• The first (and possibly only) real “gay” win of the night: The New Tenants, a delightful short about two gay men in a cursed apartment. And I do really well predicting the shorts.
• OK, here was the first big upset: Best adapted screenplay the Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious, not to Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, the favorites for Up in the Air.
• Queen Latifah, who canceled her DIFFA appearance last week because she “had to cancel all her March appearances,” apparently didn’t include the Oscars among such appearances.
• I’ve been pushing for an Oscar for Roger Corman for a decade — great to see him get an honorary award. And I am having lunch later this week with Lauren Bacall. I hope she brings her Oscar. (They receive the first standing ovation.)
• Lots of free-standing awards: It takes more than 90 minutes into the ceremony before a film wins a second Oscar as Mo’Nique joins Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious. The second stand O … and the most arrogant speech of the evening (or perhaps of all time) as she “thanks the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics…” which sounds to me like, “My win is not political — it was simply the best performance you saw last year.” Well, FUCK YOU Mo’Nique! (Oh, and congrats.)
I think you’re being a bit harsh to Mo’Nique. Latoya Peterson gives some context to what Mo’Nique was getting at in her acceptance speech.
https://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/26494