The Oscars 2022

Earlier today, I wrote extensively about the l'affaire  Will Smith at the Academy Awards ceremony (here it is), so let us talk about the Awards themselves and the telecast of the show as well.

First of all, it must be noted that in his Oscar predictions, The Grandstander was perfecto.  Eight for eight.  If you forgot, or don't believe me, you can refresh your memories here.

Now for some random thoughts and comments on the Awards and the show itself....

• First of all, a salute and shout out to the winner of the Big One, this year's Best Picture, CODA.  I couldn't be happier that this movie won that award.  As I said after I saw the movie, "CODA is everything that a movie should be.  It is funny, tender, sad, heartwarming, and ultimately uplifting."   I believe that this is a movie that everyone will watch and re-watch as the years roll on.  Just a wonderful movie.  That should have been the story of the night, not an assault on live television.

The CODA cast

• Almost every year, a highly acclaimed and much nominated movie comes into the Awards and then gets shut out when they start passing out the statues.  Such was almost the case this year with The Power of the Dog.  It led all movies with twelve nominations, but won only one, albeit, a big one:  Jane Campion for Best Director.
• Power of the Dog also inspired perhaps the best joke of the show when co-host Wanda Sykes said that she had watched Power of the Dog three times and was still only halfway through it.
• As for the show, despite all the talk of streamlining the show, it still ran three hours and forty minutes long.  Every year the academy and the television producers say that THIS YEAR it's going to be different, and it never is.
• I'll repeat what I always say, one way to chop about twenty minutes off od the show is to eliminate performances of the five Best Original Song nominees.  They're are all usually pretty unmemorable anyway.
• That said, the best, most refreshing, and most honestly joyful reaction by an award winner was Billie Eilish when she won for Best Original Song.
• Perhaps the most touching moment of the night was the presentation of the Best Picture award by Lady Gaga and Liza Minelli.  Gaga's "I got you" assurance to Minelli was both classy and endearing.

• Speaking of classy, here's a vote for Kenneth Branagh's speech when he accepted the award for Original Screenplay.
• My vote for Best Dress of the Night goes to Lily James. Beautiful without being ostentatious, sexy without being salacious.

Let us close with a salute to the winners of the four Acting Awards, Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, Ariana DuBois, and Troy Kotsur.

Let's keep going to the movies, everyone, and as much as possible, let's go to real movie theaters when we do so.