Spot on WA! Though the Kirk Douglas comment was a little mean :-/ (Thanx to TiVo I was able to skip MOST of the show, thank God, and already feel sorry you had to watch it in its entirety to keep up w/the chat!) And I agree: the Ann Hathaway-James Franco pairing was ill-planed; I personally like them SEPARATELY, but last night, they were neither funny nor had any chemistry.

Disagree on a few points:

1. That opening piece was anything but funny. Production value aside, it seemed like something a kid would do for a school project or to post on Youtube. I guess I was lucky, then, that it didn't get my hopes up.

2. Kirk Douglas was hilarious. I was a little worried that he would fall apart before our eyes, but he played perfectly on his age and clearly enjoyed his moment in the spotlight.

3. Colin Firth's speech was perfection. He managed to be gracious, humorous and genuine while at the same time rattling off a list of thanks which would have been boring coming from anyone with less linguistic tact and personal charm. I say this not having been a great fan of his before The King's Speech.

4. Frankly, I didn't believe Melissa Leo one bit - she knows she's good, she was expected to win, and her flustered "you really like me" schtick and f-bomb flub were a bit too perfect not to have been at least somewhat calculated.

Completely agree with everything else - especially David Fincher. Add Zodiac to that list.

1. Melissa Leo's speech made me squirm in my seat in its overwhelming awkwardness.

2. I hated the white suits too! I can't put my finger on it, but they just didn't look right.

3. Most Awkward Attempt At Being Funny should go to Wise-Ass for his "Why didn't they call it The King's Sp-Sp-Speech?" comment. Seriously, Russell Brand already made a similarly insensitive joke earlier last night. Not funny.

I saw only about ten minutes of the Oscars last night near the end of the program because the gents in my family were using the TV to watch something else.

I found the live chat entertaining and fun, though. Based on this post, it doesn't sound like I missed much by not catching the show.

This recap of it made me laugh. :-)

I watched the whole painful debacle, and Cary's recap is right on target. Kirk Douglas was all "Awww, look at him, bless his heart" for about 2.3 minutes. Then it was awkward, then it was creepy, and then it started to tick me off. Quit making everybody feel weird, Spartacus, and get off the stage!

I'm not a huge Natalie Portman fan but her speech was very good. I adore Colin Firth but he was rambling and boring -- not a winning combo that late in the show.

I think if you don't know what to say when you win, just have Morgan Freeman, James Earl Jones, or Meryl Streep get up there and do it for you. Everyone likes to hear them speak. Better yet, show a little self-pride and assume you MIGHT win and write a dang speech.

It was boring. I kept waiting for a wardrobe malfunction ;)

Didn't get to catch the Oscars yesterday because I was at work, but I totally enjoyed the transcript of the Live Chat and feel more sorry for having missed that one out. =(

Actually, Best Director was the most appalling category. You've got a technically accomplished, critically acclaimed directing duo; a director who has made some of the most challenging mainstream films of the past ten years; a technically accomplished craftsman; and an indie director made good.

Let's give it to a TV director who handed in a workman's job and leaned on his cast, because the best director makes the best picture, amirite?

Ugh.

..........I'm sorry to do this, but.........

Cutting is not a joke. People who cut are usually severly depressed/disturbed, and making fun of them can cause them to cut more.

Also? They don't cut when they're happy, they cut when they're sad/mad etc, to release/express emotion.

And I didn't need to watch to know it was bad. People put updates on the web. -_-