80th Annual Oscars Winners, Losers
Academy Awards Awash in Red Dresses, Bad Songs
Hollywood's biggest night delivered an upset as Marion Cotillard took Best Actress and the expected, Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor. No Country for Old Men a big winner
Herewith a collection of key – and random – moments from the 80th Academy Awards
Oscar's Best Song
Marketa Irglova being invited back on stage by Oscar host Jon Steward who gave the chanteuse a second chance to say thank you. Before the commercial Irglova won the Oscar for best song, “Falling Slowly” with Glen Hansard from the Irish film Once. Hansard gobbled up all their speech time.
And in fact when the duo performed the song they were introduced by fellow Irishman Colin Farrell who tripped over a loose plank on the stage. John Travolta tripped over it too. There were so many songs from Enchanted (awful songs) it was wonderful that the song from Once won.
Best Actress...and a Genuine Reaction
The best, most honest reaction came from Marion Cotillard of France who won the Oscar for Best Actress (La Vie en Rose) over favoured Julie Christie (Away From Her), as well as co-nominees Laura Linney (The Savages), and Ellen Page (Juno). Shaking from the time they announced her name and as she walked up to the stage and all the way through the speech she said, “Thank you love. Thank you life…” Then Forest Whitaker helped her off stage. Cotillard also donned the best dress on the red carpet. In a sea of red dresses was stunning in a glittering fish-scale number by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Seth Rogen and another actor pretending to be Halle Berry and Dame Judi Dench.
Video Montage
The bees backflash, which was a video montage that had allegedly been prepared in the event the writers strike went on.
No Country Wins Big
Joel and Ethan Coen were big winners for their film No Country for Old Men taking the statuettes for Best Screenplay, Best Film, and Best Director. They now have six golden statuettes between them.
Nervous Presenters
Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy) apologizing for being so nervous when she came out to present… in sharp contrast to the appearance of Miley Cyrus a short while later (aka Hannah Montana also dressed in red) who confidently shook her shoulders and presented an award.
During the red carpet watching the guests being corralled behind velvet ropes staring at Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood). As they grinned and stood there, you had to wonder who are they?
The Departed
The odd homage to the departed from 2007. Apart from Jane Wyman and Lois Maxwell (Miss. Moneypenny), none of the names jumped out. It was an odd collection of art directors and executives no one has every heard of. The montage ended with Heath Ledger. And went straight to commercial.
Pregnant actress count: Nicole Kidman, Jessica Alba, Halle Berry (not present as she is due to give birth any second) and Cate Blanchett.
The fact that it was the 80th Oscars wasn’t really highlighted. Gorgeous George Clooney introduced a short highlight reel but it seemed to lack the drama and lustre you would expect from Hollywood.
