Liveblogging the Oscars

Well, here we go. I'm very curious about what James Franco and Anne Hathaway have in store for us. I love James Franco, but I'm not a huge Anne Hathaway fan--we'll see what happens.

Opening skit: This Inception thing is pretty funny. Alec Baldwin is always great, and he added a nice touch here.

"I loved you in Tron."

"Microphones get smaller."

"Please, call me Mr. Baldwin."

OK, thje opening skit was good, but the opening monologue was a little stiff. The grandma was funny, but overall it was pretty empty.

But here we go with the first awards!

Art Direction:

I picked Inception.

And the winner is . . . Alice in Wonderland.

Hmm... Not off to a good start. 0/1

This guy is painful to watch.

Cinematography:

Prediction: Roger Deakins

Winner: Wally Pfister for Inception.

I love the work of Roger Deakins, but I'm not too sad I lost this category. Inception really does deserve to be recognized here, and I'm happy this guy won.

0/2

Best Supporting Actress:

This is a tricky category. As I mentioned yesterday, I think that Amy Adams and Melissa Leo might split the vote.

My prediction: Hailee Steinfeld

Winner: Melissa Leo

Well, I was dead wrong on that one. And Kirk Douglas sure made the wait uncomfortable. Melissa Leo did a good job, but mostly I was entranced by her hair in The Fighter. And now she is making things awkward too. She just said "golly sakes" and then dropped the f-bomb. Get off the stage.

0/3

Justin Timberlake just said he was Banksy--brilliant. Also, Justin and Mila should have babies.

Best Animated Short:

Prediction: The Lost Thing

Winner: The Lost Thing.

I won on a complete guess. And did Justin Timberlake just make fun of Kirk Douglas? Fantastic.

1/4

Best Animated Feature:

Toy Story 3 -- obviously.

And the winner is: Toy Story 3

What a wonderful film.

2/5

So far the show is pretty slow. People's speeches are long and boring. Nothing really is happening.

OK, another pair of big awards: screenplay.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Prediction: Aaron Sorkin

And the winner is: Aaron Sorkin

The writing in this film was genius. Aaron Sorkin writes the best dialogue, and he really brought the story to life. I wonder if he's going to thank Mark Zuckerberg . . .

Nope.

3/6

Best Original Screenplay:

Prediction: The King's Speech

Winner: David Seidler, The King's Speech.

I was actually hoping Inception would win because of the creativity in the story. But I also know that David Seidler made a life's work out of The King's Speech, and his speech was one of the best of the night so far.

4/7

Ok, now for a musical number. A Les Mis parody . . .

Well, Anne is a good singer anyway.

And now James in in drag. Good lord.

Russell Brand and Helen Mirren make a great pair.

Best Foreign Language Film:

Prediction: In a Better World (random guess based on the title)

Winner: In a Better World

Woohoo!

5/8 -- After a slow start, I'm back.

Best Supporting Actor:

Prediction: Christian Bale

Winner: Christian Bale

Excellent. As I've mentioned, I had some problems with The Fighter, but Christian Bale was phenomenal. And his speech is very heartfelt--he really loves what he does. I wonder if this beard is for The Dark Knight Rises . . .

6/9

And now a tribute to soundtracks . . .

Best Original Score:

I really want Trent Reznor to win an Oscar--but the music from Inception was also so powerful.

Prediction: The Social Network

Winner: The Social Network

Yes! Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross really created a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and it's nice to see a more modern-sounding score get recognized.

7/10

Best Sound Mixing:

Prediction: Inception

Winner: Inception

Sound was such an integral part of this movie that I felt pretty confident in this prediction.

8/11

Best Sound Editing:

Prediction: Inception

Winner: Inception

Ditto what I just said.

9/12

Achievement in Makeup

Prediction: Barney's Version

Winner: The Wolfman

I have not seen either of these, but I should have known that Rick Baker would win.

9/13

Best Costume Design:

Prediction: The King's Speech

Winner: Alice in Wonderland

I almost changed my vote after Alice in Wonderland won best art direction, but I stuck with my original choice. And lost.

9/14

Even though I predict that Randy Newman will win, he's such a cornball. And a crappy singer.

Jake Gyllenhaal speaks the truth about shorts. They really can mess up the ballot.

Best Documentary Short Subject:

Prediction: Killing in the Name

Winner: Strangers No More

Whatever. 9/15

Best Live Action Short:

Prediction: God of Love

Winner: God of Love

Clearly I know what I'm talking about when it comes to live action short films. And this guy looks crazy. And he thanked Delaware.

10/16

This musicalized thing is pretty funny, especially "He Doesn't Own a Shirt." Very entertaining.

And now an Oprah moment . . . Hi Oprah.

Best Documentary:

Prediction: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Winner: Inside Job

I really need to see Exit Through the Gift Shop and Inside Job. I saw Restrepo and thought it was good. I was hoping Exit Through the Gift Shop would win so we could see if Bansky would show up.

And in our first political moment, the winner here notes that no one has gone to jail for the financial fraud perpetrated on our country. Well said.

10/17

Billy Crystal's presence just make me miss the days when the Oscar show was funny.

I will just admit this right here and now: I have never thought Bob Hope was even remotely funny. That's all.

Best Visual Effects:

Prediction: Inception

Winner: Inception

Obviously. This film's visual effects are simply mind-boggling. Having watched the making-of on the Blu-Ray, I'm even more blown away.

11/18

Best Editing:

Prediction: The Social Network

Winner: The Social Network

The second time I watched The Social Network, I really noticed how seamlessly the stories were blended, so I knew it would win. Inception should have won, but it was inexplicably not nominated.

12/19

Florence! I love her voice so much, and this song from 127 Hours is so beautiful. It should win the Oscar, but I still think Randy Newman might win. But maybe with Trent Reznor already snagging an Oscar, maybe something fresh will be recognized here too.

And I prefer Gwyneth Paltrow when she's rolling on Cee-Lo's piano while he's dressed like a bird and surrounded by Muppets.

Best Original Song:

Prediction: "We Belong Together"

Winner: "We Belong Together"

Well there we go. Thus ends that speculation.

13/20

And now for the Dead People Tribute. And with Celine Dion--gross. We did lose a lot of talented people this year.

Holy diamonds, Halle. But a nice tribute to Lena Horne.

Why is Anne Hathaway wearing a rubber suit?

And now for the big four . . .

Best Director:

Prediction: David Fincher

Winner: Tom Hooper

Well, I have to say that I'm a little surprised. I am pretty sure that The King's Speech is going to win Best Picture, and usually the directing winner is the same, but I really thought that David Fincher would pull this one out.

13/21

Best Actress:

Prediction: Natalie Portman

Winner: Natalie Portman

First of all, what an amazing collection of talent. The clips of each of these performances were stunning. But I'm very happy that Natalie Portman won. I've loved her since I first saw her in The Professional when she was a kid, and she has done great work, but Black Swan just topped them all. And she gave a good speech.

14/22

Best Actor:

Prediction: Colin Firth

Winner: Colin Firth

This one was a sure thing. Again, all of these actors are fantastic, but I knew when watching The King's Speech that Colin would win. The anguish he showed in the close-ups was nothing short of amazing.

15/23

All right--so is The King's Speech going to win the big one? I think so. But as I mentioned yesterday, this is a great collection of Best Picture nominees.

Steven Spielberg--what an amazing guy. That's all.

Best Picture:

Prediction: The King's Speech

Winner: The King's Speech

Well, no surprise. I was at the last minute thinking that The Social Network might pull off an upset, but no problem--The King's Speech is a wonderful film, and it deserves the accolades.

Final score: 16/24. 67%. Not bad--better than the last few years, anyway.

Well, the Oscar show overall was pretty dull. Great movies, dull show. But I still love the Oscars.