Academy Awards

Well, no great surprises from the Academy Awards in terms of winners, but I thought the show was pretty wonderful. Hugh Jackman did a great job of the opening number, and Anne Hathaway was a really nice surprise in terms of her belting ability.

I was really glad that Sean Penn won for MILK. Thought he was incredible in his performance; in fact, it was hard to find Sean Penn in there - really felt like we were watching Harvey Milk. I loved Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona so was pleased to see that result as well. And even though I had a hard time with THE READER, I did think Kate Winslet turned in a great performance, nuanced and complete.

I guess it was a foregone conclusion that SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE would win the best picture category, and I thought it should. It was so different than an American movie- fresh, bold and fun to watch. So, here's a funny story- yesterday afternoon I was at the Santa Monica Pier, which is a long pier that has amusement park type rides and crappy food. It was a weekday, so very quiet, and we went on the Ferris wheel. I looked down at the roller coaster, and what did I see? All of the child actors from SLUMDOG and the director Danny Boyle going round and round and having the times of their lives. This young actors, some of whom were plucked out the slums, were soaking in every minute of this carnival like park, and Danny Boyle seemed to be really enjoying watching the kids live it up. Made me smile.