Vince, You were the first person who came to my mind when Barbra Streisand announced Eminem's win. She looked pleased when she announced it. I am glad for Eminem, though I like the performance of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah.
> Eminem got the Oscar - > and Adrian Brody won for the Pianist - > they got at least two things right - I am not sure I agree completely with that because this is the year when the people I secretly want to win, won! I prefer Catherine Zeta-Jones over Renee Zellweger in CHICAGO, and although I would be happy with Meryl and Julianne, the win of Catherine made me happier. Her campaign must have worked well. She is such a trouper. 8-months pregnant and all. I also was rooting for Chris Cooper who has been giving solid performances in many films, notably AMERICAN BEAUTY. And even if I was touched by Christopher Walken's sympathetic father role in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, I was secretly wishing that Chris Cooper will get. Nicole Kidman's win was seen by some as surprising considering she only appeared 30 minutes in THE HOURS (as opposed to 33 and 38 minutes by Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep), but I always get the feeling that her presence was keenly felt even during the scenes she was not in. I like her performance in THE HOURS not only by getting that nose that made her unrecognizable, the way she rehearsed to write in the left hand to be true to Virginia Woolf and the wounded-crow gestures, and I belive in my very biased view that her performance eclipsed Renee Zellweger and Salma Hayek and even Julianne Moore's 1950s housewife. But was I pleasantly surprised that Pedro Almodovar won for original screenplay for TALK TO HER and Adrien Brody and the Japanese anime SPIRITED AWAY's triumph and Roman Polanski!!! I was a bit disheartened that Philip Glass' score did not make it (Elliot Goldenthal's score for FRIDA won) or Zhang Yimou's HERO which was trampled by Germany's NOWHERE IN AFRICA in the Best Foreign Language film or the loss of David Hare's adapted screenplay for THE HOURS. The performances were great but Caetano Veloso brought the house down with his song. And Olivia de Havilland and Peter O'Toole getting a standing ovation. Michael Moore's speech kicks ass major league! And I am racking my brains out thinking when was the last time a winner invited her/his fellow nominees onstage. Not since Vanessa Redgrave's lambasting the "Zionist hoodlums" did I hear boos. Not even Elia Kazan's lifetime Oscar generated boos (just respectful silence from some and applause from others). Chris Cooper was the first one to allude to the war by saying "peace" in the end. Gael Garcia Bernal went a step further by invoking Frida Kahlo to state his stand for peace. But it took a Michael Moore to really verbalize what others feel. And Susan Sarandon's peace sign followed. And Barbra Streisand's, and Adrien Brody's speech that brought tears to my professor's eyes, and Nicole's speech decrying the lives lost abroad, and even This guy Pierson (sp?). Gil Cates may have new presenters next year to replace those who "violated" the unwritten law of not saying anything about the war. It would be hypocritical to pretend that things have not changed. I like Adrien Brody's "one second please" admonition to conductor Bill Conti when the latter started the orchestra. Among the presenters, Mira Sorvino seems to be in another dimension, while Jennifer Garner is the love of my life from now on. Despite the things said about CHICAGO, I am not sad that it won despite my preference for THE HOURS. The years when FORREST GUMP and BRAVEHEART won took more than year to accept. Joseph in Manila (back to lurkdom)
