Oscars Recap: “What Does That Mean, To Play Us Off?”

ali g oscars

So what was the theme of the night? Any guesses? No?

Chris Rock gets up to host and I’ll be honest I’m pumped about it. He immediately makes a joke about how Kevin Hart has made more movies this year than porno stars, which makes me chuckle until I stop and go, porno stars? This is 2016, grandpa Chris. They’re called porn stars.

He’s gotten a little work done around the eyes, but I’m okay with it. Looks slightly puffy, like he did a few rounds of boxing before throwin’ on his suit but I get it, it’s Hollywood.

chris rock oscars host

His opening monologue is about #OscarsSoWhite, which is predictable but appropriate.

Spotlight wins for best original screenplay, and I love how they type out the words from the script and put it on screen so everybody knows what the fuck a “screenplay” looks like. I like to compare the beautiful sentences and dialogue of these films with my own scripts, which tend to have things like, “We hope it’s a fart, but know it’s something more” in them. It’s fine, guys, I’ll grow into more serious dialogue (I won’t).

The Big Short wins for adapted screenplay, and Adam McKay is so fucking tall. He is a ginormous man. Look at him compared to all the other people.

adam mckay tall screenplay big short

Time to get UNCOMFORTABLE. Stacey Dash walks on stage and I immediately get a pit in my stomach because nothing that comes out of her mouth is EVER good. She tries to make a joke about Black History Month (girl doesn’t think there should be one: read here) and you can hear a god damn baggie of coke drop in that place. It is VERY AWKWARD.

stacey dash oscars awkward wtf

So like, who runs the Oscars? There’s a person who gets to decide what happens during the ceremony, right? Because what is MORE awkward than whatever Stacey Dash just said, is that someone creating this show thought it would get a laugh. What a WEIRD THING TO THINK. Chrissy Teigen’s reaction pretty much sums it up:

chrissy teigen face oscars

Alicia Vikander wins for supporting actress for The Danish Girl and girl is like, really beautiful. She is also a TALENTED ACTOR and the feminist in me needs to point out her incredible work before delving into her body and hair and eyes and the fact that I am suddenly very, very aware that I can never be a famous actress because I am just not hot enough. It’s okay. It’s good to be honest with yourself sometimes.

The woman who wins for costume design for Mad Max is my spirit animal. She just like, strolled into the academy awards on her way home from CVS or some shit and I love it in her!! Fuck these people, amiright?

costume design mad max winner

They play a clip for The Revenant, and afterwards they cut to a guy in a bear suit clapping and everyone I’m with starts cracking the fuck up. They love it.

oscars bear furry

You know who doesn’t love it? Leo. You know who else doesn’t love it? The Revanant director and his wife.

leo bear facealejandro inarritu bear

The cinematographer for The Revanant wins, and it’s his third year in a ROW. He did Birdman and Gravity and it’s like oh, okay, so you’re THE cinematographer. I get it.

A woman wins for editing Mad Max and this betch comes on stage and crushes it. She is like, a regular mom who picks her kids up from school and probably makes birdhouses on the side. And wins Academy Awards for editing badass movies, nbd.

There is a very uncomfortable clip about Black History Month, where in the end the joke is about celebrating Jack Black. Very original. All of this is feeling like cringe-y overkill at this point.

oscars black history month

Now there is an announcement that The Minions are on their way to the theater and the Ghostbusters theme song plays us into commercial. Are these people on shrooms? Could you guys put any more random ass shit together?

Mad Max wins for sound editing and mixing (see the difference here), Ex Machina wins for visual effects, and now we’re onto the important thing which is a bit about Girl Scout Cookies.

Look I get it, award shows need comedic breaks. But if you’re spending so much fucking energy playing people off stage, maybe give them five more god damn seconds each and cut all this bullshit out of the show. BUT I DIGRESS.

We get to the animation shit and Inside Out wins for animated feature (duh). Now Kevin Hart gets on stage to speak his piece and I applaud every word he’s saying, but the 90s kid in me is just loving that he busted out a bedazzler to make his suit.

kevin hart oscar suit gems

There is ANOTHER sketch about diversity and it’s just awkward that a room full of white people are laughing at it. Anyway here is the main visual you need to take from it:

oscars sketch tongue ring

Leo LOVES. IT. Hated the bear suit, but god dammit if he doesn’t get the giggles from this woman holding an Oscar.

leo loves it

Mark Rylance wins supporting actor and that’s cool, dude is a good fucking actor.

Louis CK presents for documentary short film and says, “These people will never get rich in their entire lives,” which I think is hilarious and perfect. Except A Girl In The River wins and this chick comes out and says that thanks to this film honor killings have been banned in Pakistan. Um, hi. This is the most important moment of the Oscars and we completely gloss over it because we are all huge pieces of shit. I’m sitting here eating fucking chocolate covered strawberries, swear to God, and she is making actual humongous changes in the world.

Amy wins for documentary, which is fine even though the style of this movie made me feel very weird. After they present live action short (I’m sorry I’m not giving this more attention than this sentence but these awards are TOO FUCKING LONG and I’m tired and full of strawberries), Lady Gaga performs and it is very intense, as everything in her entire life is. I like it. Hateful 8 wins for original score and the only words you can make out in this entire foreign speech is “Harvey Weinstein.” Sam Smith wins for original song. Yes, I’m working at lightning speed here. Patience is dwindling.

Alejandro G. Inarritu wins for director for the second year in a row and the producers reeaaaaallly try to play him off when his speech goes long. But you know what? Alejandro DOES NOT GIVE A FUCK. Cannot be played off, refuses, and they eventually give up on the music.

alejandro inarritu oscar speech

Brie Larson, angel of my heart, wins for best actress and Leo wins for actor and immediately goes into some shit about the environment. One issue at a time, bro! Tonight is not about greenhouse gases!

leo wins oscar speech face

Spotlight wins for Best Picture and I want to be happy but honestly I am so fucking over this award show at this point. TOO LONG, guys. The “thank you” ticker did NOTHING for the length of this show and I’m honestly glad I don’t have to watch more of this for another year.

On a positive note, best dressed goes to this dude on the right for his ear/necklace combo.

mad max sound editing

Read more of my recaps here.

 

 

Emmys 2015: What’s An Olive Kitteridge?

amy schumer emmys

Ah, to win an Emmy. (Somewhere in the Hollywood Hills Emmy Rossum throws her clenched fists into the air as she quotes Princess Jasmine- “I am not a prize to be won!!”)

We start off with Andy Samberg’s musical number about how he’s watched every single show on TV this year, except he leaves out the one he actually fucking stars in, Brooklyn Nine Nine. You play detective Jake Peralta, remember? His opening monologue is very TOPICAL but let’s be real, I don’t need to hear another Kim Davis joke for the rest of my life. Over her, over her long ass hair.

The first category is supporting actress in a comedy series, and there are SO MANY NOMINEES. I mean, holy shit. It’s like you’re having a super cool birthday party and only want to invite a few girls but have to include everyone in the class because you’re in 2nd grade and that’s just how it’s done.

Allison Janney wins, which is great because she’s been one of my faves since 10 Things I Hate About You when she played a principal writing an erotic novel and she kept referring to the guy’s dick as his quivering member. “Judith! What’s another word for engorged?”

Veep wins for writing, and also for supporting actor in a comedy series. As Tony Hale walks up to accept his award, the narrator chick (who usually says things like, “This is Tony’s second win and third nomination”) instead shares this fun factoid: “He was so excited about his nomination that he forgot to take his daughter to camp.” Um, cool story, bro. Do you really think that when Tony motherfucking Hale sits at home and replays his Emmy moment on the DVR he wants to hear you talk about how he forgot to take his child to camp? (I hope none of these people ever “replay their Emmy moment.”)

Jill Soloway wins for best comedy director for Transparent, and this bitch right here walks up and immediately thanks Goddess. Fuck yes, girl. You do you. Jimmy Kimmel eats the envelope for comedy actor, which is given to Jeffrey Tambor.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus of course crushes it for Veep, and it’s here that I realize she DOES NOT AGE. Like, at all. Is not currently aging. Do we know what type of moisturizer she uses? Is it at all possible that she bought it for less than ten dollars at CVS? No? K.

julia louis dreyfus veep win emmys speech

We’re onto the Limited Series or Movie category, which I am totally confused about until it dawns on me that they used to be called Mini Series. Guys, it’s fine to keep calling it that, it’s not like the word “mini” diminishes the ten thousand famous actors in it and makes it less special. Stop mystifying me with your word trickery.

So, what IS an Olive Kitteridge? Something we should all be watching, I take it. Everyone who ever did anything for that shit wins an Emmy, including my home girl Frances McDormand who continues to be DOPE AS HELL.

PS, um, the Emmys were sponsored by the movie The Intern? Seems a TINY bit ironic that a movie is funding the biggest celebration of television in the world. Everybody’s all like fuck movies!! Movies suck! …Except The Intern, in theaters September 25th.

Also the screen on stage is SO FUCKING HUGE that these people might as well be watching this shit from home. They’re all just staring at this fucking screen! Do you see Andy Samberg in the bottom left? That is how outrageously humongous this screen is. I cannot get over it.

emmys screen stage andy samberg

We must have moved into Variety Series, because now The Daily Show is winning everything. Someone I used to work with wins an Emmy and although this is great news for him I feel physically ill and think I am going to throw up. (“Just because I’m sitting on my couch doesn’t mean I am less successful.” -something I will repeat to myself as I down another vodka tonic and contemplate my dwindling checking account.)

Hmm, I wonder what category we’re onto now? If only there was some sort of visual cue to help me understand…

emmys drama category

Game of Thrones wins for writing, Peter Dinklage for supporting actor. Uzo Aduba wins for supporting actress and CRIES A LOT. She is adorable, but that speech was a little cray cray. I am not the only person who feels this way because suddenly my phone is buzzing next to me as I cram another wedge of brie into my mouth.

uzo aduba speech emmysuzo aduba emmys win speech bitmoji

Responding in Bitmojis is really the only way to live. Anyway Viola Davis wins best actress, and Jon Hamm finally wins a fucking Emmy after SIXTEEN NOMINATIONS and this is how he gets up on stage:

jon hamm emmys win stage funny

Beautiful. Veep and Games of Thrones are the big series winners, but really in my heart of hearts the winner is me because I get to see Tracy Morgan present an award. I LOVE YOU TRACY, YOU ARE A SHINING STAR IN THE GALAXY OF LIFE.

The main things I took from the Emmys were: an extreme sense of envy, and the realization that walking a red carpet in 100 degree weather is fucking funny to watch (SO much blotting) and next year the Emmys should take place on the surface of the sun.

Everyone in their thousands of dollars worth of crap silently cursing about how badly their thighs are chafing? Count me in.

Check out more of my show recaps here.