Another year, another Oscar, 97 of a series, presented live from the Dolby Theater, at the old Hollywood hotel site, structurally indistinguishable from the Oscars that were, despite the pandemic variations, and the Oscars that will be. The early start time, 7 pm instead of the old 8 PM et, simply recognizes what the previous years have already made evident, that the program will not end in three hours, as it was not. (“If you are still enjoying the program,” said presenter Conan O'Brien near the end of the transmission: “You have something called Stockholm Syndrome.”
This was the first time that O'Brien captained the Oscars, but hosted the Emmy twice, in 2002 and 2006, the white house's correspondent dinner in 2013, the MTV Movie Awards in 2014 and almost 4,000 night television nights. Are the most important, most intimidating Oscars than to make fun of Washington's great shots to their often stony faces? More specifically, would the occasion let Conan be a human conan-gallo of 6 feet 4 (6 feet 7 with the hair) and a half dozen voices, who appeared in his “late night with Conan O'Brien”, a recurrent character called masturbating bear? Of course, he is the last one, and with the co -optation of the Kennedy center, his present body, possibly the last one, winner of the Mark Twain award for American humor, but is one of the most proud rare in the middle.
And the night would recognize the world out of Hollywood, that is, the world outside the business business, this year of fire and garbage fires? Would anyone say something particularly adorable or controversial? The possibility that something really unexpected happens is, I suppose, powerfully protected; The probabilities of, for example, a streak, run through the stage (1974) or the best incorrect image that is announced (2017).
It is impossible to organize a consistently entertaining show that lasts three hours and requires a mixture of reverential and irreverent tones, and, of course, this is not; But in general it was navigable despite a meaningless excursion to a dance greeting to James Bond Films, whose time at least seemed strange given the non -universally famous sale of the franchise to Amazon Mgm Studios, and which lasted as much as the sequences of titles of, like, seven James Bond Films.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performed a mixture of songs of “The Wizard of Oz”, “The Wiz” and “Wicked” at the beginning of the show.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The tonal mixture was established at the beginning, with a mounting of clips of films that represent Los Angeles, introduced by a pair of famous red shoes that click and the words, “there is no place like the home.” Then Cynthia Erito and Ariana Grande burned the house with “Wicked”, “The Wiz” and “Suba The Rainbow” songs, that movie will like less than “Wicked”, but that you should show them anyway.
It was as if producers wanted to establish some type of elegant and non -ironic baseline to frame O'Brien, before things were strange. (Although announcer Nick Offerman caused everything to sound ironic, only he said). The host finally entered the transmission in a brief filmed outbreak, taking off from “substance”, emerging from Demi Moore's body, dressed in his tuxedo (he had to return for a shoe). But O'Brien himself, like anyone who has spent any time listening to his podcast, “Conan O'Brien needs a friend”, or remembers his mobiles from several final television series, he will know that he has a sincere streak and believes in the possibility of good.
Then, after a monologue that includes a mixture of quite painless jags aimed at films and film people, along with their usual complement to self -prose The one that is celebrated, what is celebrated “, but it is what is in the fantastic.”
Then he made a production number, “Ino Won Whon Wast Time”, which presented a conans dancing choir and the “Sand Worm of 'Dune 2'” playing “chopsticks” on the piano. (The sand worm would return later, playing the harp, because “when you spend so much at one time you have to do it twice). That was as strange as he, although I cannot think of another host that he had ventured in this joke:” We did not use AI to do this program. “
As for the fires, the lifeguards of the Los Angeles Fire Department were considered to be greeted and to tell them their own jokes. And as for the fires of the garbage container, the fact that the film is an international community that sometimes addresses the issues of the real world, was impossible for the program, no matter how much a safe space for Hollywood, to be pointed politician, and even more as the show advanced.
O'Brien: “'Anora' is having a good night.” Referring to the plot of the film: “I think Americans are excited to see someone who finally faces a powerful Russian.” This caused cheers.
Zoe Saldaña spoke about being a “proud son of immigrants” in his acceptance speech to support the actress.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
Zoe Saldaña, accepting a secondary actress prize for “Emilia Pérez”: “My grandmother came to this country in 1961, I am a proud son of immigrant parents, with working dreams and hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an academy prize, and I know that I will not be the last.” He celebrated the fact that he won for a film in which he could sing and speak in Spanish he felt particularly moving one day after the president declared the official language of the United States to English.
Adrien Brody, stopping play-off music to add thanks to his parents and declare: “I am here once again to represent persistent traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression and anti-Semitism and racism and others … I pray for a more healthy and happier and happier world, and I think that if the past can teach us, it is a memory that I do not pray for a hate. Smiling, keep loving each other.
Surprises? Mick Jagger, presenting to the best original song, put the room standing because nothing excites a movie star and a rock star. Jagger: “As much as I love to do it, I wasn't the first option … The producers really wanted Bob Dylan to do this. Bob said: “You should find someone younger '… so here I am.”
Adorable? June Squibb, ninety -five, presenting makeup and hair with Scarlett Johansson: “Actually, I'm playing for [‘Nosferatu’ star] Bill Skarsgård right now. The true June Squibb is at home with a book at this time. “
Gene Hackman, who was found dead last week, received a special treatment, in a tribute of the twice co -star and winner of Oscar Morgan Freeman. The deceased music producer Quincy Jones, too, had a moment, presented by Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, and ending with an action of Queen Latifah of “ease on the road”, another Oz musical that is not “evil” to wake up the room in the room. Well, he made me.
