Our Ten Favorite Oscar Things

Last night's Oscars had its shares of ups and downs, as these things usually go. We love Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, and moments like their Snuggie bit and opening banter, did not disappoint. The stage was absolutely stunning, and while we're big fans of choreographer Adam Shankman, Neil Patrick Harris, and the Ziegfeld Follies, the opening number did fall short a bit for us. Roger Ebert tweeted, "I guess the best opening in Oscarcast history is still ahead for us." Still, there was more than enough spectacle, beauty, fun, and teary eyes to make for a completely enjoyable Oscar evening. So here are our ten favorite things about last night's Academy Awards.



Last night's Academy Awards had its share of ups and downs, as these things usually go. We love Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, and moments like their Snuggie bit and opening banter, did not disappoint. The stage was absolutely stunning, and while we're big fans of choreographer Adam Shankman, Neil Patrick Harris, and the Ziegfeld Follies, the opening number did fall short a bit for us. Roger Ebert tweeted, "I guess the best opening in Oscarcast history is still ahead for us." Still, there was more than enough spectacle, beauty, fun, and teary eyes to make for a completely enjoyable Oscar evening. So here are our ten favorite things about last night's Academy Awards.

1. The John Hughes Tribute
He truly was the voice of our generation, and it was so amazing to see all those incredibly talented stars he worked with and, oftentimes, introduced us to.

2. Steve Martin's Best Quote
"You know, Gabourey and I have something in common. In our first movies, we were both born a poor black child." We always love a good reference to "The Jerk."

3. Clooney Walks the Chainlink Fence and Greets his Fans
George got out of his limo and before hitting the red carpet, went over to say "hi" to his admirers. Love that guy. So humble and down to earth. Although, it was the only moment of the evening where he seemed like himslef and not some elder statesman of Hollywood. He seemed a little sullen most of the night. What was up with that?

4. The "Modern Family" Commercial
The Oscars are becoming like the Super Bowl and the commercials are almost as entertaining as the big event itself. The best ad during last night's broadcast was the spot for "Modern Family" where they all played movie charades. Hysterical.

5. Ben Stiller Talks Na'vi
For the sake of full disclosure, we will admit that we have not seen, nor do we intend to see "Avatar." Yes, we are the only two people on the planet. We don't really get the hype and we're not huge James Cameron fans. Still, when Ben Stiller came out dressed in full blue face, speaking Na'vi, we were truly amused. Plus, he looked strangely attractive. The look works for him.

6. Gabourey Sidibe's Red Carpet Quote
The "Precious" Best Supporting Actress Nominee had the best line of the pre-show. "If fashion was porn, this dress would be the money shot." No need to say more.

7. Sandra Bullock's Shining Moment
Sure it was great that she won for Best Actress in "The Blind Side," and it was nice that she paid tribute to her deceased mom (always a tearjerker in our books) but our favorite Sandy moment was on the red carpet when she said she wanted a burger, doubled fried fries, and a milkshake after the show. Hope she got her wish.

8. Stars and Non-stars Tweet the Night Away
We spent the night on Twitter following viewers' reactions. The best non-celebrity tweet of the night came from Celebtv who wrote, "Is Charlize saving those cupcakes on her chest for later?! What is that dress?" We couldn't agree more. The best celebrity tweet of the night was written by Jane Fonda, "Too many actresses in audience chewing gum." Once again, we couldn't agree more. As an honorable mention we thought it was so sweet to see the tweet from Danny Pudi who plays Abed on "Community" saying, "Thank you John Hughes. Grew up with so many of those films. Wonderful tribute."

9. "...And the Winner Is"
For the past few years when the envelope was opened, the presenter was instructed to say "...And the Oscar goes to" for some politically correct reason we honestly never quite understood. We were pleased to hear last night that they have returned to the original phrase that we feel is synonymous with the award itself.

10. Jeff Bridges is Officially no Longer Underrated
Michelle Pfeiffer's touching introduction brought Jeff, the audience, and us to tears. And his acceptance speech turned those tears into an all out cry fest — from his tender homage to his parents and his loving nod to his wife off 33 years. Jeff was humble and deserving and as he pointed out at the Golden Globes, he is no longer underrated.