The Oscars

Kept up tradition by seeing the Oscars on Sunday.

- It was a pretty bland show - no unexpected incidents, no memorable speeches, no outrageous costumes. Even the song and dance productions felt kinda muted and non-showy.

- Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba looked great. Cameron Diaz disappointed again :( With no Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, the wife had to be content drooling over Patrick Dempsey.

- The only aspect better than last year's show was the opening - the road down Hollywood through the ages was short but more interesting than last year's endless clips of the nominees.

- Jon Stewart had a few good jokes balanced by a few duds. He seemed a little stiff initially but seemed to loosen up as the show progressed.

- Hadn't seen most of the big nominees, barring Michael Clayton, but still managed to guess most of the winners, based purely on articles and buzz leading upto the show. Guess that shows how predictable the awards were. After seeing American Gangster and Michael Clayton last week, I feel Denzel deserved a nomination more than Clooney. Was surprised that Tilda Swinton won Best Actress. If there was an actor in Michael Clayton who deserved an award, it was Tom Wilkinson.

- Good speeches came from Ethan Coen(the second time), the leads from Once(especially the heroine, after Jon Stewart brought her back) and Marion Cotillard(emotional but heartfelt).

- The effect of the writer's strike was seen in the number of montages but they were probably the best parts of the show. The clips from previous Oscars and past movies added a sense of nostalgia though seeing those speeches(by the winners) and quips(by the hosts) highlighted just how boring the present show was!