Although I loved to watch a movie like "Lord of the Rings" win all the awards it was nominated for, it didn't quite make for exciting television. The only suspense the show had, was asking yourself if "Lord of the Rings" was going to win for every single category it was nominated for.

Billy Crystal did a decent job at hosting, but he didn't really do anything new or fresh with his hosting job. Both Billy Crystal and the entire Oscar show was pretty by the books. I tend to prefer award show hosts that let the verbal zingers fly, so I was kind of let down by Billy Crystal. He took a few shots here and there, but there were a few moments where I thought that Billy Crystal was playing it safe and conservative. I also prefer Awards shows that don't try and rekindle any kind of magic from some magical, past era of Awards shows. So sometimes, Billy Crystal's schtick bordered a little too much on Martin and Lewis for my taste. Or you could have Robin Williams host the Academy Awards. He's so good at improv, and can be so un-p.c., that he'd keep the show funny and edgy just by being himself. Or I'd say we get a petition going to have some younger blood host the show. I'd love to see maybe Conan O'Brien host sometime. Jon Stewart is another person that comes to mind. I think young blood could help make the three and a half hour show seem a little more sprightly. I mean, can you imagine Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the Academy Awards???

It never ceases to amaze me how full of crap the actors, directors, and producers are during the Oscars. Movies are all fun and great. But only the movie industry would be so self congratulatory to declare that movies are one of the pieces of fabric that hold us together. With the exception of a few blockbusters that garner critical support, I don't see how a movie like "Monster" or "Lost in Translation" can be a part of some ultimate unifying force.

Probably one of the most entertaining aspects of the show was watching the clear amount of discomfort on many of the participants involved. Like when Peter Jackson's name was read for Best Director, you could read a certain amount of disgust in the Coppolla aisle. And when Sean Penn's name was read out loud for Best Actor, you could see the anger/disappointment??? coming off of Bill Murray's face. I hope that an actor as talented as Bill Murray doesn't see this as his last chance to win an Oscar. As long as Sofia Coppolla and Wes Anderson keep making movies with Bill Murray, I'm sure that this won't be the last time that we've seen Bill Murray at the Academy Awards. All he needs is one movie like "Good Will Hunting" to put him over the top in the same way that it did for Robin Williams.

I thought that the level of politics was just about right for an awards show. I think that actors and directors getting all political at awards shows during their acceptance speeches is one of the main reasons why I tune in. And I LOVED what Michael Moore said and did last year. It's great for water cooler discussion. But I'd say that any political mentioning last night was done somewhat appropriately. Besides the "Fog of War" acceptance speech, there weren't any big, grand statements made one way or another. There was a little mentioning here, a little mentioning there. But nothing too over the top. BTW, I thought that one of the funniest parts of the show was during the opening sequence when a big LOTR elepant stepped on Michael Moore. I love it when people can take a shot at themself in the name of comedy.

I'm pretty elated that "LOTR" won in every single category it was nominated in. "LOTR" is revolutionary in every conceivable way. To summarize, the LOTR movies were three, four hour movies (with cuts) filmed at one time, that had; CGI creations that held their own with real actors, epic sized battles with very small intimite moments spliced throughout, memorable music, talented acting by everyone involved, and a director who approached a story about hobbits, elves, orcs, and wizards with the same amount of reverence and love for the source material that Coppola had with the "Godfather" movies.

It was also neat seeing all these "freaks and geeks" that worked on LOTR up on stage throughout the show. You really gain a sense of just how committed and into their jobs the people who worked on those movies really were. To them, working on those movies wasn't just a job, it was a way of life. Peter Jackson was BRILLIANT in surrounding himself with people who ate, slept, and breathed LOTR for 7+ years. Kudos to everyone involved.

I'd also like to report that my predictions were pretty much accurate. Going out on a limb twice prevented me from obtaining a perfect score on my predictions. Next time I'll trust my instincts. Maybe. ;-)

Although being a bit by the books, the show was entertaining. It ran about as long as to be expected and didn't really drag too often. On a letter scale, last night's show gets a "B."

matt out