A Dozen Takeaways from Oscar Night

by Nathaniel R

John Cena presenting Best Costume Design. Screenshot from ABC

There are 23 categories at the Oscars but always about 2,038 things to discuss. What to focus on? Here's an attempt to focus with a baker's dozen of things that stood out for yours truly. Overall it was a fun and well paced night. But your mileage may vary. Would you add any particular moment to this list?

In no particular order...

Click to read more ...

Oscar Night Winners: "Oppenheimer" and "Poor Things" Reigned

by Nathaniel R

Emma Thomas (Oppenheimer producer) hugs Emily Blunt after winning Best Picture. Screenshot from ABC

Another Oscar season has come and gone and we'll dig into the ceremony in a bit which for the first time in known history came in under its alloted air time.  Moving it an hour earlier was a good move! But for now the winners list. Oppenheimer emerged as the night's champ as everyone on the planet predicted but it proved less than a giant sweeper. Sweeps just aren't popular at the 21st century where spreading the wealth is the semi-norm for wins, if not nomination tallies. Still, since the first year of the "Expanded Era" (2009) when we saw an expansion of the Best Picture field and new voting rules, its seven wins place it in a tie for most Oscars with 2013's Gravity (which did not win Best Picture) and 2022's Everything Everywhere All At Once. 

The only other films to win multiple Oscars last night were Poor Things with 4 statues includly a tough race in Best Actress and The Zone of Interest with 2 statues including a not totally surprising (on account of how often the work was discussed) but still highly unusual win in the Best Sound category. More to come!

COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS IN ALL 23 CATEGORIES

Picture Oppenheimer
Director Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Actress Emma Stone, Poor Things
Actor Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Supporting Actress, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Supporting Actor Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Original Screenplay Anatomy of a Fall
Adapted Screenplay American Fiction
Cinematography Oppenheimer
Costume Design Poor Things
Production Design Poor Things
Film Editing Oppenheimer
Visual Effects Godzilla Minus One
Makeup and Hair Poor Things
Original Score Oppenheimer
Sound The Zone of Interest
Original Song "What Was I Made For?" Barbie
International Feature The Zone of Interest 
Live Action Short The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar
Animated Feature The Boy and the Heron
Animated Short War is Over!
Documentary Feature 20 Days in Mariupol
Documentary Short The Last Repair Shop

Curio: Oscar Food 2013

Alexa here. Every year the Oscars make me hungry. Maybe I'm feeling sympathy pangs for the starved nominees.  Or maybe it's because, as my husband puts it, this is my Super Bowl: all that time in front of the television gives one an excuse to snack it up.

Here's what we came up with this year:

  

 

• Hushpuppies in honor of Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Crabby Snacks in honor of Silver Linings Playbook (recipe here)
• Thirty Dark Chocolate Zeros
• Les Miserables Miseraballs
• Argo Fudge Yourself
• Chocolate Djmangoes unchained

More Oscar foods from 'round the web after the jump (plus Jennifer Lawrence)

Click to read more ...

Podcast: Spread the Wealth, End the War

I couldn't let the postmortem on Oscar's 84th close without inviting my ol' podcast pals Katey, Nick and Joe to join me for one last conversation of the season. We ended up talking for over an hour. See we all share this "can't stop talking Oscar!" addiction and none of us will ever go to rehab. So you get the podcast in two parts. Part two late tonight.

Here's part one where we start goofy with Octavia Spencer's ubiquity and end all serious like (well, mostly) with Viola and Meryl. Join the conversation in the comments.

Topics include but are not limited to...

• Octavia Spencer, Angelina Jolie
• "Cut To Camera 3. No, Camera 4. Wait, Back to 2!"
• Spreading the Wealth. What Did They Actually Love?
• Billy Crystal's 9th Go-Round
• Emma Stone vs. Anne Hathaway with a side of Jonah Hill
• Red Carpet Reveals and Lead Actor Presentations
• CLIPS! Commercial Breaks
• Meryl & Viola and the Narrative vs. Performance Problem

You can download the podcast on iTunes or listen right here at the bottom of the post.
UPDATE: PART TWO NOW AVAILABLE AS WELL.

Post Oscar Part One

Oscar Night is Here. Live-Tweeting

Each year we stress ourselves out with live blogging of all the big events but for Oscar... Since it's my favorite holiday I usually throw a party and recap later right here. Tonight I'm taking a cue from the fatigue I see all over the red carpet. As I turned on the TV Berenice Bejo had the microphone in her face. Why are the Oscars so special?

Because it's the last one."

While that's a genuine truth, "the last one" came out with something like a squinting faraway desperation for a week in bed. The cast and crew of The Artist have been working it for months you have to admit.

They're so committed I wouldn't be surprised to have seen them helping to roll out the red carpet. Bejo's high heel imprints are still faintly visible on red carpets all over the state.

I am party-less so I'll be live tweeting. Something more low key. I miss so much when I'm typing and photoshopping and polling and everything all at once. And I don't wanna miss the Oscars. I'll update this post a few times during the night with my tweets as guide so refresh your screen.

Red Carpet

• I was hoping that Michelle would come as Marilyn but she's very Michelle.

• Tate Taylor (The Help) so handsome. And I just noticed for the 1st time this morning that he's one of Steenburgen's sycophants in The Help.

• E! Claims "Total Departure!" for Rooney Mara because she's in white not black. Get back to me when she's in a pink ball gown

It's a little chilly"
-Rooney Mara

... weather and personality.

• Best Actress Fashion Watch. Thus far Davis > Close > Williams > Mara. Not exactly the order I expected. Where's Streep?

• Tate Taylor (The Help) so handsome. And I just noticed for the 1st time this morning that he's one of Steenburgen's sycophants in THE HELP

• "the man who loved best actresses too much" that'll be the title of my self-help book if i ever get help.

• Jessica Chastain looks amazing but better than the dress is that unexpectedly girlie bouncy personality . she brought her Nana!

"I love the energy, the light, the american faces and the cinammon rolls"

-Jean Dujardin

• It'll be hard to top Jean Dujardin's red carpet quote about his awards season experience.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Click to read more ...