CatholicSkywalker: the Faith, Film, and Philosophy Blog: Sunday Best: Oscar Results

Okay, so the Oscars were last Sunday.

THE SHOW
I tried to live tweet the entire event, but I did something I haven't done in years: I fell asleep during the awards. I've made it through some of the worst, most bizare, most offensive broadcasts in my life. But I couldn't make it through this one because it was SOOOOOOOO boring.

Ellen was a terrible host. I don't think she is untalented. But nearly every single one of her jokes fell flat. There was way too much dead time and the bits were beaten to death.

There were also way too many tributes. As I've written before, only the In Memoriam should be kept.

As a Catholic, I was very pleased that two people specifically thanked God for their success. I know that this is a small drop in the bucket of self-importance, but even these baby steps should be encouraged. When you have an audience of millions listening, it is a truly wonderful thing to take that moment and give praise to the Lord.

MY PREDICTIONS

Best Picture:
My prediction - American Hustle
Winner: 12 Years a Slave
I bet big on American Hustle and I lost. I did acknowledge that I was in the minority and that the odds were stacked on 12 Years a Slave. I have not seen the movie, (like some of the Academy members who voted for it, apparently) but I have heard that it was incredibly powerful.

Best Director:
My prediction - David O. Russel
Winner - Alfonso Cuaron

I was very pleased to be wrong here. As you have read here on this blog, I believe that Cuaron is the best director this year, but I predicted that the Academy would lean toward one of their favorites, Russel. The visual power of Gravity cannot be denied and so I'm glad that the Academy recognized Cuaron's great work.

Best Actor:
My prediction - Matthew McConaughey
Winner - Matthew McConaughey

I haven't seen Dallas Buyers Club, but McConaughey hit all of the right buttons. I was not surprised at all by this win.

Best Actress
My prediction - Cate Blanchette
Winner - Cate Blanchette

Ultimately, I figured that the stink of Woody Allen's depravity would matter little to the Hollywood elite and they would honor Blanchette for her performance. I don't see Woody Allen movies, so I don't know if she was better than Amy Adams, but from everything I've heard, she was excellent.

Best Supporting Actor
My prediction - Jared Leto
Winner - Jared Leto

He wasn't not going to win. Shoe-in.

Best Supporting Actress
My prediction - Jennifer Lawrence
Winner - Lupita Nyong'o

I went with Lawrence because of the performances I've seen, hers was the best. But from the few clips I've seen of Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave, I see glimpses of strong, raw energy.

So, even though I am immersed in the pop culture, I apparently lack the ability to apply this knowledge to accurately predict awards. I have a good friend of mine, Rick O, who once mentioned that I predict based not on my knowledge but on my hopes. Looking at last week's Oscars, maybe he's right.

Anyway, below are a reprint of my live tweets up until I fell asleep, chronologically from bottom to top. Enjoy (or mock mercilessly)