Oscars Live 2008

Go on admit it, you are all watching it. Jennifer Garner, looking particularly stunning tonight kicks things off... BEST COSTUME DESIGN Alexandra Bryne - ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE Can't argue with that. The costume design of that movie was ridiciulous! If only they had spent as much time on every other department of the film, it might have turned out ok! 80 years of Oscar montage next, always nice to see some of the Hollywood faces no longer with us. Though, I could have done without the Celine Dion over-used and now rather corny, "My heart will go on". Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway (can't wait to see them in GET SMART this Summer) for the animated feature, gotta be the Rats right? No competition? BEST ANIMATED FEATURE RATATOUILLE Well it did kinda rule. Well done Brad, can't wait to see your next feature buddy. Wow, is that Katherine Heigl, or Marilyn Monroe? Stunning. And she's right, she is rather nervous... BEST MAKE-UP DESIGN LA VIVE EN ROSE And NORBIT doesn't win an Academy Award - thank God! Amy Adams performing "Happy Working Son" from ENCHANTED. She really is a great performer ain't she, doing that on her own without a big production behind her. I like the pace of the Oscars this year, things seem to be moving along pretty qucikly - though the moments from Oscar's past are a little iritation for me. THE ROCK is hosting an award? THE ROCK? Sorry I mean "Dwayne Johnson". Hey I love the guy, I think he's a great movie star. And boy yeah, that RAIDERS scened fucked with me too. Will TRANSFORMERS win an Oscar, heaven forbid? BEST VISUAL EFFECTS THE GOLDEN COMPASS Fanboys weep. God I hated that TRANSFORMERS movie. Yeah the effects were pretty cool but the movie STUNK and to have an Oscar attached to it, would have given the feature a mark of quality it didn't deserve. I have yet to see THE GOLDEN COMPASS, but the effects in the trailer looked crap. PIRATES should have won. Actually no, THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM but it wasn't nominated. A pregnant Cate Blanchett next. Still stunning. Hope she wins at least one award tonight... BEST ART DIRECTION SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET Well deserved, if I say so myself. Hopefully not the last award SWEENEY wins tonight. How cool is it to collect your award with that music in the background? Jon Stewart being played by Cate Blanchett. Lol. Hilarious. She's that good I could believe it too! Academy Award Winner Jennifer Hudson. Jeez. Affleck looks genuinley overwhelmed, Bardem gets nice cheer, Hoffman in CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR (incredible performance), Holbrook (still haven't seen INTO THE WILD), Wilkinson... does he have more than one scene in MICHAEL CLAYTON. Jesus... same scene for every time his performance is mentioned. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Javier Bardem - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Not a suprise. I think I liked Hoffman's performance a tad more but Bardem's performance in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was creepy, and so chillingly memorable it will be a part of film culture for a long time to come. Now become THE TERMINATOR damnit. Owen Wilson after the ads. Nice to see him in public again. Oscar's parody montage of binoclaurs shots were more impressive than the Globes!!!! Yeah - they need to come up with a better way to shoot characters waking up from bad dreams. Keri Russell next (she has a deep voice tonight) to introduce another nominated song which we will now here perform. Chance for me to reach for the Dorito's and sit back. What was this song for again? I was too busy looking at Keri Russell and nodding my head as if I was listening but I actually wasn't taking any information in at all. She is just so seductive. Straight in for Owen Wilson. All business tonight... BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM LE MOZART DES PICKPOCKETS The guy kinda looks like Quentin Tarantino when he talks, and Leonard Rossiter when he doesn't. Lol. Boy I miss Rossiter. Remember BARRY LYNDON? Rising Damp? The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin? How did I get onto this subject? Bee Movie guy talks us through the next award... BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM PETER & THE WOLF Well done guys. Keep the flag flying for the Brits! Alan Arkin next. "The Golden Age" of cinema still alive? A hint. Is Blanchett not winning here but winning later? Nah, I think she is winning here, though I did like her other performance better. Ruby Dee - not even screentime to get the award IMO, Great young actress whose name I can't spell and I don't have time to check from ATONEMENT - she was great in that, Amy Ryan has a chance. Tilda Swinton probably not. I still think it's Blanchett. BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Tilda Swinton - MICHAEL CLAYTON Visibly shocked! I am too love! Show's what I know I suppose. Tilda Swinton is a great actress though. LOVE her in everything she's in. And she has to get props for getting on Clooney for the "nippled" Bat-suit. You think she is a fan-girl? I love this women. Maybe Blanchett's time will come later. Sorry Ellen, maybe it's too soon for you. Blanchett has to win for something! She was badly forgotten about last year for NOTES ON A SCANDAL. This actress - the best of her generation - may sadly lose out because she is just so damn frikkin' good and already has the statues in her cabinet. "The Always Fantastic" Jessica Alba. Hmmm. She gives out the boring but still important scientific awards. These guys do a great job and deserve their moments in the sun. Man Jack's just so great... it's a real shame THE BUCKET LIST sucked - I would have loved to have seen him in contention again this year. McAvoy and Bardem. One great, the other "not bad". That's about the best compliment I can give to the Scottish actor I'm afraid. I haven't been that impressed with his career so far, though I did think his work was solid in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY The Coen Brothers - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Incredible work. Incredible film. Incredible duo. Nice informative video on how the Academy voting works. Is it just me, or would you love to see Michael Bay's voting sheet - and what he considers Oscar worthy? A fresh face I can't put a name too is out next. Another song contender. Bathroom break me thinks. The strange combination of DIE ANOTHER DAY co-stars Dame Judi Dench and Halle Berry next. Actually no. It's SUPERBAD co-stars Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill. They argue over which of them is the better Halle Berry-a-like. Lol. BEST SOUND EDITING THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM YES! The serious kick ass movie of the Summer gets an Oscar. All round editing - that movie was frikkin' incredibly put together. Especially that sequence in London at the beginning. Forgot TRANSFORMERS was up for an award there too. But again - no Oscar - makes me happy. BEST SOUND MIXING THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM See above. Oh, not the Halle Berry video again. Forest Whitaker next. Just this weekend we've seen his first work post-Oscar in VANTAGE POINT. Can't wait to see it in the UK. Here we go... Cate Blanchett (HAS TO WIN, SHE WAS OFF THE CHARTS HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! not finished yet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), Julie Christie - love her but I haven't seen the movie. Marion Cotillard - performance does look the Oscar-friendly choice. Laura Linney - THE SAVAGES - doesn't seem to be enough about her performance to win it . Ellen Page ... can a 20 year old win the statue for BEST LEAD ACTRESS. Here we go... BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Marion Cotillard - LA VIE EN ROSE Another teary actress. She really can't believe it can she? Another move I've yet to see but her performance really did look incredible and like I said Oscar safe. It's the kind of role Academy voters like. Shame Blanchett didn't win but I'm happy for Cotillard. She seemed really happy and unlike last year's Jennifer Hudson - I think this actress might be around for a while. Can't wait to see her in PUBLIC ENEMIES. WII at the Oscars? Colin Farrell at the Oscars? Which is more suprising? - Ah here's he for ONCE and the awesome "Falling Slowly" from one of the year's most inspirational films. Enjoy this special song. I really hope this Irish guy Glen Hansard decides to take up more acting roles. He's got such great charisma and talent. And oh, he's teary too. JACK NEXT. Long list of Best Picture Winners, might be the 82nd Academy Award ceremony by the time this is over with. BRIDGET JONES herself out next, with quite a short haircut too. BEST FILM EDITING THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM 100% deserved. One of the best editing jobs I've seen in quite some time. Nicole Kidman to give out the honorary award. As one of Hitchcock's biggest fans, and with NORTH BY NORTHWEST easily one of my top 15 movies of all time and something I must re-watch 3 times a year - it's great to see Robert Boyle pick up the award. Man he looks great for 97 and a really great speech too. God, just makes me wanna watch NORTH BY NORTHWEST right now. Penelope Cruz, HOT, HOT, HOT! BEST FORIEGN LANGUAGE FILM THE COUNTERFITTERS I was expecting THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY to come out on top but I've heard nothing but great things about this Austrian movie. I had the chance to see this movie in the Summer but I didn't go (can't remember why) but I'm going to go and hunt it out now. Patrick Dempsey introduces "So Close" from ENCHANTED. The last Song we have to hear for tonight, thank Goodness. John Travolta (they are so predictable these guys) to give out the award for all those nominated songs. Come on ONCE! BEST ORIGINAL SONG "Falling Slowly" for ONCE!!! Happiest part of the night for me. Make ART. MAKE ART. MAKE ART. Comment of the night. Damn right Marketa Irglova should be allowed to say some words! What an entrance for Diaz, and she fucks up straight away! What do ya know! Question is which film is Roger Deakins going to win for? BEST CINE-MAT-OGRAPHY (sorry Cameron) Robert Elswitt - THERE WILL BE BLOOD Well deserved actually. Loved his work. I voted for him on my poll for OWF. Hilary Swank with those we have lost in the past year... Bob Clark, Deborah Kerr, Antonioni, Bud Ekins, Laszlo Kovacs, Ingmar Bergman, Suzanne Plesshette, and Heath Ledger. Poor Heath. We lost some amazing talent this last year and they left out Brad Renfro. Amy Adams out for Best Original Score. Will 3:10 TO YUMA get an award? It deserves something, but it's going to be the experimental, inventive but absolutely crap score for ATONEMENT. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Dario Marinelli - ATONEMENT Keyboard typing as part of a long, irritating and sleep-inducing tone? Not for me. Most ridiculous award given out so far tonight. Walking legend that is Tom Hanks struts his way out there on stage and we get a message from the troops who are presenting Best Short Doc. It's a gimmick that they haven't managed to pull off without it looking cheesy. BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY FREEHELD Never heard of it. A same sex relationship doc apparentaly. The winners seem happy to win, so I'm happy with it. BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE Bit of a shock. No win for Michael Moore. Indiana Jones is out after the ads, to a very slow score from Bill Conti! BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Diablo Cody - JUNO Of course. Why does she look like she should be on THE FLINTSTONES? We all knew she would win but we still get the tears. Gotta saw the award went to the right person. I really wish I could get my hands on her script for JENNIFER'S BODY. Let's hope she isn't a one hit wonder. Lot of great best actors over the last decade. And I mean really great actors. It's been the one real consistent award that the Academy routinely put out that gets it right 9 times out of 10. Clooney for MICHAEL CLAYTON which I still haven't seen but I know Clooney and he isn't capable of being anything but great in these movies. Day Lewis in THERE WILL BE BLOOD - watched it yesterday. Just amazing. He should win. Depp - SWEENEY TODD. Maybe his best ever work? God, I would love to see Johnny win, he's deserved it for so long but like I said this category is so strong. Tommy Lee Jones, the HUGE outsider for IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. Dunno why it got nominated, he won't win. And then there's Viggo and his incredible performance in EASTERN PROMISES, a movie that deserved more recognition. What a strong category. Come on Helen, who's it going to be? BEST ACTOR Daniel Day Lewis - THERE WILL BE BLOOD Amazing performance from a quite extraordinary actor. We all called it from the day the movie was announced. For Day Lewis to come back after so many years on the sidelines and to put in a performance better than he did in GANGS OF NEW YORK. Well it's just amazing. And he is amazing. The "great" Martin Scorsese for Best Director. Did Marty really win last year? Lol, it took so long you have to kinda wonder don't ya? BEST DIRECTOR The Coen Brothers - NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN As expected, the Coens get the writing/directing - whilst THERE WILL BE BLOOD gets the adapted writing and acting. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN for my money is the best directed film of the year and this award is well deserved. The Coens are THE top directors in the business right now, long may it continue. Denzel for Best Film. Feels rushed. Must be running out of time. BEST FILMNO COUNTRY FOR OLD MENI named it my film of the year. What more can I say? The only two movies that could touch it were THERE WILL BE BLOOD and SWEENEY TODD but I think the Coens have gone one further and made something that will be discussed and debated over for some time. And that's a wrap. It's the Coens night. And they deserve it. For the most part the right people won, and you can't really complain at that. It's 4:51am here in the U.K. Time to sleep. Could be late updates tomorrow.