Oscar Night 2007

Edward Champion of Return of the Reluctant is hosting his Oscar Blog again this year. Maybe next year he will invite me to the party, but this year here we are again, the Ionarts liveblogging of the Oscars.

[20:48] The opening sequence was charming, and Ellen DeGeneres is funny so far. Art Direction and Makeup went the right way, in favor of my score card, that is, Pan's Labyrinth. It's the only point in the night, probably, that my record will be 100%. 1 point for Ionarts!

[21:04] Oh, and all our hopes are dashed! Two wrong picks for the shorts categories.

[21:13] Gospel choir and now Sound Effects choir?

[21:16] With Sound Editing, we go from 100% down to 25%. And signing off, that's all for us...

[21:23] Well, this is one of those cases when the person I wanted to win has won: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine! I picked Eddie Murphy, thinking that he would win.

[21:26] What on earth?

[21:31] Best Song, my least favorite category. The nominees are usually all so awful.

[21:37] Preachy song, preachy politician, preachy preachiness. UPDATE: This won Best Song.

[21:44] I was afraid that Happy Feet would win, but Master Ionarts insisted that I pick Cars, which was his favorite movie of the year. Well, my chances at winning the pool are definitely gone.

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[21:48] These montages are way too long. For this, they are not going to let a winner for Sound Editing thank his wife and mother?

[21:54] Well, I thought Borat would win in its only nominated category, but nothing for make benefit glorious nation of Khazakstan.

[22:03] Costumes, another case where I am happy for the winner but surprised at the decision. I thought this would be another part of the Dreamgirls landslide, but Marie-Antoinette was truly amazing in this category, such beautiful costumes.

[22:13] I had forgotten what it was like to get a category right. At least Pan's Labyrinth has not let me down so far. I could do without the weird dancers and the Ellen chatter so that Guillermo Navarro could say what he wants to say.

[22:22] Visual Effects: I went for Superman Returns. The bitterness is sweetened considerably by seeing and hearing the lovely voice of La Deneuve!

[22:31] Pan's Labyrinth just let me down. I'm planning to review The Lives of Others this week.

[22:36] As I feared, Jennifer Hudson wins. That neither actress from Babel won in this category means that it probably will win Best Picture.

[22:44] Ah, Gael García Bernal, The Science of Sleep got nothing this year. But I actually got this pick right: The Blood of Yingzhou District.

[22:49] Documentaries are good to Ionarts! Yes, I picked An Inconvenient Truth.

[22:52] Now we are talking: Ennio Morricone, film score genius. The Mission alone could have won him this recognition. Yeah, Untouchables, too. Shit, he composed a lot of amazing scores. Criminy, look at how many. What's the last American film he scored?

[22:58] Ugh, a pretty tune, I guess, but sung with colossal ugliness. Still, it's so nice to hear Italian on American television!

[23:08] Poor Philip Glass. Beyond that, no comment. Gustavo Santaolalla wanted his score not to sound like a National Geographic soundtrack. Did he succeed?

[23:16] Little Miss Sunshine so deserves the award for Best Original Screenplay, but although I picked it, I never thought it would actually win.

[23:25] Dreamgirls had to win Best Song, right? (I picked "Listen.") What, Melissa Etheridge? How am I still awake? Is anyone still watching?

[23:48] *SNORE*