The 87th Academy Awards, better known as The Oscars, just ended and I thought I would post a few comments. Now, I don't usually even watch these things but after watching The Walking Dead I just flipped it over to see what was happening. I'm not gonna say I paid a lot of attention to the show since I was on my computer but I did catch a few things that I enjoyed.
I thought Lady Gaga brought the house down with her performance of The Sound of Music Tribute and judging by Julie Andrews' reaction afterwards, she did too. I thought it was funny seeing all the comments on Twitter and Tumblr about how Gaga can "actually sing." Well, yeah she can. What did you think she did for a living?
I think the next thing that caught my attention was Graham Moore's acceptance speech when he won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game.
If you don't know about The Imitation Game, it is about Alan Turing, a British cryptanalyst, who helped break the German's Enigma code during World War II and then was later prosecuted by the British for being a homosexual. How's that for gratitude? So when Graham Moore accepted his award, he gave such a wonderful, emotional, inspirational speech. He said,
“Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage like this and look out at all of these disconcertingly attractive faces — and I do. And I think that’s the most unfair thing I think I’ve ever heard. …When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself. Because I felt weird, and I felt different, and I felt like I did not belong. And now, I’m standing here. And so I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird, or she’s different, or she doesn’t fit in anywhere — yes you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn, and you are standing on this stage, please pass this message to the next person who comes along.” I hope that those people out there who feel they are different or weird heed his words. Without them, the world has no future.
“Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage like this and look out at all of these disconcertingly attractive faces — and I do. And I think that’s the most unfair thing I think I’ve ever heard. …When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself. Because I felt weird, and I felt different, and I felt like I did not belong. And now, I’m standing here. And so I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird, or she’s different, or she doesn’t fit in anywhere — yes you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn, and you are standing on this stage, please pass this message to the next person who comes along.” I hope that those people out there who feel they are different or weird heed his words. Without them, the world has no future.
I was so happy to see Eddy Redmayne win the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of astrophysicist and all-around brainiac Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. I watched this film twice and loved it both times. Redmayne was wonderful in this role.
And then you have the winner of Best Picture, Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). I've always enjoyed Michael Keaton and this movie was no different. I hope this triggers a comeback for Keaton since he has sort of been off the radar for a while.
Well, that's it for my Oscar night rambling. I really need to post here more often, don't I? I'll try to do better. Until next time, in the immortal words of Graham Moore, stay weird and stay different!!!
