Do you enjoy the Oscars? I watch for the dresses. I couldn’t tell you who won last year, but I can tell you Cate Blanchett wore an oddly beaded blue thing that most people liked and I didn’t. Nobody watches for the speeches—let’s stop calling them speeches, shall we? Let’s call them… um… how about housework opportunities? A single speech, especially from the winner in a supporting role (an actor who wins for a leading role sometimes has the clout and the taste to be witty and brief), affords enough time to empty half the dishwasher if you’re efficient.
Meryl Streep's good at speeches. She's had so much practice. She sometimes reads lists, but she rewards her listeners for sitting through them by being funny and insightful. George Clooney seems to get that he's thanked everybody plenty and that his speech time is better spent being interesting. (I could be biased when it comes to George Clooney.)
Maybe not the best speech ever, but one of the most memorable, was Alfred Hitchcock's acceptance of the Thalberg award. He said "Thank you".
Here are the nominees for best picture, two of which you can get from APL already! While we wait for the others, check out some links to related stuff:
- The Artist, a silent movie about the inception of the talkies.
- The Descendants, based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Also nominated for best actor: George Clooney.
- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Also nominated for best supporting actor: Max von Sydow.
- The Help, based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett.
- Hugo, based on Brian Selznick's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Also nominated for best director: Martin Scorsese. Hugo led the field with 11 nominations.
- Moneyball, based on the book by Michael Lewis.
- My Week with Marilyn, based on the book The Prince, the Showgirl and Me by Colin Clark.
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, based on John Le Carré's novel. Also nominated for best actor: Gary Oldman.
- War Horse, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo.
