected he was by his peers.
I haven’t seen Slumdog Millionaire (not playing anywhere near here, unfortunately) but I really want to. Oldest daughter saw it and said it was just wonderful. Nor have I seen any of the other “best picture” nominees. I think the only ones I’ve seen that had any nominations were Dark Knight and Tropic Thunder! (what does that say about my movie tastes? lol!)
Loved Seth Rogan and James Franco doing their Pineapple Express bit. Loved the musical numbers. (Did anybody else catch the adorable young blonde from Mamma Mia stumbling down the stairs near the end of that number?!? She and her co-star were laughing at the very end, that was why!) Ben Stiller riffing on Jaquin Phoenix cracked me up. (I felt a little bad for Jaquin when all that happened, but man, talk about asking for it, what the heck is he thinking?!? Unless it all really is a publicity stunt, which I’ve heard it might be!) Steve Martin ad-libbing to Tina Fey “Don’t fall in love with me!” was hilarious!
I got a little bored during the technical awards, but then again, I always do. And I didn’t stay up until the very end. Still not feeling 100% believe it or not and was just a little wiped.
So what did everyone think? Thumbs up or down, is this the year that’s going to bring the televised Oscars “back”? And whose dresses did you love/hate? I LOVED Natalie Portman’s pink gown–she is absolutely beautiful. Penelope Cruz and Sarah Jessica Parker’s white strapless gowns were gorgeous (SJP’s reminded me of a Barbie gown I had when I was little!) The pleats in Marisa Tomei’s gown were just amazing.
Wasn’t crazy about Kate Winslet’s, Reese Witherspoon’s or Meryl Streep’s. Miley Cyrus’s was way overdone (and too old for someone so fresh and young and pretty!) Angelina Jolie looked a little like Morticia Adams.
What did you guys think?
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Warm wishes for a Happy Birthday go out to Plotmonkey pal Yolanda Sly today! We hope you have a fabulous, fun-filled day!
Leslie Kelly used to say she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up, but then she discovered Nancy Drew books. Being a flashlight-under-the-covers-nose-in-book reader throughout her childhood, she couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather do as an adult than continue to lose herself in fictional stories. Her real life marriage of 20 years to the man of her dreams is a constant reinforcement that happily-ever-afters really can happen…and that they’re worth writing about. Living in Maryland, Leslie spends her non-writing time laughing a lot with the above-mentioned romance hero and their three daughters. Though an author of more than thirty sexy, contemporary comedies, she has recently branched out to write dark romantic suspense under the pseudonym Leslie Parrish.
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Happy birthday Yolanda!
I’m not a big awards show watcher much anymore, so I missed it. The only regret is missing Hugh, cuz I adore him. My friend Kati does a re-cap of the best & worst dressed, so I got it covered *g*
I did see “Slumdog Millionaire” and loved it. What was so great was that it didn’t have to be this incredibly depressing film to get so much attention. Your daughter is right; it was wonderful.
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I watched the whole show and loved it! It’s the best Oscar show I’ve seen in years. Hugh was fabulous and, if they’re smart, they’ve already invited him back to host next year. I thought the one-on-one tribute to the nominees from previous winners was a stroke of genius. I especially enjoyed watching Ann Hathaway as Shirley Maclaine paid her tribute. And speaking of Ann Hathaway, I thought she looked exquisite…and who knew she could sing like that? Wow!
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I watched it like I always do and loved the changes that they made. I know that the media has panned those very same changes- shocking, I know.
I loved the previous award winners giving real due to the nominees. I actually enjoyed the way they did the techinical awards, explaining what they are, how they work and following the progress of where they fit into the production of a movie. I spent the night on AIM with my daughter and the crowd in her dorm room watching it, since they are right there in Hollywood at film school. Maybe because of this it makes it more interesting to me.
There were a couple of WTF moments for me though- 1)What was Whoopi thinking?? 2) African costumes have absolutely nothing to do with the song from Wall-e 3) Was Phillip Seymor Hoffman planning a bank robbery later on?? and 4) Sean Penn? Were they just to scared to give it to Mickey Roarke? Although for once he didn’t open mouth/insert foot. Either of them. I (I understand Mickey’s pain on losing Loki, especially when my dogs/cats have always been there through good and bad.)
I loved, for the most part, the old world Hollywood Glamour that was back and has been missing. I think there was only one cut-down-to-there dress, ( I like SJP’s dress and Kate Winslet). I even liked Miley’s dress- it reminded me of a flower with all it’s petals, or as someone else pointed out, from The Little Mermaid. Again, what was Whoopi thinking?????
I loved the musical numbers and the fact that he ended the opening number with “I am Wolverine”??? Awesome! (yes I am a comic book geek and am getting chills waiting for Watchmen. I admit it.)
I was hoping that the team who did Heath’s makeup would win, as one of them is from right here.
I found it amusing that Benjamin Button won all these awards, except for Brad. I really did think Dark Knight should have won for special effects. And would have loved Tropic Thunder to win also.
I haven’t seen any of the big movies- they are all depressing. Heather did see Slumdog, said it was ok, but didn’t think it was all that great. But she is like me- action films or romantic comedies/comedies. She likes slasher ones too, but i make her go without me to those.
So critics be damned, I really enjoyed the show this year!
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I misse it because I was driving home after seeing “The Lion King’ musical (which I loved and would willingly miss the Oscars for again). I have heard only great things and I hope Hugh does it again because I think he is incredibly talented!
Happy birthday, Yolanda!
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Sorry, that’s missed it, not misse it…LOL, can’t spell this morning.
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Happy Birthday, Yolanda
I didn’t watch the show. We were still emotionally wiped out from my neighbor’s memorial service the day before and didn’t feel like doing much of anything. Although from what everyone has said it probably would have been good for us.
Have a great day all,
Cher
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The critics were going to criticize it no matter what they did. I LOVED THE SHOW!!! I watched nearly every minute and posted to my Plotmonkeys even before it was through because I was so blown away by the whole thing.
I LOVED the intimate feel of the testimonials to the four top acting awards. Did it slow things down? Yes, but it made it more meaningful.
Best dress: Anne Hathaway (her actual dress, not the one she wore for her bit with Hugh, which was brilliant,) followed by Penelope Cruz, Natalie Portman and the girl from Slumdog Millionaire whose name I don’t know. Worst: Reese Witherspoon (her clear bra straps were showing!), Whoopi Goldberg and Beyonce on the red carpet.
Favorite moment: Steve Martin turning to Tina Fey and saying, “Don’t fall in love with me.” And anything Hugh did. Anything.
I know the awards were a little more Tony than Oscar in some parts, but I didn’t mind! The Tonys are always great and since I rarely get to Broadway, I don’t know what’s going on and I still enjoy watching.
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Two words. Hugh. Jackman.
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I loved the Oscars this year! I was so happy Slumdog Millionaire won so many awards – it was the only movie I had seen and it deserved everything it got. I loved all the musical numbers as well – so entertaining. A lot of people were surprised by Anne Hathaway’s voice, but she did sing in Ella Enchanted (cute little movie) – I like that she can sing, she knows she can sing, but she has no desire to dip into the music industry in any other way than movie soundtracks…that’s pretty cool.
Hugh Jackman was amazing all around. That’s all I can say on him.
I was wondering why they had one or two presenters stay up there for like three categories though…and I hated that when Jennifer Aniston presented they showed Angelina Jolie’s reaction – seriously, what did they expect AJ to do? Did they really think she was going to stand up and be like “I Won You B—-” It just annoyed me…
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I didn’t watch them… the California NASCAR Race was on. :giggler I’m so thrilled that it’s racin’ season again!
Have a great day, everyone!
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I watched. I think my favorite dress was that of Frieda Pinto, although just about everyone looked nice. I wouldn’t have expected Whoopi Goldberg or Mickey Rourke to dress for the occasion, and they didn’t.
Worst dressed? Sophia Loren, hands down. Too much hair. Too much dress. Just too much.
I blogged on the Oscar ceremony today: chew-the-fat-with-bettye.blogspot.com .
I thought Hugh Jackman made a charming host, and the show came in at a manageable length, but that number with Beyoncé was unnecessary. But not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.
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Hugh was wonderful! Sweeping Ann Hathaway out of her seat like that and never breaking a sweat or creasing his tux!
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I only caught the very end of the Oscars on Sunday, but I have to agree that this year was better than many of the previous years.
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Hugh Jackman, totally yummy! I loved the whole Oscar show even the technical awards because without all those hard working people behind the scenes there would be no great movies to honor with awards!! The presentation by previous winners was as someone else said a stroke of genius. It was wonderful seeing all those winners, the way they said something about each nominees work made it much more personal. Whoopi’s dress was fitting for her since she doesn’t normally wear a dress, she looked great in my opinion! It was great to see Sophia Loren but I did not care for the dress she was wearing other than that I thought she looked good, we should all look so good at her age! All in all it was an entertaining evening. The musical numbers were good. Music used to be such a big part of the movie industry that seems to be somewhat lacking these days. I grew up on musicals & musical comedy. Okay, okay, I could say a lot more but I have to go run errands so won’t blab on any longer!!
Thanks Leslie for giving us a chance to comment on the Oscars. 
I hope you feel 100% soon. Take care,
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Well, if we’re being honest, I’m not a big fan of the Oscars. There! I’ve said it!
I never agree with the picks for best movie, actor, actress and most times haven’t even seen any of them because there just not my kind of movie. But I watched because my husband and children had it on, and well, I actually enjoyed it. Hugh was great! I loved the way that previous winners gave a personal acknowledgment to each nominee. I thought Ben Stiller was hilarious!!
As well as Steve Martin. I know its not nice of me, but I was very happy that both Brad and Angelina lost…karma and all that. Jennifer was her classy beautiful self and I thought, good for her! I thought most of the gowns were beautiful, but there were a few that made me say 
Over all I thought it was one of the more entertaining Oscars I’ve seen in a long time, although I did miss Jack Nicholson who usually sits in the first row, I was hoping he would have presented or something.
Overall
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I thought is was a good show. I loved Hugh Jackman. He is not hard on the eyes. I loved the way they had past winners come out in fives to present. Made me all verklempt!
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I didn’t watch the show this year. It’s always on rather late here since there is a time difference. This year I was just exhausted, although it sounds like it would have been worth watching.
I haven’t had the opportunity to see any of the movies but know that I should.
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I really enjoyed the Oscars and thought Hugh did a wonderful job. I love the tribute to the musical. I was very excited that Heath Ledger won, especially since The Dark Knight was the only movie I had seen. I’ve loved Heath since the first time I saw 10 things I hate about you. I was also really touched by the reaction of the other actors when he won. You could tell that he had the respect of his peers.
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I lost the link on here that lets comments be forwarded to my email. Anyone know where it went?
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I love to watch movies, so I always enjoy watching the Oscars. I thought Hugh Jackman did a wonderful job. Loved it when Anne Hathaway joined him on stage to sing. Of the five best picture nominees, I’d seen Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I enjoyed all three, but was rooting for Slumdog. Although if Milk had won, I would’ve been happy, too. Heath Ledger’s win and his family speaking on his behalf definitely made me teary-eyed. I’m a fan of James Franco and Seth Rogen from their “Freaks and Geeks” days and loved Pineapple Express, so I thought their sketch was pretty funny. I also really loved Natalie Portman and Marisa Tomei’s dresses (gorgeous pleats!).
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Ev, the link should be there still (I see it, but we sign in differently, so maybe you can’t?) Could be the link dropped and you need to sign up again.
We’re making some changes to the technical side of Plotmonkeys now and over the next few weeks (including updating the smileys!) so that might be what happened.
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@ev: Ev, at the bottom of each page are the feeds for Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). Did you mean these?
Otherwise please feel free to contact me. Same for everyone else, I do what I can to improve plotmonkeys.com and your blogging fun here.
Frauke, aka the new webmistress
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@ev: Sorry, forgot to give you my email: croco @ crocodesigns.com (without the spaces).
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Yolonda- I am so sorry I forgot to wish you a
yesterday!!
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loved the eyecandy in the form of Hugh and was suprised at how good he was at dancing and singing and he was funny too.
There were really no dresses that I could say Wow, I loved.
Dozed off here and there so I missed Beyonce. Was glad they did not do big hoopla for each nominated song.
Where was Jack Nicholson? – Maybe I was dozing? Only got a glimpse of Clooney in the audience clapping after Heath was announced as winner.
I also loved the winners from last year playing a little tribute to each nominee for best supporting actress, etc.
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nice show love hugh