2012 Oscar Thoughts

The 2012 Academy Awards have come and gone and most of the wins didn't really surprise anyone. Last year I was entered into an Oscars pool and ended up winning a couple hundred dollars by correctly guessing 18 out of the 24 categories correctly. This year I went 19/24 but unfortunately, no pool. Damn!

Here are some quick thoughts on the show:

The biggest surprise of the night was definitely Meryl Streep winning Best Actress for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. I had guessed Viola Davis, as I'm sure many people had. Viola Davis was definitely the favored winner and in my book, deserved the award over Meryl Streep. However it's hard to argue against Meryl Streep winning an Oscar. She's actually only won twice before and this was her first win since 1983. Considering that she probably deserved to win many more times than she actually has, this isn't really too upsetting. I do feel for Viola Davis though. She's very talented and I'm sure we'll see her at the Oscars again soon.

I'm very happy that both Jean Dujardin and director Michael Hazanavicus won their Oscars for Best Actor and Best Director. They both deserved them. But for some reason The Artist winning Best Picture didn't really sit right with me. I definitely enjoyed the film a lot, but it doesn't even begin to compare to previous Best Picture winners. I can't even see myself wanting to ever watch The Artist again- it just doesn't have great replay value. I definitely would have been more satisfied seeing Hugo, or even The Help or Moneyball, winning over The Artist. 

Was Billy Crystal better than last year's hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway? Obviously yes, it would have been really hard for him not to be better. But was he as good and as funny as he should have been? I definitely don't think so. I don't think I laughed out loud one single time during the show and I thought his Sammy Davis Jr. impression was more outdated than inappropriate. Billy Crystal is definitely funny, but his sense of humor was more "cute" than "funny". So who should have hosted the Oscars instead you ask? Well I was definitely disappointed when Eddie Murphy, who was originally supposed to host the Oscars this year, dropped out. I thought he had the potential to be a LOT better than Billy Crystal turned out to be. Other suggestions? How about Sacha Baron Cohen? Or Sacha Baron Cohen in character as The Dictator? The Dictator had the funniest moment of the night by far when he "accidentally" dumped what he claimed was Kim Jung Il's ashes on an unsuspecting Ryan Seacrest. "When people ask you who you're wearing, you'll say Kim Jung Il," the Dictator shouted as he was thrown off the red carpet by security. Imagine if the Academy wasn't so uptight and let him host!

What did you guys think of the 2012 Academy awards? Who would you like to see host the awards next year?

Jared