Commentary with a Co-Ed: The Oscars 2009

by Ashley Gouveia

I had fully prepared myself for my Oscar rundown to have more lowlights than highlights. I love the Academy Awards and what they stand for, but the actual awards’ presentation can be a little boring at times. However, I am happy to say that this year’s telecast was really enjoyable, not boring at all. There were so many great speeches and beautiful dedications. The entire format of the show was different than years before, but change can be good thing.

Many people have occupied the spot of host, like Hugh Jackman did Sunday night. Some have hit it out of the park and others have left little to be desired. I was rooting for Mr. Wolverine himself to pull it off with flying colors, and he did. His opening number was spectacular and truly showcased that he can act and sing, too. I loved when he pulled Anne Hathaway from the audience and made it a duet. That girl can sing! Also, she can pull off a hilarious Nixon impersonation. Well done, Anne.

What I loved about this year’s Oscars was how they didn’t just showcase the films that were nominated. They took time to also show movies that weren’t deemed by some to be “Oscar-worthy”. They did that by showing movie montages that focused on romance action and animation. Well, my favorite was the Romance in 20008 spot, and I’ll tell you all why. The first reason is because it showed some of my favorite moments in last year’s movies. Secondly, it was presented by the amazingly adorable Robert Pattinson. Any of you who have seen Twilight know what I’m talking about right now.

When the major awards were given out, recipients from the past came out on stage and presented them to the nominees. It wasn’t just the boring way of reading the name off the teleprompter this year. Each presenter was assigned a nominee and they gave a little speech about what that person had accomplished in his/her role. I’m not embarrassed to say that some of those speeches had me choked up. Anne Hathaway could barely hold back the tears and neither could Best Actress winner Kate Winslet. I loved Kate’s acceptance speech. Come on, who hasn’t held up the bottle of shampoo and imagined it was an Oscar? We’ve all done it.

The brilliant Sean Penn won for his performance in MILK which was shocking for some. The equally amazing Heath Ledger won for his daunting role as the Joker in the Dark Knight. His family accepted the award on his behalf, and I think that’s when the entire audience started crying. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Some other highlights were Tina Fey and Steve Martin presenting for Best Screenplay and Ben Stiller’s awkward but yet amusing Joaquin Phoenix impression. What did you all think about this year’s Oscars? Was there a favorite moment, a favorite dress? Let me know in the comments.

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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