So, how did we (meaning I) do at the Oscars?

Film So, how did we (meaning I) do at the Oscars?

My predictions.

I was correct about everything except:

Best Actor -- which surprised everyone, I think, going to Sean Penn.

Original Screenplay -- again, Milk instead of In Bruges.

Adapted Screenplay -- went to Slumdog instead of Frost/Nixon (which was the big loser of the night)

Foreign Language -- though that was a wild guess anyway

Art Direction -- Benjamin Button instead of Batman

Cinematography -- Slumdog instead of Batman

Original Score -- I thought the awards would be spread around again this year, but Button and Slumdog cleaned up. Which is why ...

Best Make-Up -- Benjamin Button, there for proving my point that "the academy voters hardly ever vote for something which looks obviously like make up unless it's to make a human younger or older."

11/19 or 57% so C+ (not including the Short feature categories). Which isn't bad considering I shamefully haven't seen most of the films.

As for myself, despite my general feelings about the award ceremonies, I had planned to stay up and enjoy the ceremony through someone's liveblog and Twitter (not having Sky) but as the red carpet got under way, the depressing prospect of absorbing everything through the comments of people watching the television broadcast was too depressing, like standing outside a football stadium and trying to work out what's happening in the game through hearing the cheers. Sad.

So I slept (which probably did me more good in the long run), woke up early and read Xan Brooks's recap instead along with a glance now and then at YouTube (before the clips were pulled down). I'm very pleased Penelope Cruz has finally been recognised and she managed charmingly to keep it together; she said beforehand that she always had a speech prepared and sure enough, this was a proper, well prepared note which thanked not just the people on this film but the likes of Almodovar too.



But I suspect the night will probably be remembered historically for this:



One of the few occasions that a burst of music is appropriate and inappropriate both at the same time.