The Best and the Worst of the Oscars 2015

Graham Moore’s speech: The best.
The very best. Immediately after it was over I rewound it and watched it again.

I kind of love our “bring on the weird” culture right now. And I love that young kids are being told more than ever that they should feel free to be who they want to be. And maybe Moore’s speech is also applicable to those who aren’t technically “kids” anymore. Maybe adults can still feel weird and not know exactly where they fit but they’re going to be okay… And perhaps someday win an Oscar.

The best: Patricia Arquette’s speech about wage inequality.
You guys, it is 2015. The fact that this is still an issue is mind boggling to me. But it is.

And the fact that some people don’t think this is an issue at all is the absolute worst.

The best: Meryl and J Lo reacting to Arquette’s speech. Is Meryl screaming “F yeah!” I think she might be. Pretty sure J Lo is just screaming “Wahhhhhhhhhhhh.”

The worst: thinking about how much money Meryl and J Lo have between the two of them. I’m kidding, it’s actually pretty awesome. I used to be a J Lo hater (because I was jealous obvi!) but I’ve come to accept her and the fact she is an ageless beautiful robot. Selena y los dinos forever!

The worst: John Travolta.
This bit was dead before it even started.

Look at poor Idina, she is terrified. Let’s hope this moment never ever happens again.

The worst: Leaving out Joan Rivers and Harold Ramis in the memorial montage.

Some people argued Rivers wasn’t invovled with film, (she did write one movie) and not to mention she basically invented the Red Carpet so I’m not really buying the bullshit excuse. But if that is the excuse, what about comedic icon Ramis then? Why wasn’t he involved?

The worst: No Jennifer Lawrence appearance.

Was she there? Was she hiding? Did I miss her?  An award show doesn’t feel right without her tripping up the stairs or making comments about taking too many shots. Jennifer is my spirit animal. We’re going to be best friends one day. Just wait.

Neal Patrick Harris- the best or the worst?

I’m a big NPH fan. I admire everything he’s done and think he’s extremely talented. So last night I really wanted him to kill it. I hoped he’d be declared the best host ever. But it didn’t hit for me. And I feel bad saying that because everyone always tears apart the Oscars host,  but something just wasn’t right. I felt like everything he said was delivered with a side of snark and arrogance and it made me like him a little less.

Snarky and arrogance sometimes works, but if you choose that route you better make sure your jokes back you up. And his didn’t. They were so bad. I almost thought for a second they were so bad on purpose, like that was the joke. The bad joke was the joke. And if that’s the case, then Neal actually did pretty good. But if that’s not the case, his writing team needs to go.

Neal, if you’re reading my blog I want you know I still support you. I host an open mic at a theater here in Chicago, so I basically know exactly what you’re going through. Just shake it off and get back on the horse tomorrow. The Oscars gig is a tough job. So kudos to you just for taking it. And also please call Octavia today and apologize profusely for making her participate in that terrible bit that lasted four hours too long.

Did you watch last night? What were your thoughts?

 photo signature-23.png

Share:

27 Comments

  1. February 23, 2015 / 1:16 pm

    The Graham speech was my favorite part. it was so spot on and necessary and it was why I loved the imitation game so much – thought it should have won best picture. I liked NPH, but he didn't nail it as much as Ellen did last year. He still held his own.

  2. February 23, 2015 / 1:17 pm

    I didn't watch but I have been hearing about Graham Moore's speech all day. As a Mom and a woman struggling with starting over in my 40's this just really resonates with me. Being weird is awesome, it's what makes this planet an amazing place to be. Let your freak flag fly:)

  3. February 23, 2015 / 1:22 pm

    Agree with everything, especially the part about NPHs hosting job (wooof. at times, painful). But I'd also add that I LOVED John Legend and Common's performance (THE FEELS) and even though I'm admittedly not a Sound of Music fan, Lady Gaga SLAYED that medley. Everything else? Yawnfest.

  4. February 23, 2015 / 1:41 pm

    I felt the same way about NPH. Something was just off about him last night and I couldn't figure it out.

    Harold Ramis was included in last year's In Memoriam. But leaving out Joan Rivers was ridiculous!

  5. February 23, 2015 / 1:46 pm

    What drives me crazy is when women claim that the only problem with the wage gap is that women traditionally hold lower-paying jobs than men, so there is obviously going to be a gap. But when the Sony hack happened and there was a clear difference in how women were paid in Hollywood … You can't ignore that.

  6. February 23, 2015 / 1:50 pm

    I absolutely love Neil Patrick Harris, but you're right. It just feel flat for me. I was a little disappointed. I have to say I did like Ellen better. And YES to Graham's speech. Beautiful…just amazing! I wanted to cheer for him from my living room…and maybe I did. I'll never tell…

  7. February 23, 2015 / 4:29 pm

    i agree, i usually love NPH but something was off last night!

  8. February 23, 2015 / 4:49 pm

    The bit of the Oscars I did see was good! (the first 20 or so minutes I think). & then I ditched it for a day at Disney!

  9. February 23, 2015 / 5:02 pm

    Lady Gaga!! Nailed that song on the head and watching her and the oh so perfect Julie Andrews embrace each other made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

  10. February 23, 2015 / 6:05 pm

    I didn't actually end up watching it last night (booooo on me – I know!) but I woke up this morning to my newsfeed exploding with stuff about Patricia Arquette's speech. Good for her!! I have a lot of respect for her.

    Thanks for this little roundup – it was neat to read, especially as I didn't get to watch!

    A big win for me was that Julianne Moore finally got her award. I'm such a huge fan of her and I think it's more than well deserved 🙂

    x Kathryn
    Through the Thicket

  11. February 23, 2015 / 6:52 pm

    Graham Moore, yes. Best.

    NPH. Meh. I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. Remember Anne Hathaway and James Franco? Yeah. I wanted more singing and dancing and jokes, but it just wasn't there.

    http://cowgirlruns.com/

  12. February 23, 2015 / 7:16 pm

    I definitely did not care for NPH as the host. I also think it's awkward that jokes are part of the Oscars at all. Especially when one follows a particularly serious moment – like when one of the winners mentioned her son dying. Lady Gaga! Dude. I had no idea she was so talented. Shame on me. But I see her now, for sure!

  13. February 23, 2015 / 11:21 pm

    I agree with all your hits and misses – I liked NPH's opening number a lot though! I was expecting him to do a complete spectacle for the Octavia Spencer thing at the end, with an outrageous magic trick or whatnot because I know he's super into the whole magician gig. Maybe they ran out of time?? One can hope!! Also, did you notice that Will Arnett was the Batman in the Everything Is Awesome performance? I thought that and the Legos Oscars were so funny 🙂

  14. February 24, 2015 / 10:30 am

    Where. Was. Jennifer?!

  15. February 24, 2015 / 9:31 pm

    Meryl and Jlo were just the best!! I was so surprised they left out such greats from the memoriam section. Shocking and kinda sad!

  16. September 10, 2015 / 11:03 pm
  17. September 10, 2015 / 11:06 pm
  18. September 10, 2015 / 11:10 pm
  19. September 10, 2015 / 11:13 pm
  20. September 10, 2015 / 11:15 pm
  21. October 23, 2015 / 11:13 pm
  22. March 1, 2016 / 3:20 am
  23. July 19, 2016 / 11:09 pm
  24. September 5, 2016 / 11:17 pm

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *