> It's too bad Scorsese missed another chance for a remedial Oscar, but this year righted two other wrongs: it's about time Morgan Freeman and Cate Blanchett had an Oscar.
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I disagree on this. As outrageous as it is that some people don't have Oscars yet, it shouldn't be based on careers. That's what the Lifetime Achievement Award is for (although does that ever go to actors?). Scorsese should have won an Oscar long ago, but giving him one now doesn't change the fact that the Academy got it wrong. Besides, should he really be remembered as the person who won as Oscar for The Aviator rather than Mean Streets, Raging Bull or Goodfellas? At least if he wins lifetime achievement, it will be for his body of work.

I think that the Oscar should go to the best in any one year. I haven't seen Million Dollar Baby yet, but personally, I thought that the Direction Oscar should have gone to Alexander Payne - I loved some of his choices in Sideways.

> As for the ceremony itself, I know a lot of people thought Chris Rock made a great host, and the ratings were up this year which means we'll probably be stuck with him again in the future, but I thought he was the worst Oscar host imaginable. I did laugh at, if memory serves, three of his jokes. But I laughed more at Robin Williams during his one minute on the stage. I wish he'd just host the whole show.
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Agreed on this. I thought Rock was terrible (with the low point of him pretending to be Catherine Zeta Jones: did they really think that that would come out funny?). I also didn't like that a lot of his humour was directed at the movies and the stars. Like when he went to the theater to see what people were watching, and how none of them had seen the nominees. Maybe it's true that the Oscars are out of touch with the majority of film viewers, and it probably did the people involved more good than harm to have their egos taken down a peg or two, but the Oscars should be a night about revering the movies.

> As for the presentation of technical awards in the audience or having the nominees stand around like Miss America contestants, I can only hope that goes away next year.

Agreed again - awful. Especialy the in-audience ones - let them go up to the stage and have everyone look at them, it's their moment of glory. And, about the presenters, don't make women wearing dresses worth throusands of dollars put mikes on the front of them - that's just wrong.

All in all, not great. Boring in fact. And get a new host. May I submit for consideration John Stewart?

Mazer"no yelling at the tv this year"31