The Oscar Telecast: take the good with the bad

Bill Condon took over this year's Oscar telecast and for the most part did a good job of it. Whereas Roger Ebert is a bit too enthusiastic about the night, Nikki Finke is far too bitter and negative. Here's my take on what worked and what didn't

THE GOOD

Hugh Jackman - Charming, funny, and versatile. He didn't wow me, but he proved an inviting presence and he fit this year's ceremony perfectly. Not everything he did was great, but the blame cannot lay with him. He gave it his all and put on a good show.

Steve Martin and Tina Fey - Probably the funniest presentation of any award I've ever seen. Classic lines and great comic chemistry. They should host next year.

Moving the Orchestra backstage - Made the show so much more intimate and sentimental. And really added to the acting awards change. Speaking of which...

The Presentation of the Acting Awards - I don't know if it's going to work every year, but I generally liked the appreciation expressed toward each nominee. It got a bit awkward when someone undeserving (Taraji P. Henson) had to sit through a muddled attempt to make their work seem important, but for the most part it was a nice touch. There was a downside which I will come to later.

The opening number (espescially the Frost/Nixon and The Reader bits) - The music was a bit uninspired, but Jackman and Hathaway's bit for Frost/Nixon was very funny ("Frank Langella was sitting right next to me") and the play on the fact that so few people have seen The Reader was very creatively done. The other bits were okay, but those two stood out.

The Awards Order - This was my favorite part, telling the story of how movies are made. Instead of the tried and true insincere encomiums offered to sound editors and art directors we see every year, they actually streamlined these awards into a very nice narrative that paid tribute to each category without being plodding. It lost its way halfway through, but it was a novel concept that paid off beautifully.

The Speeches - Condon et. al. had nothing to do with this, but all of the major speeches were very touching. Dustin Lance Black was the most memorable, but when Sean Penn can manage not to stick his foot in his mouth, it's a special night. The lone speech I genuinely didn't like was O'Connor's for Best Costume (seemed like an ungrateful prick). Anthony Dod Mantle came a close second with a rambling and awkwardly unfunny speech that was nonetheless harmless. When the worst speeches are for costume and cinematography, you're in good shape.

Some Great Random Moments - Man on Wire guy balancing an Oscar on his chin, Kate's dad whistling, "Domo Oregato Mr. Roboto", "Suck It Anthony Dod Mantle"


The Bad

The nominees/winners - It's hard to root against them, but I still hold they are not the best films of this year by any stretch of the imagination.

The Frat Pack - Apatow, Rogan, and Stiller did not have good nights. Stiller's Joaquin Phoenix impersonation began funny but went on for too long. The Apatow film might have been funny in a different context, but did not fit with the energy of that night.

Baz Luhrman's "Musicals are Back!" number - This is coming from a person that saw Moulin Rouge! 4 times in the theatre: Luhrman needs to scale it back a little...okay a lot. This is not a criticism of Beyonce or Jackman, but the number didn't work simply because it was too convoluted. The Medley jumped around quicker than Thelma Schoonmaker's editing (www.imdb.com - look it up) from song to song providing little to no cohesion. And the broad declaration "THE MUSICAL IS BACK!" was not very convincing given the paucity of recent successful musicals. I don't care how much money they made, Mamma Mia! and HSM3 are not the films you want to promote in order to sell the general public on the musical. Given the state of Broadway, I'd me more apt to declare that the musical is dead.

NO CLIPS??!! - This was the lone setback of the Inside the Actor's Studio style of giving the actor awards. I like hearing Whoopi Goldberg praise Amy Adams, but i'd rather the audience get to see her actual work so they are more likely to see her film. Even if I've seen the films, I love to see the clips as a last second reminder of that actor's fine work.

Best Original Song - Wretched category this year and performed very well. John Legend did a better job than I thought he would with Gabriel's song, but the staging for it was bizzarre and the performance did not do justice to any of the three songs. M.I.A. and Peter Gabriel's abscences were greatly felt (not to mention should be nominees Bruce Springsteen and Jenny Lewis).

The Overall Concept - Okay... look, I was entertained by this year's oscar telecast, but let's be honest. It's the Oscar equivalent of naming Sarah Palin as your running mate. Hear me out... This telecast is trying to bring back "Old Hollywood Glamour" and had tons of song and dance numbers, Hugh Jackman as host... Nikki Finke isn't too far off in calling this the gayest oscars ever. It was. I, a straight male, enjoyed them but they were a little too fabulous. The problem with that is that it isn't going to attract new viewers. Nominating a well made film that made a Billion Dollars might, as well as nominating a deserving kids film. What movie hooked me on the Oscar's? Beauty and the Beast. I was 10 and I've watched every Oscar telecast since. Babe might have drawn in some other younguns in '95. I'm sure ET couldn't have hurt in '82...

And while I like sincere and emotional ceremonies as much as the next guy, I'd like to bring back some of the funny. Chris Rock and Jon Stewart might not have stroked the right egos, but they sure as hell made me laugh. Jackman was good, but I don't want the academy to think they can just put some pretty boy up there to entertain them, I like a little bit of ribbing. Once is enough for Hugh, as lovely as he was.

My choices for next year's host

1. Martin and Fey
2. Ricky Gervais
3. A Stewart/Colbert/Carell team