This year’s Oscar race is finally over. While, at times, the race was extremely close, it seemed as if the night’s biggest winners left the losers in their dust. While the night as a whole went off without a hitch, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards still had its fair share of winners, losers, and those in between.
THE WINNERS
“The King’s Speech”
Who would we be if we left “The King’s Speech” off the list? Raking in four Oscars, the British blockbuster saw its male lead (Colin Firth) snag the trophy for Best Actor and first time nominee Tom Hooper won the trophy for Best Director, upsetting director of “The Social Network,” David Fincher. Not to mention, the film also walked away victorious in the night’s biggest category, Best Picture.
Luke Matheny
This afro-clad film student pulled in perhaps the night’s biggest upset with his short film titled “God of Love.” With a great acceptance speech that was perhaps the most genuine of the night, Matheny certainly solidified his place under Hollywood’s brightest lights and gave the industry a glance at what could be Tinsletown’s most promising new director.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Even though her song “Coming Home” from the movie “Country Strong,” was nominated in the Best Original Song category, Randy Newman’s Toy Story 3 Anthem “We Belong Together,” won the trophy. Though the song may not have won, Gwyneth Paltrow proved that she is just as good as a singer as an actress when it came her time to perform the piece. With solid vocals and a demanding stage presence, Paltrow’s next award could very easily come in the form of a Grammy.
THE LOSERS
Annette Benning
It was almost painful to watch the “Kid’s Are All Right” star lose the award for Best Actress to youngster Natalie Portman. Right when Portman’s name was announced, Benning’s on-camera reaction looked downright miserable. For someone who has repeatedly lost at the Oscars, it feels as if this loss hit the heaviest. However, if Benning is able to deliver any formidable performance in the near future, she is almost guaranteed an Oscar. Fourth try is the charm, right?
The Hosts
Perhaps the biggest loser of the night, maybe even the whole decade, was the 83rd Annual Academy Awards’ decision to choose Anne Hathaway and James Franco as their hosts may go down as one of the most disastrous hosting attempts ever to happen. With the only redeeming factor being a semi-funny opening video, the night was full of awkward pauses, flat jokes, and a downright stoned faced Franco.
“Day & Night”
Imagine a charming, short film that involved the powerful likes of Disney and the pioneering animation studio Pixar that just as funny as it was serious, enter “Day & Night.” The short animated film was the frontrunner in its category, but experienced a pretty sizeable upset as it lost to the relatively unknown title “The Lost Thing”
THOSE IN BETWEEN
Christian Bale
It was great to see the deserving star win his first Oscar, but the combination of his distracting beard and odd acceptance speech landed him in between a loser and winner. Bale’s performance as a coked-out has-been boxer was precisely painful as it was genuine, and it’s a shame that he couldn’t carry over that genuineness when he approached the podium.
“Inception”
Even though the sci-fi, dream jumping movie’s director Christopher Nolan was surprisingly snubbed in the Best Director category, the film virtually swept the night’s technical awards. With trophies coming form categories like Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Sound Editing, “Inception” certainly didn’t go home empty handed.
PS 22 Chorus
What isn’t to love about a group of inner-city kids singing their hearts out in front of Hollywood’s biggest stars? Not much. However, the YouTube celebrities seemed a little ingenuine and at some points, it seemed as if the group of kids was actually lip syncing. However, the song choice was great and the kids deserve a lot of credit.
