Some random thoughts about last night’s Oscar telecast:
1. Seth MacFarlane is a multitalented guy, but his sometimes inappropriate jokes – John Wilkes Booth as the actor who got into Lincoln’s head (Really, Seth? You want to go there?) – demonstrated the difficulty of being edgy on what is a traditional family variety show.
2. Once again, the program needed a good editor: too many long intros and production numbers. And having a whole cast present an award? One word – awkward.
3. Finally, the cast members of “Les Miserables” demonstrated some real singing ability. Why? Because they were in a contained auditorium with acoustics and could hear and play off one another, rather than singing into the open air on a movie set. Music is as much about physics as it is about aesthetics.
4. Surprise, surprise, surprise: Larchmont’s Ang Lee over Spielberg, Christoph Waltz over De Niro. (By the way,Waltz killed on “SNL” a couple of weeks ago.) And who knew Daniel Day-Lewis had such a sense of humor. Plus, Mrs. O at the end, looking very Art Deco.
5. And speaking of that: fashion winners of the night – Deco, metallics, sleeveless, strapless and anything red. Like children of old, the Oscars are sometimes better seen than heard.
– Georgette Gouveia
