Posted on 02/27/2005 7:08:48 PM PST by Former Military Chick
LOS ANGELES - Apropos for an Oscar ceremony in which a boxing movie was one of the leading nominees, host Chris Rock came out swinging Sunday night, unleashing his acerbic wit on anyone and everyone in Hollywood — including himself.
Rock kept it clean compared to the profanity that fills his standup comedy routine. But he slung the mud in a way that kept the audience laughing.
"All right! Sit your a---- down!" he shouted after walking on stage in a white tie and tux and receiving a standing ovation from many in the star-studded crowd.
Then he let 'em have it.
His main point: Filmmakers should wait for better talent instead of rushing bad movies into theaters.
"Clint Eastwood (news)'s a star, OK? Tobey Maguire's just a boy in tights," Rock joked.
"You want Tom Cruise (news) and all you can get is Jude Law? Wait. You want Russell Crowe (news) and all you can get is Colin Farrell, wait. 'Alexander' is not 'Gladiator.'"
But Rock wasn't afraid to include himself in that assessment.
"You want Denzel (Washington) and all you can get is me, wait," he joked. "Denzel's a fine actor. He woulda never made 'Pootie Tang.'"
The first category, art direction, provided the first chance for producer Gil Cates to show off some of the new logistical tricks he implemented to jazz up the broadcast.
The nominees walked out on stage together en masse, then stood around on a floor illuminated by dozens of LED screens, waiting to find out who would be the winner. After hearing presenter Halle Berry (news) announce their names, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo stepped forward and accepted their statuettes for "The Aviator." The losing nominees quietly exited.
Asked backstage what he thought about receiving the award in this new format, Ferretti responded, "I liked to be there, to be on the stage — also because we won."
Later, Cate Blanchett (news) announced the nominees for the best makeup category while standing in an aisle in the audience. The winners — who happened to be seated right next to her — were Valli O'Reilly and Bill Corso for "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," who made their acceptance speech standing at a microphone a few feet away.
And Scarlett Johansson announced some of the earlier technical Oscar winners while standing in a Kodak Theatre balcony.
But the evening began in a traditional manner, with a montage of scenes from decades of classic films, including "Gone With the Wind," "Singin' in the Rain," "Animal House" and "The Sixth Sense."
Then he went on to make another comment after the animated movie won, saying next year there will be a black version. Few sentences later he made a remark about Sidney (cannot spell his last name) and his costar Audrey Hepburn, again with the race issue.
What is up about making every other sentence a division between white and blacks?
Should I expect more from Hollywood, well yes? They did choose Rock but still if I am uncomfortable I am sure others are as well.
Pick up the remote, turn off the TV and just ignore it. You can't understand what CR is saying since you don't smoke crack.
they actually give awards for this drivel? my, how interesting....
Oh come on! Rock said he wasn't going to bash the Pres. and the AP took him at his word. Just cuz he went on to praise mm & fahrenbarf 9/11 and bash Pres. Bush ... it was just playful teasing. /sarcasm.
and the insincere platitude to our troops immediately afterwards
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who thought so. And the applause from the audience wasn't all that either.
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