2012 Oscars

  Last night marked the 84th Annual Academy Awards and it had very few surprises. For me the biggest surprise was Meryl Streep winning Best Actress Award for "The Iron Lady", I was fully expecting Viola Davis to win the award for her movie "The Help" and I guess "Rango" winning Animated Feature instead of "Puss in Boots" left some people disappointed. I am not one, for I could care less about the entire category. But then by the time it came to the Animated Feature category I was on the verge of not giving a rat's butt on any of it, I just wanted it to be finished.  Billy Crystal and the Oscars started of strong but then they blew it with all those friggin' testimonials and the presenter's schtick that cut into the winners acceptance speeches (YES Robert Downey, Jr. I'm talking about you and maybe Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz). If these were cut out maybe it wouldn't seem longer than three hours. But with 5 each,the Oscars were split between "Hugo" for mainly sound, visual and art and "The Artist who won Best Picture, Director, Actor, Music and Costume.

  But  even with all that the show wasn't too awfully bad for it has been worse (David Letterman and James Franco). I was happy to see Christopher Plummer win his Oscar for "Beginners" which considering he had just won his first Oscar after all these years, one would think he was a beginner in show business. God Bless Christopher Plummer, the Susan Lucci of the Oscars.

You're only two years older than me, Darling. Where have you been all my life. I emerged out of my mother's womb, already rehearsing my Academy thank-you speech. But it was long ago,mercifully for you I've already forgotten it.

  Octavia Spencer. Dear, sweet, strong Octavia Spencer swept the award season this year with the cherry on top her win for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for "The Help", playing Minny Jackson, the housekeeper whose chocolate pies you may not want to eat. Love her.

  The French George Clooney, Jean Dujardin won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of George Valentin in the French black and white silent film, "The Artist".

  Meryl Streep. What can be said about her that already hasn't been said. One of the most talented and loved actresses of our time won her third Oscar for "The Iron Lady", which is about Margret Thatcher, after a 30 year drought, including 17 nominations. ABOUT TIME!

    The Best Director Oscar went to the French director for the movie "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius,  beat out Hollywood veteran directors Marin Scorsese, "Hugo" and Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris" to win his first Oscar.

  And the 2012 Best Picture went to "The Artist". It's almost like the little movie that could. It is a black and white film plus it is a SILENT movie. This movie was lighting in a bottle, I don't think we'll see another silent movie win a major award again.A black and white movie winning again in maybe in twenty years because that is about how long it's been since "Schindler's List" came out and won Best Picture, so twenty year intervals maybe the new normal. But "The Artist" is good and I am waiting for it to come out on DVD.