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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

Oscar Highlights

hathawayfranco

The Oscar broadcast was so dull on Sunday night, we had to do something to keep ourselves busy. So members of the WEEKEND staff and former editor Cory Barker participated in a live chat throughout the ceremony.

We racked up over 500 comments and an additional 100 reader comments throughout the agonizing four hour broadcast.

For those of you who missed it, enjoy this sampling of some of the Greatest Hits of our live chat a la AV Club.

As Scarlet Johannson is being interviewed on the red carpet:

Cory Barker: ScarJo's date is walking around daring someone to ask him who the hell he is.

As Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway enter the stage following a pretty lame pre-recorded segment of them being included in all the Best Picture nominees:
Matt Lyles : Franco smoked a joint while they were playing that. That's what all the smoke was.

As the first award of the evening, art direction, goes to "Alice in Wonderland" over BWelk's pick in the category for the Outguess Ebert competition, "The King's Speech:"
Brian Welk:
WHAT ALREADY LOST MY $100,000!?

As Kirk Douglas presents (eventually) the award for Best Supporting Actress:
Cory Barker:
Wasn't the goal of hiring the younger hosts to appeal to younger viewers?

As the nominees for Best Supporting Actress are announced:
Cory Barker:
If you saw Animal Kingdom, I'll PayPal you a dollar. (Brian did)

As BWelk goes 0-4 early on after "The Lost Thing" upsets Pixar's "Day and Night:"
Brian Welk: How did the Academy not choose the one short film that EVERYONE has seen? I'm not saying that based on quality but simple technicality and logic.

As Lee Unkrich gives his acceptance speech for "Toy Story 3" winning Best Animated Feature:
Cory Barker: Hey Lee, you don't have to sell ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD about the awesomeness of Pixar.

As Aaron Sorkin is announced as the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay:
Cory Barker:
[Enter Sorkin cocaine joke here.]

As the music attempts to play Aaron Sorkin off stage:
Mikel Kjell:
Play him off keyboard cat.

As Aaron Sorkin finally concludes his speech:
Brian Welk:
Good speech Sorkin. But Paddy Chayefsky's movie doesn't have Network in the title. The title IS Network.

As they announce the nominees for Best Original Score and prepare to perform them live:
Matt Lyles:
How is a symphony going to play Trent Reznor?

As "Inception" gets its first of three technical awards of the evening:
Cory Barker:
First thing I thought of when the INCEPTION title card hit at the end: That's some good fucking sound mixing.

As the presenters continue to trudge through Sound Editing and Mixing:
Cory Barker:
Were all presenters required to take and subsequently fail a drug test?

As the "Inception" train kept rolling:
Cory Barker:
I love how the last two winners have made sure to point out Nolan's awesomeness as to tell the Academy to go fuck themselves.

After an awful auto-tuned version of "Harry Potter 7," "The Social Network" and "Twilight: Eclipse."
Cory Barker:
So that was this year's Ben Stiller in a terrible costume, right?

As a certain African American female media mogul announces the Best Documentary nominees:
Brian Welk:
Oprah's Banksy.

As the cast of "Sherlock Holmes" presents the next category:
Brian Marks: Is Jude Law still relevant?
And the Instant Poll results:
40% Yes
40% No
20% Who's Jude Law?


As Billy Crystal makes the one slightly funny appearance of the evening:

Cory Barker: Jesus, has Bill Crystal aged since 1992?
Brian Marks: He runs on a nuclear powered core.

As Jude Law continues to prove his relevance:
Cory Barker:
And apparently, Jude Law when makes jokes about RJD's past it's cool. When Gervais does it, it's awful.

On "Inception" getting snubbed from the Film Editing category:
Cory Barker:
How stupid is it that Inception wasn't even nominated in this category?
Brian Welk:
The time shifts and perspective shifts in Social Network are totally Rashomon. As riveting as 127 Hours was, this deserves it. Although I am surprised the big action movie didn't get a nod.
Cory Barker:
But Inception doesn't work without the editing. (of course, apparently I'm the only person in this chat that likes Inception.)
Brian Welk: Well, no movie "works" without the editing.
Cory Barker: I HATE YOU

Following a user comment that claimed "127 Hours" was the "BASIS of Film Editing:"
Brian Marks:
Yes, the best editing category was created decades ago in anticipation of 127 Hours

As Jennifer Hudson introduced the third of four Original Song nominees:
Mikel Kjell: Rock man is how hudson pronouced A. R Rahman's name, he should win this just because he is actually mega man I guess.

As Gwyneth Paltrow, "Country music's newest star," starts to perform a song from "Country Strong:"
Matt Lyles: The minute I come back I have to watch Gwyneth Paltrow singing country music? Fuck you, Academy.

On Randy Newman's Best Original Song victory for "We Belong Together:"
Mikel Kjell:
Randy Numan is terrible
Brian Marks:
He used to be important. Before he sold his soul to Pixar.
Mikel Kjell:
Sing more about stuff you see
Brian Welk:
I thought he was exaggerating, but he really has been nominated 20 times.
Matt Lyles:
Randy Newman sounds too much like Christopher Walken for comfort right now.
Cory Barker:
There is no awards show that requires a full calendar year of distance from it as soon as it's over like the Oscars. Jesus this makes me want to drink heavily.

As 11:00 rolled around:
Matt Lyles:
We've been doing this for 3 hours. Kirk Douglas took up half that time.

As Celine Dion sings Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" over the In Memoriam segment:
Cory Barker:
Celine is thinking to herself: "I will never be in this montage. I will live forever."

As the montage wraps:
Matt Lyles:
Corey Haim for the snub.
Cory Barker:
Thank god for the Internet and its ability to make Corey Haim not making the Necrology feel like a big deal.
Matt Lyles:
Corey Haim left a will. "I do not want to be in the In Memoriam segment if Celine Dion sings."
Cory Barker: Matt Lyles, way to steal Tim Goodman's joke right off Twitter!

As Tom Hooper accepts his Oscar for Best Director:
Brian Welk:
One of my friends pointed out that I look like Tom Hooper.
Cory Barker:
I mean loved The King's Speech, but fuck. C'mon. In 20 years, what movie gets remembered?
Mikel Kjell:
the damned united is one of the best sports movies ever made but the direction was just beautiful image after beautiful image, not a lot more than that.
Cory Barker: Twitter hates Tom Hooper.

As the Dude presents Best Actress:
Cory Barker:
Hey, it's TRON LEGACY's Jeff Bridges.

As we near the end:
Cory Barker:
Also when Dane Cook is making fun of your hosting through TwitPic, something might be wrong.
Mikel Kjell: I dont think franco is high, I just think he doesnt give a shit about this anymore
Adam Lukach:
I mean he's been hosting for 3 hours now. He's definitely come down if he was high.
Cory Barker:
I have to imagine that Franco is both high and trying something completely new with his performance.

As Natalie Portman wins her Oscar for Best Actress:
Cory Barker:
Please don't laugh. Please don't laugh.

As Sandra Bullock presents the award for Best Actor:
Cory Barker:
Sandra Bullock is awesome. I don't care. Judge me.
Brian Marks: Done
Adam Lukach:
Lots of judgment @ Cory

As the clip from "The Social Network" plays in which Jesse Eisenberg recites, "You have the minimum amount of my attention:"
Brian Welk:
His speech is like an analogy for this broadcast.

As Colin Firth claims his Best Actor Oscar for "The King's Speech:"
Cory Barker:
He's totally stuttering his way through this. Is this some sort of performance art?

As we begin to make sickening realizations:
Cory Barker:
True Grit - 0, The Wolfman - 1, Alice - 2

As "King's Speech" is declared The Best Picture of 2010:
Mikel Kjell:
Knew king's speech was going to win when they used it for the fucking narration of the nominees
Cory Barker:
I hope there's outcry on Twitter like the Grammys. "WHO THE FUCK IS THE KING AND WHAT IS HIS SPEECH."
Adam Lukach: whatisakingsspeech.tumblr.com (not a real site)
 
As the PS22 Choir performs "Over the Rainbow" as part of an Oscar finale:
Adam Lukach:
I hope Roman Polanski isn't there.

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