Rec’ing on…Academy Awards, 2006 Edition

I wasn’t planning on posting about the Oscars, but a few things did come to mind while I was watching, and I simply had to share.

Who thought that starting to play music when the winner got to the stage, and then stopping the music when they went over time was a good idea? What kind of idiotic cue is that? Thirty seconds into your rambling speech, the music stops, and you think what a relief it is that that annoying music is gone…now you can concentrate.

Hillary Swank….Best. Dress. Of. The. Evening. And she wore it very, very well.

Charlize Theron…whatever was on your left shoulder–excess fabric, a bow, a pillow–please lose it. Major fashion faux pas points.

I’m not down with the down ‘n’ dirty hip-rap-no whatever it’s called nowadays…but the best song winner was definitely the best song (that it was the only true "song" of the night surely helped).

Tomlin and Streep…hilarious. Robert Altman…not.

Two thumbs up to George Clooney, who clearly watched the DVD with instructions for the ideal winners speech. Thumbs down to almost everyone else–who clearly didn’t.

A little disappointed that March of the Penguins won. I thought it wasn’t significantly different than any other penguin documentary I’d ever seen. I did like the stuffed penguin dolls the winners brought on stage, though. Excellent.

Ben Stiller and the green unitard–funny (and I’m not much of a Ben Stiller fan).

Jon Stewart…didn’t hit one out of the park, but didn’t Uma-Oprah it, either. Better than Chris Rock, but I still wouldn’t put him on the short list of former hosts to ask back.

I’m still not used to Zhang Ziyi’s name being Ziyi Zhang.

Lauren Bacall…one word: gotorehearsals.

Can we start calling the "In Memoriam" montage, the "I Didn’t Know They Were Dead" montage?

Kudos to Salma Hayek (and the twins) for doing more work than any other presenters…and for not doing a Jennifer Garner while moving from mark to mark.