February 2017 Chit Chat

Well, along with many people they appear to have forgotten from In Memorium (and there were quite a few according to Gossip Cop) they also  forgot Miguel Ferrer..........

Ouch PAN. I didn't even realize that some artists who had passed away didn't get included in the Memorium. That's careless on the Academy's part.

I thought the show was good. Kimmel was funny. I was glad that there really weren't any overt criticisms of Trump (besides what Kimmel said). Some of the winners spoke more about how important diversity, truth and inclusion is to our very fabric and the responsibility that the arts have in messaging those values through storytelling.

Regarding Ali's win for supporting actor I guess I appreciated his understated and nuanced depiction of his character. I'm a fan of less is more. One of the reasons I appreciate George's talents in dramatic roles is that he usually expresses his characters in more subtle tones.

I haven't seen any of the nominated movies so far (I told you that we always get to see synchronized films, and that takes some time, so we're always a bit late).
My cousin went to see 'The Lion' and really loved it.
My brother-in-law watched 'La La Land' and was really excited about it while some of my collegues were very disappointed and thought it was overrated.

So I'll see which movies I'll get to see in cinema and which ones I'll wait until they'll be shown on TV.

PAN - Glad I'm not the only one who noticed they left Miguel out. He wasn't the only one, either. They forgot Robert Vaughn, Florence Henderson, Gary Shandling and others. Seems like they were focused mostly on the people who worked behind the scenes.

Patricia Arquette is pissed they left out her sister Alexis. I wonder how George feels about them ignoring Miguel?

Of course you know who's take is that the mess up was because Hollywood was so busy attacking him.

party animal - not! wrote:Well, along with many people they appear to have forgotten from In Memorium (and there were quite a few according to Gossip Cop) they also  forgot Miguel Ferrer..........

He actually died 1-19-17, and this memoriam was for 2016.  I agree they did leave out other people though.

Another thought about the chaos at the Oscars:

Don't the envelopes also name the category?
Because that would be the easiest way to check if you have the right envelope. So if Warren Beatty had any doubts about the win, why didn't he simply check what was written on the envelope to be sure about it?
But I guess that's one of the 'If only I had done that before' moments...

By the way: I loved the idea to surprise tourists on a guided tour! That was a great idea!

The words printed on that envelope was indeed "Best Actress for a leading role."

Kimmel's version........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygobstg4XQs&t=329s

And nothing to do with it, but quite funny

https://www.indy100.com/article/donald-trump-church-joke-bar-republican-methodist-blur-7603146?utm_source=indy&utm_medium=top5&utm_campaign=i100

Faye apparently didn't read and went a head.

That is what makes no sense Warren knew it was wrong yet he passed it to Faye. So to me it is partly his fault if he had said hold it a minute and checked things the mess up wouldn't have happened. He has been doing this long enough to know how it works.

I think you underestimate the stress levels of standing on a stage in front of millions of viewers: no one, not even the top level artists, is thinking completely straight at that point.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Katiedot wrote:I think you underestimate the stress levels of standing on a stage in front of millions of viewers: no one, not even the top level artists, is thinking completely straight at that point.  

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

So true!  What would have happened if the LaLa Land producer (Jason Horowitz) had not taken charge?  Would the LaLa land people have shuffled off holding Oscars?  Would it have been even more awkward for Moonlight people?  Papers here are blaming the price waterhouse accountant who handed the envelope.  It's his job to hand the correct envelope!  And it was the last award of the night, so not rocket science to have a system so this does not happen.   Then he apparently let the gathering on stage and 2 minutes of speeches go forward without taking action.  Not to mention, he was tweeting photos of Emma Stone on his phone only a few minutes before he handed the envelope to Warren......may be why he was still holding that envelope instead up picking up the correct one.

I think PriceWaterhouse is primarily to blame. It's clearly their fault. But I still think Warren didn't handle the situation properly at all. He's a seasoned pro who has been on that stage many times to announce winners or give speeches. I wonder how Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, George or Meryl Streep would have handled the same situation. I think that any of them would have stopped short of making the announcement, called for an official to come out to the podium and point out the obvious mistake.

I think it's easy to second guess someone from the comfort of your own home. We've all been guilty of it at some time or other, but the whole "walk in someone else's shoes" thing really does apply here.

Price Waterhouse has assumed responsibility and apologized. Someone there messed up and they're owning it. All the other would've, could've, should've judging isn't really fair.

HAPPY FAT TUESDAY!!!!

melbert wrote:

party animal - not! wrote:Well, along with many people they appear to have forgotten from In Memorium (and there were quite a few according to Gossip Cop) they also  forgot Miguel Ferrer..........

He actually died 1-19-17, and this memoriam was for 2016.  I agree they did leave out other people though.

and included others who died in 2017-- Mary Tyler Moore for ex.

melbert wrote:

party animal - not! wrote:Well, along with many people they appear to have forgotten from In Memorium (and there were quite a few according to Gossip Cop) they also  forgot Miguel Ferrer..........

He actually died 1-19-17, and this memoriam was for 2016.  I agree they did leave out other people though.

Mel - That argument doesn't work. They talked about Bill Paxton and he only died this week.

So they totally forgot about his death. Sad.

Fat Tuesday ! We need some gumbo . 

If anybody's interested:
Here's a pic of the Syrian lady whose story was told in the Oscar nominated docu 'Watani' with the actress who also won 'Best Picture'

https://mobile.twitter.com/svaughanbrown/status/836035691612106752/photo/1

And another one on the red carpet:

https://mobile.twitter.com/MrDanZak/status/836004467908595712/photo/1

I just posted it because she lives just a few miles away, in the town my husband works.

So, my take on the Oscars...

My ballot hit every "major" award except I had Denzel Washington for Best Actor in a Lead.

But here's what I think about the Best Picture Nominees.

In a perfect world, 'Lion' would have won. It was the only one in the bunch that had all the elements of a standout motion picture. The rest hit on just one, two, or a few, or missed most or all by a hair.

'Hidden Figures' should not have been nominated. I'm proud as hell that the movie got made and the story got told, but the screenplay, acting, directing, and cinematography did not elevate itself enough above the crowd. IMO.

I don't like musicals, so 'LaLa Land' would probably never get my vote, but I do not consider a picture for the 'Best' category just because it's 'different' and pretty.

'Manchester by the Sea' may be the most overrated movie since 'The English Patient.' I didn't like anything except the story, and that just barely. All of the emotional moments fell flat, IMO. There is a fine line between 'controlled' and 'falsely emotional,' and I think they mostly came down on the wrong side of that line during critical times. And what the hell was that loud, irritating, and totally out of place score during the critical scene? Casey Affleck does not deserve the accolades for this one. Did. Not. Like. It.

'Fences' was good, and the acting excellent, but I think Washington was too much of a purist about sticking to the play. Minor complaint, and I probably wouldn't complain if it had won, but I think I know why it didn't.

'Hell or High Water' would have been my second choice. Story, acting, directing -- all A-game. But not as good as 'Lion' as far as the 'look and feel' of the production.

'Moonlight' was beautifully shot, especially if you consider the budget and schedule. It may be one of the best really indie movies ever made, as far as production value goes. But at its heart, the story isn't all that unique, and the actors had to lift the dialogue, as far as I'm concerned. I picked it to win, and I know a lot of people love this movie, but it is not a great movie. Love the fact that they didn't invent a part for a name white actor just to get it made, though. All Black people. Yay!

'Hacksaw Ridge:' Good-to-excellent story, good directing, great cinematography, average acting. So it's a just-missed for me.

I have yet to see 'Arrival.'

And now we're into March . . . join me here: http://www.clooneysopenhouse.com/t7544-march-2017-chit-chat#239269