am77Here we go! Less than 48 hours for the biggest event in Hollywood (and in cinema). As soon as the show finishes, I will publish my live recap of the evening.
But right now it’s time to analyze what we can expect from the show, and also to remember some highlights from previous editions.
EXPECT LOTS OF MUSIC
The cast of Les Misérables is going to sing (yes!), as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Hudson. They will all be part of a musical tribute. My hopes are that it will be as good as the one they did when Hugh Jackman hosted (or even better, because back then Beyoncé lip-synched). And I also want Zeta-Jones to sing All That Jazz. Please, Academy.
Oh, and if out of nowhere Ewan McGregor appears and sings Your Song, then the Oscars will have my respect back (they have lost a little bit over the years, hem,fixings!hem…).
There is also going to be a James Bond tribute, which hopefully will be introduced by Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan (or Sean Connery!). No, probably Halle Berry will do it. Shirley Bassey is definitely set to appear, and my guess is that it will be a huge spectacular number that will end with Adele’s nominated song from Skyfall. First Bond film to make me cry like a little girl, true story.
And if that wasn’t enough, Seth MacFarlane will do something probably. And not just because he has a great singing voice and he could make Brian Griffin sing with him or something like that. No, it’s because he is also nominated! His song from Ted, Everybody Needs a Best Friend, is set to be sung by Norah Jones, but I assume that he will make a cameo throughout the performance.
EXPECT SETH MacFARLANE TO BE AWESOME
As a huge, huge fan of MacFarlane and his shows, I know what kind of sense of humour he has. And the members of the AMPAS know it too, so they know they won’t be able to complain after he has lunched himself at all the audience. It’s what he does, and he can do it hilariously. It won’t be as wild as Family Guy or American Dad, but I bet it’s going to be entertaining (way more that Franco and Hathaway. More on that later…).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWFA9PCVqC0
EXPECT SURPRISES
Yeees, everybody knows that Argo will win Best Picture, but nothing is final until the winners are announced. Most of the films nominated deserve to win (I’m not going to praise again Les Miz, I’ve made my opinion clear). And Jennifer Lawrence could win, but it’s not that obvious. I love Lawrence, but I’m worried that an Oscar right now would make her be everywhere, thus making people get sick of her. Plus, Emmanuelle Riva has her options too, especially after the Bafta.
I found these entertaining pie charts of the Best Picture nominees at Vulture. Click on the image to see them all:
PAST HIGHLIGHTS AND MISTAKES
FRANCO AND HATHAWAY
James Franco and Anne Hathaway are two charming young thespians, and he actually has a gift with words. But they were forced to go through the show with a stiff script that got the worst of them. Or nothing of them at all. If the aim was to attract younger audiences, they should have allowed Franco get involved with the script-writing. At least they learned from their mistakes this year.
BRODY KISSES BERRY
One of the most memorable moments of the past decade, Adrien Brody was so thrilled about winning for his outstanding performance in The Pianist, that he kissed Halle Berry before she could hand him the statuette. Brody became, after 75 years of Oscars, the youngest actor ever to won the award, being only 29.
TOM HANKS INSPIRES A MOVIE
In 1993, Hanks won the first of his two consecutive Oscars for Philadelphia. During his famous speech, he outed his drama high school teacher. This event turned into a film four years later, In & Out, where Kevin Kline plays the teacher. Unmissable film (both of them).
HOPKINS “LEADING” ROLE
In the 64th edition, Anthony Hopkins won the Best Actor accolade for his stunning performance in The Silence of the Lambs, and he is only in the film for 16 minutes! I know he does an amazing job in the film, but that belongs to a supporting category. There should be a percentage of screen time marked as supporting. That way, if there is any doubt about the category, all that has to be done is check if the amount of time is over or below that percentage. But Hollywood, like everything, is politics, and that is not going to change. Kate Winslet won Best Actress for a supporting role too. Catherine Zeta-Jones was as protagonist as Renée Zellweger in Chicago and she won Supporting. Nothing is going to change…
TRACY, AHEAD OF HANKS
Tom Hanks won two Oscar in two consecutive years (for Philadelphia and Forest Gump), but screen legend Spencer Tracy was the first actor two win twice and two years in a row: in 1937 for Captains Courageous and in 1938 for Boys Town.
THE FIRST BEST ACTRESS
Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress Oscar in 1929 for three different films, but I want to point out Sunrise. If you want to watch a silent film (and the AMAZING The Artist doesn’t count), I recommend this one.
HEPBURN, THE BEST
If Meryl Streep is the best actress amongst us right now (nobody can discuss that), Katharine Hepburn was the indisputable queen of the 20th century. She has the record of most awards, and all of them in the leading category. She won in 1933, 1967, 1968 and 1981 for her performances in Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter and On Golden Pond. With The Lion in Winter, there was a tie. She and Barbra Streisand (for Funny Girl) got the exact same amount of votes, the only time it has happened in this category.
Watch this video. It was the In Memoriam that was made for her at the Oscars. Just a glimpse of decades of genius:
MERYL CAN WIN WHENEVER SHE WANTS
But if Hepburn won four times, Meryl can achieve that too. With three statuettes, she is currently the most nominated actress with 14 nominations (Hepburn got 12). And we still have so much to see of her. I predict another win by the end of this decade. Mark my words.
Check the website on Monday morning to see my recap. I can’t wait!