The Academy Awards

My mother made me into a "movie nut".  She loved movies so much that when she wanted to see one in Bremerton, she loaded me and my brother into the car and the three of us went, no matter what the movie was.  I know I had seen other movies before it, but the earliest movie memory I have is of The Song of the South, the one with Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox and Uncle Remus.  It was a Disney cartoon with that wonderful song Zippity Doo Dah and those little blue birds flitting around Uncle Remus's head.  Coming back to our car afterwards I saw the first black man of my life and I was convinced he was Uncle Remus.  I was 4 years old.  

At home Mom had all the movie magazines she could get her hands on--Photoplay, Modern Screen, others I don't remember the names of.  When I got old enough to use scissors I cut out pictures of my favorite movie stars, Elizabeth Taylor, Tab Hunter, Rock Hudson, Debbie Reynolds, Natalie Wood, Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, and put them in a scrapbook with a wooden cover that my father had made for me.  I had an Elizabeth Taylor coloring book and movie star paper dolls.  I had magazine pictures of "stars" on the walls of my bedroom.  I was star-struck. I even wrote a fan letter to Elizabeth Taylor when the magazines claimed she was going to divorce Michael Wilding.  I didn't believe it, they made a beautiful couple and I thought the magazines were mean and making it up.  I received a postcard back with a standard thank you message and a couple of months later, Liz did indeed divorce Wilding. My first dissolution.

Over the years I have seen the inside of every movie theater that used to be in Bremerton--remember the Grand and the Tower?  We went to the Kitsap Lake Drive-In and the Big Bear and the Rodeo Drive-Ins.  I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of movies but with the birth of video tape and then DVDs the viewing has become mostly in my own home.  We still watch almost 100 movies in a year.  I love movies and I think they are an important part of the world's culture.  And that's why I watch the Academy Awards.

Once upon a time watching the Oscar Awards show was so important to me that I'd make a special dessert in honor of it.  One year I went all out and made Chocolate Elcairs.  But now I just make sure I'm not going to be interrupted and try to get my husband to cooperate by keeping his opinions and his talking to himself.  I want total concentration. I want to see all the pretty dresses and jewelry and hear everything that is said, inane or not.

This year the awards program was tighter, better organized and different.  The orchestra was on the stage, not a single award recipient was hustled off the stage by loud music, there were some pretty good film clip montages, particularly the "action" collection.  I thought Wolverine (AKA Hugh Jackman) was an elegant, witty host, a talented fellow for sure.

My favorite dress was Amy Adam's beautiful deep red strapless number with the "bib" necklace.  I was happy to see Miley Cyrus teenage body in a dress more suited to her years--it was pretty and sparkly and had cap sleeves, befitting a young woman.  It reminded me of a nicely decorated cake. Sweet.  Mickey Roarke was dressed well as usual, this time with a little necklace that had a picture of his recently deceased Chihuahua, Loki.  I like a man who loves his dogs.  But I wish Mickey could find somewhere else to place his left hand other than in the waistband of his trousers.  And I do wish he would find a new hairstyle.  It always looks dirty.  Sarah Jessica Parker, in her "almost mint" colored strapless dress, looked as if she would soon pop out of it.  I didn't think she had enough on top to hold a dress like that up--I think adhesive might have been involved.

As for the presenters this year, I couldn't stop laughing at Ben Stiller's imitation of Jouquin Phoenix, mumbling and wandering around the stage.  I guffawed when Steve Martin looked at Tina Fey, who was staring up at him with admiration, and said, "Don't fall in love with me!" I liked the idea of 5 presenters for each big acting award.  Instead of showing clips of each nominated performance it was nice to have an individual look an actor/actress in the face and speak to them, telling them what was great about their performance and congratulating them on being singled out.

Of those nominated for best acting jobs, I have seen only Melissa Leo in Frozen River and I knew she wouldn't win.  It was one of those bones thrown to a person in an indy movie that most of us has never heard of.  I was pretty sure Kate Winslet would win in that category.  As I said, I am (still) so star-struck that I have read many articles about all the other movies and I had my picks.  I wanted Penelope Cruz to win and Mickey Roarke (because of his back story), who lost to Sean Penn, and it was pretty clear that Heath Ledger would win again.  It was sad to see his parents and his sister accepting his award.  They held up but his mother had the tortured look that mothers have when they've lost children.

For best movie it was clear all through "awards season" that Slumdog Millionaire would win the big one and I am dying to see it now.  I think it's one of those "feel good" movies for our depressing times.  It was fun to try to understand all those East Indians accepting awards.  It was easy to interpret their thrill.  The other movie everyone should see in order to get a good feeling is Wall-E.  I've seen it three times now and it makes me feel good each time.

So all in all, the ceremony was pretty good this year.  It went only about 20 minutes overtime, much better than in some years.  There wasn't anything embarrassingly over the top, except for maybe the dance number with the top hats--I liked Jackman's earlier song better, reminiscent of the songs Billie Crystal used to do to honor the nominated movies.  And I was happy that Sean Penn injected some controversy during his acceptance speech, because what's an Academy Award ceremony without a streaker, or an Indian Princess accepting Marlon Brando's award or Vanessa Redgrave demonstrating for the Palestinian Liberation Organization?!  I have just one question:  Where was Jack Nicholson?  I missed him leering from behind his dark glasses in the front row.

Even if the awards had disappointed, as they have so many times over the decades, I would still watch them.  I notice the ratings are going down each year and one day the networks might decide they won't be showing us the Oscars anymore.  It would be a sad day for me, the end of a long glittery era.  But until then, I'll be there.