Oscar Ceremony: The Greatest Oscar Presentation
Friday, February 7, 2020 at 12:28PM 
Remember the Oscar ceremony in February 2009. Hugh Jackman was the host, he brought the house down with his charming opening number. Then it was time for the first award of the evening, best supporting actress. Five former winners came out and what transpired was without doubt the best Oscar presentation in the history of the Academy.
The gasps. How? What? Who? They repeated the same scenario 3 more times that night with the other acting awards. Nothing beat the surprise of that first one though. As someone who loves acting and actors, it was valhalla. A long stretch of time spent on celebrating each nominated performance by previous Oscar winners. No one was in a rush, the jokes were minimal, it was sincerne, it was earnest, it worked.
The winner from the year before Tilda Swinton talked about Marisa Tomei. Whoopi Goldberg got Amy Adams, Goldie Hawn waxed poetic about Taraji P Henson. Eva Marie Saint paid tribute to Viola Davis and the eventual winner Penelope Cruz was congratulated in Spanish by Anjelica Huston. Bring this back Academy. I don't care how long it is or how too earnest it could get, this is why we tune to the ceremony and why we talk about it all year.
Reader Comments (55)
The weirdest thing is the commenters who are so vehement toward those that didn't like this format. Cringier in the piousness. Your mileage may vary folks. Me, i liked it, but if they did it every year with winners we would get bored with the ones who did the tributes frequently. Like how Nathaniel boils any time Amy Adams is on an Actor's Roundtable.
This was the classiest Oscar telecast ever.
I'm late to this, and can only say my vote is a big YES. Loved it the year it happened, and it revealed how much I appreciated seeing people like Eva Marie Saint, Shirley Maclaine, etc.
Also - most of the presenters had put some real thought into what they were saying, which was a definite improvement over the boiler plate presentations we normally get.
But clearly you can't please everyone. Thanks Murtada for taking me down memory lane.
Queen Kate became an Oscar winner that Night and Sweet Marion Cottilard after my favorite Oscar win win ever give it t her! I was so in HEAVEN! But the Best was Double Kate 11th January 2009. 1 Months and 11 Deays later was the Oscar ceremony and I met Kate at The Reader Premiere in Germany. God, I was at heaven!!! Sad, it was for 11 Years ago. I loe this Tribute. Its not for Mainstream audience, it was for real cinephilias and I loved it!
And not to Forget, the Acting categories are that one, that everyone are Looking for, so take the time!