Justin Timberlake is singing through the aisles. I have to plead ignorance about the song, but I think it might be from The Trolls, but I am not 100%. I'm fairly certain I could dance like that if I really tried. I do not recall an opening like this before, that was kind of nice and uplifting, hell Jackie Chan was moving it, from the balcony. So, when is Justin going to host? He is kind of a like a Swiss Army knife.
Jimmy Kimmel is doing his opening schtick; this could be good. He's taking shots at Matt Damon, which is their thin, attacking The Great Wall movie (probably won't be on the list). Jimmy just called out Meryl Streep and her record 20 Oscar nominations and asked for a round of applause for her.
First category of the night for Best Supporting Actor; I think this should go to Dev Patel in Lion, but we'll see. Alicia Vikander is presenting; she's delightful. I just like Dev Patel's hair. Shallow, I know. I haven't seen Nocturnal Animals because I thought it would scare me. But I do like Michael Shannon (who has been in some really good, but generally small films, except for Superman, which leaps to mind at the moment). Mahershala Ali just won for Moonlight. I'm not upset about that; he was really good, and he was a really nice drug dealer in Moonlight, which is a weird thing to say.
The commercials are almost as hyped as they were for the Super Bowl. Not sure what that means; but they're not your usual toilet paper and chips commercials.
Next award is Costume and Makeup and Hairstyling with Kate McKinnon and Jason Bateman. Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling, Star Trek Beyond, A Man Called Ove, Suicide Squad. Hmm. Suicide Squad; well it sure wasn't going to win for writing or acting.
Costume is next; Allied (haven't seen); Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Florence Foster Jenkins; Jackie; La La Land. Fantastic Beasts just won; I did enjoy the costumes and production design for sure, just thought the movie was TOOOOO long.
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae from Hidden Figures are presenting Best Documentary, but they are bringing on Katherine Johnson, the REAL PERSON from Hidden Figures, she looks great. Damn, that is pretty awesome and she gets a standing ovation. I don't even know who I want to win, the ones I saw were so good. Fire at Sea and I am not your negro I have not seen; Life, Animated featuring Owen Suskind; OJ: Made in America and 13th. OJ: Made in America just won; not a bad choice, any of the movies would be worthy, they were all great. I think everyone needs to see all of these documentaries. Kimmel just made a joke about OJ and an extra slice of baloney, and it didn't go over great, but he does handle uncomfortable moments with aplomb.
I think some entertainment is up next; Lin-Manuel Miranda with the song from Moana, which I didn't see. I could have gone to the sing-a-long edition, but I don't think that would have gone well for anyone. Dwayne Johnson just introduced the song. I totally missed the actress's name, but damn, she can sing (I feel a little off my game tonight).
Little bags of Junior Mints and Red Vines are falling on the audience; I suppose popcorn would have been too messy.
Sound Editing and Sound Mixing are next. Sound Editing: Arrival, Deep Water Horizon, Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, Sully are the nominees. Ugh, Arrival just won. Really? Disagree; I thought Hacksaw Ridge or Deep Water Horizon should have won. Sound mixing, more Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; 13 Hours. Hacksaw Ridge, just won. Awesome; Kevin O'Connell has been nominated 20 times before but never won. He just gave a great speech, thanking his mom.
Vince Vaughn is presenting the winners of the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement (well, they were already presented, but he's telling us about it). Lynn Stalmaster, casting director; Ann V. Coates, film editor; Frederick Wiseman, documentary filmmaker and Jackie Chan, actor and director.
Best Supporting Actress is up next and I am pulling for Viola Davis or Octavia Spencer, but I think Viola should win. Oh, a montage of past winners; I love montages. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) is presenting; he has a great hat. "Opposing without hatred", I like that. Viola Davis in Fences; Naomie Harris in Moonlighting; Nicole Kidman in Lion; Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea. And the winner is Viola Davis!!! I just screamed. Oh my god. She so deserves it. I am so happy. Shit, you'd think I had something to do with it. I love her. I loved her speech. She is sitting near Emma Stone, and they were co-stars in The Help.
We are almost 90 minutes into the Oscars and I feel like we've only had five awards. I think that extrapolates out to five hours or something. I'm not sure, it's not like I'm a mathematician or anything.
There's a little segment on the actors and actresses that inspired the actors and actresses. Oh, I guess it's just going to be a little here and there. Charlize Theron and Shirley MacLaine just walked out (guess who inspired whom). They are presenting the Best Foreign Language Film, of which I have only seen one, A Man Called Ove. I think The Salesman is the odds on favorite. It just won. It's an Iranian film; Asghar Farhadi the director declined to try and come into the U.S. Anousheh Ansari is accepting for him and is reading his speech. I'm getting goosebumps. Great speech.
Dev Patel is speaking about Jim Foley. Sting is going to perform "The Empty Chair" the song from Jim: The James Foley Story which is a documentary on the war correspondent who was executed by ISIL. It's a very powerful documentary, and the song gave me chills. It's a very understated song, but tremendous words, some based on a letter he sent to his family before he was executed. See the movie.
A group of unsuspecting tourists are about to walk into the Oscars. They have no idea. This could go all kinds of ways. But, now we're going to the Animated films. These are the Animated Short Film, which my friend and I detested. I think the Pixar film will win: Piper. The winner is Piper. Well, that was a total no brainer. I'm not sure about the Animated Feature, I liked the ones I saw, but I don't have a clear cut pick. Zootopia just won. I had my first guest column for the review of Zootopia because I couldn't see it as fast as I wanted to.
Oh, the couple from Fifty Shades of Grey are presenting for Productin Design (I may give up the blog if I have to watch Fifty Shades Darker). Arrival, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (awesome), Hail Caesar! (okay, not great), La La Land, Passengers (not seen). The Oscar goes to La La Land. Not a shock; there were some great sets in that film. How do you compare La La Land to Fantastic Beasts? I don't know. Glad I don't vote. The speech is going at a glacial pace. He's going to get played off. And here comes the music.
The prank is starting. These people have no idea they have just walked into the Oscars. One guy is waving. The smart phones are out. They are having a blast. The actors seem to be enjoying it also. Awesome. Denzel Washington gets into it now. Jimmy is taking the group down the front row, and he just dissed Matt Damon again. Mahershala is sharing his Oscar. Meryl is getting hugs. It's bogging down a little, Jimmy is hurrying them off. This was almost as good as Ellen's selfie. Oscar's mean tweets are coming up at some point. That could be fun.
A lot of commercials, introductions and speeches about understanding and accepting foreigners, strangers, immigrants, people different than you. I don't mind. It's not hateful, it's celebrating all of us. This little bit is about how movies help us to escape, but the people talking are from China, France, Italy, because movies are universal. Citizen Kane, The Graduate, The Big Lebowski, Cinema Paradiso, Modern Times. Classics in any language.
The award for Best Visual Effects: Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange (SO GOOD), The Jungle Book, Kubo and the Two Strings, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. I don't know, this could go to any of them. The Jungle Book wins. I really enjoyed that; a lot more than I thought I would. A great family movie, with a few scary bits, but I think kids will love it if they have never seen it before.
Seth Rogen pays tribute to Back to the Future and Michael J. Fox. They come on stage; Seth has on some interesting kicks. Michael J. Fox is still pretty charming and fricking funny. They also have a DeLorean on stage. They are presenting for Best Film Editing. Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, La La Land, Moonlight. Hacksaw Ridge wins. That was a great film, tough to watch if you don't really like war movies, blood and guts, but really good.
Kimmel is talking to Sunny Pawar from Lion. He is so cute (I don't usually like children, so that's a big statement form me). Jimmy is lifting Sunny up like Lion King. We still have the live action and documentary shorts, the screenplay awards, best actor/actress, picture, song, and direction to go. Not too many, and yet, it's 9:40 central time, and I should be in bed.
Selma Hayek and David Oyewelo are presenting the documentary short subjects and live action shorts. Two of my favorite categories. The documentary shorts are so powerful and most are available online. Please check them out. Extremis should make you write a health care directive, 4.1 miles, Joe's Violin, Watani: My Homeland, The White Helmets. The Oscar goes to The White Helmets. Should be interesting because one of the team was banned from the U.S. The movie is on Netflix. The White Helmets have saved over 82,000 lives in Syria. The live action shorts were a lot better than the animated shorts. The topics and stories are timely and well done. Ennemie Interiuers, The Lady and the TGV, Silent Night, Sing, Timecode. Sing wins. I think my friend and I picked that one. She just texted me, let's see. Yes! They were all good, though, and we had a tough time picking a favorite. Hopefully you can see them in the theaters or online. Sing is very uplifting and we get schooled by a bunch of kids :).
The Science and Technology Awards presented earlier in February. John Cho and Leslie Mann are presenting. These awards are more about the science and equipment used in filmmaking. This is the funniest presentation for this section I have seen. "Film scientists" make all the magic happen.
I think we have a little over an hour to go. That's my professional assessment. It has occurred to me that I haven't really discussed my outfit for the evening. Blue/black lounge pants with a t-shirt with a collage of Marvel Superheroes. I think two years ago, I wore a Green Lantern t-shirt and last year was probably by Superman t-shirt that my brother made me buy. There is no Chanel/Lagerfeld scandal here, just DC versus Marvel. That's it.
Javier Bardem is paying tribute to Meryl Streep and her role in Bridges of Madison County (which I loathed, but there you go). I think she should speak in a Spanish accent. Best Cinematography is next; I forgot about that category. Arrival (lord), La La Land, Lion, Moonlight, Silence (not seen that yet). The winner is...La La Land. It was a beautifully shot film. He's at risk of being played off. He made it.
They haven't done the In Memoriam section yet. But first, Mean Tweets. These are pretty funny, especially when read by the celebrities. It makes the Tweeter look mean and small. I think that should be a regular feature.
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are presenting the two nominated songs from La La Land. John Legend, also producer of the film, is singing the songs. They didn't do it for me in the film and they didn't do it for me here. Sorry.
Samuel L. Jackson is presenting Best Original Score: Lion, Jackie, Passengers, La La Land, Moonlight. The Oscar goes to La La Land. I don't think that is a surprise, but I was paying attention to the scores for Moonlight and Lion and I thought they were pretty good as well.
Scarlett Johanssen is presenting for Best Original Song. I don't know. "Audition - Fools Who Dream" La La Land, "Can't Stop the Feeling" Trolls (I did like the performance tonight), "Empty Chair" Jim: The James Foley Story; Moana "How Far I'll Go". The Oscar goes to "City of Stars" La La Land.
The In Memoriam section is coming. Ugh, this makes me cry. Sara Bareilles is singing Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now". Oh, Gene Wilder. Anton Yelchin who died in a freak accident. Mary Tyler Moore who became Minneapolis's own Mary Tyler Moore, and of course, Prince. People probably forgot that Nancy Reagan was an actress. Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher side by side. I hate that people get so irate about who is missed. Sadly, so many people die, and if you included all of them, the section could be an hour. That was a great performance.
We have to be getting close, don't we? I feel like a kid on a long road trip. "Are we there yet? I have to pee." Another jab by Kimmel at Matt Damon, this time using We Bought a Zoo (not one of Matt's bigger hits) as a weapon.
Best Original Screenplay presented by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (introduced as "Guest"). Affleck is giving him a hard time now. Every time Damon speaks he gets the played off music (Kimmel conducting). Hell or High Water, La La Land, The Lobster (very different and interesting), Manchester by the Sea (depressing), 20th Century Women (I wanted to leave). The Oscar goes to ugh, Manchester by the Sea. UGH.
Amy Adams is presenting Best Adapted Screenplay: Arrival (noooo), Fences (yes), Hidden
Figures, Lion, Moonlight. Oh my. Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney win for Moonlight. I would have loved for Fences to win for August Wilson. Great speeches by these guys.
Cookies and doughnuts are being dropped from the ceiling. Kimmel promised us the big awards are up next. I think my original estimate of another hour, was an hour ago, so I was wrong. It's now 10:30 central time, I'm thinking 11:15 at the earliest. God, I hope I can catch my bus tomorrow. 6:02 comes fast.
Halle Berry is presenting for Best Director. Denis Villeneuve - Arrival, Mel Gibson - Hacksaw Ridge, La La Land, Kenneth Lonergan - Manchester by the Sea, Barry Jenkins - Moonlight. The Oscar goes to Damien Chazielle for La La Land; he is the youngest to win Best Director.
Oh good grief, another set of commercials. I know they have to pay for this stuff, but seriously.
The Best Actor is next with Brie Larson (Room) presenting: Casey Affleck - Manchester by the Sea, Andrew Garfield - Hacksaw Ridge (powerful performance), Ryan Gosling - La La Land, Denzel Washington - Fences, Viggo Mortenson - Captain Fantastic (rent this movie). Ugh, Casey Affleck won. Disagree.
Leonardo DiCaprio will be presenting Best Actress to one of the following: Meryl Streep - Florence Foster Jenkins, Natalie Portman - Jackie, Emma Stone - La La Land, Isabelle Huppert - Elle (I have not seen this, but I love her), Ruth Negga - Loving (I haven't seen this either, but I think it would be great if she won). Emma Stone wins for La La Land. It was kind of a weird category this year; I didn't think anyone was really super strong; I think Viola Davis could have won, but that's a done deal now. I do love Emma Stone, but I just don't think this role or the performance were that groundbreaking. She did give a nice speech.
Best Picture is next and then we're done. I have no idea, it could go to La La Land, but then Manchester by the Sea has made a late night run, but some oddsmakers were saying Hidden Figures would win, but Moonlight has won three (?) awards tonight as well. I have a stiff neck. I should have taken tomorrow off.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde, blech) are presenting for Best Film. Arrival, Moonlight, Lion, Hacksaw Ridge, Fences, Hidden Figures, Hell or High Water, Manchester by the Sea, La La Land. La La Land is the winner. Disagree again.
Oh my god. I have never seen this before. I guess Moonlight really won after La La Land people began giving speeches.Warren Beatty was being too cute or needed to wear his glasses; but it seems like there was a mix up in the envelopes. So Moonlight wins. Wow, glad I didn't turn it off. Surreal.
UPDATE 2/27/16: By now you have probably heard what happened with the Best Picture award; the presenters were given the wrong envelope (there are two of each category in case one of the accountants is late or something happens). It was embarrassing, but Warren Beatty stepped up to explain what happened, and the La La Land team were gracious in handing it over to the Moonlight team so they could have their moment on stage. Live television.
Oh my god. I have never seen this before. I guess Moonlight really won after La La Land people began giving speeches.
UPDATE 2/27/16: By now you have probably heard what happened with the Best Picture award; the presenters were given the wrong envelope (there are two of each category in case one of the accountants is late or something happens). It was embarrassing, but Warren Beatty stepped up to explain what happened, and the La La Land team were gracious in handing it over to the Moonlight team so they could have their moment on stage. Live television.
That's it from the heartland. Some of us have a day job to go to tomorrow. See ya next year.
