Live Blogging The Oscars

The Oscars

Well, I just watched Barbar's Special and now am putting up with the Red Carpet 1/2 hour. Thankfully it is only a short show.
Meryl Streep is a goddess!

I missed part of Barbar's show but I have a new respect for Mickey Rorke and Hugh Jackman. Both of their stories brought tears to my eyes.

So I have a list below and will color the winners as we go along. I have picked some and will bold them now. (before the show) - We will see how my predictions go.

Miss Cassie is in her place resting on my left arm and purring. Bailey and Max are sleeping. They could care less.

It is a beautiful set and the band is on stage and from what I heard the music should be awesome.

Hugh Jackman is an incredible talent. His opening number was a lot of fun.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
• Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• * Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
• * Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• * Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• * Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Original screenplay
• “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt_
• * “Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh_
• * “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh_
• * “Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black_
• * “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Adapted screenplay
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord_
• * “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley_
• * “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan_
• * “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare_
• * “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

I didn't pick either of them but am not unhappy with the winners. I saw both films and was pleased with them.

Best animated feature film of the year
• “Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
• * “Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
• * “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

I didn't see any of these but Jon liked Wall-E so I am picking it based on his recommendation.

Animated short film

LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES

Art Direction

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume Design

The Duchess
This was a beautiful picture and the costumes were perfect. They did not intrude but added to the story and the designer was very talented.

Make- Up

The Curious Case of Benjaman Button

Cinematography

Slumdog Millionaire

Ok, They are already airing way too many commercials. These shows go on and on. I still watch them. I like the glamor, etc.

Bailey has decided to climb up higher to watch the show.

Best Short Film (Live Action)
SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
Jochen Alexander Freydank

They just did a salute to the Musical which brought the audience to their feet. Hugh and Beyonce. WOW!

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
• Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Feature)
• * Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
• * Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• * Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
• * Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

I could just as easily gone with Philip Seymour Hoffman as he was wonderful in Doubt.
What a wonderful thing to see the emotions on the actors and actresses faces who watched his parents and his sister accept this award for this talented actor who has been taken fromus way to early, Lots of tears welling up.

Best documentary feature
• “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath_
• * “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser_
• * “The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy_
• * “Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall in association with Red Box Films Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn_
• * “Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject
• “The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki_
• * “The Final Inch” Vermilion Films in association with Google.org, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant_
• * “Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan_
• * “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Sound Editing'

The Dark Knight

It is now 9:30 PM. The race is on to finish.

Sound Mixing

Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in film editing
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall_
• * “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith_
• * “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley_
• * “Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham_
• * “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

"This year, the under-appreciated comic genius Jerry Lewis will receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his tireless work for Muscular Dystrophy over the years. Lewis tells Entertainment Weekly that he is honored, but that it is bittersweet because the Academy is recognizing his service and not his film performances. ”Because they didn’t think enough of my work. Because what I did didn’t command consideration because it’s slapstick, because it’s lowbrow, because the Academy’s always been cautious about comedy.”

He has raised over 2 Billion dollars for his "kids" His telethon has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I know there are protests about this but not from me. He should have been honored long before this.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Alexandre Desplat_
• * “Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard_
• * “Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman_
• * “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman_
• * “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
• “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel_
• * “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar_
• * “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Best foreign language film of the year
• “The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany_
• * “The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France_
• * “Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan_
• * “Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria_
• * “Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in directing
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher_
• * “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard_
• * “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant_
• * “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry_
• * “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle


I am still in love with Sophia. And the others ain't to bad either.





Performance by an actress in a leading role
• Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• * Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
• * Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• * Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
• * Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)





Performance by an actor in a leading role
• Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
• * Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
• * Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
• * Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
• * Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
I really thought that Mickey Rourke would get it because it is such a great story of a comeback. That said. I saw Milk and it was a moving film just as Penn's acceptance speech was moving.

Best motion picture of the year
• “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers_
• * “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers_
• * “Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers_
• * “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti and Redmond Morris, Producers_
• * “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, Producer

Slumdog won 8 awards. It was a wonderfuly done movie. It is not 11:00 so I guess that it was a pretty good show. I enjoyed it. Now I have to go to see some movies. Thanks for stopping by. ARTYAL. Hugs, j