Someday, when the history of the Internet is assembled, this accounting of the first time someone live-Tweeted the Oscars will provide invaluable source material to whoever is forced, probably out of the worst kind of desperation and basic human need, to write it.
• This is actually Nick Nolte's third Oscar nomination! (For Warrior.) He was most recently snubbed for his work in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.
• While, as usual, women don't direct any films, because they can't, due to being women, and therefore they don't get nominated, two women actually at least somehow got nominated for Best Screenplay! That's Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig, who co-wrote Bridesmaids, which should totally win its category. And! A woman actually got nominated in the Adapted Screenplay entry! Co-nominated at least; husband-and-wife team Peter Straughan & Bridget O’Connor wrote Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which should completely and utterly win, because that [...]
Here is a gallery of some of the most memorable quotes from last Oscar telecast, in handy e-card format. Suddenly some of these lines make sense!
Alex Balk (9:20): Welcome to the second section of our liveblogging extravaganza. It is brought to you by Awl publisher David Cho's belief that by offering an empty commenting area we will somehow maximize pageviews. For our earlier coverage of tonight's astounding ceremony, please go here. Now that this unpleasantness is out of the way, let us continue.
In early 2003, when evidence emerged that plans for war against Iraq were not merely afoot, but were looking more and more like a fait accompli, the French advised the luridly stupid and prevaricating administration of Bush II against an invasion. This sound suggestion was roundly condemned by nearly every Republican who could get in front of a microphone, culminating in possibly the dumbest episode of the run-up to the war: the announcement of Representatives Robert W. Ney and Walter B. Jones, Jr. that thenceforth the various House restaurants would be serving "freedom fries," rather than French fries. "This action today is a small but symbolic effort to show [...]
I'm actually scared about tonight! There are Strong Feelings about the films in contention and but also? Concerns about the hosting! Which may be magical. Or may be horrifi—oh my God, look at Andrew Garfield's hair.
What was I saying? The real fun will be in the comments here, I imagine. HAVE AT IT. Heart you all.
There was a moment, early on filming day for the pivotal scene in Barney's Version, when Paul Giamatti looked to me like an athlete preparing for a big game. As nattily dressed extras milled around the ballroom of Montreal’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, Giamatti, freshly planted in your father’s powder-blue tux, stood by the breakfast table around the corner. The producer, Robert Lantos, greeted him, and the two chatted a bit about the day ahead. Then Lantos, an imposing Hungarian-Canadian, abruptly gripped Giamatti’s shoulders, straightened him up, and gave him what looked like a Knute Rockne–style pep talk. Win one for the Richler, kid.
With that, Giamatti strode to the ballroom, [...]
There was a lot of trashing of Elinor Burkett last night on the Internets, and Eli did go a little crazy by seizing the microphone for best documentary short, especially because she was not technically the winner, according to the director, as she and the director of the winning film have been suing each other for a while, although The Academy™ does recognize her as producer. But Burkett was the most fascinating person to hit that stage last night, and trashing her is a mistake for those who might be 1. pleased about big wins for "The Hurt Locker" and also 2. interested in authenticity and nonfiction. While [...]
Hero entertainer and thinker Ann Magnuson has some truly excellent suggestions on how to improve the Oscars. For one thing? "More clip montages! Tom Ford could present the Glamour Montage, Tarantino puts together A Bit of the Old Ultra-Violent Montage, Meryl Streep hosts the Accent Montage, Kristen Stewart and Christopher Lee present the Sexy Vampire Montage, and Jon Voight presents How Hollywood Liberals are Destroying the Country Montage." Oh, yes please. Also? Yearly themes!
It was Tuesday night, April 2, 1974, and America and various other parts of the planet were knee-deep in the telecast of the 46th Academy Awards. David Niven (co-hosting with John Huston, Diana Ross and Burt Reynolds) was introducing Elizabeth Taylor, who was to present the Oscar for Best Picture, only to be interrupted by a young man running across the stage behind Niven. The man flashed the peace sign and kept running. He was wearing no clothes. And Niven noticed, and paused to acknowledge the amusement of the audience, and said something Niven-y and withering. And the live broadcast continued. (The Sting won!)
This event is notorious, and often [...]
Please join us here at, oh, Oscar-time, on Sunday, when our very own Choire Sicha and you will be discussing the Academy Awards with various and sundry as they happen. (This is sometimes referred to as "liveblogging.") Warning: we have a premonition this is going to be a horrifying Oscars! See you then! Or not!
Who's going to be in this year's Parade of the Dead at Sunday's Oscars?
Alex Balk (11:20): Since David Cho is never satisfied, we are once again shifting locations! Welcome back to the purgatory that is this year's Oscar ceremony. They just gave the Award For Thing In Non-English Language, but I was too busy setting this up, so I hope you were all able to make your own jokes about it. Anyway, let's RIDE THIS BITCH HOME.
AWL WEEKEND BLOGGING ALERT! During this evening's presentation of Hollywood's salute to Hollywood, a couple of frequent Awl contributors-specifically Olympics columnist Katie Baker-Bakes (who may very well be preemptively irritated by the whole thing) and frequent moviegoer (and food-eater) David "Awl Publisher David Cho" Cho-will be on hand to discuss the proceedings. Please do stop by. I may even make an appearance myself. Anyway, let's say 7:30 or so? Excellent! See you then.
