2020 Oscars: Host-less but Not Hopeless

Another year, another Hollywood gathering of self-aggrandizement, also known as the Academy Awards (Oscars).

I was hoping that this year’s Oscars would remain apolitical, but I was wrong. It was not even 15 minutes into the telecast that Brad Pitt had to tout his opinion about the impeachment hearings. I was not happy that he won the Supporting Actor category since I thought that Tom Hanks was more deserving of the award, but it was also slightly annoying to hear about his predictable opinion about the Senate’s decision not to bring witnesses, specifically John Bolton. Not only do I think you are undeserving of the award, I don’t give a flying you-know-what about your political beliefs. Josh Gad, who I typically think is a funny guy, also fell flat with his jokes about politics. I thought most of the presenters that were trying to be funny fell flat except for Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. They were subtle with their jokes, but it was entertaining. If the Academy decides to have hosts next year, I think that they are a definite possibility. I also liked Steve Martin and Chris Rock and think they are also definite possibilities for next year’s hosts.

There were some good performances at the Oscars, which included Idina Menzel. She has a powerhouse voice that is enough to give you chills. I also enjoyed the fact that she had the voice actors and singers for Frozen 2 from other countries on stage with her. Cynthia Erivo’s and Janelle Monae’s performances was also phenomenal. I was surprised at Billie Eilish’s performance for the “In Memoriam” segment. I was not enthused that Billie Eilish was picked to sing for this segment since I think she fell back on her strange image than being one that has a good voice, but I was wrong. Billie Eilish reminds me a little of Lady Gaga in that she was a little bizarre when she started out but has the possibility of greatness in the future without being super weird. I thought that Eminem’s performance was pretty unexpected and didn’t really fit in with the whole telecast, but I liked it anyway.

I was excited for several of the winners. The director of Parasite is the type of guy that you root for and that’s exactly what I did (even though I haven’t seen the movie). Parasite won a ton of awards and I’m curious to see what the hype is about with this movie. I also liked that the Makeup and Hairstyling Award went to Bombshell. I don’t usually want to see a movie just because of its Makeup and Hairstyling, but this movie is an exception to that rule. I was also content with the fact that Elton John won for Best Original Song for Rocketman.

I think that Joaquin Phoenix was deserving of the Best Actor Award for Joker but thought his acceptance speech was totally out of left field. I tried to understand the point that he was trying to make, but I got lost halfway through. Thank God for time limits for the speeches.

I wasn’t overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the Oscars, but just whelmed. Hey, there’s always next year.

Originally published at http://mypanoramicperspective.com on February 11, 2020.