Regarding Oscar

Choire Sicha is the managing editor of Gawker.com
They need to wake up in Hollywood this morning, climb into some pickup trucks and drive around to take away a bunch of people's Oscars so that they may properly be redistributed to all five of the best-actress nominees. That girl gang represented the majority of people displaying any talent at all Sunday night. There's no way one could have won without the others being robbed.

Also, the continuing willingness to ignore "Children of Men" -- which began with its studio dumping of a release -- sits really ill with me. What gives? Though if anything was going to beat it in one category, at least "The Departed" was really stunningly edited. In the age of the artistically ignorant producer and the manager-director, film editors are all that stands between the filmgoer and total chaos. In fact, the four of the five films in the editing category that I saw -- no amount of money could have made me see "Blood Diamond" -- were extraordinarily well edited. Anything that could deliver the absurd and reality-distorting script that was "Babel" into general film shape deserves some sort of award. So let's hear it for ladies and for editors, and especially for lady editors. They're playing in their own better field.

There are two grave oversights that occurred at nominations; after the events of Sunday night, they seem even more tragic. It was a crime that Clint Mansell wasn't nominated for his score for "The Fountain" -- absolutely one of the best scores of the year. You'll be pleased to know it's available on iTunes. Also, Robin Weigert went absolutely unrecognized for her totally fantastic turn as the limping blond friend of Cate Blanchett in "The Good German." It was a real, meaty, brilliant supporting performance made out of a thin role, and that's exactly the sort of work for which Hollywood should be giving thanks to its lucky stars.

Heather Havrilesky, Salon TV critic
Last night's Academy Awards should have been a disaster. The broadcast went over by more than 30 minutes, most of the winners were predicted three months ago, and Ellen DeGeneres kicked things off by dancing around on the stage with a tambourine like she was on set at her talk show, basking in the glow of love from her devoted fans.

The strange thing is, it worked. The relaxed, slightly rambling mood served the Oscars very well. DeGeneres' lines didn't feel manic or self-conscious or rushed the way other Oscar presenters' jokes have in the past. ("If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars ..." DeGeneres quipped. "Or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that.") The acceptance speeches weren't riddled with those endless lists of agents and stylists and fifth cousins that usually put viewers at home to sleep. And the little extras used to demonstrate each award were both illustrative and beautifully designed, from the snippets of screenplay read aloud for each original-screenplay nominee to the demonstration of how editors piece together shots for each best-editing nominee.

Yes, the dancers from Pilobolus forming the shadow of a V.W. bus with their bodies to bring to life "Little Miss Sunshine" was pretty silly, but the producers' hearts were in the right place. Each element of the show seemed to fit together exceptionally well this year, from the trivia read aloud for each winner ("In order to write 'Little Miss Sunshine,' Michael Arndt had to quit his job as assistant to Matthew Broderick," a voice told us as the winner of best original screenplay took the stage) to the postmodern split screen of the nominees' faces onstage, so that everyone in the theater could watch their reactions when the winner was announced. DeGeneres was fun and likable, the performances by the stars of "Dreamgirls" were fantastic, Al Gore was magnetic and charming. Has the world turned upside-down? Hell, even Celine Dion's song didn't bore me last night. Were they pumping some special happy gas into the theater, and how did they manage to get some of it into my living room?

Strangest of all, the best director (Martin Scorsese) won the best-director award, and the best picture ("The Departed") took the prize for best picture. How did that happen? After so many years of disappointing choices adding insult to the injury of lackluster broadcasts, Oscar may have finally redeemed himself ... at least until next year.

Next page: Hudson's win "a slap in the face to the craft of acting"?