SPLIT DECISION HOST CHRIS ROCK PULLED PUNCHES BUT BEYONCE WAS A HIT ON BROADCAST.Byline: David Kronke Television Writer Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] , ``The Aviator,'' was enjoying an early, virtual sweep Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. at the 77th Academy Awards, and one could be forgiven for lamenting the predictability of yet another Oscar night. But academy voters had a surprise plot twist. Clint Eastwood and his boxing film ``Million Dollar Baby'' bagged the final two trophies - best director and best picture - effectively nullifying what had been an exultant evening for ``The Aviator.'' Rather timidly, it seemed, cameras didn't gauge Scorsese's reaction to Eastwood's wins. Anyone who tuned in just to see how ``edgy'' first-time host Chris Rock's material would get had to be disappointed that the comic fairly toed the line. His ``Bring the Pain'' is one of the funniest stand-up stand·up or stand-up adj. 1. Standing erect; upright: a standup collar. 2. Taken, done, or used while standing: a standup supper; a standup bar. performances committed to film, but this just wasn't one of his finest moments. Rock was mildly amusing - his suggestion that Michael Moore  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. should
have made the Oscar-nominated screed screed n. 1. A long monotonous speech or piece of writing. 2. a. A strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a wall or pavement as a guide for the even application of plaster or concrete. b. against fast food, ``Super Size Me,'' instead of his snubbed screed against the current administration, ``Fahrenheit 9/11,'' because he had ``done the research'' was a nice, succinct gag. Overall, though, it felt like Rock was pulling his punches, and a bit he did with Adam Sandler parodying the lousy dialogue usually written for trophy presenters may have been more embarrassing than most cases of the real thing. Producer Gil Cates' idea of handing out trophies to winners in some of the less glamorous categories in the crowd - or bunching the nominees on stage before naming the recipient - was neither a dazzling innovation nor a diminution of their achievement. If it reduced the length of the production, then so be it - the show was just a few minutes over three hours long - but most winners in general seemed to keep their acceptance speeches short. Except - ironically - for the winners of documentary short subject, so long-winded their mikes were cut off (and this, after the winner said he had been practicing his acceptance speech since he was 8 years old). Rock was amusingly sympathetic, mocking the efforts to keep the production brief: ``Next year, they're gonna give out Oscars in the parking garage - a drive-through Oscar lane,'' he said. ``Get your Oscar and a McFlurry and keep it moving.'' Winners of the sound editing Oscar seemed to want to take umbrage with efforts to diminish the category, declaring, ``They are not technical awards. They are given for artistic decisions.'' Not surprisingly, further comments from the team were drowned out Drowned Out is a 2002 documentary by Franny Armstrong about the controversial Sardar Sarovar Project. It closely follows a family that is unwilling to leave its village home as the water levels of the Narmada River, mostly because the government provides them no viable by the orchestra. One of the sweetest acceptance speeches was Jorge Drexler's singing his gratitude for best song, ``Al Otro Lado Del Rio'' from ``The Motorcycle Diaries,'' even if it was in Spanish and all I could glean from it was a reference to the moon. His genuflecting to presenter/songwriter extraordinaire ex·tra·or·di·naire adj. Extraordinary: a jazz singer extraordinaire. [French, from Old French, from Latin extra Prince was a nice touch, too. Charlie Kaufman's acceptance speech for best original screenplay for ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' was as postmodern as his scripts: ``I'd like to thank the Academy (looking at the Teleprompter timing out his speech) - 29 seconds, 27 seconds - it's really intimidating. I'll look somewhere else. I'm supposed to wrap up now. No, I don't want to take my time. I want to get off stage.'' Though some eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Beyonce Knowles would perform no fewer than three of the nominees in the best song category (had all the Grammy winners from two weeks ago already skipped town?), in the end, the decision seemed just fine. She gave a beautiful reading (in French) of ``Look to Your Path'' from ``Les Choristes,'' brought soul to Josh Groban's stilted stilt·ed adj. 1. Stiffly or artificially formal; stiff. 2. Architecture Having some vertical length between the impost and the beginning of the curve. Used of an arch. contributions to ``Believe'' and was even able to tone down Andrew Lloyd Webber's bombast of ``Learn to Be Lonely'' to make it palatable, even pleasant. (Though she performed all the songs whose titles were, essentially, ordering someone around, she personally wasn't bossy bossy 1. in dog conformation, used to describe overdevelopment of the shoulder muscles. 2. vernacular pet name for a cow. about it.) Red-carpet shows offered viewing parties the most opportunities for snarky snark·y adj. snark·i·er, snark·i·est Slang Irritable or short-tempered; irascible. [From dialectal snark, to nag, from snark, snork, to snore, snort commentary. KABC's local production was its usual pageant of idiocy IDIOCY, med. jur. That condition of mind, in which the reflective, or all or a part of the affective powers, are either entirely wanting, or are manifested to the least possible extent. 2. Idiocy generally depends upon organic defects. . Professional irritant ir·ri·tant adj. Causing irritation, especially physical irritation. n. A source of irritation. irritant, n 1. an agent that causes an irritation or stimulation. 2. George Pennacchio proved why he'd make a perfect replacement for Jeff Gannon James Dale Guckert (born 1957) worked under the pseudonym Jeff Gannon as a White House reporter between 2003 and 2005 , representing the virtual organization Talon News. in the White House press room. ``It seems that America and the world has really taken to you,'' he observed to Mike Myers Mike Myers may refer to:
She is the older sister of Jake Gyllenhaal and the daughter of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner. , ``Do you still get excited about this?'' (They'd never attended the Oscars before, they patiently explained.) If Pennacchio and ``Access Hollywood's'' punishingly obnoxious Billy Bush ever worked together, viewers' heads might literally explode. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com He Rocks Here are some of Chris Rock's best moments as host. ``Welcome to the 77th, and last, Academy Awards.'' ``The only acting people do at the Oscars is not acting they're mad they lost. (The year Nicole Kidman lost, she) was smiling so wide she should have won an Emmy at the Oscars for her performance.'' ``There's only four real stars (in Hollywood). The rest are just popular people. Clint Eastwood is a star. Tobey Maguire is just a boy in tights.'' ``(President) Bush did things this year nobody in this room could pull off. ... Imagine applying for your job when there's a movie in every theater in America showing how much you suck
You Suck: A Love Story is the tenth novel by Christopher Moore. It is a sequel to the author's Bloodsucking Fiends .' ``I saw 'Passion of the Christ' - not that funny, really. ``No one wanted to make 'Passion of the Christ.' They made six 'Police Academies,' but no one wanted to make 'Passion of the Christ.' '' Introducing Renee Zellweger: ``She put on 20 pounds to play Bridget Jones, and next, she'll put on 80 pounds to play Deacon Jones.'' ``We've given out 10 awards so far, and not one of the winners has tested positive for steroids.'' After a winner's speech was cut off by the orchestra: ``Next year,they're gonna give out Oscars in the parking garage - a drive-through Oscar lane. Get your Oscar and a McFlurry and keep it moving.'' CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: no caption (Chris Rock) Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Box: He Rocks (see text) |
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