Uh oh. It’s Oscar night

February 24th, 2008 at 05:49pm Will Pfeifer

LA Weekly columnist Nikki Finke warns us to expect, and I quote, “the Worst Oscars Ever in the History of Hollywood.”

But, needless to say, we’ll all watch it anyway, and complain for however long the show lasts. That, more than anything Hollywood puts together for a time-wasting clip package, is a true show business tradition. The Oscar show is awful, we complain, then next year we rerun the same ritual. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some things I am looking forward to:

1. As a longtime fan of the Coen brothers (ever since I saw RAISING ARIZONA in a mostly empty theater 20-plus years ago and couldn’t believe what I was watching), I’ve thought they were some of the best directors/producers/writers in the history of film, no kidding. Tonight, unless something really unexpected happens, they’re going to get honored by Oscar. Big time.

2. Jon Stewart is a funny guy. Thank god he’s hosting, and not Whoopi, Ellen or Billy (who can be funny, but not for the 475th time.) You know who else is funny? Conan O’Brien. Get him to host. I guarantee everyone in America will laugh.*

3. Josh Brolin is going to present something. I don’t know how he’ll do as a presenter, but the guy had an amazing year as an actor: GRINDHOUSE, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, AMERICAN GANGSTER and IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH. And not a single Oscar nomination. At least someone recognized his work.

4. The acceptance speeches will be, for the most part, terrible — and that’s part of the fun. If only the winners would listen to this advice from writer Jim Emerson. As he says, keep this in mind when the actors have emotional breakdowns tonight: They might not be totally sincere and spontaneous. They’re actors. This is what they do for a living. It might not be totally sincere and spontaneous.

If you get bored at some point in tonight’s Oscar show (gee — how could that happen?) check out this blog. I might post a few reactions to what’s happening in Tinseltown. They’ll probably be complaints, but like I said — would you have it any other way?

* Not a guarantee.

Entry Filed under: Oscars