Post-Oscar comments...

Having been a fan of the Academy Awards since I was a small child- memorizing the list of winners in all major catagories from 1927-1977, and culminating in actually working for A.M.P.A.S. and the production as Executive Director, I have a unique perspective (I think) of this year's award show. It was not good.You will hear and read about the great job Jackman did as host, and the musical numbers, etc. While Jackman is charming, and quite talented, they tried to make this a Busby Berkley musical instead of the Oscars. The day that no-talents like Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens get to dance on stage at the Oscars, is the beginning of the end for the glamour and glitz that surrounds this annual event. What I saw was Beyonce lip-synching, terribly under-rehearsed and ill-advised dance numbers (made me yearn for Rob Lowe and Cinderella), Ben Stiller stealing a Joaquin Phoenix routine that was presented the day before at the Independent Film Spirit Awards, and various film clips and montages that seemed to have been thrown together at the last minute. They even blew the In Memorium sequence with awful camera direction!Overall, the show and all the categories lacked any kind of suspense or originality, with one exception. I liked the way the major acting awards were presented- with five past winners speaking about the qualities of the nominees. That was brilliant. I think the biggest "job" of the night was Penn winning for "Milk". Even he thought, deep down, that Rourke deserved it for "The Wrestler" and he was right. It just shows you how Rourke will never get to that top again, and Penn, despite his wild past, is still the apple in the eye of the Oscar voter- especially with a Hollywood-friendly "gay" film. Say what you want about "equal rights", but to insult 70% of the nation with his "shame" comments continues to show just how out-of-touch Hollywood is. I happen to agree with the position that Penn holds, but to discount a national election where that sentiment is clearly in the minority, even here in CA where it lost 57-43%, shows which side of the political aisle is truly intolerant. Sean- who is an outstanding actor despite his vocal politics- should have resisted the urge to spout off again. Just like the winning outcomes, his act is also predictable.The one bright spot was the return of Sophia Loren. She alone seemed to represent Old Hollywood with all its sophistication and glamour. I long for the days of Wayne, Sinatra, Stewart, Hepburn, Peck, Grant, Davis and the rest. This is a new, and not necessarily improved, Hollywood.Amidst all the turmoil, imperfections and flubs, there sat Meryl Streep- 15 nominations and counting. before she finishes, she's looking at 25 nom's and possibly 10 wins. She's the Tiger Woods of the OSCAR's! Good for her! Like Bette Davis and Hepburn before her, she doesn't have the stunning beautiful looks of the flavor-of -the weeks have, but she has unending talent and a knack for picking the right scripts and roles. It was also great to see newcomers like Viola Davis, Richard Jenkins, Anthony Mackie and Michael Shannon (who I predict will be the next great character actor like M.Emmett Walsh or even J.T. Walsh) get their recognition as well. On a scale of 1-10, this year was a 3 at best. Even so, it's the OSCAR's- the show I've seen as many times as Wizard of Oz, GWTW and the Super Bowls. And yes, I will attempt to commit this year's winner's to memory too.