Oscars - The Day After

You can't blame James Franco and Anne Hathaway anymore for the boredom that has become the Oscars. Other than Chris Rock and Will Ferrell/Zack Galifianakis, this show was insufferable. Bonus points to Emma Stone and Robert Downey, Jr. for at least trying to make things interesting.


Billy Crystal played like a greatest hits record. Kicking off the show with categories that no one cares about (no offense to that branch of the Academy) was a mistake. What was Sheila E doing in the balcony? Cirque de Soleil must be great live, but not when you're watching on TV at home. The Muppets weren't allowed to sing to give more time for...what? I know this year's batch of films wasn't the best, but there was plenty of talent around to work with. Eddie Murphy, you made the right move.


One other note - we know how talented the nominees are for Best Actor and Best Actress, so there's no need for last year's winners to pretend that they know them personally and detail all their performances.


As for my picks, I went 16 for 24, and 5 for 6 in the majors (I missed Meryl). Clearly I underestimated the power of Hugo in the minor categories.


Here are your Oscar winners (the ones in BOLD were my correct picks).


Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson, "Hugo"
Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schavo, "Hugo"
Best Costume Design: Mark Bridges, "The Artist"
Best Makeup: Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, "The Iron Lady"
Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Best Editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Best Sound Editing: Phillip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, "Hugo"
Best Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley, "Hugo"
Best Documentary: "Undefeated"
Best Animated Feature: "Rango"
Best Visual Effects: "Hugo"
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, "The Artist"
Best Original Song: Bret McKenzie, "Man or Muppet"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Best Live Action Short: "The Shore"
Best Documentary Short: "Saving Face"
Best Animated Short: "The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore"
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Best Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Best Picture: "The Artist"