A popular and potentially controversial host and popular films in tight races should give Oscar a ratings boost this year.
The 85th Annual Academy Awards aired Sunday Night, February 24th, 2013. Below were my predictions for the winners in the major categories. The actual winners were filled in after the Oscars were announced.
PRE-SPIN:
Here’s hoping first time host Seth MacFarlane treats the gig as if it will be his one and only shot and goes for the jugular. Great mock-musical numbers seem inevitable, but his usual brand of gross and absurd insult pop-mockery comedy will more than likely be criminally toned down unless he adopts a devil-may-care attitude and taunts the producers. I have a hunch the guy will take things surprisingly seriously (with polished laughs and one or two insults that fall flat) and there will likely be far too many Ted gags.
With MacFarlane as host and an unusually tight race in some of the major categories, this could be one of the more interesting years to watch. Argo seems the odds-on favorite despite some historical precedence working against it. I still think Silver Linings Playbook could upset and score Best Picture and Director, but I’m not betting on it, and my heart belongs to Lincoln. Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor are especially tough calls this year.
POST-SPIN:
- Seth MacFarlane was okay…but Daniel Day Lewis got the biggest laughs of the night
- The overall telecast was painfully long (even more so than usual) and kept alive only by the live Tweeting I followed (thanks @PattonOswalt, the fake @Michael_Haneke, et al!)
- There were a few genuine surprises (Christoph Waltz, Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee) though none that I could say I was actually pleased by
- Ann Hathaway gave the most disingenuous speech
- Jennifer Lawrence gave the shortest, cutest speech
- Weird guys with long blond hair rocked the tech categories
- Affleck got all teary-eyed as a winning producer making it sound like getting snubbed for a directing nod or staring in Gigli were akin to having overcome genuine hardship #HollywoodProblems
- I scored 16/24 (okay, but not great) in my family Oscar pool
And now check out The Spin on my Predictions and the Winners: Continue reading
