Ellen hosting the Oscars

[foxy]

What happened? She was really a disappointment. Bring back Billy Crystal.

[mmk123]

I disagree. I think she did a fantastic job. She was funny and sarcastic and had great timing. I would love to see her back next year -maybe Billy could host one year and Ellen the next and so on.

 

I wonder how the show would be if they co-hosted?

[bomerrang]

I thought she did very well, and I was at a very loud party. In fairness, I couldn't hear all she said & did.

 

Other notables:

 

Eva Marie Saint, who in the world is her Plastic Surgeon? He should be charged with malpractice.

 

Matthew McConaughey, what was that acceptance speech all about? Oh, it was all about God and himself. He thanked no one else.

 

The Divine Miss. Bette Midler, total tops! http://news.moviefone.com/2014/03/02/oscars-2014-bette-midler-sings-the-wind-beneath-my-wings/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D449690

[manTOman]

I too think Ellen did great.

I loved some of the more spontaneous moments she had with the audience/stars.

BTW, I think that was Kim Novak not Eva Marie Saint - but the plastic surgeon should be charged nonetheless.

[+ purplekow]

It was Kim Novak, 81. For that age, the surgery is probably 10 years old or more and so the surgeon really shouldnt be blamed, the ravages of time defy even the adept surgical hands, eventually. Eva Marie Saint is more than 90. I guess George Burns was on stage in his 90s but given Sidney Portier's performance, perhaps the Academy should evaluate not only status but functionality before parading the living dead on to the stage.

[jackhammer91406]

I agree with those who think Ellen did a good job. Loved the selfie bit and the pizza gag. The stars seemed much more relaxed, kinda like the Golden Globes.

[JT Brooklyn]

"Thank The Gods for DVR"! This Mutual Admiration/Marketing Gimmick just gets more Boring every year!

 

The Divine M was the Highlight..Ellen the Lowlight..Bet she won't be back for at least another 7 Year's...her schichtk is getting real old!

[Guest]

I agree with those who think Ellen did a good job. Loved the selfie bit and the pizza gag. The stars seemed much more relaxed, kinda like the Golden Globes.[/font][/size][/color]

 

OK. Sometimes I can be really slow. I didn't quite get the pizza gag. What was funny about it?

[TruHart1]

...Eva Marie Saint is more than 90...

 

If you are curious, Eva Marie Saint has a nice character part toward the end of Colin Farrell’s fantasy movie, Winter’s Tale, which I saw when it came out in theaters a few weeks ago. At age 89 (July 24, 1924 per IMDb), I believe she has aged much better than Ms. Novak but then again she doesn’t look as if she ever relied on a surgeon’s knife for facial reconstruction. BTW in their movie star days they both had that facial bone structure to die for!

 

TruHart1

[jgoo]

I thought Ellen was pretty good overall (although I did think the pizza gag was pretty lame)...a vast improvement over last year's host (Seth MacFarlane) or the duo hosts of several years ago (James Franco and Anne Hathaway, 2011) but no where as good as when Billy Crystal or Steve Martin hosted (imho). Going back even further, I have seen some clips of when Bob Hope hosted and from what I saw he was fantastic (which admittedly was probably highlights of his best moments). It has to be one of the toughest jobs.

[Samai139]

Last Sunday, on CBS' Sunday Morning Show, Eva Marie Saint was featured in one of their segments, along with her husband of over 60 years. There were several close ups of her face and she has the wrinkles and lines of a woman in her late 80's--it does not appear that she has had any surgery. She was very articulate and sharp in responding to questions--a very, very classy lady.

Kim Novak: I fell in love with her, as much as is possible for me, when I saw "Bell, Book and Candle." She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen on film. It was sad to see her at the Academy Awards---but it was harder to watch her bumbling attempts to communicate.

I agree that some stars of the past should just be allowed to fade away with fond memories. It's too painful to watch the wreckage that time and age bring. Kim Novak was the latest, but I recall cringing at others: Bette Davis, Kirk Douglas, etc. Perhaps if Hollywood wants to honour stars who are still alive but failing, they might broadcast a photograph of them at their most vibrant with a list of their achievements or simply wait for the "In Memoriam"

[bomerrang]

I stand corrected, it was Kim Novak re. my plastic surgery comment.

 

As stated prior, I was at a loud party.

[+ deej]

I agree with those who think Ellen did a good job. Loved the selfie bit and the pizza gag. The stars seemed much more relaxed, kinda like the Golden Globes.

 

Yeah, the selfie bit tweaked a current social meme and proved so popular it was retweeted enough times to crash Twitter. You know a gag hit its mark when it crashes Twitter.

 

The pizza bit was pure audacity. All week long I've been seeing interviews with Wolfgang Puck talking about how hungry the stars get by the time they get into the governor's ball. I thought it was great.

 

TMZ had a camera guy follow the delivery guy back to the shop where he got roaring cheers from his co-workers. Imagine, go out on a routine pizza delivery and end up on stage in front of 80 million people, helping Ellen serve pizza to Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, etc.. THAT guy got a memory for the ages!

[+ WilliamM]

Kim Novak: I fell in love with her' date=' as much as is possible for me, when I saw "Bell, Book and Candle." She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen on film. It was sad to see her at the Academy Awards---but it was harder to watch her bumbling attempts to communicate. I agree that some stars of the past should just be allowed to fade away with fond memories. It's too painful to watch the wreckage that time and age bring. Kim Novak was the latest....[/quote']

 

Kim Novak looks great and totally in control in this short video from Cannes nine months ago. I wonder what happen since then. To be fair, you can see the lines on both sides of her mouth that were much more obvious last night

 

[foxy]

I love Elle DeGeneres which is why I was so disappointed in her last night. I'll be curious to see what the press has to say. Luckily Ellen has a day job and made $65 million last year. I hope she gets another shot at hosting..

[Bart]

I thought Ellen did a more than credible job, remembering it is live TV. Does she play to the crowd who can be far more high-browed, friends in life and others who she would love to have on her show or does she play the TV audience. I have always felt the best hosts of the oscars are those who are use to live shows and audiences that can vary from day to day. Unlike the last couple of hosts, Ellen had a name that Seth did not and live and TV experience that the disaster that was Ann/James did not. Billy was offered a permanent gig but turned it down. Actually one of the best hosts of the Oscars after the many years of Bob Hope was Johnny Carson who knew Hollywood could toss a few Zingers and new how to keep a show going. I would say give Ellen a second chance to grow with the job. I think she is one of the few personalities that can handle the Hollywood crowd and still play to TV. I think Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel are bit young in the tooth yet to handle it but maybe someone who just retired from his late night gig may make a decent job at hosting the awards as well like his predecessor. One thing not to do co-hosts unless you can find another Tammy/Amy pair. Ugh there have been some awful pairings, Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn, Paul Hogan and others. I think given a shot at doing it for a couple of years she could be one of the best. What would be more fun would be to have the Razzies incorporated into the Oscars. Hollywood should learn to laugh at themselves more frequently. At least Adam Sandler would have more of presence on the show.

[Bart]

As to aging stars appearance, I think that is best left to the star themselves. I think for a lot of the stars to have one more moment of recognition while alive is better than none at all. We have film to remember them as young but for most to know that the younger stars will know who paved the way for them and audiences at home rekindle some memories of films gone by. So just because Kim is not as spry as Betty White, it was still good to see her and relive some of the memories of film'spast. What the directors need to do is to find a better format to bring the stars of years past back on to stage. Maybe it is just a presence in the audience and the host coming on stage with film clips of the stars past and they can rise and be recognized for years of achievement rather than necessarily speaking or walking across the stage. I would like to see the front row at the Oscars be there for those stars to attend and be recognized, rather than waiting for a memorium annoucement. I like the Bette Midler moment at it was at an appropriate time.

[Cooper]

Did Liza think this was funny?

 

There were several funny moments during Ellen's opening monologue. I found her reference to Liza Minnelli as being a male impersonator to be very funny. I hope Liza wasn't offended.

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/03/03/article-2571848-1BFA989C00000578-585_964x577.jpg

 

I really loved the selfie, definitely a memorable moment.

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/03/03/article-2571848-1BFB364300000578-664_964x541.jpg

 

Also thought Matthew McConaughey gave a excellent acceptance speech. Nice to see the men bringing along their moms.

 

http://cdn3.gossipcenter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/story_header/photos/mattcamila3214-sp.jpg

[Phil_musc]

Clearly I feel differently here - I thought Ellen did a fine job - I was entertained and laughed a lot. I thought she came off relaxed and funny. I liked the pizza bit.

Matthew McConaughey came across as incoherent to me and more than a little full of himself (of course he had just won the Oscar so being a little full of oneself is understandable). Sidney Poitier seemed to be struggling. Kim Novak could barely move her mouth - yes, she's had some work done - well, actually quite a bit I suspect but so what? I loved Bette's bit - it was tasteful and appropriate. Makes me sad though when I think how she was such an outsider and a rebel in her early years and now she is so mainstream. The best actress winner also seemed a little incoherent to me also. The director seemed poised and gracious.

[BgMstr4u]

I love Ellen, and was looking forward to her hosting. I guess I would give her a B minus. A good start to the monologue -- i loved the rain joke and the bit about "12 Years a Slave" wins or else you're all racists, which pretty well skewered the p.c. aura around that. I thought it helped everyone relax about it. I liked the fact that there were a lot more African-Americans on stage than in earlier years. But I thought her jibes at Amy Adams and Liza Minelli were small-minded, verging on cruel. I'm not sure I liked the wandering around the audience bit, but it did change the usual dynamic -- from a passive audience -- which we're all interested in anyway -- to a more participative one. The wandering about had good moments and also some duds. It would be worth working on to make it snappier. Certainly next year the people sitting in the front 5 center rows will know what might be coming. I thought they were mostly good sports, especially Meryl Streep. And the pizza guy was a doll. I hope he took away the hatful of money. Harvey Weinstein came through like a champ.

 

I thought the songs were better than usual, and Bette Midler was terrific. The video montages on ordinary and extraordinary heroes were jumbles. I just didn't get the point of them at all.

 

Every year i look forward to seeing the aging stars, and am always moved by their willingness to shuffle out and mumble their lines. It humanizes Hollywood for me, reminds me that these are people after all, and people get old. Old is part of life and should not be hidden away just because it doesn't promote the ageist agenda. The Oscars are nothing if not the celebration of the life of a community of people, and it was as if the whole community was on display. I am always distressed to see the wrecks of time, but also glad that we get to see people on the downslope as well as on the way up and at the peak. So Kim Novak and Sidney Poitier and the rest -- God bless you for putting yourself out there!

[actor61]

I thought Ellen was pretty good overall (although I did think the pizza gag was pretty lame)...a vast improvement over last year's host (Seth MacFarlane) or the duo hosts of several years ago (James Franco and Anne Hathaway, 2011) but no where as good as when Billy Crystal or Steve Martin hosted (imho). Going back even further, I have seen some clips of when Bob Hope hosted and from what I saw he was fantastic (which admittedly was probably highlights of his best moments). It has to be one of the toughest jobs.

 

Ellen started out well but then descended quickly into mediocrity. Admittedly, it's an almost impossible job, and she was less bad than others. I wish it HAD been Eva Marie Saint instead of Kim Novak! Poor thing could barely talk or walk. I just saw Saint in an interview on CBS this morning; at 89, she's alert, funny, spicy, sassy, honest and delightful. She stated that she had considered plastic surgery but her family begged her not to, so she never got the dread Hollywood facelift. For me, the worst surgery of the evening was on Liza Minnelli. Holy crap - she was barely recognizable. Friends of mine thought Ellen's joke about her being a female impersonator was cruel; I thought it was wickedly funny and spot on. I don't think Liza minded either. As one reviewer said this morning, Matthew McConaughey is "genuinely weird". He certainly proved it last night with that endless speech about being his own hero. But I was grateful that he didn't pull out a list and read off the names of his agent, lawyer, publicist, dog walker, maid, nanny and dentist. I think there should be an Academy rule against thanking "staff". It's so pretentious and unnecessary. Call them the next day or send them a card.

[thickornotatall]

Ellen did a very nice job....can't please every critic....McConaughey's speech forced me to turn the channel...self centered Christian ramble turns my stomach...same with all thepointing towards the sky...wtf?...god given talent or hard work....poor Kim Novak...I know she was in there...someplace....I see Liza Minelli with her sister on Madison Ave shopping....she was pulled together....literally....

[bostonman]

I found McConaughey insufferable and selfish. I was actually shouting "get off the stage" out loud to my TV - especially when he started that awful rant about the "hero in 10 years" thing. Part of it was also that he should have known full well that the night was getting late, and that a short, gracious heartfelt thank-you would have been much more effective than verbal diarrhea. (At the same time, I know it's a rush to be up there in that situation, and common sense sometimes goes away in such moments.)

 

Sometimes the in-jokes don't land either, and become equally selfish and attention-getting for the sake of being attention-getting. Why the hell was Blanchett yelling "#suck it" to Julia Roberts? I'm sure it means something to the two of them, but please don't do that if you can't let the rest of the viewing world in. (We've come a long way from Carol Burnett's fun ear-tug signal to her grandmother, to "hashtag suck it"...I'll take Burnett any day.)

 

I tuned in an hour late, so I don't know what I missed early on. But to me, the best (and simultaneously worst) moment of the evening was John Travolta fucking up Idina Menzel's name. That was a total WTF moment - and though I feel bad for Idina (who did, possibly, seem a bit thrown as she started to sing), I also have to say I still can't stop laughing. And yes, I know that supposedly Travolta is dyslexic, but still...

 

On the subject of singing - Bette's attempt at that awful song (sorry, I've never ever liked it, so sue me) was somehow both moving and sad...Pink's very odd take on "Some. WherrreO. Ver the Rainbow" was strange in context of a tribute to the film, I thought, though yes, very authentically Pink...but kudos to Darlene Love's bit of "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" - which said everything I think the pretentiously rambling McConnaughey was actually trying to get at, but in a more humble and much more entertaining way.

 

Ellen was fine. Personally, I tend to feel that part of the problem with having hosts for these award shows is that then they have to actually be given something to do. So, at the Tonys, for instance, we get all those timewaster segments where the host gets to do a big production number, etc. In view of that, I thought Ellen showed nice restraint - though i still think we probably heard too much from her - but that's not her fault - it's the fault of the writers and the way these shows are formatted.

[+ deej]

I found her reference to Liza Minnelli as being a male impersonator to be very funny. I hope Liza wasn't offended.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/03/03/article-2571848-1BFA989C00000578-585_964x577.jpg

 

 

Considering it's a joke Liza herself often makes (including as a guest on Ellen's show) I doubt she was all THAT offended.

[Cooper]

Considering it's a joke Liza herself often makes (including as a guest on Ellen's show) I doubt she was all THAT offended.

 

Not according to the NY Daily News: Oscars 2014: Liza Minnelli not amused after Academy Awards host Ellen DeGeneres joked that she looked like a male impersonator

 

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/oscars/liza-minnelli-called-male-impersonator-ellen-degeneres-article-1.1708518#ixzz2uwr0m5pO