Entry #5



I was right about not being able to post an entry till some time after the Oscars.
No big surprises, with a slight upset when The King's Speech overtook The Social Network late in awards season, going on to clinch the coveted statuette when it mattered most.

Hollywood - or more accurately, The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences - loves to feel good, and I do think the voters chose The King's Speech because of its uplifting, inspiring theme. Take a look at the list of previous Best Picture winners and see if you can spot any trends.

I've always been vocal about my distaste for Forrest Gump, which beat The Shawshank Redemption back in 1994. My anguished scream of "Noooooooo!" was probably audible in multiple districts. Thankfully, The King's Speech is a much more dignified and intelligent film, and thus more deserving of this honour. ( Don't get me wrong, Forrest Gump is entertaining enough, but Best Picture? Not by a long shot. )

Congratulations also to Colin Firth and Natalie Portman. Certainly hope the latter won't be hit by the Best Actress curse. She's got a baby on the way!

The hype surrounding hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco proved laughable as both failed miserably in their global debut. Anne's nerves manifested as shrill laughter and stammers, while James spent most of the evening squinty-eyed with a goofy grin on his face.
The chemistry was definitely lacking, the jokes fell super-flat, and that bit where James dressed in drag will go down in Oscar history as one of the most tasteless gags EVER. What the hell was he thinking!?

Don't expect either back for a second gig. I think the Academy should stick to what works, and let the comedians run the show. ( One good exception: Hugh Jackman, who isn't technically a comedian, but did a fine job in 2009 nonetheless! )

Check out Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin from 2010, and Neil Patrick Harris' opening number ( ask him to host sometime! ).

But my all-time favourite will always be the incomparable Billy Crystal.

And you never know... maybe Kevin Spacey will host someday as well. He's got my vote! :)



It's about time I commented on the American Idol contestants ( aside from excited tweets, that is :)).

You guessed it: Casey Abrams is at the top of my list of favourites, for a number of reasons.

1) he's got one of the most incredible voices I've ever heard;
2) he's an amazing performer, whether over-the-top or acoustic;
3) when he adds the bass, I just MELT;
4) I love his self-deprecating humour;
5) underneath all that facial hair, I'm pretty sure he's a handsome dude!

His rendition of Georgia On My Mind during Hollywood Week gave me major chills, man. No-one else has had such an effect on me this season, so I'm rooting for him to win this!

Don't you just love how he plays the bass? It's so unusual to see a young person not only embrace this instrument, but also play it so damn well. It isn't just a prop, it's an extension of himself, and I applaud him for knowing who he is at the tender age of 19, for picking a genre that's off the beaten path, for sticking to his beliefs and belting every lyric with 100% conviction.

Taylor Hicks did the same thing back in 2006, and despite not doing well post-American Idol win, he remains one of my all-time favourites, and I still hope he'll make a breakthrough someday.

Shall reserve my comments for the other AI10 contestants for another entry. Don't like them enough to write anything yet. Go, Casey! :)