Looking Out My Back Door

Did The Oscars Rock?

The annual Oscar awards, broadcast Sunday, February 27, were experimental in many ways. Producer Gil Cates, in an attempt to shorten the length of the show, had some awards handed out in the aisles, and some presented on stage, but to a group of nominees -- the losers would slink off as the winner(s) accepted the award. I'm all for a shorter broadcast, but this was beyond tacky. Had I been one of those nominees, I would have preferred to receive my award at a non-televised-but-excerpted-at-the-main-show ceremony, such as the one they have for Scientific Awards. Give me a break.

One effective way to speed things up would have been to omit things like Chris Rock's pre-taped Q&A with movie goers. What exactly was Rock trying to prove with this unfunny waste of time? Oh, I knew where he was going with it, but, y'know, didn't Rock insult the Oscars enough in pre-show interviews?

Chris Rock is a brilliant comic who makes you think as well as laugh. He didn't do much of either as the Oscar host. A few funny lines were overshadowed (in my opinion) by his un-funny schtick with Adam Sandler, filling in for the "absent Catherine Zeta-Jones," his introduction of Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek as "the next four presenters," and that Q&A. It made me long for the days of Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg, all of whom were fantastic Oscar hosts. The only living person who could possibly top Billy Crystal would be Robin Williams, but I think the censors are too afraid of his rapid-fire wit (he even poked fun of this by walking out with tape over his mouth). Jim Carrey would also be a good candidate. Or Ellen DeGeneres.

If the show is entertaining, then why worry about its length? Present fewer awards at the televised ceremonies, feature more clips from the movies, tributes to Hollywood legends (dead AND alive), and actually celebrate the industry. That's what the Oscars are really about. They say that viewership dropped because the nominated films didn't appeal to a younger audience; no true blockbusters among them, unlike years featuring crowd pleasers like "Titanic" or "Lord of the Rings." Okay, if you know that your nominations skew to a different demographic, plan other parts of the show that will bring in the desired audience. For instance, had it been publicized that Beyonce would be performing three of the five nominated "Best Songs," that might have attracted some viewers. (By the way, Beyonce is a gifted vocalist, and looked spectacular in her variety of gowns, but three songs? Come on! No one else was available? Share the wealth!)

Perhaps it's time the Oscars broke down and split the categories into "Drama" and "Muscial or Comedy," as they do at other award shows. That way, they could get away with televising only the awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress in their categories, along with Best Song. It would tighten things up and broaden the range of nominees. How fair is it to choose five nominees from so many potential and deserving films/people? Wouldn't it be a more exciting show? Call me, Gil -- let's talk!

SHORT TAKES
By the way, I figured out why the humorless Sean Penn took such umbrage with Rock's jokes about "seems-to-be-in-everything" Jude Law. Penn is currently filming a new movie with Law, and that's probably why he took offense. Penn, though a bit over the top, is someone I'd like to have as a friend -- he apparently has a deep, heart-felt sense of loyalty.

Also, did you notice that the composer/vocalist who won the "Best Song" award seemed unimpressed by Antonio Banderas and Santana's rendition -- which I though was terrific -- of his "Al Otro Lado Del Rio?" Instead of an acceptance speech, he sang a verse of the song in his own quieter style. I thought both versions were fine, but still consider his an upset win over "Believe."

While on the subjectof "Best Song," there was one original song written for the movie version of "The Phantom of the Opera," entitled "Learn to Be Lonely." In the movie (so much better than the Broadway version; even I, who normally loathe its composer, loved the film - see it!), it was sung over the end credits by actress Minnie Driver. Driver, who played a diva in the film, had her operatic singing voice dubbed, but was given the opportunity to perform at the end. She recently released a CD, which got decent reviews, so I wasn't surprised when gossip started flurrying about how upset she was not to be asked to perform it at the Academy Awards. Renee Zellweger deliberately chose not to perform the nominated song from "Chicago" that she sang in the movie with Catherine Zeta-Jones at the ceremonies a couple of years ago, saying she'd be too nervous to sing it live and would rather enjoy the show. In other words, she's known for her acting, not her singing, so let's stick to our strengths, hmm? A good move; Queen Latifah stepped in and did a great job with the hugely pregnant Zeta-Jones. In this case, though, were the producers trying to please their audience by having well-known artists (Banderas, Santana, Beyonce) perform songs by lesser-known talents? Well, then spark some interest in the show by publicizing this, as mentioned above, don't just insult the original artists!

Keeping in mind the slights made by the producers by presenting awards in the aisle or en masse, dissing the musical talent and hiring Chris Rock as host, I would recommend that they be made to listen to Aretha Franklin's classic "Respect," at full blast, for the amount of time the Oscars took to broadcast. Given their distaste for original artists, though, I'll allow them to have the version first recorded by its composer. That would be Otis Redding. It would NOT be an additional punishment, just a reminder that there's often nothing wrong with original artists. A lesson well learned.

posted by Hopster @ 11:05 AM