Oscars 2009

For those of you interested, we're batting about average at Chez Loebrich South with about 75% correctly guessed. Thank you Academy, it was a great show, good night!

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire
Yes! Whew! I was still scared of a split.

Hey, Lucy, I miss you! Wish you were here so we could compare notes over coffee in the newsroom tomorrow!

Best Actor - Sean Penn, Milk
Wow! The Academy hates him, he's too much of a "troublemaker" for them. His performance was brilliant, his message necessary, and, as surprised as I am, I am completely thrilled.

So why didn't they do this Legends presentation with Best Director? I can list a bunch of powerhouse folks I'd have loved to have seen up there....

Best Actress - Kate Winslet, The Reader
Yes! This was a splendid performance in a powerful movie.

Sophia Loren is still danged gorgeous! Classy.

Best Director - Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Yes! I was so scared this wouldn't happen. I'm still scared there's gonna be a split....

Classy. Bravo, bravissimo.

OK, if she's gonna sing, I'll let it go...'caue it's classy.

Oh, man! My dear Queen Latifah gets stuck introducing the Death Reel?

Bruce has been following the stats on Awards Daily for weeks. He's totally into handicapping the awards. He's so cute.

Foreign Language Film - Departures
Well, this is unexpected! We hadn't actually managed to see any of the nominees this year, but we were expecting Waltz With Bashir -- which looks like a brilliantly animated movie -- to take this one.

Original Song - "Jai Ho" Slumdog Millionaire
Well, I think I owe my coworker Dave a cookie. I was sure Slumdog was going to split the vote with two songs nominated in this category. Besides, so often the Original Song winner comes from the Best Animated Feature, especially if it's Disney or Pixar. Oh well, I don't mind. Slumdog was great fun and the song is pretty cool, too.

Wow! I am loving the Original Song performances! You know, overall the production values on this Oscar broadcast have been superb.

Original Score - Slumdog Millionaire
Wow. I actually didn't expect this one to go this way. Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for Slumdog, but I love Danny Elfman...maybe he'll make another movie with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp...oh, the trifecta!

Film Editing - Slumdog Millionaire
Bruce is concerned that Slumdog won't sweep because it lost Sound Editing to The Dark Knight. :-(

Sound Mixing - Slumdog Millionaire
Bruce is funny. He's started saying, "anything but Benjamin Button." Sounds like me the year Titanic was up for everything. :-)

Sound Editing - The Dark Knight
Yay! This was a great movie, definitely in my top 5 this year, glad to see it winning more than just the expected.

Visual Effects - Benjamin Button
This is a bummer, actually. The Dark Knight and Iron Man were up in this, too. Another category full of deserving nominees. Wish I'd liked Benjamin Button more.

I love Will Smith! Too bad he didn't have a chance to write and perform a rap number for the Oscars!

OK, that's going to be one of the images in the paper tomorrow -- Philippe Petit balancing the Oscar on his chin!

Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger
Didn't we tell you this was a lock? It was also one of the most brilliant performances of the year, heartily deserving of a nomination and an award. It's really awful that the ending wasn't as happy as we'd all have liked it to be.

OK, I'm loving this, but where's my girlfriend Queen Latifah?

Hmm, I've got a great idea for the next X-Men movie (after the one this May)...anybody else see a remake of, say, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers cast with the students of Professor X's school? Or, maybe, as they're doing now, Grease.... :-)

Cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire
Yay!

Does anybody know if Cate Blanchett actually did her own dancing in Benjamin Button? I tried to figure that out on IMdB, but couldn't.

Makeup - Benjamin Button
Well, you know, prosthetic aging makeup is usually an Academy shoe-in. Actually, this seemed like the toughest category to me with Dark Knight and Hellboy II as the other nominees.

Not to speak too soon, but is anybody else impressed with clip at which this broadcast is progressing?

Costume Design - The Duchess
Well, duh. It's a costume drama, and a darn pretty one at that.

Art Direction - Benjamin Button
Wow. Has the sweep begun? (I hope not...although it was a pretty movie.)

That was too cute -- the Japanese man who won for Animated Short saying "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto" :-)

Animated Feature - Wall-E
Well, duh. I realized that I hadn't listed this in our predictions below, but, well..duh. (Bolt was cute, too, though.)

Adapted Screenplay - Slumdog Millionaire
Yay! Has the sweep begun?

Original Screenplay - Milk
This was a surprise. It was a great movie, as I said before it's the right story at the right time, I just wasn't expecting it to win screenplay.

UPDATE 8:53pm: OK, this screenplay intro is hilarious!

Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz
Yay! We called this one and we're glad it went this way because she really was good. Also, we're liking this having the past winners announce the awards. That was really touching. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of them play out.

UPDATE 8:33pm: Yay! Welcome back, Opening Musical Number! Nobody could've done it better than Handsome Hugh!

UPDATE 8:27pm: So, do you suppose Lou Horvitz is going to win another Emmy for directing the Oscars? Looks like they've got a pretty ambitious show planned. Stay tuned!

UPDATE 8:20pm: That was the best intro to the Price Waterhouse guys I've ever seen!! Plus I love the fashion commentary about what they're wearing! Yay, Price Waterhouse and the winning envelopes!

UPDATE 8:10pm: That is SO cool that they've got the ENTIRE CAST of Slumdog! Guess it's not like graduation where you only get like 4 tickets!

UPDATE 8:02pm: So, now it's onto ABC's coverage. Hey, Wayne -- I've got my popcorn and "E's and 3's"!

UPDATE 7:58pm: I love Robert Downey, Jr. I haven't seen Tropic Thunder, but I have always liked him as an actor. Did you see Iron Man? He literally rocked in that -- although Chaplin remains my favorite role from him. Ooh, he says they're working on a sequel to Iron Man. As a Marvel girl, I appreciate that, too.

UPDATE 7:55pm: Did I miss my boyfriend Johnny? I haven't seen him up the hotness factor yet....

UPDATE 7:38pm: So who had TOTALLY AMAZINGLY BURNING HOT in the pool for how Brad and Angelina would look? Because you were SO right - whoa!

UPDATE 7:36pm: I would be remiss if I did not mention how much I also adore Queen Latifah - so gorgeous and so talented and so awesomely cool! Can't wait to hear her sing later.

UPDATE 7:34pm: I am watching Ron Howard be interviewed right now. He has been in my Top 10 Favorite Directors for years, and not just because he looks a little like my dad. :-)

The stars are arriving on Red Carpet Way, the crazy "fluff packages" and interviews are all over E! Entertainment Television, we're having our traditional steak and Coppola wine with popcorn and M&M's waiting in the kitchen, it's the big night at Chez Loebrich South -- Happy Oscars!

Predictions:

Best Picture: Bruce - Slumdog Millionaire, Katy - Slumdog Millionaire, but I'd be happy if Milk won, too, just so long as Benjamin Button doesn't.

Best Director: Bruce - Danny Boyle (Slumdog), Katy - Danny Boyle (Slumdog), but I'd be happy if Dad's "twin brother" Ron Howard won, too.

Best Actor: Bruce - Mickey Rourke, Katy - Mickey Rourke

Best Actress: Bruce - Kate Winslet (The Reader), but he'd love it if Anne Hathaway won, Katy - Kate Winslet, but I could see Meryl Streep pulling it out, too.

Best Supporting Actor: Bruce - Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight), Katy - Heath Ledger, but Bruce doesn't think it's as much of a lock as I do.

Best Supporting Actress: Bruce - Penelope Cruzy (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Katy - Penelope Cruz, but this is a tough one.