The 2009 Oscars: A Peculiar Ordeal

Ah, the Oscars. The annual celebration of cinema where movie stars get to be famous, directors are appreciated, and the sound-editing guy gets two minutes of limelight. Only in America could such an outrageous event occur, and leave it to Hollywood to demonstrate how grandiose they can make an awards show with a multi-million dollar budget during a recession.
This year’s Oscars certainly endeavored not to disappoint, for the Kodak Theatre was lavished with an ill-fated crystal curtain and gaudy musical performances. Host Hugh “Sexiest Man Alive” Jackman, pulling a top hat and cane from thin air, commenced the ceremonies with a raucous musical number using humorously home-made banners and props. Riding a bat-cycle made of cardboard boxes and paper-mache, he admonished the academy for looking over comic book movies, and joked about how he hadn’t seen “the reader.” He went so far as to pull Anne Hathaway up onstage and addressed her as president Nixon (in a Frost-Nixon parody), Hathaway reluctantly braking into song. A later musical number graced lovely Beyonce with a spotlight as she descended a glimmering stairway in the midst of a troupe of showgirls as she and Jackman celebrated the somewhat arbitrary “return of the musical”. These musical numbers were flashy and entertaining, showcasing the voices of unexpectedly talented Jackman and Hathaway, yet, other than being in the extravagant spirit of the Oscars, had little justification within the context of the ceremonies.
Despite these flaws, all the song and dance contributed to the decidedly happy mood of this year’s Academy Awards. Seth Rogen and James Franco laughed at movie clips, baked on a sofa, Wall-E and Eva shared moments of robot-love, and the Kung-Fu Panda paraded in slow-motion.
This year’s Academy awards also featured a new method of award presentation, inviting a number of famous actors and actresses to present the award they had won previously to this year’s winners. This was an unexpected and exciting treat.
The music ceremonies featured the artists Rahman, from Slumdog Millionaire, and Thomas Neuman, from Wall-E, performing their numbers in a brilliant display of myriad musicianship and ethnic intrigue.
Penelope Cruz was especially memorable for her candid, breathless and sweet acceptance speech for best supporting actress. Kunio Kato accepted the award for best animated short film in butchered Japanglish, ending with an extremely unexpected “Domo arigatou, Mr. Robato.” Heath Ledger’s family graciously accepted the award for best supporting actor on behalf of the posthumous wonder, multiple camera angles assuring the viewer that there was not a dry eye in the audience during this respectful presentation. Ben Stiller’s bizarre appearance and gait remain a mystery.
Sean Penn’s acceptance of the best actor award was passionate and honest; he himself was astonished that the academy turned out to be “commi, homo-lovin son-of-a-guns.”
Slumdog Millionaire was decidedly the Oscar’s most celebrated film, receiving seven awards, including best picture.
This year’s Academy Awards were certainly unorthodox, and one can only assume they took the slogan of “a year of change” to heart while planning it. In these depressing times, such a lively and surprising show is refreshing, but a few more weeks of planning couldn’t have hurt.