Live Oscar Blog
- By Melissa Wilson
- Published 02/24/2008
8:25 PM EST:
Firefox News is blogging live from the (televised) 80th Annual Academy Awards! Tune in all night as we cover what could be the biggest night in Hollywood. (Or not. Depends on your opinion, really.) Right now, Regis Philbin is pointing at people as they settle in. Jack Nicholson is looking like a parody of himself. It's a party!
8:33 PM:
Jon Stewart has just taken the stage and is mocking Vanity Fair. He's doing a great job so far, though he's good at doing thing on short notice. "Let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves!"
(Image used with permission)
"All I can say is Thank God for teen pregnancy!"
8:38 PM:
Now he's doing the old "how to determine your stripper name" joke. Diablo Cody is very pretty. :)
"Oscar is 80 this year, which makes him the automatic front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination."
8:41 PM:
I suspect "Gaydolf Titler" is not his "A" material.
And here's Jennifer Garner! *cheers* She's saying costume designers need math and physics. Are you listening, folks?
The first Oscar goes to Alexandra Burns for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" And that's a short speech! Good for her!
8:43 PM:
Barbra!!!!!!
8:47 PM:
Clooney! I know a lot of women who'd love to see him in the altogether, but he looks too much like my cousin Eric. Here's the "80 Years of Oscar" retrospective. Speaking of self-parodic, it's a bit like a Simpsons skit, down to the Celine Dion song in the background.
(Image used with permission.)
8:52 PM:
Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell are talking about documentaries. Now she's telling him they're doing the animated features. Woohoo! We have a series of previews by Firefox staff writer Tracy Garcia. (Drop by and check them out!)
And it's "Ratatouille"! Brad Bird is a trip. Do "No capes!" Do "No capes!"
8:56 PM:
Pity. And now it's Katherine Heigl for Achievement in Makeup. Nice dress. :) Ah yes, even "Norbit" got a nod. The winner is "La Vie en Rose" (didn't catch the winners' names, sorry). Nice short speech, yay! We may have this done nearly on time after all!
8:59 PM:
Jon Stewart is blowing on his tune pipe and starts to sing, omg. Amy Adams! Yay!
9:02 PM:
Michael Douglas looks old. Catherine Zeta Jones does not. V. weird.
9:03 PM:
I just watched a McDonald's commercial. They're trying to make the House of Clown appeal to people older than ten. Give up. It's the land of short people with Happy Meals. Trust me. Embrace your wee little target audience already.
9:06 PM:
"Mostly we're just sitting around making catty remarks about the outfits you're wearing at home."
It's the Rock! Or Dwayne Johnson, as he likes to be called these days. "Best Visual Effects," huh? Cool. LOL at the "face-melting scene from Raiders." Ooo! These are movies I've actually seen! Bonus!
"The Golden Compass" wins!
9:10 PM:
Cate Blanchett steps up for Art Direction. "Sweeney Todd" wins! *waves a meat pie inna air*
Lovely people, these. :)
9:13 PM:
"Right now, I Jon Stewart am being played by Cate Blanchett."
Am I allowed to say retrospectives bore me?
9:15 PM:
Jennifer Hudson steps up, and she's announcing Best Supporting Actor. Interesting Oscar reels for these guys.
That's Phillip Seymour Hoffman? Damn, that was good makeup.
Javier Bardem wins! He's kind of cute, got that Clooneyesque stubble going. Yay for a speech in Spanish! (I even followed most of that.)
9:21 PM:
Why are we voting for soap commercials????
9:22 PM:
"I believe he was telling his mother how to find the library."
And now it's Oscar's salute to binoculars and periscopes.
The "bad dreams" one is actually funny.
9:24 PM:
Keri Russell continues to be hot. She's introducing the song from her film "August Rush." Featuring a choir and the soloist from the original film, Jamia Simone Nash. I've heard this on the radio. That's an eleven year old with some range! Somebody sign her!
(Image used with permission)
9:28 PM:
That was sweet. And now it's Owen Wilson. No one's cracking any jokes, so hey. Live Action Short Films now. The winner is "Le Mozart des Pickpockets." The little kid was cute in the clip. :)
And now the speech is in French! This is totally the notEnglish night.
Ohgod, it's Jerry Seinfeld as a bee. Swat it! Swat it! Where's the Raid???
Animated Short Film nominees now. Oh, these are disturbing.
"Peter and the Wolf" wins!
Oh sweetie. You're not keeping it in the hearts and minds of children. The often-rerun Disney version that gets played in schools regularly is why children know it. My kids just watched it a few weeks ago.
9:34 PM:
Best Supporting Actress is coming next, huh? The presenter is Alan Arkin. Ooo! I knew Ruby Dee was up but had forgotten! Go, Ruby! Wow, these are all really excellent clips! I like all of them. :D
The winner is Tilda Swinton! She says to the statue: "Happy Birthday, man!"
And the Batsuit is referenced! Everybody take a drink!
9:40 PM:
Poitier!
9:43 PM:
Okay, the underwater circus can stay.
9:44 PM:
It's Jessica Alba and a FF joke. Fantastic! (Get her away from my Sue.) She's announcing the tech awards from a couple of days ago. Everybody clap!
Jon Stewart is announcing pregnancies. "Obviously, the night is still young, and Jack is here."
9:46 PM:
Josh Brolin and James McEvoy. Here's to not all M/F presenting couples reciting random Oscar lines. Some are pretty romantic. :D
"That was my Nicholson. That was one of the worst Nicholsons ever done. I'm sorry, man. I'll buy you a drink later." They're announcing the best script adaptations. The winner is the Coens for "No Country for Old Men."
(Image used with permission)
9:49 PM:
Sid Davitts (sp?) is explaining the Oscars. Possibly as a time-filler. Footage of actual Oscar voting! Hurrah!
9:42 PM:
A superdelegates joke. Miley Cyrus is up next! The most popular teenager in the world, omg. Another song from "Enchanted." Let's sit back and listen! (Why yes, I'm having "Wicked" flashbacks for no good reason. You?) Hate Kristen Chenoweth's dress.
The dancing brides and grooms are surreal.
10:00 PM:
Now they're doing the baby roundup. "The baby goes to ... Angelina Jolie!"
Dame Judy Dench and Halle Berry! "By now, you've figured out that Halle and Dame Judy can't make it tonight ... "
This would be funnier if I knew who these two were.
They announcing the winner for best Sound Editing.
And the winner is "The Bourne Ultimatum." The two winners are blanking out. It's very sweet. I think they thought they wouldn't win! :) The guy looks a bit like my husband, only older and with an earring.
Get the two weird dudes off the stage now. The Halle Berry / Judy Dench joke is old now. Oh, and they're announcing Sound Mixing, too. Great.
"Bourn Ultimatum" wins again! I wonder if this team remembers their speech! They did. That was a sweet dedication to Paul Huntzman.
10:07 PM:
Best Actress already? The retrospective is actually making me cry a little. (Shutup!)
Forest Whitaker steps up, quoting Brando. (Husband: "He's lost weight!" We are both shallow, but happy.) Cate Blanchett looks a bit embarrassed at her clip.
The winner is ... Marion Cotillard for "La Vie En Rose." She looks so surprised! And she's so bouncy! I think she's about to start crying.
(Image used with permission)
10:18 PM:
Okay so that's Colin Farrell. Okay, yeah. :D
(Image used with permission.)
The song is "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Pretty! I've heard this one before, too. I really like it. *is lame and likes drippy love songs*
10:22 PM:
Nicholson! And he's changed glasses! I think he's already drunk. They should really schedule him earlier in the evening. Another retrospective, this one a full-range for "Best Picture." I've heard of about half of these so far. More, the later they get, obviously. Fascinating to watch the changes over the years, what's considered important, what's considered good film, what was popular and what was excellent.
10:28 PM:
Renée Zellweger is announcing the best in Film Editing. And again "Bourne Ultimatum" gets the nod. Good night for that team.
"Film editing, huh? Someone just took the lead in their Oscar poll based on a guess."
10:30 PM:
"According to IMDB, our following presenter is the star of '2008 Untitled Nicole Kidman Project.'" Hi, Nicole! What are you wearing around your neck?
It's a Robert Boyle retrospective. Yay for honorary nominees! When you're 98, you're allowed to be long-winded. :D
(Image used with permission)
10:42 PM:
Penelope Cruz is up next, announcing the Foreign Language Film Awards. OMG, these look depressing (in a suitably educational and life-affirming way, I'm sure).
The winner is Austria's "The Counterfeiters." I was just watching something about this on the History Channel and now I know why.
10:44 PM:
Another "Enchanted" song, this one introduced by Patrick Dempsey. Okay, apparently I'm not a sap for all drippy love songs. I'm finding this one annoying. I wonder if that means it's going to win. :P
10:48 PM:
And it's John Travolta dancing his way on-stage. Kind of appropriate that he's announcing Original Song. (Please don't make him sing. I have good memories of "Grease" and he's already killed most of them.)
And the winner is "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Cool. Oo, they played the music right over her. Bad timing there.
10:52 PM:
Spielberg!
10:57 PM:
They brought her back to say her thank yous! OMG, that's so sweet!
(Image used with permission)
10:58 PM:
Cameron Diaz seems to be drunk, too. (No, not really.) Best Cinematography, eh? The winner is "There Will Be Blood" for Robert Elswit.
11:01 PM:
Hilary Swank steps up next. Another retrospective, this one of the deaths over the past year. When they reach Heath Ledger, I'm going to cry. Everyone loved Valenti. And Suzanne Pleshette. And Ingmar Bergman, too.
I'm taking a moment. Go away.
11:07 PM:
More commercials Dear Eli Stone: I'd have watched your show if you hadn't started out with the anti-vacc autism episode. (You can check out our Eli Stone coverage here by the lovely and talented Amy Vincent.)
11:08 PM:
Amy Adams is back, and she's announcing Best Original Score! And it's "Atonement," thanks to Dario Marianelli. She's right, the right sounds do make the movies memorable.
11:11 PM:
Tom Hanks steps up next! Yay Tom Hanks! (Somewhere out there tonight, Peter Scolari is yelling at his television screen and not for the first time.) It's the broadcast from the troops in Iraq. They're presenting the documentaries (short subject). What a great idea!
The winner is "Freeheld" by Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth. They look shocked, and they're crying.
11:15 PM:
Tom Hanks is also announcing Best Documentary Feature. Again, much with the depressing. Important, meaningful, but depressing.
The winner is "Taxi to the Dark Side" by Alex Gibney and Eva Orner. I wish I could believe that this will make a difference.
11:19 PM:
Sir Elton!
We are so not going to end at 11:30.
11:20 PM:
And there's the winner of the soap contest. O_o
11:23 PM:
Harrison Ford! And millions of women faint just a little. I don't care if he's older than my dad. Original Screenplay is up now. I hope Diablo Cody wins. I liked "Juno."
And the winner is Diablo Cody! Yay!! *does a little dance* "This is for the writers!" She's just glowing right now. Someone hug her.
(Image used with permission)
11:30 PM:
It's a retrospective of Best Actors past. Helen Mirren gets to present. Go, Helen! I love the fabric of her dress. I can't decide if I like the style or not. (Shallow! I told you!)
The clips are pretty good. Oh Johnny, you are so pretty. The winner is Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood." Second Oscar, cool.
(Image used with permission)
11:39 PM:
It's a director retrospective. Look, it's the young Robert Redford! (Slacktivist shoutout.) Martin Scorsese steps up, and I have "On Scorsese's Head" stuck in my head now. Hooray.
The Oscar goes to the Coens for "No Country for Old Men." Good job, guys! "I don't have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you!"
11:44 PM:
Denzel Washington steps up now for the Best Picture award. Wow, it did go pretty fast after all.
The winner of the night: "No Country for Old Men." (Kinda glad it wasn't a surprise "Bourne Ultimatum" victory. Just sayin'.)
(Image used with permission)
And there you have it, folks. The 80th Annual Academy Awards. Were you surprised? Shocked? Bored? Tell us all about it!
Firefox News is blogging live from the (televised) 80th Annual Academy Awards! Tune in all night as we cover what could be the biggest night in Hollywood. (Or not. Depends on your opinion, really.) Right now, Regis Philbin is pointing at people as they settle in. Jack Nicholson is looking like a parody of himself. It's a party!
8:33 PM:
Jon Stewart has just taken the stage and is mocking Vanity Fair. He's doing a great job so far, though he's good at doing thing on short notice. "Let's take a moment to congratulate ourselves!"
(Image used with permission)
"All I can say is Thank God for teen pregnancy!"
8:38 PM:
Now he's doing the old "how to determine your stripper name" joke. Diablo Cody is very pretty. :)
"Oscar is 80 this year, which makes him the automatic front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination."
8:41 PM:
I suspect "Gaydolf Titler" is not his "A" material.
And here's Jennifer Garner! *cheers* She's saying costume designers need math and physics. Are you listening, folks?
The first Oscar goes to Alexandra Burns for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" And that's a short speech! Good for her!
8:43 PM:
Barbra!!!!!!
8:47 PM:
Clooney! I know a lot of women who'd love to see him in the altogether, but he looks too much like my cousin Eric. Here's the "80 Years of Oscar" retrospective. Speaking of self-parodic, it's a bit like a Simpsons skit, down to the Celine Dion song in the background.
(Image used with permission.)
8:52 PM:
Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell are talking about documentaries. Now she's telling him they're doing the animated features. Woohoo! We have a series of previews by Firefox staff writer Tracy Garcia. (Drop by and check them out!)
And it's "Ratatouille"! Brad Bird is a trip. Do "No capes!" Do "No capes!"
8:56 PM:
Pity. And now it's Katherine Heigl for Achievement in Makeup. Nice dress. :) Ah yes, even "Norbit" got a nod. The winner is "La Vie en Rose" (didn't catch the winners' names, sorry). Nice short speech, yay! We may have this done nearly on time after all!
8:59 PM:
Jon Stewart is blowing on his tune pipe and starts to sing, omg. Amy Adams! Yay!
9:02 PM:
Michael Douglas looks old. Catherine Zeta Jones does not. V. weird.
9:03 PM:
I just watched a McDonald's commercial. They're trying to make the House of Clown appeal to people older than ten. Give up. It's the land of short people with Happy Meals. Trust me. Embrace your wee little target audience already.
9:06 PM:
"Mostly we're just sitting around making catty remarks about the outfits you're wearing at home."
It's the Rock! Or Dwayne Johnson, as he likes to be called these days. "Best Visual Effects," huh? Cool. LOL at the "face-melting scene from Raiders." Ooo! These are movies I've actually seen! Bonus!
"The Golden Compass" wins!
9:10 PM:
Cate Blanchett steps up for Art Direction. "Sweeney Todd" wins! *waves a meat pie inna air*
Lovely people, these. :)
9:13 PM:
"Right now, I Jon Stewart am being played by Cate Blanchett."
Am I allowed to say retrospectives bore me?
9:15 PM:
Jennifer Hudson steps up, and she's announcing Best Supporting Actor. Interesting Oscar reels for these guys.
That's Phillip Seymour Hoffman? Damn, that was good makeup.
Javier Bardem wins! He's kind of cute, got that Clooneyesque stubble going. Yay for a speech in Spanish! (I even followed most of that.)
9:21 PM:
Why are we voting for soap commercials????
9:22 PM:
"I believe he was telling his mother how to find the library."
And now it's Oscar's salute to binoculars and periscopes.
The "bad dreams" one is actually funny.
9:24 PM:
Keri Russell continues to be hot. She's introducing the song from her film "August Rush." Featuring a choir and the soloist from the original film, Jamia Simone Nash. I've heard this on the radio. That's an eleven year old with some range! Somebody sign her!
(Image used with permission)
9:28 PM:
That was sweet. And now it's Owen Wilson. No one's cracking any jokes, so hey. Live Action Short Films now. The winner is "Le Mozart des Pickpockets." The little kid was cute in the clip. :)
And now the speech is in French! This is totally the notEnglish night.
Ohgod, it's Jerry Seinfeld as a bee. Swat it! Swat it! Where's the Raid???
Animated Short Film nominees now. Oh, these are disturbing.
"Peter and the Wolf" wins!
Oh sweetie. You're not keeping it in the hearts and minds of children. The often-rerun Disney version that gets played in schools regularly is why children know it. My kids just watched it a few weeks ago.
9:34 PM:
Best Supporting Actress is coming next, huh? The presenter is Alan Arkin. Ooo! I knew Ruby Dee was up but had forgotten! Go, Ruby! Wow, these are all really excellent clips! I like all of them. :D
The winner is Tilda Swinton! She says to the statue: "Happy Birthday, man!"
And the Batsuit is referenced! Everybody take a drink!
9:40 PM:
Poitier!
9:43 PM:
Okay, the underwater circus can stay.
9:44 PM:
It's Jessica Alba and a FF joke. Fantastic! (Get her away from my Sue.) She's announcing the tech awards from a couple of days ago. Everybody clap!
Jon Stewart is announcing pregnancies. "Obviously, the night is still young, and Jack is here."
9:46 PM:
Josh Brolin and James McEvoy. Here's to not all M/F presenting couples reciting random Oscar lines. Some are pretty romantic. :D
"That was my Nicholson. That was one of the worst Nicholsons ever done. I'm sorry, man. I'll buy you a drink later." They're announcing the best script adaptations. The winner is the Coens for "No Country for Old Men."
(Image used with permission)
9:49 PM:
Sid Davitts (sp?) is explaining the Oscars. Possibly as a time-filler. Footage of actual Oscar voting! Hurrah!
9:42 PM:
A superdelegates joke. Miley Cyrus is up next! The most popular teenager in the world, omg. Another song from "Enchanted." Let's sit back and listen! (Why yes, I'm having "Wicked" flashbacks for no good reason. You?) Hate Kristen Chenoweth's dress.
The dancing brides and grooms are surreal.
10:00 PM:
Now they're doing the baby roundup. "The baby goes to ... Angelina Jolie!"
Dame Judy Dench and Halle Berry! "By now, you've figured out that Halle and Dame Judy can't make it tonight ... "
This would be funnier if I knew who these two were.
They announcing the winner for best Sound Editing.
Get the two weird dudes off the stage now. The Halle Berry / Judy Dench joke is old now. Oh, and they're announcing Sound Mixing, too. Great.
"Bourn Ultimatum" wins again! I wonder if this team remembers their speech! They did. That was a sweet dedication to Paul Huntzman.
10:07 PM:
Best Actress already? The retrospective is actually making me cry a little. (Shutup!)
Forest Whitaker steps up, quoting Brando. (Husband: "He's lost weight!" We are both shallow, but happy.) Cate Blanchett looks a bit embarrassed at her clip.
The winner is ... Marion Cotillard for "La Vie En Rose." She looks so surprised! And she's so bouncy! I think she's about to start crying.
(Image used with permission)
10:18 PM:
Okay so that's Colin Farrell. Okay, yeah. :D
(Image used with permission.)
The song is "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Pretty! I've heard this one before, too. I really like it. *is lame and likes drippy love songs*
10:22 PM:
Nicholson! And he's changed glasses! I think he's already drunk. They should really schedule him earlier in the evening. Another retrospective, this one a full-range for "Best Picture." I've heard of about half of these so far. More, the later they get, obviously. Fascinating to watch the changes over the years, what's considered important, what's considered good film, what was popular and what was excellent.
10:28 PM:
Renée Zellweger is announcing the best in Film Editing. And again "Bourne Ultimatum" gets the nod. Good night for that team.
"Film editing, huh? Someone just took the lead in their Oscar poll based on a guess."
10:30 PM:
"According to IMDB, our following presenter is the star of '2008 Untitled Nicole Kidman Project.'" Hi, Nicole! What are you wearing around your neck?
It's a Robert Boyle retrospective. Yay for honorary nominees! When you're 98, you're allowed to be long-winded. :D
(Image used with permission)
10:42 PM:
Penelope Cruz is up next, announcing the Foreign Language Film Awards. OMG, these look depressing (in a suitably educational and life-affirming way, I'm sure).
The winner is Austria's "The Counterfeiters." I was just watching something about this on the History Channel and now I know why.
10:44 PM:
Another "Enchanted" song, this one introduced by Patrick Dempsey. Okay, apparently I'm not a sap for all drippy love songs. I'm finding this one annoying. I wonder if that means it's going to win. :P
10:48 PM:
And it's John Travolta dancing his way on-stage. Kind of appropriate that he's announcing Original Song. (Please don't make him sing. I have good memories of "Grease" and he's already killed most of them.)
And the winner is "Falling Slowly" from "Once." Cool. Oo, they played the music right over her. Bad timing there.
10:52 PM:
Spielberg!
10:57 PM:
They brought her back to say her thank yous! OMG, that's so sweet!
(Image used with permission)
10:58 PM:
Cameron Diaz seems to be drunk, too. (No, not really.) Best Cinematography, eh? The winner is "There Will Be Blood" for Robert Elswit.
11:01 PM:
Hilary Swank steps up next. Another retrospective, this one of the deaths over the past year. When they reach Heath Ledger, I'm going to cry. Everyone loved Valenti. And Suzanne Pleshette. And Ingmar Bergman, too.
I'm taking a moment. Go away.
11:07 PM:
More commercials Dear Eli Stone: I'd have watched your show if you hadn't started out with the anti-vacc autism episode. (You can check out our Eli Stone coverage here by the lovely and talented Amy Vincent.)
11:08 PM:
Amy Adams is back, and she's announcing Best Original Score! And it's "Atonement," thanks to Dario Marianelli. She's right, the right sounds do make the movies memorable.
11:11 PM:
Tom Hanks steps up next! Yay Tom Hanks! (Somewhere out there tonight, Peter Scolari is yelling at his television screen and not for the first time.) It's the broadcast from the troops in Iraq. They're presenting the documentaries (short subject). What a great idea!
The winner is "Freeheld" by Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth. They look shocked, and they're crying.
11:15 PM:
Tom Hanks is also announcing Best Documentary Feature. Again, much with the depressing. Important, meaningful, but depressing.
The winner is "Taxi to the Dark Side" by Alex Gibney and Eva Orner. I wish I could believe that this will make a difference.
11:19 PM:
Sir Elton!
We are so not going to end at 11:30.
11:20 PM:
And there's the winner of the soap contest. O_o
11:23 PM:
Harrison Ford! And millions of women faint just a little. I don't care if he's older than my dad. Original Screenplay is up now. I hope Diablo Cody wins. I liked "Juno."
And the winner is Diablo Cody! Yay!! *does a little dance* "This is for the writers!" She's just glowing right now. Someone hug her.
(Image used with permission)
11:30 PM:
It's a retrospective of Best Actors past. Helen Mirren gets to present. Go, Helen! I love the fabric of her dress. I can't decide if I like the style or not. (Shallow! I told you!)
The clips are pretty good. Oh Johnny, you are so pretty. The winner is Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood." Second Oscar, cool.
(Image used with permission)
11:39 PM:
It's a director retrospective. Look, it's the young Robert Redford! (Slacktivist shoutout.) Martin Scorsese steps up, and I have "On Scorsese's Head" stuck in my head now. Hooray.
The Oscar goes to the Coens for "No Country for Old Men." Good job, guys! "I don't have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you!"
11:44 PM:
Denzel Washington steps up now for the Best Picture award. Wow, it did go pretty fast after all.
The winner of the night: "No Country for Old Men." (Kinda glad it wasn't a surprise "Bourne Ultimatum" victory. Just sayin'.)
(Image used with permission)
And there you have it, folks. The 80th Annual Academy Awards. Were you surprised? Shocked? Bored? Tell us all about it!