9:03 One thing I should mention about Sally Field. I love that she referred to her fellow nominees (i.e. the losers) as "the cable girls." Heh. Whoever chose the clips for the TV Drama Actress category (which also included the great Holly Hunter looking ravishing as always) defines great acting as screaming. Every clip was pitched to the rafters. Is the editor a member of SAG too.It wouldn't surprise me. They're such suckers for the BIG moments.
9:04 Forrest Whitaker loves James Earl Jones's "mesmerizing deep valley voice". That's great. Maybe Whitaker should do this live-blogging because my descriptive powers have failed me. Jones is accepting a lifetime achievement award (the name I forget). Apparently Jones moved to Michigan at age 5 and his life changed after winning a poetry contest. (I won a spelling bee contest in Michigan but it did not change my life).
9:14 James Earl Jones is comparing actors to God. The camera cuts to Meryl Streep.
This might be the best single reaction shot decision ever made at an awards show and I think the director or the editor or whomever was responsible really should win a prize. Maybe they could remove Ron Howard's Frost/Nixon director nomination and replace it with this guy because that's genius.
9:24 Laura Linney won for John Adams again. Her fiancé told her not to fondle the statue. Ha! Oh you know Laura Linney has a great sex life. Think of how hilarious and relaxed she is as an actor in those sex scenes in Love Actually or The Savages. She just announced that she's moving to Chicago. Someone just freaked out.
9:30 Paul Giamatti won for John Adams. Can you believe there's only half an hour left of this show and they have given out only one movie award?
9:31 "In Memoriam" always make me so sad. The Cyd Charisse moment make-a my heart go boom. I love Van Johnson, too. sniffle. Pat Hingle. He's so loveable but remember that intense scene in The Grifters where he's threatening Angelica Huston with the bag of oranges? Jesus Christ that was frightening. What an actor. Eartha! Nina Foch. Paul Newman... "pure hard gold" to quote Geraldine Page in Sweet Bird of Youth... "pure hard gold"
That montage killed me. If there are no further updates you'll understand.
9:43 From the "In Memoriam" we move into Best Supporting Actor which is certainly no mistake if a bit... er... why am I always so uncomfortable with all the Heath Ledger tributes? Is it because I feel proprietary having recognized his worth before he died unlike so many voting peoples [cough * Capote * cough] . I don't know. Maybe I'm just not comfortable with public grief but it sure does hurt still.
Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger as "The Joker" in The Dark Knight. Well deserved.9:49 On a totally superficial note I feel it's important to note that Kristin Scott Thomas announced that award and she was smoking hot in her French/British ice queen way. I bow down (and tremble in fear). She's been working a kind of a goth look this awards season and she's way more convincing than Evan Rachel Wood ever was at it.
Will Marilyn Manson be calling?
9:50 Best Actress in a Leading Role MERYL STREEP in DOUBT
As per usual La Streep brings down the house with her speech. Damn this woman rocks. She alone (or at least with very little company) understands that awards shows are for the audience watching. She mugs for the camera. Who me? No way! She kisses people. She runs around so much in the audience I half expected her to start singing. It's a lost scene from Mamma Mia!
She does clever shout outs to co-stars and makes them laughs. (Viola Davis is the happiest person in the room tonight. She was even joyful losing Best Supporting Actress). And she tops it all off with a hilariously self referential/deprecating speech "there is no such thing as 'The Greatest Living Actress'"I think Meryl Streep's birthday should be a Federal Holiday. Or maybe it should coincide with a week long arts festival all across the globe.
9:57 Best Actor in a Leading Role is presented by Katie Holmes. Why? Why does she get to do this?The Boyfriend says "that's like drinking orange juice after brushing your teeth". It's Sean Penn for Milk. He gives a confused speech with a gay joke (he's noticing the package on the statue. Perhaps Laura Linney's fiancé should have words with him afterwards). He also alludes to all the scuttlebutt surrounding his and Mickey Rourke's supposed animosity. He isn't pleased. He seems genuinely moved to win though which is nice.
10:02 Ensemble. Sir Anthony Hopkins introduces the movies and when he says Slumdog Millionaire the last few syllables are super rushed like it's Milinair. That's probably how I should say it to get Oscar season over with quicker. Save me 2009! Take me away from all of this. And yeah, they win. You weren't surprised, were you? Nah, didn't think so. Their acceptance speech is a weird list of names (though it's cute and wonderful to name the child actors) and lots of "we deserve this". This is like when I do affirmations in the mirror. One of these days I'll convince myself!
