Oscars

The Oscars are presented tonight. Whoopie!

Actually, Whoopi has not hosted for years. Tonight it is Ellen’s turn.

That said, Ellen DeGeneres is the best reason for watching tonight’s show. She is hysterical. We used to watch her do stand-up on Comedy Central long before her first sitcom. She is even funnier today.

This is a good venue for Ellen as well. She has done the Emmys and other award shows. She is very comfortable with the crowds and communicates well with both the in-house audience and the television crowd.

Jon Stewart did a great job last year. Billy Crystal is always good. I even liked Steve Martin. This year, however, will be a fun broadcast.

That said, what is the real point of watching the Oscars? The clothes!!

Of course, I am a guy and do not really care about the clothes. I am happily married and do not have an interest in leering and some of the revealing outfits. I do appreciate a pretty flower, but I have my own, thank you.

That said, what is the real point of watching the Oscars? The stars!!

Still, I am a guy and I do not read People magazine. All this talk about Brittany Spears and Anna Nicole Smith bores me. They have their own lives (of course, we lost Anna, which is sad). Let them be. Sometimes I feel that our constant preoccupation with celebrities causes the mayhem.

That said, what is the real point of watching the Oscars? The movies!!

Hey, that’s right! It is an award program about movies!

The sad part for me is that I have only seen four of the movies that have major nominations. Ready?

Cars. It is nominated for best animated film and best song. It will likely win the first, but not the latter. Pixar always does the best work in the industry.

Dreamgirls. Nominated for a ton of statues, it will probably only bring home two. Jennifer Hudson is the favorite for best supporting actress and it could bring home a best song trophy. Hudson was fantastic in this movie, as was most everyone and everything. If you have not see this yet, go this afternoon before the awards show tonight.

Little Miss Sunshine. Nominated for a slew of awards, it will likely be shut out. It is a great film that voters will overlook because it is too much of a comedy. Voters hate to vote for a comedy. Just ask Bill Murray.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Like Cars, there are not a lot of nominations here, but a few major ones. I didn’t appreciate the film and its non-ending.

That’s it. Click, Superman Returns and An Inconvenient Truth (great film everyone should see) are on the list, but only once so they don’t count. The fact is, my wife and I did not slip out enough during 2006 to see these other “great” films. Likely, we will see them after the awards on DVD, if they bother to win.

That said, I do not have to watch the show to find out who won. So why am I taping the show tonight (besides to hear Ellen’s monologue)? In Memoriam. I love this segment of any and all awards shows. I admit that sometimes I am brought to a few tears. They always do a great job of presenting this portion and it helps with my personal grieving process.

So if you have the time, watch it live. If not, tape the show and fast forward to your favorite spots later. Advertisers will hate you, but at least you keep up with what’s happening on the Amazing Race!