<p>^^^^Ellen’s appeal has a lot to do with her delivery, I agree.</p>
<p>I didn’t watch, never do, but I like to see photos of the dresses. I just looked at Matthew McConaughey’s wife’s dress, which several posters mentioned. I thought it was beautiful, and she is beautiful, but I absolutely hated the color.</p>
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Is your cynicism reserved only for films about slavery? (Django Unchained lost last year, btw.) I don’t think that Schindler’s List received the Best Picture Oscar because Hollywood people like to feel sorry for Holocaust victims. The “misdeeds of a bunch of dead people” are legitimate material for artists to consider. </p>
<p>This is just a discussion board and of course people are free to post opinions, unfounded and otherwise. I personally give more weight to pronouncements about movies when the critic has actually seen the film.</p>
<p>Okay, it is true that Best Picture tends to go to something socially seen as meaningful and important. Not always, but usually that’s the winner. I do enjoy picking winners and losers without seeing anything. It’s not that hard. Got 'em all this year with no challenge and 100-percent accuracy.</p>
<p>The Oscars is definitely the “classy” one among the awards shows - bordering on stuffy - actually, maybe it just IS stuffy! So, in that vein, I give Ellen credit for trying to loosen things/people up. Makes those stars look more like real people too. :)</p>
<p>Ellen’s opening was good but after that the funny bits were few and far between. I did like her dig about the lack of college degrees among the nominees. What was it "the nominees have 6 years of college all together’. Then to Amy Adams “Amy, you went to college, right?” To which, Amy Adams shook her head. Of course, Lupita acknowledged the Yale School of Drama and I read that Matthew McConaughey went to UT-Austin. But it such a self-aggrandizing room, it was nice to see Ellen poke some holes in their inflated images. </p>
<p>A radio talker this morning said that the Somali guy who was nominated for Captain Phillips only earned $65,000 for his role. He hasn’t worked since and that was 2 years ago. So I guess those teeth won’t get fixed after all. And he was a limo driver in Minneapolis who went to an open casting call. And then gets nominated for an Academy Award. Shows you don’t really need any acting lessons if you’ve got the knack and the look. </p>
<p>I turned on just as it started while folding laundry. Two jokes in Ellen made a joke about June Squibb being old. A sad, tired, pointless joke. I turned to a baseball game and never looked back.</p>
<p>Was impressed by those willing or eager to eat pizza in those tuxes and beautiful dresses. Probably gave the designers heart attacks thinking that their creations might be seen the rest of the evening with greasy, pizza sauce stains. 
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<p>Sax, I was thinking that too. :)</p>
<p>I guess I’m in the minority, but I thought Ellen was horrid. I thought the jab at Liza Minelli was in very poor taste–especially referring to Minelli as a man. The joke about the older actress from Nebraska was in equally poor taste.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the whole tribute to the Wizard of Oz.</p>
<p>I was thrilled that Bobby Lopez picked up his EGOT with the Oscar for “Let It Go.” I have a kid the same age as his younger brother and I knew the family way back when.( I haven’t had any contact with them since the kids were in high school, so I’m not claiming any close connection.) They are good people. Bobby is only the 12th EGOT–meaning he has an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony. He’s also the youngest person to achieve this. (His Tonys were for Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon.) I also thought the acceptance speech he and his wife (and co-writer) gave was cute. I like the song—certainly much better than the other nominees. </p>
<p>Their kids are the children’s voices in “Frozen,” BTW.</p>
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<p>Well, Meryl Streep graduated from Vassar and the Yale School of Drama, so I think she has the 6 years covered all by herself. I’m sure that many of the others are college grads, also. :)</p>
<p>I was unable to watch the broadcast, since we don’t get the station and it was apparently available for streaming only if you have cable, sos I watched some highlights this morning. Many good speeches and very funny bits from Ellen. Idina Menzel did a terrible job with that song. Some comments said that it was sung at a different tempo than in the movie? One thing I noticed was that Lupita hugged just about everyone around her EXCEPT Ejiofor. Both times. Hmm… </p>
<p>We love Big Mommas and Papas pizza! Wish they’d brought in one of their 36" pies. Then there are their egg gondola pizzas, shaped like a football with a high edge to hold in the cheese (mozz and feta), butter, and eggs cracked on top just a few minutes before the pizza comes out of the oven. Try eating one of those in designer gown or tux, oh yeah. (-:</p>
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<p>“mistreated”? Here’s our winner for the Oscar for biggest understatement of the year. 
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<p>Is this just the big ones? Or are you getting 100% on everything–sound mixing, animated short, etc? Because if the latter you can make some serious money, no joke.</p>
<p>LOL. Usually, just the big ones. A. Jolie was an easy pick for a special award, too. There are others but my interest is limited. </p>
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I suspect this was the entire point of hiring her to host, and she delivered pretty well on that score, in my opinion. I think other hosts have been funnier, though.</p>
<p>I was kind of sorry U2 didn’t win for best song–I’m sure Bono had an inspiring speech about Africa ready to go. Still, “Let It Go” was the only nominated song with a hook, so I guess it deserved to win.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the program. Thought Ellen went a bit too far with some of the comments with Liza Minelli and the other older actress, and I agree that Idina Mentzel didn’t sound “on”. I though Liza looked pretty good, by the way, as compared to some other occasions recently, and I might copy her hair cut at risk of having my gender questioned. No blue, yet, though. I thought Bette Midler sounded great and looked great too. Yes, her voice is aging, as she is but, well. Didn’t quite get the pizza thing.</p>
<p>Hmm my thoughts on the Oscars, </p>
<p>I too thought her Liza Minnelli dig went too far, however as we were chatting on social media last night, my gay friend informed me that it wa sort of a gay joke, and Liza minelli knows it ,because gays love her, so it wasn’t a slight. I said well hey what do I know?</p>
<p>Charlize Theron shut the place down with her dress, it was FAB! Amy Adams came in second.</p>
<p>Jared Leto, his mom and brother are beautiful, man they have some good genes. Also loved his speech. </p>
<p>I was happy for Matthew mcconaughey and loved his speech. </p>
<p>And the icing for me was Lupita! She was beautiful, and her speech was gracious. She has set a new standard of beauty for so many of us who are dark skinned, and are never featured or thought of as beautiful. I hope she gets awesome roles going forward and it’s not business as usual in Hollywood. </p>
<p>Now my only question is what is the beef with John Ridley (won for writing screenplay for 12 yrs) and Steve mcqueen( director). Neither of them mentioned the other in their speeches, looked at each other, or even shook hands. It was very weird. </p>
<p><a href=“Poor Leo: will Leonardo DiCaprio ever win an Oscar?”>Poor Leo: will Leonardo DiCaprio ever win an Oscar?;
<p>Everything Iv’e heard about the Oscars, is that the attendees are hungry.
Many are too nervous and busy to eat before the awards & then the show is four hrs long.
Perhaps they should have candy machines in the lobby.
Last year Jennifer Lawrence stopped at mcDonalds on the way & they forgot her fries!
<a href=“http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702506/oscars-jennifer-lawrence-mcdonalds.jhtml”>http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1702506/oscars-jennifer-lawrence-mcdonalds.jhtml</a></p>
<p>I dont know what is going on between Mcqueen & Ridley.
It was pretty noticeable, did they forget there were cameras?
It sounds like maybe there was a conflict with the screenplay credit or writing.
Although McQueen looked kind of constipated for most of the night so perhaps he is just hungry.</p>
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<p>Sounds like a must see.
<a href=“http://defamer.gawker.com/are-steve-mcqueen-and-john-ridley-feuding-1535026113”>http://defamer.gawker.com/are-steve-mcqueen-and-john-ridley-feuding-1535026113</a></p>
<p>Apparently Harrison Ford was a pizza slice casualty. </p>
<p>Also Lupita’s brother was front row in that tweeted selfie. He is a freshman in college in Florida. Lupita can barely be seen in the back. Toooooo funny.</p>
<p>Ellen just had the pizza guy on her show. She gave him the tips…rounded up to $1000. Ellen met him backstage and she told him to follow her. He said next thing he knew he walked on stage at the Oscars. He had no idea that was happening.</p>