Though I told myself I wouldn't, I watched the Oscars last night. I found them weird (as always), but enjoyable. I liked the the intimacy of the setting--a stage almost in the round and the various celebs sitting right down front in spitting distance of Hugh Jackman. I'd only seen one of the nominated films--"Slumdog Millionaire"--an enjoyable fairy-tale romp that pushes all the right middle-brow Oscar buttons, but for my money is still a little thin. Nevertheless, it was nice to see all those Indians on stage and see The Wolverine do top-hat dance numbers (though his claim that "the musical is back" seems overstated--where was there a musical nominated? Mama Mia? Come on...) Anyway, my favorite part is always the Obituaries, but this year I was slightly disappointed. The nod to Newman was great, but why not Heston? In fact, what an interesting missed opportunity--the two actors signified the antipodes of political Hollywood.

Here's a commentary by Dana Stevens on Slate which sums up my Oscar feelings quite nicely (and is well written and witty): http://www.slate.com/id/2209520/ The slam on Baz is right on.

CD