Oscars just ended, with very little fanfare, excitement, or (based on predictions) ratings. No Country for Old Men won Best Picture. Didn't see it, probably won't. I do want to see Juno, Atonement, and There Will be Blood.
Also, Michael Moore did not win for Sicko. Damn. He wasn't nominated for Fahrenheit 9/11, because he withdrew the film from documentary status (hoping it could get a nomination for Best Picture. It didn't.). Anyway, this would've been his first win since Bowling for Columbine. During that speech, he declared the war in Iraq, and Bush's Presidency "fictitious." I was eager to see the follow-up, alas, it was not to be.

In terms of snubs, the biggest by my estimate was "Hairspray." Maybe it's just hometown pride talking, but come on... supporting actor for John Travolta? He's never won an Oscar! Christopher Walken? Even a presenting role for newcomer Nikki Blonsky? But nothing.

Anyway, the ceremony was fairly boring. I thought Jon Stewart did a better job than he did a couple years ago -- which is to say that he was funny, but not entirely memorable (best line: Oscar is 80 this year, which automatically makes him the Republican front-runner.)

In any event, the whole thing got me thinking of this old video that I used to have of great Oscar moments. The tape was from the early '90s, and only covered from 1972 - 1992, but to this day I think of it when I think of great Oscar moments. Had the great David Niven- streaker moment from '73 (which was mentioned tonight), had the Marlon Brando rejection of the Oscar, the Vanessa Redgrave condemnation of "Zionist hoodlums," and the Jack Palance one-armed push-ups. I learned a lot about '70s and '80s cinema from that tape -- sure wish I could see it again.

In the previous post, I wrote about Don Pardo in the context of "things that don't change." In that same spirit, I would like to give credit to Jack Nicholson, who, in that '72 - '92 video, and still to this day, shows up at every Oscars ceremony wearing those shades. He's still the coolest man in the room. He didn't have much of a role this year, reduced to introducing a segment of previous Best Picture winners, but he still got at least a couple of jokes from the host directed at him (and as he always does, laughed along), and he still got a damn good seat. Can't imagine an Oscars ceremony without him there, hope I don't have to see that for a very, very long time.