Mar 11 2024 - All the Moments you missed

 

All the moments you missed - what is the assumption?   We dozed off, went off for a while or just tuned out, and even possibly never tuned in.   It looks like there is a big highlight this year.  It turns out to be Ryan Gosling who delivered fun.  That would be compared to 2022 where there was a definite  'no fun' moment.   The subtitle is: He’s not just Ken.  "In one of those rare instances of a telegraphed event that actually lived up to the anticipation and hype, Ryan Gosling crushed his performance of “I’m Just Ken” with gusto, after a truly amusing bit that involved him riffing on the “Barbenheimer” rivalry with Emily Blunt. He might be No. 2 to Barbie, but give Gosling this year’s Oscars MVP award." Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who composed the guitar instrumentation on the song, made a surprise appearance on stage for a "rollicking" guitar solo. "At one point, Gosling stepped out into the crowd and found his “Barbie” co-stars, America Ferrera, Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, who all helped Gosling sing his song when he pointed the mic toward them. And as he passed by his “La La Land” co-star Emma Stone, he gave her the mic to sing a line – which she did, impressively, word-for-word." Ryan Gosling has been dancing forever.  At least since 1992. Here's a video clip of him HERE. he's in shiny purple and silver.    It ends in a video unavailable screen.  There's a string of these videos - he's an all dancing sort of actor.  There is one with him and Justin Timberlake when they were children.

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Mar 15 2023 - Bob Hope's Best Oscars

 

was thinking about the Oscars, and really would have liked to see old clips of Bob Hope and Johnny Carson.  Bob Hope is considered the King of the Oscars.  What was it about Bob Hope? "He has hosted 19 times either solo or as a team, even before the Oscars were even broadcast on television. For a long time, it was just assumed that Hope would host, and only if he had conflicts would they ask someone else."    Here are his most-quoted jokes: 1955  "The winners will take home an Oscar. The losers will all be presented with monogramed do-it-yourself suicide kits." 1960 “There’s a lot of pictures half shot. One Western picture is hung up and it’s quite a situation. There’s 150 Indians crouched behind a boulder at Corganville, and no one has told them that John Wayne isn’t coming.” 1968 "Welcome to the Academy Awards, or as they're known at my house, Passover." And at the end in 1968   “I’ve never seen six hours whiz by so fast.” No year given  “I think they ought to give me an Oscar just for attendance, don’t you?” And they did:  Bob Hope received 5 honorary Oscars for his service to the film industry. There's a group on Fine Art America with the theme of tree of trees in black and white.  I turned some of my tree images to black and white so that I could put them in the group.   It reminds me of when television was in black and white.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Mar 13 2023 - Counting the Many Thank You's

 

I wonder if there is a "thank you" count at the Oscars.  I expect that it went into the hundreds of times the phrase was said.  And where is the artificial intelligence with Bing questions?  It should be able to go through the transcript and count them in a few moments.  It turns out that we're not using   it yet - I have to get on a waitlist and get all the notifications from Microsoft about whatever offers they have in mind. I think estimating the thank you's in the hundreds is sufficient. At the same time, it seemed that hearing all those thank-you's started to get repetitive and then they seemed stale after a while.   The news media considered the clothes the highlight of the evening - "the best and boldest fashion of the night".  And the press pictures made it a visual delight.   I did ask the question: was the show boring? The answer was:  "stodgy, overlong, enjoyable, corny and a combination of both genuine pathos and real Hollywood self-satisfaction."  That came from the UK news. Here's another review:  "lukewarm, mostly unsurprising, almost comforting in its very blandness." Being older and having seen so many Oscar Award programs, I have started to wonder if I am just nostalgic for being younger.  I found an Oscar joke that gives a sense of how old I am: What do you call a dream about hosting an award ceremony? The Wizard of Ozcar.  I keep find pictures of the old RBG rock garden spring show.  This is from before the big renovation. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

March 28 2022 - Is that How Uncle Oscar Behaves?

 

I watched the beginning of the Oscars last night and really enjoyed what I saw.  The experience of female hosts was very satisfactory.  I didn't have to worry about the nasty jokes that past Oscars allowed. And there was no long walk to the microphone where we waited endless seconds as the academy 'held us hostage' to its display of female stars. Things going smoothly seemed to mean that the Oscars might become enjoyable again.  But after I went to bed, what happened?  There was a real-life outburst.   "While presenting the award for Documentary Feature (won by Summer of Soul), Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith‘s wife Jada Pinkett Smith that prompted an unbelievable exchange. After Rock joked to Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to G.I. Jane starring Jada, Smith stood up from his seat near the stage, strode up to Rock and slapped him. After sitting back down, Smith shouted — twice — at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”  " I am so unaware of celebrity circumstances in the news.  Will's wife, Jada has a medical condition alopecia - extreme hair loss. It became so pronounced that she shaved her head in July 2021.   So there we were at the Oscars, in a time warp of those nasty jokes.  I had been lulled by the opening that things would be fine. You can find 30 Oscar Jokes that totally bombed Here.  I notice that there aren't a lot of articles on Oscar's worst jokes.  Maybe not one is interested in how bad the Oscars can get or maybe they suppress how many awful events occurred in those shows. Today CNN has been busy analyzing the insult and the response.  Social media is covering the public opinion on violence.  What's the latest?  Chris Rock isn't pressing charges against Will Smith for the Oscars slap. We're looking at white blossoms on the trees can this picture ompared to snow on the ground today when I look out the window.

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March 27 2022 - Just Like Uncle Oscar

 

he Oscars are here tonight.  There are three hosts - all women considered comedians/comics. It has been a few years since there was a host and the viewings have dwindled with last year being an all-time low.   The big controversy is the failure to invite Rachel Zegler, the co-lead of West Side Story.  She wasn't nominated so no invitation to attend.  To solve the controversy she's been invited to present an Oscar.  She gets an Oscar grab bag actually called a swag bag valued at more than $100,000.  You can see the things/stuff in it HERE.  This year the highlights are plastic surgery and a plot (actually a "patch") of land in Scotland.   New this year is the "fan favourite film" that the public voted on.  There is also the "most cherry-worthy movie moment".  The voting happens by using the hashtags #OscarsFanfavorite and #OscarsCheerMoment on Twitter. The name Oscar has an urban myth sort of story.  You can buy a replica on Amazon for $92.10.  Look at it closely for me and tell me if you think it could resemble someone's uncle.  The Academy Awards librarian, Margaret Herrick, said the blank face and stern eyebrow reminded her of her Uncle Oscar.  That was in 1931.  I wondered this question:  "What is the condition/state of the Oscars this year?"  Headlines say it is returning to normal except for all the changes, so I guess we have to wait and see what the critics say.  Streaming is a dominant theme - streaming movies, streaming awards.   I wonder what a 'staggered start' is.  That's the code word for giving some awards out before the 'real start' of the event.  And the final award this year will be best picture rather than best actor.  Last year's winner wasn't there (Anthony Hopkins) so what a flop of an ending. And what is an Oscar party menu according to Epicurious? Caviar Puff-Pastry Stars Dill-Cured Pork Crostini with Sweet Mustard Sauce Herb and Lemon Goat Cheese Spread White Bean and Pesto Dip Coffee Chocolate Truffle Kisses Chocolate seems to be a common theme amongst the recommended snacks. I changed the wreath on the tool shed yesterday with spring flowers and today the snow furries have started.  I thought this before and after would be appropriate for today's pictures.

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April 25 2021 - Oscars Tonight

 

It may be that most people have become fatigued with, and indifferent to Oscar "Night".  Partly because it has been postponed for so long it seems like it missed its best before date. It is live at 6:30pm ET with the pre-show portion.  The Oscars are about winning - who should win and who will win.  A sports event mentality on who will place first because there is only one winner. The rest are losers.  There is a long list of Oscar losers. There are Oscar loser faces - celebrities who couldn't hide their disappointment.   Attempting to attract an audience, this is the promotional buzz this year: "But it won’t look anything like years past. The Academy is reportedly trying to make the Oscars “an intimate, in-person event," which will be preceded by an in-person cocktail party for all the glitzy celebs in attendance (complete with COVID-safe guidelines like an outdoor venue and reduced attendance)." "The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh has said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters — including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Harrison Ford, Rita Moreno and Zendaya — are considered “cast members.” The telecast’s first 90 seconds, Soderbergh has claimed, will “announce our intention immediately.” What do you think?  Oscars stay or Oscars go?  I expect I am like many other people who liked the dress-up event, seeing all those celebrities sitting side by side, and a witty, satiric comedian host.  So many decades of Oscar Shows and Bob Hope remains the favourite.  The Niagara Street Cherry tree looks like an evening gown or a wedding dress in these multiple exposure pictures. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Why are Tattoos so Popular?

I ask the question from the point of view of motivation and not history.  Why are people getting tattooed so much today?  I stood in line at the local coffee shop and the young man ahead of me had tattoos on his head, down his neck, and on his arms.   The articles tell me that millennials appear to be obsessed with tattoos.  The United States Navy has had to change its body art policies.  In 2010 about 40 per cent of millennials had at least one tattoo.  In 2017 one in five Canadians had a tattoo. That explains the coffee shop line up.  There were 4 people ahead of me. It doesn't explain the waterfall effect of the tattoos, though.  They seemed to flower from him more like lava than a refreshing spring. The entrance of tattoos into mainstream media shows and on mainstream celebrities has speeded the significant shift towards acceptance.  The theory goes that tattoos are 'an expression of oneself' and they stand for the entirety of that identity.  And when I ask a person about their tattoo, they describe  what the tattoo expresses of themselves.  Tattoos aren't 'accepted'.  They are 'embraced'. The alignment of person with workplace norms is the only remaining question.  The suitability of tattoos is now a past discussion.  The negative views are prevalent for healthcare professionals, police officers, lawyers, financial institutions, and school teachers.  But that's just lead and lag timing question.  When will I see a doctor with a tattoo on a wrist?  That's a prediction to make. I didn't watch the Oscars last night. They have drifted into the past for me - it is a long time ago when they were fun and important - when Bob Hope and Johnny Carson  were the hosts in the golden age of television and movies. I think there should be an article on this topic:  What do the Olympics and Oscars have in common?  That's because the headlines on the Oscars seem to point to the similarities:   Do the Oscars Even Matter Anymore?   The Uncomfortable Truth About the Oscar If the Oscars No Longer Care About the Public, Why Should the Public... The Oscars' Dirty Secret:  Corruption, Bribery, Mafia-style Hit Job Oscar Films:  75 years of bribes, lies and overkill Oscars:  were you always so political? Oscar Record Low Audience But there is a brilliant moment at the Oscars 2019 -  Billy Porter's outfit - it has been named a gown-cedo. He wore an outfit with a tuxedo on top and a black floor length ball gown skirt on the bottom.  It is remarkable.   Toronto Island garden images today.

Oscar's No Host Moments

Here's the beginning of  an article on the 2018 Oscar predictions: "It is crunch time as now I am forced to put up or shut up".  It continues with  "stick-a-fork-in-it" and "take-it-to-the-bank" calls.  I would pronounce this writer an idiom-addict. So on to the "Academy Award of Merit", now called the "Oscar".  It is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony.  It started in 1929.  Motion pictures were born in 1885 with the Lumber brothers' short films in Paris. The first studio was built in 1897, and in the 1900's permanent theatre showings occurred.  The first feature length multi-reel film was in 1906.  Newsreels were shown from 1910 on.   By 1914 commercial cinema was established.  So the beginning of awards by 1929 seems to make sense. The first broadcast of the Oscars on television was in 1953. Bob Hope and Conrad Nagel were the first televised hosts.  The next year it was Donald O'Connor and Fredric March.  My remembrance is of Bob Hope and he hosted many times.  Even Frank Sinatra was a host - in 1963.  All the hosts are listed HERE. Did you know that there was no host from 1969 - 1971 and in 1989?  In 1989, it was Lucille Ball's last appearance.  She was a co-presenter with Bob Hope at that Oscar ceremony.  She died a month later at 77.  Bob Hope lived to be 100, and died in 2003. The viewing audience size and the advertising revenues are the Oscar performance measures.  The biggest Oscars were in 1998, and it is attributed to the movie Titanic. 55.25 million people watched.  You can see an amazing piece from Vanity Fair on the 1998 oscars.  It is full of clips and funny lines. Here's our garden snow scene after the storm last week.