2012 OSCARS

So. They just ended and as usual there were some great moments and some not so. I like Billy Crystal and thought he did his usual good job. He made me laugh a lot and that's what he's supposed to do. But probably someone younger and more current would have made a lot of young folks laugh more.

I was happy to see that they got some of the awards that most people aren't that interested in out of the way right away. And that they eliminated the best song numbers that always seemed to stop the show unless they were done perfectly. Tonight the highlight of the show was Esmeralda Spalding, the great young jazz bassist I posted about here years ago [but had trouble finding the link to since I got her first name wrong on that post!]{woops, my son Miles points out I had her name correct the first time, it IS Esperanza, my post-brain-op-or-just-plain-getting-older sometime confusion}, singing WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD as the soundtrack to the montage of those who passed since the last Oscars. She was so incredibly stunningly good as soon as the song ended I wanted to download it and have it forever.

Another highlight was also musical but disappointing in at least one way. My neighbor, who I've also posted about here I think last year, the great guitarist Stephen Wrembel, who did much of the music for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS played some amazing guitar licks at one point in the show but instead of showing him playing they had some girls handing out popcorn, and then later in the show focused on the guitar player in the band who wasn't playing much at all. Go figure.

I didn't find the movies as compelling as some other years, and everyone who won deserved to be recognized I'd say. But I think Clooney should have won best actor. He's always terrific and his performance in THE DESCENDANTS was one of his best, maybe his best. THE ARTIST was great entertainment and everyone in it was terrific, but still.

Once again I fell for Meryl. For those who haven't been reading this blog for long, before my brain surgery in November of 2009 (is that right?) I didn't find Meryl Streep attractive at all, and I also compulsively made lists all the time, including my own film awards each year. But post brain op I found that when I see Streep on TV or in a movie I feel all googley goofy attracted to her, as I did tonight. And I have no interest, let alone compulsion, to make any list at all anymore. Weird huh?

I felt sorry for Spielberg that he didn't win anything for WARHORSE, a very satisfying old fashioned Hollywood flick that would have won tons of awards in the golden age of Hollywood that everyone, or a lot of folks, in Hollywood pretend to pay homage to and miss. But I also felt bad that the music for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS wasn't nominated, and that the academy could only come up with two songs to nominate for best song category, and that Janet McTeer didn't win something for her performance in ALBERT NOBBS, one of the best of the year.

But then that could be said about a lot of those who didn't win anything tonight. Anyway, 'nuff about that, but did anyone else think Angelina Jolie needs to gain some weight?