What did you think of Chis Rock at the Oscars?

[HatchetMan]

I vote for option 2

[Bodyslide]

Option 2. Wasn't impressed with the 15 minutes I viewed the show.

[VCDHunter]

I never saw it so I can't really comment. It's hardly likely to be the uncensored Chris Rock so I can't really see the point of having him host it.

[richdvd]

Option 2 because I don't like him at all.

[bazooka]

Option 2

The oscars should have waited for a better host.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I also voted #2,I think he's a funny standup comedian but not appropriate for the Oscars.

[DarthCroc]

Option 3... would love to see Robyn Williams host the Oscars one of these days ... ok.. who voted #1???? :P

[Will Hay]

You missed an option.

What the **** did Chris Rock do at the Oscars to warrant this poll?
Will Hay

[HatchetMan]

^ hosted (or tried to at least, failed miserably imho)

[yoda313]

Hello,

TGPO option.....

Didn't watch this year since there weren't any movies I cared about.

NOW LAST YEAR

11 oscars for RETURN OF THE KING

Kevin

[BJ_M]

do you think they will ask him back ?

[yoda313]

Hello,



Nah it'll be Billy Crystal for the 15th time....

Actually Crystal was funny last year. I remember him joking about how long ROTK was - "I downloaded it last night - it took so long!!!"

Kevin

[BJ_M]

A Rock doesn't roll


Oscar producers had high hopes that the comedian Chris Rock would, as the Oscar host, have a broad enough appeal to boost ratings. Based on the results, "I don't think (veteran Oscar hosts) Billy Crystal and Steve Martin have anything to fear," said Brad Adgate, the senior vice president of corporate research at Horizon Media, a New York marketing firm.

Still, Adgate noted that Rock didn't exactly flop. The Academy Awards is still one of the highest-rated network shows of the year -- and that, said Adgate, is likely to remain the case for a long time. Advertisers, who shelled out an average $1.6 million per 30-second spot this year, are still willing to pay top dollar despite the gradual ratings decline.

"I think (bringing in a fresh face like Rock) was worth the risk," said Adgate.

But there's cause for some concern among network executives. Both the Golden Globes, the Academy Awards' chief rival, and The Grammys, its musical counterpart, are losing viewers. So too are The Emmys, the television industry's main back-slapping event of the year.

In January, 16.8 million television watchers on average tuned in to the Golden Globes, or about 40 percent fewer than the year before. The Grammys earlier this month posted its worst showing in a decade. An estimated 18.8 million, or 28 percent less, tuned in to what is considered the world series of the music industry.

Meanwhile, last fall The Emmys scored its smallest audience since 1990.

Jack Myers, an independent media analyst and publisher of Jack Myers Report, attributes viewer apathy to both Hollywood's dearth of blockbuster hits as well as the absence of any big-name draws at the actual awards ceremonies.

"It used to be that Madonna or Michael Jackson was going to be on the music award show or Barbra Streisand was going to sing at the Academy Awards," said Myers. "Those (entertainers) are going to draw huge numbers."

But Myers noted too that declining ratings for awards shows are part of a broader falloff in network audiences. "Everything is suffering, not just the awards shows, from a slow erosion over time," said Myers.

Given the myriad forms of entertainment now available to consumers, "the excitement of these big events in general is diminished," said Myers. "There's just so much out there."

Still, like Adgate of Horizon Media, Myers thinks the Oscars remain a good bet for advertisers. Sunday night's 14.9 rating among the 18-49 demographic that advertisers covet most, while lower than last year, "is excellent," he said.

read the rest here

http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/28/news/fortune500/oscar_ratings/index.htm?cnn=yes

[yoda313]

Hello,

PLUS they never give awards to any of the "popular" movies. Just the artsy fartsy "drama" movies.....

I mean come on what's wrong with giving an action flick top honors once in awhile???? Or the REJECTION OF SCIFI?????

The only reason they let ROTK win 11 awards last year was because they were SNUBBED for FELLOWSHIP and TWO TOWERS. They just won't give in to "big budget" movies. Don't talk to me about TITANIC - yuck....... Doesn't count in what I'm arguing about..... Movies like MEN IN BLACK or JURASSIC PARK - or even HARRY POTTER...

They ignore much of the "public crowd pleasers" and go for the dodgy mildewy sob fests that I avoid like the plague.....

Kevin

[BJ_M]

HARRY POTTER should get an award for just great entertainment and story telling .. i love those movies ..

[yoda313]

Hello,

That's what I'M TALKING ABOUT! I mean just because a movie isn't "deep" or "hip" doesn't mean it isn't deserving of recognition.....

Didn't they make the computer animated movie category after TOY STORY???? If it wasn't a hit movie that category wouldn't have been created. The academy (in my opinion) is too rigid and closed minded to give due consideration to movies the REST OF THE WORLD actually pays to watch and enjoy....

Kevin

[NiteLite]

Hello,

PLUS they never give awards to any of the "popular" movies. Just the artsy fartsy "drama" movies.....
I mean come on what's wrong with giving an action flick top honors once in awhile????
Movies like MEN IN BLACK or JURASSIC PARK - or even HARRY POTTER...
They ignore much of the "public crowd pleasers" and go for the dodgy mildewy sob fests that I avoid like the plague.....
Kevin

Artsy fartys drama??? Drama has always and always will be the choice for Oscar. What do you want... an Oscar for "American Pie"?
It's about the acting not the content or box office figures..
MIB and Jurassic Park were very enjoyable movies but do you really think they had great actors doing their best acting. I say not after seeing Tommy Lee Jones in "The Execution Of Private Slovik" or Will Smith in ...nothing comes to mind...oh well...I like his movies.
Remember the Academy is a more mature block. Maybe one day Jay and Silent Bob will win Best and Supporting Actor awards. And I like Kevin Smith movies also. They just aint Oscar caliber.
Comedies do win sometimes but it better be a heck of an adventure for an Action/ Adventure film to get a nod.
My favs seem to always be Indys that are dialog based. I enjoy some action movies but I dont expect them to show up on the Red Carpet.
I'm just glad so many enjoy movies - whatever their taste are. And I think taste in movies may be all about age and gender.

Kevin nothing personal about your post. I just quoted it because it seemed to sum up things pretty good.

[Rookie64]

The academy (in my opinion) is too rigid and closed minded to give due consideration to movies the REST OF THE WORLD actually pays to watch and enjoy....

closed minded would be to not include anything but what makes the most money :P


As for ARTSY, I wouldn't call what they nominate ART FILMS.
It's pretty much mainstream all around, give or take a few Foreign Language films and short features.

The true Art Films are what are most overlooked ( Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Sideways, Supersize Me are not what I'd consider Art Films either)


If ya would've watched the show, you would've seen the little presentation Chris Rock did asking the average person what they thought was the Best movie of the year, and each would say something like Alien Vs. Predator, Saw et al.

Then he'd ask them if they saw any of the nominated films, and almost all of 'em said No.

But that's sort of the point about award shows - to give media attention to stuff that would otherwise go unnoticed and to help boost sales of such films


Anyway, if you would look beyond the main categories, you'd notice there were plenty of nominations for the type of movies you'd like to see get nominated -


ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

THE INCREDIBLES
SHARK TALE
SHREK 2


SOUND EDITING:

THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
SPIDER-MAN 2

SOUND MIXING:

THE AVIATOR
THE INCREDIBLES
THE POLAR EXPRESS
RAY
SPIDER-MAN 2

VISUAL EFFECTS:

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
I, ROBOT
SPIDER-MAN 2

MUSIC (SCORE):

FINDING NEVERLAND
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
THE VILLAGE

COSTUME DESIGN:

THE AVIATOR
FINDING NEVERLAND
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
RAY
TROY

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

THE AVIATOR
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT


One guy even made the comment about how relieved he was that there were no Lord Of Rings movies to be nominated this year, or else he wouldn't 've stood a chance at getting the award.

You can knock the Oscars all you want (I often do as well), but I'm not really seeing your point here.


As for Chris Rock, he did OK...nothing outstanding...but I'd sure take him over David Letterman any time.

The best jokes of the night though were coming from Johnny Carson (highlights of previous shows) so that wasn't a good sign for Chris.

And Sean Penn was getting ready to slug him one for his comment about Jude Law

[VCDHunter]

The BBC liked him -

New Oscar host Chris Rock shone as he took to the biggest stage possible - rewarding the Academy for the risk they took in selecting him.
Brought in as part of an effort by the Academy to freshen up the awards, Rock - who received a standing ovation before uttering a word - ordered the assembled A-listers to "sit your asses down".

But - unlike David Letterman, a notorious flop as host - Rock, only the fifth presenter since 1990, was wise enough not to turn the Academy Awards into a four-hour long stand-up gig.

Instead, he relaxed and let his natural wit sparkle - without having to enter into a tirade of swear words, as some TV executives had feared.

Five-second delay

Rock began with a opening monologue that took in Hollywood's "black" movies, President Bush's record in office - and some ego-deflating digs at other actors.

CHRIS ROCK'S BEST QUOTES

"It's a great night tonight. We have four black nominees tonight. It's kinda like Def Oscar Jam tonight"
"[Cate Blanchett] was so convincing [as Katharine Hepburn] that Sidney Poitier showed up at her house for supper"
"The only acting you ever see at the Oscars is when people act like they're not mad they lost"
"Nicole Kidman was smiling so wide, she should have won an Emmy at the Oscars for her great performance. I was like, if you'd done that in the movie, you'd have won an Oscar, girl"
"They like to say there's over 100 stars out tonight. No there's not. There's only four real stars. The rest are just popular people. Clint Eastwood is a star. That's a star.... Tobey Maguire is just a boy in tights"
"You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait. Alexander is not Gladiator"
"Black movies don't have real names, they have names like Barbershop. That's not a name, it's just a location"
"Who is Jude Law? Why is he in every movie I have seen in the last four years? Even if he's not acting in, if you look at the credits he makes the cupcakes or something"
He described Spiderman's Tobey Maguire as "just a boy in tights" and laid into British actor Jude Law, "in every movie I have seen in the last four years".

Indeed, that comment would later earn Rock a rebuke from Sean Penn - announcing the best actress award - who asked that the Academy "forgive my lack of humour... Jude Law is one of our most talented actors".

Rock did however highlight his own film failings, a trick perhaps learned from legendary host Bob Hope.

"You want Denzel [Washington] and all you can get is me? Wait," he deadpanned, before adding, "Denzel's a fine actor. He would never have made Pootie Tang."

In truth, Rock was never in danger of requiring the five-second delay placed on the coverage.

However, perennial Oscars host Robin Williams came closer to testing the censors. Having allegedly been told he was not to refer to a protest by a conservative group about "gay" cartoon characters, Williams walked on stage with a piece of paper stuffed in his mouth - before taking it out and announcing that "[Spongebob] SquarePants is not gay".

"Tight pants, maybe. SpongeBob Hot Pants, you go girl. What about Donald Duck? Little sailor top, no pants... Bugs Bunny? In more dresses than J Edgar Hoover at Mardi Gras."

Carson tribute

But in keeping with the new, brisk tone of a show that traditionally overruns long into the night, Rock did not hang around between awards; a quick one-liner and then it was on with the next presenter. The result was that the entire show ran for nearly an entire hour less than usual.

Other innovations to speed things up included Cate Blanchett presenting an award from the audience next to the winners, where they accepted it standing next to their seats.

And some of the less high-profile awards saw all of the nominees head to the stage at the same time. The winners then simply accepted the award while the less successful walked quietly away. This prompted Rock to joke that next year the awards would be handed out in the car park: "Drive through and get your Oscar."

However, Rock was not the only comedy highlight - Pierce Brosnan's appearance alongside The Incredible's Edna Mode worked very well. Less successful was the somewhat surreal teaming of Beyonce Knowles and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber on piano.

On a more serious note was a tribute to the late Johnny Carson, who was a five-time Oscar host himself.

A selection of Carson's best lines was finished with an emotional little "goodnight".

Meanwhile, there would seem to be little doubt that Rock will be invited back.

The comedian had admitted before the awards that he intended to tour Europe and worldwide afterwards - effectively using the Oscars to boost his own prospects. In return, he was to provide the Oscars with a younger, wider audience in a year where the films on display have attracted fewer audiences than at any time since 1983.

Whether he has been successful will only be borne out by viewing figures - but Rock's first stint as Oscar host will not have done his own career any harm at all.

[Baldrick]

It was ok, nothing special.

BEst was Clint Eastwoods mom.

[Hardcoreruss]

I read about that in the rag this morning, 96!!!!

[VCDHunter]

I read about that in the rag this morning, 96!!!!

What happened ?

[BJ_M]

96 years old

[HatchetMan]

That was amazing, and she was there 13 years ago, last time he won an oscar.

[VCDHunter]

96 years old

and ?

[BJ_M]

she will be 97 next birthday

[BJ_M]

What was censored at the Oscars

Robin Williams song pulled

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- At the Oscar awards, what was not said was probably more interesting than what was.

Hollywood's big night Sunday was beamed to the world with a five-second time delay, and broadcaster ABC ordered some controversial quips cut before the show, sparking debate about how far political correctness should go and freedom of speech controlled.

Comedian Robin Williams said it all when he walked on stage with a piece of white tape over his mouth.

Williams was to have performed a song lampooning conservative critic James C. Dobson, whose group had criticized cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants for appearing in a video it branded "pro-homosexual."

He was going to do it by concentrating on the dark underside of other cartoon characters, asking, for example whether Casper the Friendly Ghost wore that white sheet as a member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Marc Shaiman, who wrote Williams' original routine, said he decided to withdraw the material after ABC raised objections that would have led to him re-writing 11 of 36 lines. ABC declined to comment.

"It's ironic because I feel the song is silly and the situation is silly and yet on the other hand it's extremely serious," Shaiman told Reuters from New York. "This is the most blatant, immature censorship that I've ever come across."

Williams did eventually develop an act questioning cartoon characters' sexuality. But it was a pale imitation of some of the lines originally planned and he looked pained performing it.

"The show lost what would have been the best minute-and-a-half they would have had last night," said Shaiman, before adding: "Where does the buck stop?"

Chris Rock, the edgy black comedian called in to host the show, and, some say, to boost flagging ratings, was also in trouble long before the Oscars got under way.

He previously joked that straight, black men did not watch the Oscars, drawing an angry response from commentators like Jake Lamar, an African American who called Rock's comments "a massive generalization" and "depressing."

Then Oscar producer Gil Cates weighed in, calling ABC's decision to introduce a time delay in transmitting from Kodak Theatre a "terrible idea" and a concession to political correctness.
Back to Janet Jackson

Federal regulators may boost fines for U.S. broadcasters following last year's infamous Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" by singer Janet Jackson in which she bared her breast.

Earlier this month the U.S. House of Representatives voted to raise the maximum indecency fine to as much as $500,000 from $32,500.

On the one hand, commentators predict that the more networks are forced to sanitize shows, the less people will be inclined to watch.

But at the same time, the more a show's producer warns viewers they may be offended, the more they are likely to tune in.

"The entertainment industry is figuring out how to spin and use this paranoia we've encountered since the Super Bowl," said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University.

"People wanted to make sure they were present if the next Janet Jackson moment happened."

In the end Rock's content was political and racial but avoided becoming the main issue on the night.

Thompson said Rock's natural instinct would have been to go much further with his humor, but he had too much to lose.

"He is going to play by the house rules," he said. "He realizes that certain compromises have to be made."

Williams was not available to comment on his act at the Oscars, but he told the New York Times on Friday:

"For a while you get mad, then you get over it. They're afraid of saying Olive Oyl is anorexic. It tells you about the state of humor. It's strange to think: How afraid are you?"

[VCDHunter]

she will be 97 next birthday

I'm obviously missing something here. I am to believe the best thing about the Oscars is an old woman, who's son is there ? Jesus, how bad is this show ?

[BJ_M]

don't know - i only watched about 30 seconds of it as i passed by a TV in the basement

[HatchetMan]

she will be 97 next birthday

I'm obviously missing something here. I am to believe the best thing about the Oscars is an old woman, who's son is there ? Jesus, how bad is this show ?

Only Baldrick said that was the "best" part. We were only stating the significance of Clint's mother. I mean damn, 96 and still up and about. He is very lucky. I may have also disliked the Oscars, but I did enjoy the fact that my 3 favorite movies of the year (Aviator, Ray, Million Dollar Baby) took home the most awards. Oh yeah, I also liked the fact that Incredibles beat Shrek 2. Now I just gotta rent Neverland when it comes out.