Jai Ho! Cheers for Oscar 81!

I'm going to join in the chorus of voices clamoring to discuss last night's Oscar Ceremony not because I have anything particularly original to say, but because, for myself, I want to remember last night in the years to come.

I firmly believe last night's Oscars were the best I had ever seen. Now, I can't speak to the first, oh, approximately 70 years of ceremonies, but I've been watching for a few years now, and nothing even compares. I'll break it down, but overall, bravo!

Overall, this was a particularly exciting year for me because I had seen so many of the nominated films - I had seen all of the Best Picture noms, most of the acting nominees, a great deal of the technical categories' films, one of the documentaries, and even some of the short and animate short films. So, not only could I root for the films I liked, I could do so with conviction and my own personal opinions backing it up.

92,000! The Ceremony Itself:
Some Oscar Ceremonies have just not worked. Take, for example, the year when they thought they'd try moving some of the awards around - putting some of the smaller categories back in the audience, and so forth. That didn't work. Some years have been simply blah... They drag on, go way over the 3 1/2 hour marker, or just don't stand out in particular. Some years have had outstanding moments - Will Ferrel and Jack Black singing the "You're Boring" song particularly stays in my head... but I don't think I've ever seen a year like this one, where everything just worked.

Let me start with the stage, the set, the host - the basics of the show. Few stages will stay in my mind - from the Oscars, or any other show, for that matter - like this one. Check out the design art:I could see some crazy internet Blogger banging away on their keyboard right now, screaming overdone! boring! too glitzy! But, you know what, they're wrong. The 92,000 Swarovski crystals employed to glisten away all night long were absolutely stunning. The patterned floor which changed lighting with the lights hung above was beautiful. The inspiring ideas of moving the orchestra out of the pit, and sticking the audience up nice and close was brilliant.

And then there was Hugh. At first, I admit, I was slightly disappointed to hear there wouldn't be a funny man ala Jon Stewart, Billy Crystal hosting the Oscars. All the shows I can remember have had comedians (Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal x2, Chris Rock, Ellen DeGeneres, Jon Stewart x2), so when I heard Sexiest Man Alive/ Wolverine/Cowboy Hugh Jackman was hosting, there was a "huh?" moment. But, he redeemed himself fully, proved himself completely, and wowed totally last night.

It was refreshing not to have some man (or woman) in a tux scrambling out from backstage to crack jokes at every scene change; it was great to not have to worry if you were supposed to laugh or feel bad for the victim of a not-so-great joke; and it was great to have someone who was really an entertainer, not a comic, as a host.

Now, scrolling back through my twitter timeline shows quite a few people of my acquaintance not so thrilled with the night's musical numbers - which numbered two total on the part of Hugh Jackman, assisted by Anne Hathaway, then later Beyonce, Amanda Seyfried/ Dominic Cooper, and Vanessa Hudgens/Zac Efron. Now, sure, these were a bit flamboyant as far as Oscar acts go, but may I respectfully point out that, well, we're talking about frikkin Hollywood!?! And, Jackman is right - the musical is back, and it's darn well very entertaining! I thought both numbers were great.

Fa-fa-fa-fassssshion!
Okay, I gotta do it, I gotta talk about those gorgeous leading ladies. The fashion this year was very interesting... and I have to say, I was most impressed by some of Hollywood's younger stars, more than the older ones. Take a look:
(Fyi, that's Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet )
I couldn't find or photos of all my favorites - Slumdog's Freida Pinto, Anne Hathaway, and Jennifer Aniston also made my list - but for the most part, I was very much in awe this year. One thing that struck me was that everyone dressed in character - Kate was elegant, she looks like an actress from the 30s; Angelina Jolie was black and brooding, with that gorgeous jewelry; Amy Adams stood out with a statement; and Sarah Jessica Parker, Miley Cyrus, and Vanessa Hudgens (who I'm not crazy about) were either blah or ick. (I'm sorry, Miley, but your dress looked like it was a barnacle scraped off the bottom of a boat. Also, why were you at the Oscars?)

And the Oscar goes to...
Okay, the awards themselves. First of all, let me go back to the ceremony again - the format of the awards.
1. I loved the way the acting awards were presented, with five previous winners talking directly to the nominees. It was so personal, so touching, and just flat out sweet. I hope they keep this up next year.
2. The Oscars themself "told a story." Yes, we were taunted by that quote a few days before the ceremony, but I see what they mean... The presentation of the awards in the order of making a movie was brilliant. It made the whole show flow very nicely, and it was interesting to this young soon-to-be film student!
3. The presenters were great. Except for Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Craig, which was an odd pair, I really liked the presenters. Tina Fey and Steve Martin were hilarious ("Oh, Steve, they don't want to hear about the secret religion which we made up."); Jack Black and Jennifer Aniston were cute together; and Natalie Portman and Joaquin Pheonix - I mean Ben Stiller were mean, yes, but very funny. As for the solo acts, let me just say that Will Smith rocks.
4. They didn't play people off! For once, they didn't rudely music people off the stage, interrupting one of the biggest moments of their lives. I'm pretty sure only one pair/person got music-ed off, and I can live with that.

Okay, and now for the actual awards. While I know Oscar predictions are no longer interesting after the fact, can I just say that I did pretty darn well predicting who would win? I was so pleased to see Slumdog do so well (if you haven't see that film, shame on you!)... and I was very glad for all the acting categores - Heath's family's speech definitely made me tear up, and I was happy Sean Penn beat out Mickey Rourke. Also, while it was a bit sad that only 3 songs were nominated (they cut it down from five), I thought they did a great job with the Slumdog songs, even thought it was a bit weird to throw the Wall-E one right in the middle.

So there you have it, my blow by blow. I've probably ranted on it long enough, so, in short, I thought it was great. Can't wait for next year! =P

Peering Back and Gazing Forward:

2008 -> 2009

Okay, so yesterday, I made a few resolutions. I laid down the rules for the upcoming 2009... But I wanted to take a moment to look back at 2008 before it's faded completely into the background. 2008 was an odd year, I admit. It seemed like a lot of work and overall quite tumultuous. I just want to highlight some of the parts that stand out most in my mind.

My Year in Review:

~ My aunt was still living with us in January, and my dad was out of town for the New Year. Family life was a bit crazy on and off for the entire year.
~ In January the writer's strike started. Shortly after, the Golden Globes were canceled, most TV shows went off the air, and several movies were delayed. This felt fairly chaotic as it's usually a rather routine part of life.
~ Heath Ledger died in January, which struck me as an extremely tragic event. Every time I see him on screen now - I recently saw A Knight's Tale and The Dark Knight - I feel saddened that this young man didn't have more time to live up to his extreme potential.
~ February through May are vague in my mind; a period of insane over-working and a huge burden of school work, ACT and SAT prep, and attempting to find a summer job.
~ In March, I get my driver's license. I still remember the first time we needed to pick up dinner but mom was busy, and I was so excited to say "I'll go do it!"
~ In May my cousin died in a motorcycle accident, throwing that part of my family into hell.
~ June through August went quickly as I babysat like mad, worked at Boulder County Aging Services, and tried to avoid the big c word (college!).
~ In June, my aunt bought an apartment, moved out from our home, and moved in there.
~ In June and July, we (finally) bought new furniture and a new TV for our family room. We get HD quality TV with a ton of channels, including a free upgrade of HBO. My head practically explodes with excitement, and with not having to deal with our crappy furniture.
[Note that it's just about a year until I move out for good. XD]
~ In July, I went to Chicago for J Camp, which was a very good experience.
~ August marked the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, which were stunning and occupied most of my attention over their duration. Michael Phelps was phenomenal, the American gymnasts rocked, and the opening and closing ceremonies were scarily impressive.
~ In August, I did Link training, then arrived at school early (despite all their fears that they'd have to delay the start because the school wasn't finished) for the freshman orientation day.
~ August 15, I officially started school as a senior, sitting in the senior lounge and walking on the senior balcony. Hell yeah!
~ August 31: I turn 17. Holy moly.
~ September through December, I worked. Really, that's about all I remember.
~ November 4, we make history. Obama is elected. 'Nuff said.
~ Mom and I went away together! Squee! In mid-November, we travelled to NYC, saw everything (including Daniel Radcliffe, woot!), saw Bard (didn't like it), saw Ithaca (did like it). It was a blast! Easily one of my favorite parts of the year.
~ November and December were a mad rush to get ready for Christmas and finals. I had three secret santas plus a Christmas card exchange to take care of - Leaky made my Christmas awesome! - then studied like mad for a week solid, managing to avoid getting sick until the day after finals ended.
~ Christmas hit, and was totally awesome. I got the collector's Beedle the Bard, a lovely ring from my parents, a personalized recipe box, the mug I've been wanting, jewelry, books, clothes.... Wonderful holiday.
~ Then New Year's and here we are!
Oh, and somewhere in there, the stock market crashed and the economy went to pieces.

Wow, when I list it all off like that, there actually was a lot that happened last year. Now, other than things I want to change, there are many parts of 2009 that I look forward to, have hopes for, and sincerely hope for success in. Let me take a moment to gaze forward into the coming year.

Looking Ahead:

~ Obama: January 21, baby, that's when it all starts.
~ Oscars: I'm excited! I've actually seen a lot of the probably nominees this year!
~ College: Blah. Yeah. Covered that already. I've gotta decide some time though.
~ LeakyCon: It's so very annoying that it's on the same weekend as graduation, but I thought, I soul searched, and I'm going to be there. It just means so much to me.
~ HBP: Okay, now we're getting way ahead of ourselves, but they delayed the movie (and pissed us off), and now we can start counting down again. July's where the magic happens!

That's all I know, really. After the summer ends, my life is a big blank mystery. So, *raises a virtual, non-alchoholic glass* Here's to a year that's full of new beginnings!

Musings with a purpose

Right, so, slight change of pace today... I actually have to write something. As in required. Responsibility. Grown-up stuff. Scary, right? Anyway, I was invited into this program called @15. It's just getting started, so don't expect to find much information on it, but it's a program sponsored by Best Buy (as in the big corporate conglomerate) and it's aim is to give teenagers a voice... in the world, in politics, all that. Anyway, as part of it, I have a chance to go to part of the DNC. I'm not sure how much of it, but at least a reception with some cool "big-shot" type people.

Rob, the guy who I've been talking to, asked me to write a blog. 

I am writing to see if you could lend your hand (and strong writing skills) in writing up a short “blog” type post on why you are excited for the Democratic Convention? The @15 web site will be launching pretty soon in its test stage, and we are looking to populate the blog section with some real teen-created content. Honestly, if you would prefer to write about an issue you are interested instead that is totally fine, but I thought that it might be easier to put down some thoughts on why you’re excited for the convention to come to Denver, and why you’re excited to be a part of it. This can be a few sentences or a few paragraphs (probably close to a paragraph is optimal) – the important thing is that it’s your thoughts.

Yup, that's my assignment. I know! ... not even officially back to school and I'm using the dreaded a-word. I said I'd try to get him something this weekend ... but I thought I'd put my thoughts up here and get a blog post and this done in one. Two birds with one stone, and all that. So, here goes. I'll muse on here for a while and then eventually refine it down to the smaller amount (one paragraph?!) that Rob asked for.

The DNC ... The DNC ... *puts on thinking cap*

If there's one thing we've learned from the Olympic games, it's probably that the weight of the world watching is a heavy yet important burden to bear. The Democratic National Convention must live up to this lesson, though maybe in a smaller scale. After all, much of the country will be watching both Denver and Minneapolis this summer as the presidential candidates are officially nominated. 

Why are these conventions important? After all, we already know who the candidates will be - it's no secret that McCain and Obama will face of this fall. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't know about it. But the convention's importance lies in its history. After all, these conventions have been held every four years since 1832, no small amount of time. Each year, a city in the nation is chosen for political followers and politicians to descend upon. It's rare, however, that we get an election like this one. One that is so close, has so much riding on it, and is so very exciting to many "normal" middle-class citizens. Conventions like this year's stand in a separate category; they aren't mundane rituals that have taken place for over 150 years, they're the kind that are written about in the history textbooks, that are referenced, and that are remembered. 

And so, of all the years, Denver was selected. 100 years after our last turn, we're playing the role of host once again. The election we play a part in, however, is a completely different one than that of 1908, where William Howard Taft beat William Jennings Bryan by an 8% margin. We now face an election that could produce the first African American President in the history of this country, or finally give McCain a chance as the oldest President in the books. 

Going into the convention, I know I don't play a large role. I can't even vote in the election, and it's the same with most of my friends. Why, then, is there a Facebook group from my High School who has declared their choice of President? Why are there multitudes of squealing students who are overjoyed to be spending a few days at the DNC? Because it's historic, and we all know it. We know what we're a part of and we're proud of it. 

Personally, it's the opportunity to play a part - any part. It's having the experience and obeying the call to adventure. It's the chance to say to my grandchildren that I was there - I was at the DNC in 2008. It's the chance to represent and to witness; to learn and to teach. It's an amazing opportunity, quite possibly once-in-a-lifetime, and one I'm overjoyed to have. 

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What do you think? Please leave me comments! I have to refine it down, so I'd love to hear what you think are my strengths and weaknesses, the best parts to keep and the parts to leave out. Let me know! Just hit the comments link below the post and then select "Name/URL" as your identity. Let me know if you have problems or email me your thoughts if you prefer. Thanks!