Back in Canada, I kind of loved awards shows. I wasn’t one of those people who watched every single one, but I looked forward to the Grammys and the Oscars every year, and sometimes had friends over to watch. They were evenings that usually involved food, cocktails, fashion talk and general girliness. It’s stuff like that that kind of makes me homesick sometimes. Over here, Oscar parties aren’t really doable, because the awards are always hosted on Sunday, and the time difference means that the red carpet doesn’t start until about midnight, and the awards ceremony itself starts at around 2 am. Since it’s a workday on Monday, that doesn’t usually equal a lot of social possibility.
However, since I’ve been a student over the past couple of years, I have usually been able to watch the Academy Awards. I usually stay up as late as possible, and I’m sure to DVR it as I will inevitably fall asleep before the awards are over. I gossip about it over facebook and twitter, which sounds lame but I enjoy talking about it and usually only Canadian friends are actually awake. This year was no different, and I made some popcorn and sat down to watch the 84th annual Academy Awards.
Overall, it was a bit boring, but much better than last year. Billy Crystal was a safe choice as a host given the terrible choices last year, but I felt he was a bit stale. I would have liked to see Tina Fey (possibly even with Alec Baldwin) or Jason Segel host. I vote Jessica Chastain best dressed, with Octavia Spencer as a runner up. I was thrilled when Christopher Plummer won Best Supporting Actor, because I think he’s more than earned it, and his performance as Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music always makes me cry, specifically when he sings Edelweiss at the end. I’m not even exaggerating; I actually tear up every time I watch the film. I only managed to stay awake until 4:30 am or so, and then I fell asleep. I watched the rest this afternoon when I finally got going, but my DVR cut off the award for Best Picture, so I had to Google it.
I’m still pretty tired. I’m not really big on staying up all night anymore. If possible, I’ll still do it again next year, and if not, I’ll probably DVR it and try to avoid seeing the results, as I enjoy the anticipation of not knowing who will win.