Oscar Hangover...And A Letter To the Winners

Anyone who knows me well knows that in my house last night, the only thing that could possibly be on TV was the Oscars. At this time of year, we eat, drink, sleep and breathe Oscars. All day long. All the time.

But this has been quite a different Oscars season for me. I never had an obsession so strong to get in the way of my Oscar viewing as I did during 2006 and the first part of this year. And that would be golf. When the Oscar nominees were announced back on January 23, my husband and I had only seen four movies released in 2006 for the entire year. Gulp. That is so unlike us. Usually every weekend or every other weekend had been spent at a matinee.

But not since learning golf. Now, we were on a golf course at least every other week. It is the rule and not the exception in our schedule. But I must say that I absolutely love the sport and look forward to it every single time we prepare to play. I must truly be a golf lover because even when I stink which is quite often, I still have a great time and cannot wait to play again.

So when the Oscar nominations were named, well, we had our work cut out for us. Thirty nominations to see...in just a month. This was our final weekend and we did sneak in two more movies at the end of the week. Overall, we managed to see 13 of the 16 movies with key nominations (or 26 of the 30 big nominees). That's not too bad... and we certainly do plan to see the rest of them when they hit HBO or pay-per-view.

So as the ultimate movie lover and Oscar fanatic, I send along my comments about the big winners from Sunday's night's big event. And as a tribute to an evening of pomp and circumstance, I will address the winners directly. (Because I know that they're reading this blog right now. I'm just sure of it...)

Director and Movie:
To Martin Scorsese (and The Departed) -
I was thrilled to see you win for Best Director and The Departed as Best Picture. And I never EVER thought I'd be writing that. I've always loved your enthsiasm and love for movies and clearly you are a class act through and through and one of the nicest guys in the industry. But I didn't think Raging Bull or Taxi Driver were great movies, though I will admit that Goodfellas and Aviator completely won me over. But I had never been so taken by one of your movies until The Departed. It was a total surprise to me how enthralled I was with the storyline and characters. Fascinating stuff and you deserve every accolade, heap of praise and glittery trinket bestowed upon you.

Supporting Actress:
To Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls -
I liked you during American Idol, but your performance in Dreamgirls didn't knock me out as Cate Blanchette in Notes on a Scandal or Rinko Kikuchi in Babel. You looked beautiful as you accepted your award and you knocked them dead during your performance last night. But I think thanking American Idol on TV would have been a really classy move and I was disappointed that you forgot what captured those producers' attention in the first place.

Supporting Actor:
To Adam Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine -
Well, for me, the good news was that Eddie Murphy DIDN'T win because I didn't feel he should have been nominated. You were funny in the movie and there was a sweet touch to your performance in your scenes with co-star Abigail Breslin. But I'm sorry - you just didn't move me as Dijmon Hounsou in Blood Diamond did. He was the real best supporting actor in my book. Sorry.

Lead Actress:
To Helen Mirren, The Queen -
I have absolutely no problem with your winning last night. You are an exquisite actress and charming as a personality. You completely won me over in the movie that you truly were the Queen herself. I may have in my own faux Oscars selected Judi Dench my favorite lead actress performance, but it was a close race for me and I would have been content with either one of you winning. Dame Helen, you looked terrific at the ceremony, were graceful and gracious as I'd expect you to be and deserve every ounce of the Golden Boy.


Lead Actor:
To Forrest Whitaker, Last King of Scotland -
Occasionally, it happens that a person I really like and want to root for, wins - even when they may not have been my choice as the year's best. This is one of those such years. I really like Philip Seymour Hoffman but I didn't like his performance last year. I didn't begrudge him for winning but was disappointed that Joaquin Phoenix in Walk the Line didn't win instead. I thoroughly enjoyed Jamie Foxx in Ray a few years ago but completely felt that Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda or Leonardo DiCaprio in The Avaiator were more deserving. Forrest, I thought you did a very good job in Last King of Scotland, but I felt that your co-star James McGorvey was just as good, if not better and he was completely overlooked in all of the contests. To me, it is often harder to portray someone unknown and build a real, breathing being onscreen than to portray someone we all know in some way or another. I was happy for you and I know how appreciative and humbled you were from last night's win, but I wasn't rooting for you. Sorry.

Every year, I am swept up in the mania that is my own little Oscar Run. I find joy in movies that I would otherwise never have taken the time to see and sometimes, disappointment in critically acclaimed giants that do nothing to amaze me. It's a fun, adventurous trek and I always look forward to it. But when it is all over, I am always longing for something more.

This year, a lot of really good, genuine people won - and even if I wasn't always rooting for them, it was nice to see the kudos welcomed with open arms, appreciation and some sincerity.

And finally...
To most valuable player:
Ellen, our fabulous host for the evening -
Please don't believe all that you read. I think if the producers had simply spent less time on goofy crap like shadow dancers and sound effect choirs, viewers might have gotten more of a chance to be truly entertained by your laid-back, refreshing style and humor.