Roger Ebert recently said that he couldn’t think of an easier year to predict the Academy Award winners. Sure enough, most of the pre-show claims out there turned out to be accurate with Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker taking the most heralded prize of the evening for Best Picture. Other notables include Jeff Bridges as Best Actor for Crazy Heart, Sandra Bullock for Best Actress in The Blind Side, Mo’Nique as Best Supporting Actress in Precious, and lastly my personal favorite, Christoph Waltz, who did a really great job at playing a really rotten s.o.b. in Inglorious Basterds.
The awards show itself was entertaining with dynamic duo Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin manning the stage as the evening’s hosts. There was decent enough chemistry between the two and their deliveries had some good comedic timing, relaying the clever talents of the writers behind their words. Their banter of director Kathryn Bigelow sending a congratulations gift basket (that ticked) to ex-hubby Cameron for being nominated was only outdone when it was mentioned that Cameron sent Bigelow a Toyota in return. One of the more memorable presenters on the evening had to be Ben Stiller, whose uncanny makeup job transformed him into a real life Na’vi, complete with yellow eyes, blue skin, and a tail with a mind of its own. Based on James Cameron’s expression though, it didn’t look like he was enjoying the joke. Relax Mr. C. You know your work has reached the top when people spend enough effort to take notice of it in a comical fashion. Mocking = good.
Since all is said and done, I now have to present my award for Worst Acceptance Speech of the Night. And the award goes to…Elinor Burkett, producer of the Best Documentary Short Music by Prudence. Director/producer Roger Ross Williams was as giddy as a school boy, making his appreciation known as he held the golden statue and began his thank-you’s. Enter Burkett who rudely invaded Williams’ space and took the microphone over. It’s what CNN.com has billed as ‘the Kanye moment of the Oscars,’ and so aptly named it is.
First off, as a producer, she played a big part behind getting this picture off the ground. However, she is NOT the director. The director is who goes up to the stage; not the caterer, not the cameraman, not the mailman, not anyone else. Therefore, she has no business running up there and mumbling like the buffoon she appeared to be. The fact that I could only understand every third word or so, only made the situation all the more awkward. Did she have rocks in her mouth? Has she ever heard herself talk? Apparently not (to the second question). Dogs barking underwater is a clearer form of communication.
Ms. Burkett does not have a good public speaking voice, nor is it a coherent one. Heck, regarding not having something, we can add manners to the list. Perhaps the next time she is in speaking distance of a podium, she will mind her excessively wide tongue and leave the mike for whom it is meant. Though I have yet to see his documentary, I congratulate Roger Ross Williams on a job well done, an award seemingly well earned, and an apology that is well deserved. Hint, hint, Elinor.
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