Tom Cruise arrived on stage and finally got things going in the right direction. He gave a very well written and inspirational speech about how what they do should continue in the wake of September 11, that the magic of the movies is important, for what the movies do for people. I'm amazed that people are attacking this speech as somehow being pompous and self-important, but to me, it addressed exactly what is so magical about movies, and what is important about continuing our lives and what we do in the wake of 9/11.
Host Whoopi Goldeberg then took over, descending from the ceiling on a swing, just like Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge, a very good way to open, but ultimately, I felt this was Whoopi's least effective Oscar hosting gig. She started great, but then seemed to fall flat. Her jokes were not near as funny this year, and I was just downright taken aback and confused by her following up Robert Redford's tribute with a strange diatribe which seemed to be insulting to Redford and his body of work. It just seemed strange. Whoopi has done some very solid work before hosting the Oscars, particularly her early efforts at the 1993 and 1995 Oscars, her best work yet. This year, Whoopi seemed less respectful of the event. One thing I've always said about a host of the Academy Awards ... it's always good to make fun of the movies, the stars, and even the Oscars themselves, but at the same time, maintaining a great deal of respect for the movies themselves and the importance of the occasion. That's something that Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Johnny Carson, and Bob Hope all had, and Whoopi had it in her three previous hosting gigs, but something seemed to change this year. But anyway, enough of that ...
One thing you won't find me complaining about is the length of the show. Of course, the length of the show was one of the first things to be criticized ... this ended up being the longest Academy Awards in history, at some four hours and twenty minutes, quite a marathon indeed! Why do people complain about the show being too long? One of Whoopi's funniest opening lines was "Let me tell you right now ... the show is going to be long!" This is one night of the year folks where the entire art and craft of motion pictures is celebrated. It is the highest honor in the entertainment industry. What is wrong with the show going 4 hours, 4 1/2 hours, even 5 hours if necessary? Let's take this one night to celebrate motion pictures and drop this long show complaint. For one thing, the Academy needs to stop with this keeping the winner's speeches short, particularly the acting and directing winners. Just let them go on ... usually some wonderful moments can occur, like one I'll describe soon.
