Highlights And Shutouts From The Oscars

Last night we turned on the television for only the second time in the past week. All of the sudden the Oscars coverage began running across the screen. We had both completely forgotten about the awards show but it’s not like we have been dedicated viewers in the past either. It is basically a collection of movies that we haven’t seen with a few that we would like to watch at some point in the future. Sometimes it is not even a matter of what role someone played, it can simply be a ‘I liked him/her in some other completely different movie/show so it would be nice to see them win.”

While we only saw a maybe a total of about ten minutes of the show scattered throughout the night, there were a few interesting things that caught my attention. Keep in mind that these are not unique observations as it seems that everyone took note of them immediately but sometimes there is nothing new to say when recording your life. And where there are great moments there are times when the selections are a bit disappointing… such is the case every year at every awards show.

First let’s start with the surprising moments getting the most talked about moment out of the way… who knew Lady Gaga could really pull off the Sound of Music? Come on, don’t lie, no one saw that coming. While I am not a fan of her music she obviously has an amazing voice and I hope that this side of her comes out more and more because it is worth hearing. Thankfully she didn’t perform in a meat dress… that might have killed it.

The other moment was early in the evening (also called Cuba Gooding Jr. time) when JK Simmons, stunned by the sound of his own name, took the stage to accept the award for best supporting actor. While many of you may remember him from the State Farm commercials, Spiderman movies, or Law & Order which adds a little twist to the award in and of itself I remember him in a different role which really makes you do a double take… I best remember him as neo-Nazi Vernon Schillinger on Oz. A great actor and I am happy to see him win it just seems odd when I think of him as that character accepting the award. However, his speech cut through all that and we should all heed his advice… “Call your mom. Call your dad, if you are lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet. Don't text. Don't e-mail. Call 'em on the phone. Tell them you love them, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you."

Of course, with the good moments are also those that disappoint a little as both the actors I was rooting for to get best actor, Michael Keeton and Bradley Cooper, failed to take home the prize. I have always been a big fan of Keeton from Mr. Mom, Batman, Beetlejuice, Live From Baghdad, My Life, etc. and would like to see him pull it off one of these days. Cooper, in all the parts I have seen, reviews I have read, and interviews I have watched about American Sniper was Chris Kyle. I am quickly becoming a fan of his work. Lastly, why wasn’t Clint Eastwood nominated for best director? That was a bit of an oversight but, when compared to leaving Joan Rivers of the “In Memoriam” video, it doesn’t seem all that bad.