The Oscar Wrap-up

In case you blocked out the hoopla known as the Oscars, the 77th Academy Awards aired last night for a short three hours and two minutes long. Held at L.A.'s Kodak Theater, the awards show went off without a hitch or much sparkle, creating a predictable show with few surprises. Chris Rock, who was being built up to perform some of his outrageous stand-up, was pretty calm, but did start the show by telling his standing ovation to "sit your asses down." (A different approach from typical host Billy Crystal.) From there, Rock ranted on the likes of Michael Moore, President Bush, and Russell Crowe in his typical standup format.
The show went on, with a few too many Beyonce sightings as she performed some of the nominees for "Best Song." Morgan Freeman took home "Best Supporting Actor" for "Million Dollar Baby"; this was his first Oscar win after three nominations in years past. Cate Blanchett won "Best Supporting Actress" as she impersonated Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator." These two films basically went head-to-head throughout the night and many figured one of them would take home "Best Picture." The boxing flick, "Million Dollar Baby" did take home the prize with its director, Clint Eastwood, grabbing "Best Director." This marks Oscar #5 that Martin Scorsese has missed out on. His direction of "The Aviator" could not top Eastwood's; Scorsese has also been nominated for movie greats "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Goodfellas," and "Gangs of New York," and has yet to win. The top actor award went to Jamie Foxx for his portrayal of Ray Charles in "Ray," which was not a real surprise. Foxx was raised by his grandmother and thanked her in his acceptance speech. Hilary Swank won her second Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby."
Overall, the boxing flick beat the Howard Hughes bio, which did take home the "artistic" awards: Best Costume Design, Art Direction, and Cinematography to name a few. The broadcast was still too long for Bostonist but thought Rock was a breath of fresh air for the stuffy show, especially when he hit the streets of L.A. to see what the "regular" people are seeing in the theaters. Unfortunately, none in his survey had taken in any of the films up for "Best Picture." (Isn't that true of most of the American population?) Some disagreed of course, but Bostonist still enjoyed the change up and is curious to see if Rock will be up there next year.