yes, i tuned into the academy awards last night depsite my need too study (hey, i still aced the test), which also explains my delayed response. overall it was a good show, especially on jon stewart’s part, picking up the last-minute hosting duties after his last effort seemed to flop. he was very funny (surprise!) and kept the inevitably boring montages light, poking fun at the lengthy tributes. he picked on everyone from dennis hopper (poor guy) to hillary clinton (not so sympathetic towards her). he opened the show by referring to it as the “make-up sex” following the 3-month strike.

stewart noted the dark themes of this year’s nominees to which he asked, “does this town need a hug? all I can say is, thank god for teen pregancy,” an obvious reference to juno (which won diablo cody best original screenplay).

later in the show he picked on the pregnant attendees (nicole kidman, cate blanchett and jessica alba), presenting them as nominees for a fake award. “and the baby goes to…angelina jolie!” jolie was not present nor has she officially confirmed her pregnancy, but she did recently show off her “baby bump” (as perez likes to call it) at an event.

as for the top-category winners, daniel day-lewis won for best actor in there will be blood, which i still need to see. in fact, i won’t comment much on any of the films, considering i’ve been in cinematic isolation the last year. nevertheless, this method actor impressed me with the 2-second clip they showed of his performance. now that’s saying something.

best actress went to the adorably gorgeous and french marion cotillard for her role in la vie en rose. it was nice to see her win as she was crying all the way up to the stage, throughout her speech and while walking off the stage. of course, she looked stunning even with tears falling down her face. charming.

the handsomely spanish javier bardem took home best supporting actor for his role in the cohen brother’s adaptation of no country for old men (which won them awards for best director and best adapted screenplay). before i go any further, am i crazy or does javier remind you of jeffrey dean morgan? i swear…if it wasn’t for the accent…

anyway, best supporting actress went to a seemingly shocked tilda swinton for her portrayal as a lawyer opposite george clooney in michael clayton. and finally, the pinnacle award of the night, best picture, went to no country for old men, which didn’t seem to surprise many.

one of the highlights of the show, for me at least, was jon mclaughlin’s performance of “so close” from the film enchanted. i don’t know the song itself, but i’m a big fan of jon. after having reviewed his album, i became an instant fan. both his songwriting and his abilities as a pianist are truly amazing, not to mention they embody something too often missing from artists in the industry nowadays.

stay tuned for my fashion follow-up to the show.