Oscar thoughts

This year's Oscars were...decent. I wasn't exactly bored by them, and Rock was an entertaining host, but there was something missing amongst it all...first of all, the bad:

• Gil Cates' ridiculous changes to the ceremony. The nominees on the stage thing wasn't quite as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it was still an awful idea that didn't make the awards any more interesting, and just served to embaress the nominees who didn't win by subjecting them to a 'walk of shame'.Giving certain awards in the audience just looked hilariously tacky, and completely out of tone with the show in general.
  
• Swank. Her acceptance speech was not only boring, overlong and cringeworthy, she was really acting like it was the first time she'd been up there. I mean, come on girl, no-one cares if you're from a trailer park. And we don't need you to tell us Clint is great. We know.
• Beyonce.
  
• As much as I love you, Sean Penn, Chris was only joking about Jude. No need to get so touchy.
  
• Complete lack of surprises! I guess I've learnt my lesson (looking back, I don't even know why I predicted Okonedo).
  
• Not enough Chris Rock! He was hilarious, but severely underused.
  
• Beyonce.
  
• BEYONCE!?
  

...the good:

• Morgan - very gracious, very cool, and very likeable.
  
• Foxx trying to do something meaningful with his speech - whether you liked it or not, kudos to him for trying.
  
• Charlie Kaufman! The guy completely deserved his win, and his speech was so honest and sweet, I couldn't help but love him.
  
• Banderas' performance of the Motorcycle Diaries song.
  
• Sidney Lumet's clever and not too long acceptance speech. And how about the footage from his new movie? Vin Diesel=Oscar winner?!
• The Incredibles win, and Brad Bird's fantastic speech!
• Lots of recognition for The Aviator's fabulous artistic and technical achievments.
  
• In memoiram, with Yo Yo Ma. Very beautiful, and aptly concluded on Brando.
  
• Chris Rock, of course. That man rocked the house down. Sadly, there weren't enough of him...

There, think I covered everything. So, all in all, not too bad a ceremony. There was the good, there was the bad and there was the ugly, but all in all the disappointing bits are nothing to cry over. So, stay positive folks.

Of the catagories I predicted, i got 6/10 - pretty crappy. Next year I'll be doing proper predictions, for all the catagories.