2010 OSCAR WRAP-UP AND POST SHOW THOUGHTS

The glitter of the previous evening has faded and as I think back to last night's Oscar telecast, I will offer a few post-show thoughts.

1. LONG, LONG, LONG
Poor Adam Shankman. I don't know but I have this feeling that choreographer/filmmaker/judge on "So You Think You Can Dance" may have been escorted quietly out of the theater last night as his production of the 2010 Academy Awards felt awkward, unfunny and of course, just too damn long. I really have no idea of what the folks behind the scenes can do to improve the pace of this historically epic television program, but something needs to be done and maybe not falling in love with its own reverence would be a good thing. I was thrilled that all of the Best Song performance sequences were cut from the program and while the show did seem to move from one category to another quickly enough, the show, as a whole, had no life to it. It just laid there glowingly to be admired just like that weird moment at the start of the show where all of the Best Actor and Actress nominees just stood there, to be admired once more in a manner that felt as immobile as the statuette.

2. REMOVED TEETH
I really thought the pairing of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin would have been just brilliant but they too felt somewhat stiff, awkward and lifeless and unless their whole shtick was laced in irony, it felt so flat! They just weren't funny--as they were beholden to the program's sorry script. Now I have to say that the appearances of Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr. and Ben Stiller's arrival in full "Avatar" regalia were just sprinklings of moments were the weak jokes were transcended and the program perked up and came to life.

3. THE AWARDS AND MY PREDICTIONS
Well, I have to admit I didn't do too terribly and believe me, I was so happy that big box office did not rule the day last night as "The Hurt Locker" was crowned Best Picture. While not my favorite film of the year (that would, of course, be "Up In The Air" and I'm sad that it won absolutely nothing), I do feel that this was an extremely worthy winner. And I was so happy for Kathryn Bigelow! She made history with a work that showcased her blisteringly intense direction and her graciousness was touching as it has been a long time coming for her. But then, why did they follow her initial win with a music cue of "I Am Woman"?! Cheesy!

I think the only award of the night that made me upset was Quentin Tarantino's loss for Best Original Screenplay. I'm sorry but as good as the script for "The Hurt Locker" is, the script for "Inglourious Basterds" was unlike any other in the past year. Tarantino was robbed and like I said in the previous post, Oscar had better watch it's back!

All of the acting awards went as I, and many, had predicted and I enjoyed hearing their speeches very much--especially Jeff Bridges', who is making me wonder if his iconic role in "The Big Lebowski" was much of a performance to begin with...man!

4. THE TRIBUTE
Once I had learned that the Academy Awards would be featuring a tribute to my hero and late filmmaker John Hughes, I had to pinch myself. Could it possibly be true that they would honor a man whose work was not the least bit honored when he was alive? Could they really sprinkle Oscar fairy dust and give credibility to works that had been routinely maligned solely due to their subject matter? Well, they did and what a lovely tribute it was. I felt vindicated to a degree because like the very best filmmakers, John Hughes created his own niche and it has not been repeated since and I seriously doubt it ever could be. I was especially moved to see Hughes' family, as he was such a private figure. Seeing Hughes' stable of actors, with whom he was so very close for periods of his life, along with his own treasured family was an emotional moment for all involved, I would think. And for someone who valued family as much as he did, it was like witnessing a certain reunion on stage. Classy tribute!

5. CLASS
Speaking of class, I think of the acceptance speeches of Christoph Waltz and especially Mo'Nique and even Sandra Bullock were high points of the night. But, I also really loved the speech by Best Original Score winner Michael Giacchino (for "Up") who advised all watching to "just do it." Great advice, sir and deeply inspirational in its simplicity.