About last Night

I originally intended to post about my grandmother's 92nd birthday yesterday and how it was a great family get together. One that brought my mom and dad into the same family gathering for the first time in many years. One I could not personally name or match most of my little nieces and nephews with their names and mothers. One I realize that my younger brothers are getting older then me and one where I noticed that my little sister has turned into my mom. I was going to discuss how beautifully angelic my grandmother looks at 92 years old and how several years ago I thought she wouldn't see the next Christmas but since giving up smokes she may keep trucking for several more years. But I can't find the camera-to-laptop cord so I can download the pictures, so the post of the Pirate family gathering will have to wait until tomorrow.

So let's discuss the Oscars. As some of you may know I'm a Hollywood junkie. I love motion pictures, I love story telling and like a weak-kneed autograph seeker, I often can not get enough of those who bring the story-telling to us. I have little patience for the marital status of the celebs and really could careless of their recreational drug use and their galavanting about but I love the award cerimonies. I have watched the Oscars more religiously then the Super Bowl. Though football could be described as my personal religion but I haven't always been interested in the sermon. You take a year where the Rams are eliminated in the late rounds of the playoffs there will not be much desire from me to see who wins beyond there. If the Rams miss the playoffs or are knocked out early I usually follow the round-robin to it's end.

Last nights Oscars, hmmm. Where do I start. First in the spirit of full disclosure, I have never "got" Jon Stewart. I love and appreciate all forms of humor and have found myself laughing my head off to people like Dennis Miller, Dave Letterman and Jay Leno, but I don't think I have ever cracked a smile with Stewart. Heck I have cracked up over comedians like Bill Maher and George Carlin even though I personally could never agree with much of their view of the world. I just have never thought Jon Stewart was talented or relevent. He has poor delivery, he isn't all that articulate, he has no hook or schtick. Personally he comes across to me as a mean unhappy person who isn't all that witty. He just is not funny to me.

So with that said, I thought the program was flat. Flat as a four-day-old opened diet coke sitting on a fence post in the sun. FLAT!!! And unfortunately that falls on the shoulders of the emcee. If it weren't for the collages on the film noir era, the epic motion picture, the salute to Robert Altman and the memorium of recent loses I think the rest of the show could have been better served by just mailing the winner the trophy and photographing the winner as they accepted their trophy at their mansion's front door.

As for the winners. I am satisfied there. The only movie I even saw this year was, "Walk the Line". So seeing the beautiful Reese Witherspoon win for her dipiction of June Carter Cash was cool with me. I haven't seen Crash but according to what I have read I am sure I will like the movie. I know I like Terrance Howard and Matt Dillion. As for George Clooney he has entertained me many times and has proven to be a force in the motion picture business and i look forward to see the two movies he recieved nominations for. Who doesn't think Rachel Weisz may be one of the most beautiful persons in the world?

The highlights besides the collages were slim. I loved seeing Larry McMurtry in his denims on stage encouraging books. Seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman winning for his role as Truman Capote was great. Whatever you may think about Capote himself he was a great novelist and an interesting character. I also liked the out takes from the old westerns making the implication that more was going on on the range then rasslin' cattle. Especially since most of the oaters they spoofed were my favorites.

I do not understand the desire to elevate pimpness or pimpology to the level of acknowledgment in any social circles. The three songs they had nominated were limp at best and really not note worthy (pun inteneded). Call me an old fuddy-dutty if you'd like but what up with "Its Hard out here for a pimp"? You mean to tell me not one of the songs sang in the Johnny Cash bio wasn't worthy of a nomination. The three that were nominated just do not begin to measure up to "A Ring of Fire".

My favorite moment of the night was the award for the number one motion picture of the year and its presenter, Jack Nicholson. Jack must be the coolest Hollywood celeb to ever walk on an Oscar stage. All night they kept showing him sitting in the front row and I kept asking myself why is he there. He must not have much to do these days since the Lakers suck so much. Then they had him present the last award of the night. He strolled out on the stage with his ever so cool slide. Looking like he just came from taking a draw on a fatty. It took a few mintues of stumbling over a name or two his brain and coolness kicked in. After he made his adjustment caugh to clear the lingering smoke from his throat he was in good form.

Well that's the way I found it.


Peace...