Michael Moore reminds me of something an ultra-conservative friend of mine once said about Rush Limbaugh: "Yeah, he's an enormous putz at times and says things that make me wince, but I still find him entertaining." That still applies to Moore for me but I'm getting the feeling that prolonged exposure may change that. Wish he'd been more subtle. On the other hand, many of the press reports are describing it as a "violent attack" on George W. Bush. Shouldn't we save that term for an action actually intended to inflict physical harm? Describing it in the same terms as what's going on in Iraq at the moment seems rather silly.
So how did I do with my predictions? By my tally, I got 14 out of 24, which amazes me since I didn't see one of these movies and was going wholly on industry buzz. Here's my list again with the actual winners listed in boldface…
- Picture: Chicago
- Director:
Rob Marshall, ChicagoRoman Polanski, The Pianist - Actor:
Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New YorkAdrien Brody, The Pianist - Actress: Nicole Kidman, The Hours
- Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper, Adaptation
- Supporting Actress: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago
- Screenplay (Original):
My Big Fat Greek WeddingTalk To Her - Screenplay (Adaptation):
ChicagoThe Pianist - Foreign Film: Nowhere in Africa
- Documentary (Short):
Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa ParksThe Twin Towers - Documentary (Feature): Bowling for Columbine
- Short Subject:
I'll Wait For The Next One…This Charming Man - Animation (Short): The ChubbChubbs
- Animation (Feature): Spirited Away
- Cinematography: The Road to Perdition
- Art Direction:
The Lord of the RingsChicago - Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings
- Costume Design: Chicago
- Makeup: Frida
- Film Editing: Chicago
- Original Score:
The HoursFrida - Original Song:
"I Move On," Chicago"Lose Yourself," 8 Miles - Sound Design:
The Lord of the RingsChicago - Sound Editing: The Lord of the Rings
I think I called the other things okay. The show was supposed to run three hours but it clocked in a little over three and a half. (Playing it safe, I set my TiVo for 4 and change. Matter of fact, it's still recording.) I forgot one other "always happens" prediction I was going to make. There's always one winner who is foreign and whose attempts to thank everyone in English come across as charming and memorable.
And I guess there's always the one category where everyone was absolutely sure that So-and-so was certain to win, but the Oscar went to someone else. Roman Polanski for The Pianist? Okay. Everyone said it would be Rob Marshall and, if not, Scorsese. This will probably be interpreted as a Harvey Weinstein backlash.
Sure glad the producer of Chicago mentioned Fosse.
Yes, that was indeed Neil Ross serving as the male announcer. (The lady was Randi Thomas.) I am delighted, not only because Neil is a friend and colleague but because he and Ms. Thomas are real announcers. Last year, the Oscars went for celebrities (Glenn Close and Donald Sutherland, as I recall) instead of picking someone who has dedicated their career to the form. I thought that was a bit of a slight to an important Hollywood craft.
You've been hearing Neil for years in cartoons, commercials, promos (he's the voice of the Game Show Network) and he really does it all as well as it can be done. If you want to hear him in action, his demo can be accessed online over at his website.