2011 Oscarzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So with all sorts of mainstream media and the 24-hour news cycle on the Internet (ever heard of it?), if you don't throw up your thoughts immediately then you're pretty much behind the game.

Regardless of that, here are some random ramblings on the Oscars nap we all took last weekend"

(Quick note: Many of the things that I spoke about with friends and viewing partners were written about by the excellent Alan Sepinwall and can be read here.)

• James Franco and Anne Hathaway were a train wreck. Franco looked like he thought he was too cool for school (he's clearly not, seeing as he's currently attending NYU), and Hathaway's (contrived?) excitement came across as fake and made her look flaky. The producers clearly thought they could just throw these two young attractive mugs onto the stage and that it would work out. I think the overwhelming response from just about everybody proves it didn't. Sidenote: I want to like James Franco more than I do, and his sense of humour and body of work seems right in my wheelhouse - a mainstream actor with a hint of indie coolness responsible for stuff like Freaks and Geeks and this video from Funny or Die. However, is it possible that he's not inherently that funny? He seems like a cool enough guy and would be fun to hang out with, but part of me seems like he's a bit too cool for me (but, again, not for school).

• Franco and Hathaway look even worse coming just a year after great performances by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in their 2010 hosting. Didn't read too much about why they didn't come back, but if they weren't asked back then that's a pretty big blemish on the producers.

• As far as 2010 went for movies, I think it was a pretty good year. Maybe it didn't have a full slate of classics, but movies such as The Social Network, The King's Speech, Inception, The Fighter, 127 Hours, Toy Story 3 and True Grit made it a pretty solid year.
  

• While The King's Speech was very well done and quite enjoyable, I would have much rather seen The Fighter or The Social Network win the Battle of the Movies starting with "the" title by taking out Best Picture. It's ironic that Franco and Hathaway hosted in an effort to represent a younger and hipper incarnation of the sometimes stale awards show, and then the Best Picture award was given to a very typical Oscar movie like The King's Speech.

• Were there funny movies in 2010? I can't remember any. The only one I can think of is Easy A, which was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

So, the Oscars were a snooze, yes. Debating who won and lost is another post for another time, but hopefully the vitriolic response from the viewing public and the media will help shape the show a bit and next year the producers will get it right.