I'm watching the Oscars off-and-on, hit-and-miss. Here are some thoughts about what I've seen so far…
- I don't understand why Chris Rock got a standing ovation just for showing up for work. But then, I think audiences have cheapened the whole concept of the standing-o down to near-meaningless. You now get one just for appearing on The Tonight Show.
- That said, I thought Rock did a great monologue but it may have been in the wrong room. The stuff bashing actors like Jude Law was funny but I'm not sure it belongs at the Oscars. The evening's supposed to be about celebrating excellence and while that doesn't mean everything has to be positive, there are times when a comic's "bully pulpit" is so powerful that it ought to be used sparingly to insult people. The Bush-bashing was much the same: Funny but maybe not the right time or place.
- The idea of presenting certain awards from the audience must have sounded good in the meetings but it just looks awkward here. Betcha we don't see it again.
- I can't quite explain why but I'm always bothered by these audience reaction shots that seem intended to show the jokes are harmless. If someone makes a joke about black people, we suddenly have to cut to a black person laughing. How about embracing the idea that everyone finds the line funny?
- I keep seeing empty seats in the audience shots. It's 20 minutes in. People shouldn't be going out to make cellphone calls quite this early, and the Seat Fillers should be faster on the sit.
- At some point in the career of Joan Rivers, I got real sick of the nasty, gratuitous jokes she was making about Elizabeth Taylor being fat, Madonna being loose, etc. I'm starting to feel that way about jokes about Joan being hideous and inhuman. I know it's a taste of her own medicine but that doesn't mean I have to laugh at it.
- No comment on the winners so far. No big surprises, and I doubt anyone's expecting any. If Jamie Foxx doesn't win for Ray, even the Diebold people will scream fraud.
I'm going to take a walk and get some dinner. Through the miracle of TiVo, I'll catch up on the proceedings later.