E: Here we are with the second in our series on the Oscar nominees, winners, and the performances that were unjustly forgotten. To see our thoughts on the supporting actor category, go here.
MMGF: So, here we have one of our, shall we say, less competitive competitions? And the Academy obliged by giving us who we all expected.
E: Oscar season is finally over, and I am ready for some new movies! Now, it’s not quite last March (when we were thrilled with anticipation for The Hunger Games) but this March oughtn’t be too bad. There’s a pleasantly long list of films worth checking out, I think.
C: Yes, a surprising number, actually! We’re finally out of the midwinter doldrums, it seems.
E: I have to tell you, I feel pretty damn great about that. Especially after the nominations proved so fiendishly difficult, I’m feeling pretty satisfied. And exhausted, because I was too excited to sleep last night – but mostly just happy. I was a bit dubious about Seth McFarlane, but in the end, I thought he was pretty terrific. Oh, sure, his monologue went on to long, but the song and dance numbers were fantastic (Charlize Theron and Channing Tatum! Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe! Alex Wong! the L.A. Gay Mens Chorus singing about boobs!), the sock puppets killed it, and way more of his jokes made me laugh than groan. Let’s talk Oscar!
E: First off, I know tonight is chock full of fascinating television, but you really should do yourself a favor and check the show out. The Globes are notoriously the loosest party of the awards show season; Angelina Jolie jumped into a pool at the hotel where they’re held to celebrate her first win, gown and all. People get pretty nutty. And of course the clothes are great, which goes without saying, although people do take chances they might not take for Oscar, so that’s entertaining as well. And this year the races are surprisingly open, so there could be a bunch of surprises, which again is always fun. Tonight sets the tone for the rest of the season; the Globes don’t have a particularly great record of picking the eventual Oscar winners, but they definitely set the tone. Tonight we’ll have a better idea of who’s really in contention and who’s just there to celebrate and model designer duds.
But if I didn’t care about award shows, I would be tuning in tonight anyway, despite the Patriots playoff game and Downton Abbey and my normal packed Sunday schedule. Tonight, it’s all about the hosts – Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. I mean come on. After the genius stunt they pulled at the 2011 Emmys, I can’t even wait to see what those two do.
In case you are curious about winners and losers, I do have just a few thoughts. Check it out after the jump.
E: Oh, wow. Some of that was really, really surprising. I said I wanted mystery, and here it is!
That said, I’m looking forward to this year’s ceremony more than ever; Seth McFarlane and Emma Stone were hilarious, and some of the snubs and especially the mismatches in the director/best picture races give perhaps unexpected clues about who the frontrunners might be.
