> Ugh. What on earth *were* they thinking when they put that together? Garth Brooks singing Disney songs? *Shaft*? I just can't get over how awful it was, especially for such an otherhwise wonderful Awards ceremony.


I grant that the segment could have been cut (though I'd have cut the montages first, as I said), but I really, really liked it.

Even if you don't care for country, I think you'd have to admit Garth has a good voice, and I thought he did a great job on his songs. It's always good to see Ray Charles, of course. It was fun learning that Queen Latifah can actually sing -- and has a good voice! It was wonderful seeing Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach together again after all their hits in the '70s.

And as for Isaac Hayes -- the hippest thing the Academy has *ever* done, bar none, is give a Best Song Oscar to "Theme From Shaft". That makes up for decades of drippy, can't-tell-'em-apart ballads.

-- Trip