POST-OSCAR ANALYSIS! "ARGO", DAY-LEWIS, MACFARLAND, A TIE! AND "CHICAGO"? PLUS, MORE IMPORTANTLY, DID BETTER PREDICTING THIS YEAR!

It's minutes after the Oscars have ended, and just seconds after I kicked my Mom off the computer, and I'm still psyched! The show had some hit-and-misses, but mostly hits, and Seth MacFarland was quite funny. (I'm gonna be humming "We've seen your boobs!" and giggling like Beavis and Butthead" for about a week I bet!) "Argo," as expected, becomes only the fourth film to win Best Picture, without a Directing nomination. I saw the film this morning, and I will be reviewing it next Movie Review edition, you might be a little surprised by my review, but it was really cool to see Nicholson and Michelle Obama presenting. (Gotta love anything that starts with Shatner and ends with Michelle Obama. Everything should start with Shatner and end with Obama!) It was a BIG SHOW, and everything was big tonight! The jokes, the tons of musical numbers, it's everything the Oscars should be. I would've preferred that they performed all the Best Song nominees, but it was overloaded to begin with, and after last year, when they only had two nominees and performed none of them, this was definitely an improvement.

I have two minor issues though. First of all, the salute to "Musicals of the Last Decade", why? First of all, why, there's more years in the decade then they're been musicals, and second, why "Dreamgirls"! And why only those three? I mean, I loved, that Catherine Zeta-Jones, revived her Velma Kelly and did the Chicago number, that was AWESOME! (BTW, "Chicago" a gamechanger!? Eh, no. "Chicago" was a good movie, that won in a weak year, it's not a gamechanger of anything. If there was such a yearning for more movie musical, there'd be a lot more movie musicals.) Anyway, she did that, and then they honored "Dreamgirls" for no reason, which was a mediocre movie to begin with. I know it got eight nominations and Jennifer Hudson was fine, but if we're actually gonna do, best musicals in the decade, how about doing the actual best one, "Once"! Or how about "Rent", or "Hairspray" too, those who great films! "Enchanted," that was a good film. And why just this last decade, how about calling it, "Best Musicals this Century", and throw in "Moulin Rouge!" I don't even like that film actually, but if you're gonna do it, then frigging do it! The Jennifer Hudson part, I could've done without, although the cast of "Les Mis..." was quite powerful.

Okay, as to the results, as one person has already commented, "I got a lot of them right"! I did, I got 17/24 right, and the ones I didn't get right, I didn't get anything atrociously wrong. (Although, I still think I should've done better!) I correctly called Ang Lee, winning Best Director, as he should've. The challenge of directing that film, just mind-boggling to me; I don't know how he did that. I'm proud of that one, I'm proud of getting Christoph Waltz correct, in a tough year in that category. It's amazing to think how far he's come. A few years ago, he was barely a TV actor in his own country, Tarantino finds him, and now he's got two Oscars, and on any shortlist of the best actors in the world, he's indisputably on it! I went with Emmanuelle Riva, in the close Lead Actress race; I had Jennifer Lawrence written, literally changed it at the last second, that could've gone either way. BTW, here's a great stat, she is now the 2nd Youngest Best Actress Oscar Winner! She is only a couple months older, than Marlee Matlin was, when she won the Award in '86 for "Children of a Lesser God". Got Anne Hathaway right, as everyone and Seth MacFarland said she would. (Would've been funny if Sally Field actually won and Amy Adams starting biting everyone to grab it. Poor Amy, she's been nominated four times in six years (And she should've been nominated for "Enchanted" [I rewatched that film last night, it's still in my head]) hasn't won yet. Still, Anne should've won for "Rachel Getting Married" a couple years ago, so here's to her. Daniel Day-Lewis, in the opposite of a close race, won the Award before Meryl Streep opened the envelope, and becomes the first person to win 3 Best Actor Oscars, and here's the really surprising stat, he's the first actor to win an Oscar, for a Spielberg film! That's amazing. Most unbelievable stat of the night, the most shocking of the night, is that George Clooney, became the 2nd person ever to get nominated in six different categories, win his Producing nomination, and win for "Argo". I did know that one, until someone told it to me, and the other person btw, is Walt Disney, so rarified air, indeed.

I got Animated Feature wrong, but I'm glad Mark Andrews won for "Brave", I've met him before, he's come to talk to one of my classes when I was at film school, he is an awesome and fun guy, who rocked that kilt, so I'm glad to see he won. I got makeup and hair wrong; I though "The Hobbit" would've won something, and I thought makeup look like the right place, should've known better to go with the film with the bigger other nominations in a close category.

Oh, when I said I wanted Eiko Ishioka, as my preference to win Costume Design, I didn't realize until the In Memoriam that she had passed away. I wish I knew that, 'cause she really was an amazing costume designer, and she will be sorely missed. Look at her work in "The Cell" again sometimes, it's striking and beautiful, and now I really wished she won, glad I got that category right though, with "Anna Karenina".

My biggest screwup has to be Sound Editing! First of all, this has to be a bigger story; that was only the 5th TIE, in OSCAR HISTORY! (Well 6th, best the Best Actor tie in '32, was actually a one-vote difference, which was considered a tie at the time; it's not anymore) and it's the first tie since '95. What's worse is that, with two chances to win, I still got that one wrong! Dammit, why did I talk myself into "Life of Pi", I even said "Zero Dark Thirty" was the favorite, and "Skyfall," was the traditional action film winner. Stupid! (Bangs forehead)

Oh, and they did the "In Memoriam" right! Finally! I've always hated how they've insisted on a musical performance that we didn't ask for during the "In Memoriam", and instead, gave us the picture tribute, and ended, with the musical performance! That was the correct way to do it, and they should do it, everytime like that after! I didn't even mind Barbra Streisand being the performer this time, that's how great the "In Memoriam" was. You know, of course it was really sad, but it was a great "In Memoriam," anyway.

Alright, what else did I get wrong. I had "Open Heart" winning documentary short, and instead, "Inocente" won, I think a lot of people, got that one wrong. I'm glad "Lincoln" won Production Design; I didn't think it would, but I'm glad it did. They found and used a lot of Lincoln, actual furniture and objects that he owned, and it really impressive. I'm glad they new that. Oh yeah, I got Tarantino wrong! Agh! I was glad he won, but I had "Amour", shoulda changed it. I think a part of his winning here, is a makeup for him not winning for "...Basterds", but hey, if my fourth or fifth best script is "Django Unchained", well I'd-, well I'd be Tarantino, and that's not bad. So, a lot of them, I predicted right, and many of the others, they actually got right. I'll have a better idea of how the Oscars really did, years from now, as everyone will, but it was a great show, very fun. Can't wait for Tina & Amy to host next year. Or, for Seth to come back, if he wants to.

Well, the Annual Academy Awards, the most prestigious predictor of the OYL Awards, (Which will return in December on this blog!) is over. Now, to watch all the movies, I missed from last year, and to catch up on all the films from this year. Hope you all enjoyed it!