The Oscars Was the Bomb
My teenaged kids came upstairs for the Oscars telecast and sat on either side of me on the couch. And that’s where they stayed. They watched the whole show. The Oscars should win an Oscar for that alone. Neither of them made a move from the monologue to the moment when Al Pacino oddly announced the Best Picture award (my son: “Isn’t he supposed to read the nominees?” my daughter: “Who’s that?”). Jimmy Kimmel was smooth, relaxed, and pitch perfect as he helmed one of the best Academy Awards in years. The evening started off on a feel-good note as Paul Giamatti escorted Da’vine Joy Randolph up to the podium and then cried during her acceptance speech, and it just stayed feel good and entertaining throughout. “Not only was this year’s crop of Best Picture nominees one of the best we’ve had in eons, but the often self-serious award show’s ceremony was warm-hearted, hilarious, and enjoyable enough to melt even the most cynical award-show hater.” 7 winners and 0 losers from the surprisingly delightful 2024 Oscars. Speaking of 7, that’s how many statues Oppenheimer, the night’s big winner, took home. If you haven’t seen it, Oppenheimer is a sci-fi fantasy that imagines a fictional country where most Americans are opposed to fascism and believe in science.
+ Here’s the full list of winners.
+ Robert Downey Jr’s first nomination came thirty years ago. That was followed by “a series of arrests for drug-related charges and a year in prison.” His win for Best Supporting Actor caps off one of the great Hollywood comeback stories. Dan Diamond has the backstory on the man Downey Jr portrayed in WaPo (Gift Article): The true, dramatic story of Robert Downey Jr.’s ‘Oppenheimer’ villain. “Lewis Strauss’s Senate confirmation battle was far more complicated and historically significant than depicted in the film.”
+ “This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history, and I’m honored. Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I’d never made this film, I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine.” 20 Days in Mariupol’ wins best documentary Oscar, a first for AP and PBS’ ‘Frontline’. You can watch the documentary on YouTube.
+ Ryan Gosling is remarkably handsome. He’s famous. He’s talented. And ugh, he’s also funny and a great singer, as he provided the night’s best moment with a live performance of I’m Just Ken, alongside Slash and Mark Ronson. On social media, his wife, the actress Eva Mendes, wrote: “You took Ken all the way to the Oscars, RG. Now come home, we need to put the kids to bed.” On behalf of every dude on the planet I say, yes, Ryan, please go home!
+ Billie Eilish gave a great perfomance and became the youngest person with two Oscars.
+ If Ryan Gosling made me realize I need to work on my appearance, my acting, and my singing, John Cena made me realize I’ve got to start working on my pecs. (In retrospect, the five decades of diet cheat days wasn’t the best idea.) In case you’re wondering, he wasn’t totally nude. Wrestlezone (I dig deep for these stories, folks): John Cena Wasn’t Really Naked At The Oscars.
+ Apple and Netflix combined for 32 nominations, but walked away with only one win. (Don’t worry, they’ll survive.)
+ It was a remarkably drama-free night of drama, with one exception. A predictable one. Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar Speech Becomes Latest Battleground In Israel-Gaza Conflict.
+ Here are a few things the cameras missed.
+ The Oscars 2024 Red Carpet Arrivals Gallery (not that you’re into stuff like that).
+ And finally, one the night’s few unscripted moments came when Jimmy Kimmel read Donald Trump’s realtime review of his hosting performance. Kimmel followed the review by expressing surprise that Trump was watching the show: “Isn’t it past your jailtime?” The NYT called the line a Jab. Yeah, and the movie Oppenheimer was about the creation of a firecracker. The line was funny, but it was also a worse than jail moment for Trump when a roomful of the celebrities he’s spent a lifetime trying to get accepted by laughed at him with utter contempt while he was back at Mar-a-Lago spending some quality time with Roger Stone. The Oscars should one of those events when all Americans can gather around their TV sets and just have a good time together. Looks like that’s gonna take one more election. In the words of Michael Corleone, “We’ll get there Pop, we’ll get there.”
