Okay…were they TRYING to kill viewership?
The first half hour of an endeavor such as this is crucial, and it was as if the producers were doing everything they could to make sure that, when 9 o’clock struck, people would be off trying to find just about anything else.
The opening documentary-style launch wasn’t a bad idea, but poorly executed. I had no idea who the majority of people were, it went on for way too long, and most of them didn’t have anything all that interesting to say. (Eddie Murphy, Peter O’Toole, Clint Eastwood were among the few bright spots.) Ellen I thought did great, but there’s plenty of people who simply don’t like her style (above and beyond the jerks who tuned out because “it’s that lesbo comic.”) And then the first, what, ninety minutes of awards were for, my God, sound editing and such? Yes, yes, I know that’s crucial, and yes, I know it’s important to the people nominated, but they used to be smart enough to have the “Best supporting actor” categories early on to grab the viewers’ interest. What the hëll–?
The fact that Eddie Murphy’s brilliant turn was shunned over Alan Arkin’s sentimental but less compelling portrayal for best was second to me in annoying only to “Pan’s Labyrinth” not winning for best Foreign film, although admittedly I hadn’t seen the one that won so I can’t say which was better. But Murphy should have had it.
Plenty of good moments, yes, but that’s all they were: Moments. The people behind the white scrim were an interesting diversion every now and then, and Al Gore was bloody brilliant, and Jack Nicholson’s head warred with Will Ferrell’s for the most WTF follicle moment of the evening. But with ratings continuing to drop, Johnny Carson long gone, and nomination tastes continuing toward less and less populist fare (I think it telling that the last really big ratings night was when “Titanic” was up, no pun intended), I think it’s time to admit that the Oscars should be two hours max, focus on the main awards, perform the nominated songs, and call it an evening.
At least “Happy Feet” won for Best Animated.
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