Oscar Highlights

The Oscars are always full of memorable moments. These are but a few that captured my attention throughout the evening.

Funniest Moment:

There were several hilarious moments and they all belonged to host Ellen DeGeneres. From her witty comments in the opening monologue to her vacuuming up the front row, she was funny and entertaining throughout. The most comical moment however was when returning from a commercial break she walked over to Martin Scorsese and nonchalantly offered him a script. Scorsese to his credit played along and the audience responded with a big laugh.

Biggest Upset:

This was tough. I almost went with Alan Arkin winning for Best Supporting Actor, but the Academy is famous for using that category to award veteran actors more for their body of work than for any particular role. So I have to go with Germany's The Lives of Others beating out heavy favorite Pan's Labyrinth for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy is well known for its bias against science fiction and fantasy movies, and sadly Pan's Labyrinth fell victim to that bias this year.

Best Acceptance Speech:

This was tough because there were no real stand outs. There was no Cuba Gooding Jr. or Roberto Benigni jumping on chairs this year. With that being said, my choice is for Forrest Whitaker who won for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His comments were well prepared, smart, and though somewhat political were still moving.

Worst Acceptance Speech:

Again, there were no real stand outs this year. There was not a Jonathan Demme stuttering and incoherent rambling which has probably set the standard for bad acceptance speeches. There were several winners who stumbled through speeches or rambled a little too long but nothing really bad. My choice is for Jennifer Hudson who won for Best Supporting Actress. I will give her somewhat of a pass since she is new to Hollywood, but that is not really an excuse. When she first started I thought it might be a moving speech as she started talking about her grandmother, but it quickly devolved into a barely coherent ramble about her large family. It is a shame too because this was the moment that will define her career for years to come, and instead of instilling a picture of talent and confidence in everyone's mind she came off looking like an amateur who really had no business being on the stage. Let's hope this does not come back to haunt her.

Most Tasteless Moment:

This goes out to Jerry Seinfeld who for one, really has no business at the Oscars, and with this performance only proves that point. As the presenter for Best Documentary, he took the opportunity to talk about how it is the right of the movie goer to throw trash on the theater's floor. That is real classy Mr. Seinfeld. He even went so far as to say that all the nominees were depressing. This is a category dedicated to filmmakers who are using their art form to tell important true stories about our world and the people living in it, and here is Jerry Seinfeld joking his way through the nominees. The Academy should be ashamed for allowing that to happen, and Jerry Seinfeld should be equally if not more so ashamed for his deplorable behavior.

Best Overall Oscar Moment:

This goes out to Martin Scorsese who finally picked up a well deserved Oscar for Best Director for the film The Departed. He was obviously moved and excited by the win as was the audience. It is moments like this that make the Oscars so special and so fun to watch.

View The Departed iFilms trailer here: