Okay, so it was all Lord of the Rings all the time, and there was not one surprise win, but nevertheless, I liked the show. Favorite things:
- Billy Crystal's opener and his slams (esp. the GWB ones) throughout the night were well done.
- The documentarian winner for _The Fog of War_ (about Robert McCarthy and Viet Nam) gave a great "down a rabbit's hole again" speech.
- Jim Carey introducing Blake Edwards with a speech including how he became a Kato (from the Pink Panther) freak and how he Kato'd his sister and her husband while they were inflagrante.
- Good for Sean Penn getting a snide WMDs comment and giving a shout out to Paul Giamatti and other actors who were not nominated for their outstanding work this year.
- Jack Black and Will Farrell's singing "the words" from the song that plays off people who talk too long, and Jack ending it with a rock move landing on one knee with his arms up.
I watched from 8:30 onward and I have to say I was also entertained. First awards show I watched in a while....
And here is to Dennis Lehane, author of "Mystic River" and Eckerd College graduate, class of 1988! He was mentioned a few times in the procedings last night.
I watched, too, but I was at a hotel that did not have a robust cable system. Thus, no E! channel coverage from my girlfriend Melissa Rivers. Also, no "special channels" as they had at the Capri!
Anyway, Bill Murray was robbed. Other than that, not too bad ... Billy Crystal has not been so hilarious since the days of "My Giant," "Father's Day," and "City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curley's Gold."
Bill Murray was robbed, as were we of a great speech, I'm sure.
Ah, well.
If anyone had to beat Bill, at least it was Sean Penn. He was good in Mystic River and in 21 Grams, so that's good. I like Johnny Depp, strictly for his acting skills and choices (really!), but I'm glad that he didn't win for the stupid Disney ride movie. He was good in it as usual, but blech.
