It was Oscar time Sunday night, and while the film awards may have lost some luster, this year's edition proved to be outrageously suspenseful. In past years, many of the night's big winners could be predicted in the weeks and months leading up to the show, but this year was far from predictable. The show started out with an exceptionally awkward pre-show, in which a bevy of nervous-looking ABC entertainment reporters got up close and personal with many of the night's big stars on the red carpet. The interviews were horrible, and most of the subjects were only allowed 10 seconds or less to answer their respective questions. It must be tough to cover the red carpet, but it can't be as impossible as ABC made it look. As the main event finally began, the audience at home and in the Kodak Theatre soon found itself in stitches, courtesy of first-time host Ellen Degeneres. The long-time comedian and popular daytime talk show host was brilliant, her jokes were tasteful for the most part, and in the end, downright funny. A good Oscar host is something that many viewers take for granted, choosing instead to focus their attention on what their favorite actors and actresses are winning and wearing. Not only was Degeneres a welcome breath of fresh air, she helped the sometimes tedious program flow smoothly over its usually three hours-plus running time, as did Will Farrell and his singing trio of John C. Reilly and Jack Black. Their hilarious sing-along was right on key and featured a pensive Ferrell mocking the various actors in the audience, including Mark Walberg, who blithely obliged when Ferrell, in that perfect sense of timing that he has, quickly asked for forgiveness.
The question of the night leading up to the show had to be whether or not this was finally going to be Martin Scorsese's year to take home a golden statue. The man has directed some brilliant pictures that have somewhat slipped past the eyes of Academy voters. Name me another director whose filmography includes the likes of "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas," "Gangs of New York," and "Casino," but who has never won an Oscar. You would be hard-pressed to name such a director, and now, after Sunday night, you wont have to. Scorsese won the best director Oscar for "The Departed," giving the short man with the big glasses his time to shine in front of all his peers. Right on top of the best director win came the news that Marty's movie had also captured the best picture prize, and few people deserve a night to bask in the golden rays of Oscar victory like he does. Along with Scorsese's big win came a royal combo in the lead actor categories, with British dame Helen Mirren talking home the prize for her role as the steely eyed and reserved Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen," and Forrest Whitaker for his outstanding role in "The Last King of Scotland." Whittaker's' speech was touching and seemed to pull on everyone's collective heartstrings. Kudos also goes to ABC for focusing in on Whittaker's wife as he took the stage and delivered his speech. Her stream of tears was a perfect way to capture the importance of the moment, and served as another reminder that the Oscars can still be an awards program above any other in Hollywood and beyond.
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