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We are only two days away from the start of the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Like what I did last year, I wanted to jot down my predictions very close to the event because my opinion would be more set in stone by then. One of the best things about Eurovision is the sheer unpredictability of it all. For instance, if you told me during the national selections that Georgia had a high chance to stand above the others, I would think you were mad.
So here's what I think and believe about this year's entries, grouped together into special categories that seem fitting:
THE FRONT RUNNERS
When The Netherlands dropped "Arcade", it first shocked everyone to the core. Then it made those same people giddy that Amsterdam has a high chance of hosting next year. This is the song that is the one to beat and so far all of its opponents have fallen by the wayside. They only thing that could trip up Duncan Lawrence and his evocatively beautiful song is the staging. Practically everyone is severely disappointed by the low key choice of having him sitting at a piano for three minutes while the lighting and cameras do the work. But the song is just so damn good to fail at this point.
Eurovision fans were ecstatic when their wishes came true: Sergey Lazarev was going to represent Russia again after their first ever non-qualification last year. The man who gave us "You Are The Only One" and the visual feast of a performance?! Hot damn! Then, we got to finally his new song "Scream" and all of the hype quickly dissipated. But they could make up for it with the performance, right?! Nope. Once the rehearsals revealed that Lazarev will be trapped in the leftover "Shady Lady" set and play around with clones on accompanying LED screens, the odds dropped again. It's now looking to snag second or third.
There have been many trends in this year's Eurovision but the one that has annoyed me the most are the "Fuego" clones. Switzerland has the king of them with Luca Hänni's "She Got Me", along with ripping off "Despacito". The plagiarism train continued when we got to take a gander at what Hänni will be wearing, namely the same baggy jock outfit that Israel's Imri wore in 2017. Shockingly, this one has been all the rage with the fan groups much to the chagrin of many harsher voices. Thankfully it has lost some considerable amount of steam in Tel Aviv and will certainly not bring the crown back to the punching bag that is Switzerland.
Rap has never really worked in Eurovision. Italy looks to change the long standing grudge against hip hop with Mahmood and his catchy yet somber song "Soldi". The Big Five member is sure to win the most points with the juries and televoters, as it is the most popular country among the group, but I believe that it will respectively place just outside the top three.
THE SLAYERS
Katerine Duska has greatly pulled Greece up from the depths to give the once fan favorite country a worthy shot at the crown. However, it all boils down to whether or not Duska can pull off her unique vocals and that high note. She has struggled with both while on the road but it seems she has gotten a handle of it in Tel Aviv.
Cyprus so strongly wants to win this year that they just copied and pasted "Fuego". The same writing team, the same beats and drops, the same repetitive chants, etc. "Replay" has grown on me since my initial eye-roll at its music video premiere but I never really believed the hype as others did. The rehearsals seem to confirm my suspicions as there has been a lot criticism at Tamta's vocal ability. Some critics proclaim that she sings exactly like her studio track yet the preview videos from the EBU themselves reveal her struggles to carry a tune. We will have to see on Tuesday when she opens the entire contest as the first hopeful. To all of Cyprus and its fans: pray that she doesn't end up having the same fate as Aisel last year.
I stupidly overhyped Australia last year only to end up with the country/continent having a poor showing at the grand final and being a total flop in the televote. People were already crying foul that their newest representative Kate Miller-Heidke were going to steal Estonia's last year presentation but they something up their sleeve for Tel Aviv. It seems the classically trained pop-opera singer will be singing "Zero Gravity" while standing on a very bendy bar in order to simulate the literal translation of the song's title. We now just have to wait and see if the televote will propel the song into the upper echelon of the final results.
Fan fatigue seems to be set in stone for Sweden right now. The country did extremely well in the jury votes only to drop like a rock in the televote. John Lundvik stormed through Melodifestivalen with the rousing gospel-pop tune "Too Late for Love", nabbing 12 points from all of the jury (the only person to do so in history) and easily won the Swedish televote. Many see this as a possible usurper but Sweden's faltering popularity post-2015 and the noticeable lack of non-white Eurovision winners look to stop his chances.
I've been a big fan of France every since the utterly charming Bilal Hassani first sang "Roi" at the national semi-finals. Most have fobbed him off due to his YouTube celebrity status and his less-than-stellar vocals but I stuck by it when everyone else seemed to forget about it. My devotion seems to be paying off as the country is set to go all out in the staging department.
Azerbaijan pretty much pulled what Cyprus did last year. Chingiz and his song "Truth" had its fans but the radio friendly tune didn't win over a lot of critics. Some even thought that it might have been on the fence of qualification. But everybody shut their trap when the first rehearsal revealed all of the LED, CGI, and actual robots that would be used in the performance. That certainly is the old school Eurovision spirit of Azerbaijan: win with all their money and might.
TOP TEN HOPEFULS
I like many hardcore Eurovision fans fell in love with Iceland this year. The country decided to bring forth Hatari, an anti-capitalist industrial rock band that dresses in full BDSM gear and subtly has a tongue permanently affixed to their cheek. I even though the could be the next Lordi and somehow steal the crown away from the heavy favorites. Alas, I truly believe that many voters and juries will be turned off by the elaborate show in front of them plus be annoyed by the unique vocals and harsh music. Still has a firm chance of being in the top ten just from the presentation alone but it may suffer like AWS did last year.
Miki from Spain has been going strong since clinching the national final and has that "it" factor when it comes to performing at Eurovision. Some however have been dismayed at the chances of "La Venda" when the revamp killed the heavy brass in the song. The committee still see a light at the end though as they have poured a lot of time and money into the staging, giving the viewer a huge facade of apartments and a giant metaphorical puppet. I don't see it as a definite winner but is sure to be liven up the crowd in the second half of the grand final.
Czech Republic has a chance to replicate their all-time best placing last year with another modern pop ditty and its Instagram-inspired staging. "Friend of a Friend" has been ridiculed for some of its lyrics but many have already looked past it thanks to its earwormy nature.
FINAL FILLERS
Serbia is going to easily get into the final simply because the country has always been a huge favorite in the contest plus the added benefit of having its Balkan buddies being in the same semi-final. Nevena Božović is a great singer and I'm glad she has a strong chance to make good from her previous attempt at Eurovision in 2013 as part of the group Moje 3. I just wish I could connect with the song better though. Maybe the performance will do it.
Formerly known as F.Y.R. Macedonia, North Macedonia looks to shake the cobwebs and all of their bad juju off this year. "Proud" is a soaring yet not very original declaration for female empowerment and always had dark horse potential. The rehearsals show that they aren't going to falter like they usually do in the staging department and I frankly like Tamara Todevska's somehow controversial green dress.
Romania was pissed after their first non-qualification last year that they pretty rigged their national final so that the international juries had more say in their selection. The maneuver seems to be working as "On a Sunday" and the dark gothic staging accompanying it is winning fans.
Srbuk of Armenia has survived some disastrous showings at some of the pre-contest concerts to earn and her country a chance at reaching the Grand Final. The rehearsals have been promising and there isn't a lot of bad ass female songs this year.
The biggest praise Norway has been getting with "Spirit in the Sky" is it help bringing the Sami language back to Eurovision. Outside of that, not much else is going for it. The dance pop song is sure to bring party vibes to the audience but other entries have better potential to get the crowd moving plus the trio just don't seem to connect very well each other.
Holy moly, Georgia certainly brought it. Oto Nemsadze was given the golf clap during the lead-up to the contest and everyone pencilled this one in as having no chance in hell to qualify. Then people saw the first rehearsal and all of the dark imagery, fire, and dramatic scope the country is bringing to their blatantly jingoistic "Keep On Going".
My gut is telling me that Belarus will be a shocking qualifier. I can see more voters for its pure teen pop nature than a group of female singers and a deadly serious and droning duo.
Hungary allowed Joci Pápai to return to Eurovision but his ode to his father is being overshadowed by one that is all-around better in quality. Highly likely to be there on Saturday but certainly will not match Pápai's top ten finish in 2017.
I just don't get Malta. They wanted to ride on the still lingering hype train of last year's "Fuego" so they took their most recent X Factor winner, removed her strong ability to belt out a tune and give her the awkward pop ditty "Chameleon". They have a lot to going in their performance with some background special effects but that same strategy didn't save "Taboo" from non-qualification. I think it will pass the semi-final round but fall badly in the grand final.
At one point, Estonia was up there as a top ten hopeful. Unfortunately for them, the visual wow of green screen trickery and clever camera work that helped it win Eesti Laul still hasn't been replicated in Tel Aviv. They have a razor thin chance of qualifying but I can see it crossing the finish line just from the ambition and the production value alone.
Germany looks to falter significantly after their phoenix-like rebirth last year. "Sister" can still win people over with its message of sisterhood but the staging has taken a huge hit and everyone still refuses to get over how the duo S!sters aren't actually sisters.
Israel really doesn't want to win again. They already losing a ton of money hosting the contest and are now losing more because of the greedy handling of the tickets. "Home" is not really wowing anyone beyond Kobi Marimi's vocal range so they can at least have one sigh of relief.
Eurovision is certainly bigger than The United Kingdom at this point, as their selection "Bigger Than Us" is sure to flounder badly at the grand final, possibly earning the dreaded 26th place.
PAINFUL ELIMINATIONS
What happened Albania? I loved this song when it became the first one selected for the contest and got better when the revamp dropped. But the rehearsals have thrown off everyone's predictions as it seems to fallen completely apart due to the staging. The song is there, the message is there, and Jonida Maliqi is always there but the lack of staging looks to deep six their qualification.
I'm crossing my fingers fiercely for Austria to qualify. I adore the song but the lack of pre-contest hype and some stinging criticism about PAENDA's voice for the track was too great. People have started to turn around since the rehearsals but it looks too little, too late.
Portugal wowed many people with the eclectic Conan Osiris and his song "Telemóveis" but the divisive tune has routinely failed to resonate with critics in Tel Aviv.
People were jumping up and down when San Marino was announced to perform last in their semi-final. "Say Na Na Na" is an infectious dance track and many fans already enjoyed the artist Serhat back in the 2016 contest. Unfortunately, the actual performance isn't going to be as great and uplifting as the song's music video.
I actually dig the alternative rock sounding "Fire of Love" from Poland and for its effort of bringing the folk stylings of "white voice" to the general public. But the group Tulia had to go through a lot of drubbing on its way to the contest as many questioned their singing efforts and their usage of a backing track at concerts. Their contest performance looks to dispel all of these concerns and it is quite striking but it remains an uphill battle for the quartet to qualify.
DEAD ON ARRIVAL
Poor Montenegro. When I first checked out the national hopefuls for the country, "Heaven" was my runner-up. I eventually developed a soft spot for the cheesy song and the group D mol when the video of the national-winning performance came out, with the six young hopefuls standing and dancing on a high school approved set of a measure. Then came the music revamp which made the song more modern but at the expense of turning it into a complete mess. Further hampering their chances is the continuing struggles for the group to develop any sense of a harmony. And the less said about the rehearsals and what they have planned, the better.
Croatia sunk their chances of qualification once they saw Roko's leather jacket with angel wings combo. He has a great voice but his costume plus the awful English first half of the song utterly killed him.
Belgium made a very big deal when Eliot was announced as their singer and heavily hyped up the song. When it finally dropped, everyone seemed to have the same criticism: the verses were great but the chorus is sorely lacking. Eliot's live vocals have been very hit-or-miss since then and the flat stage design of two drummers and Eliot donning some kind blue and orange mountain-climbing jacket have many crossing a big red X for "Wake Up".
Latvia chose to have the coffee shop friendly "That Night" as their pick but it is too limp, too etherial to stick with voters.
Everbody raised an eyebrow when 90s house sensation and one-hit wonder Darude was selected to represent Finland. People then looked away when his song with Sebastian Rejman "Look Away" was selected. They had a brief glance back when word of Rejman's jean-pants during the rehearsals came out though.
Ireland had an alright song but the staging of it makes me shake my head viciously. A bad mixture of Latvia 2012 and Czech Republic 2009 with a hint of American Graffiti.
Nobody is running for Lithuania. Don't mind the song but they have no budget for the performance and no visual pop to make you forget about it.
Moldova is more popular by Eurovision fans for bringing the party with their selections. They have done ballads in the past, most notably with Aliona Moon in 2013 with the great "O Mie", but Anna Odobescu's "Stay" instantly fell on deaf ears. The only saving its chances now is the performance as they brought on famed sand artist Kseniya Simonova to create one of stories on the big screen while Odobescu sings. However, save for casual viewer, everyone is very well aware that this was previously done in 2011 by Ukraine, who hired Simonova herself to distract viewers away from a crappy song.
I remember a lot of people raving and moving their heads for Denmark and their song "Love Is Forever". Everyone now seems to have returned to their jaded views of the current world and are routinely panning the lovey-dovey ode to peace. What a waste of a perfectly fine 30 foot chair.
Slovenia has a higher chance of qualifying then the others here, hence why it's towards the bottom, but I frankly have not gotten the song nor the sheer boring staging since the national finals. They really should have went with Raiven and "Kaos".
For those you want the Cliff Notes version, here's what I have as my predictions for qualifying in the two semi-finals.
Semi Final 1:
Australia
Belarus
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Georgia
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Serbia
Potential stealer(s) - Slovenia
Potential non-qualifier - Estonia, Iceland, Hungary
Semi Final 2:
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Malta
The Netherlands
North Macedonia
Norway
Romania
Russia
Sweden
Switzerland
Potential stealer(s) - Albania, Austria, Denmark, Moldova
Potential non-qualifier - Malta, Norway
As a little incentive, here's my top ten favorite songs from this year's Eurovision in alphabetical order:
Albania
Austria
France
Greece
Iceland
Italy
The Netherlands
Portugal
Sweden
Spain
I also asked my non-fan father to listen to the official recap video of all 41 songs and come up with his own top five. Here's what he came up with:
1. Sweden
2. Latvia
3. Denmark
4. Russia
5. The Netherlands
The semi-finals will take place on May 14 and May 16. You will need to stick to Twitter updates or via other countries' streams in order to enjoy them. The same now goes with the Grand Final, as Logo and Viacom decided to cancel the live airing on Saturday May 18.
It was sadly announced yesterday that Mexican luchador Silver King (César Cuauhtémoc González Barrón) had passed away. He collapsed in the middle of a match against Juventud Guerrera and was later pronounced dead from a heart attack. He was 51 years old.
The second son of lucha legend Dr. Wagner, Silver King was more widely known for his tag team work. He allied himself with El Texano as Los Cowboys and also with his real-life brother Dr. Wagner Jr., who is easily considered the greatest all-around luchador today. In Japan, he took over the mantle of Black Tiger from hall-of-famer Eddie Guerrero but only had a lackluster run as the anime villain. He brought the gimmick back with him in Mexico, humorously keeping up the charade of being a Japanese wrestler, and had more success with it, eventually leading to mask vs. mask match against L.A. Park in 2006. Since then he was a consistent presence in the AAA promotion and the indies, often allying or betraying his brother.
Mainstream audiences and non-wrestling fans will best recognize him as the villainous Ramses in the Jack Black comedy vehicle Nacho Libre.
Silver King was the one of the most underrated professional wrestlers in the modern era in my opinion. He had a very hard time escaping out of the immense shadow of his far more popular brother but he always was great in the ring and carried himself as a true professional.
He will sorely be missed.
Sonic The Hedgehog (2019)
Official Trailer
Watch It Here
Person of Interest: Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, James Marsden as a sheriff in Green Hills (Get It?!), Tika Sumpter as some lady, and Neal McDonough as Major "Nobody Cares" Bennington.
Scene Pop: That first backside shot of Sonic. Dear lord.
Effective?: Oh no, no, no. Not taking the massive thumbs down rating it is receiving into account, this trailer is just terrible all around and deserves to be used as an example on how not to market a film. Firstly, why is it set to Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise"? The dark beat of the song absolutely doesn't match up with the poor preschool level humor on display nor heightens any of the other scenes, all of which look so poorly crafted that it makes the movie look like an Asylum joint. Then you have the awful decision to show Sonic in all of his disturbing glory up front. His body is so badly misshapen, the human teeth is just plain weird, and the face looks dreadful when he's not doing the famed Sonic tude stare. Oh, and who can forget the pitiful trailer stinger, which straight up spoils the film's ending and reassures fans that Dr. Robotnik will be bald and eventually head into Sonic's world to reek future havoc. And who the hell came up with the idea of Sonic's fur being electrified and the golden rings now being teleportation devices?
Check it Out?: A definite no. Even the diehard fans that have been a persistent online scourge will not venture out to see it. However, I will see it due to my love for bad movies and my personal history with the video game character. I used to be a very big Sonic fan back when I was a kid and I still have an affinity for the animated shows and the Archie comic book run. But man, this will be a tough sit. Seriously, who the hell came up with the idea of Sonic's fur being electrified and the golden rings being able to make portals?
After suffering a catastrophic defeat at the hands of Thanos that has left half of all living things to turn to dust, the remaining Avengers team up with a new space superhero in order to find a way to reverse the organic cleansing and ultimately defeat the genocide king. The plot obviously goes beyond this simple description but any more talk of the story will rob the juicy surprises it has in store for the long-time Marvel viewer. As for the movie as a whole, AVENGERS: ENDGAME is a great series finale to the integral component of the MCU, i.e. the original core members of the Avengers, but there in lies its central issue. I'm not using television terminology by mistake; ENDGAME feels more in line with as a final season or a miniseries than it does as a slam-bang, concluding blockbuster. RETURN OF THE JEDI and RETURN OF THE KING it is not. The majority of the pic is relegated to dialogue, Marvel witty or otherwise, and scenes of bonding that nicely put a bow on hidden nuggets throughout all of the Marvel movies. These substantial moments do help make the three hour running time flow very fast but at the expense of pure action excitement that is heavily expected with a final chapter. The brief melee bouts sprinkled throughout do not generate much thrills so the audience will still have to patiently wait until the finale. But boy howdy, what a conclusion the Russos have in store. It is near boundless in its goosebump-inducing action theatrics and purely acts like a real comic book event. Everything that follows afterwords will be forming up some tears in your eyes, save for the very last scene which is a head-scratching decision and a total mood killer. Most of the criticisms I levied at the movie are things that fans can forgive for the most part and/or not be too bent out of shape by. If you can do that, more power to you. However, please agree with me at least that the stupidest elements stuck forever in the fabric of the celluloid are the film's soon-to-be-or-are-now dated references, namely the use of dabbing, the appearance of the video game Fortnite (played on a PS4 no less which brings up a whole can of worms), and some completely unnecessary product placement. AVENGERS: ENDGAME is a fine farewell for some of the heroes that have been with us yet it is hard to feel the true weight of it all when the film treats itself as just another chapter in the MCU. Marvel has more films and even some digital television shows down the pipeline and given some elements in the plot, as well as what normally springs up in superhero comics, anything can happen including negating all of the drama you were affected by in this movie.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
Pretentious young hip director Toby (Adam Driver) takes a break from filming an insurance commercial in Spain to make a brief stop at the small village where he once shot a student film about Don Quixote. His trip down memory lane eventually leads him to reuniting with his former lead actor Javier (Jonathan Pryce), a shoemaker who went full method and is stuck believing he's the real man from La Mancha. Mistaking him for his squire Sancho Panza, the crazed knight sweeps up Toby into a spirited and surreal adventure. THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE has been highly anticipated by all cinephiles since it finally escaped from over two decades of production hell but sadly Terry Gilliam's passion project ends up being pretty moot. The reconfigured story is ultimately just rehashed leftovers of previous Gilliam films, namely THE FISHER KING and BRAZIL. It really tries to grab your full attention with Gilliam's standard artistic flair and attempts at witty vulgar humor. However, it's very hard to shake off the deja vu of seeing a man hanging out with a disturbed individual he helped create, a mounted knight in modern times, the real world and the dreams of an unstable man mixing together, the evil powers that be always winning and a bitter conclusion. The script also falters pretty significantly in the female department, as the two supporting women are both treated as doormats for corrupt European bosses and are routinely physically and verbally abused. They both also don't have much of a real personality, which is a death sentence for Joana Ribeiro's Angelica since we're supposed to care about her plight and want to root for Toby to literally be a white knight. Yes, the audience absolutely wants to cheer on Toby despite the fact that he's a certified asshat and he fell in love with Angelica back when she was 15 years old. Adam Driver really tries to make this picture work and is quite great when his physical comedy is on display. Plus Pryce of course does wonders handling the jovial nature of Don Quixote and the brief somber moments when Javier returns to the surface. Too bad the script can't measure up with their talents nor can Gilliam who clearly struggles at times behind the camera. I didn't totally dislike my time with this film; most of my anger during the film screening went to some annoying jackasses who laughed at every little thing, from practical objects in the background to non-jokes to even the domestic abuse. A rewatch might bump it up a little later down the line but quite frankly the making of THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE will forever have a bigger impact on film history than the film itself.
FINAL REVIEW: 2 / 5
Today was not a very good day for people who lived and breathed through the 1990s as two notable figures of the decade sadly passed away. It was first announced early this morning that Keith Flint, the leader singer of the electronic group The Prodigy, was found dead due to what's believed to be a suicide. He was 49 years old.
Though they had several hit singles in the UK at the start of the 90s, it took awhile for The Prodigy to find international appeal. Their first big attempt to cross over into the U.S. was being heavily featured on the soundtrack of the future cult classic Hackers, most notably the song "Voodoo People".
However, it was one daring music video that truly made The Prodigy world famous. "Firestarter" was the first single off of their third album Fat of the Land and it immediately struck a cord thanks to its abrasive beats and dark melody. The song was made even more startling thanks to its music video directed by Walter Stern. Set amid an abandoned tunnel and shot entirely in black and white, the video featured Flint sporting a reverse mohawk and dressed up in an American long sleeved t-shirt dancing like a mad man and constantly banging his head in front of the camera. Dubbed instantly by MTV as a "buzz hit", the video received heavy rotation and the group became instant stars across the Atlantic.
Further provocative songs and music videos soon followed. "Breathe" featured Flint facing off against band member Maxim in competing dilapidated apartments. But the group hit the mother load of controversy with their third single "Smack My Bitch Up". A throbbing adrenaline shot to the senses, the nearly instrumental tune (save for a sample from Ultramagnetic MCs that gives the song its name) drew the ire of many critics who deemed the song misogynistic. Its music video added fuel to the fire: Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the video followed one debaucherous and destructive night entirely from the first person perspective. It ends with the major plot twist that the central character was actually a woman. MTV briefly showed an edited version during his late night shows such as 120 Minutes before giving it a soft ban.
After four years of striking up global controversy, Flint and the band took a long sabbatical starting in 1999. They would reunite back in 2002 and continued making albums and doing extensive tours up to this very day. Though the group never regained the momentum they once had, they did come back into the spotlight for a bit with their 2008 album Invaders Must Die and their intense dedication to their craft and touring has kept their fanbase satiated.
I like many others would not have gotten into The Prodigy were it not for Flint. "Firestarter" did prick up my ears whenever I heard it but it was Flint's intense energy in the song's music video that cemented him as one of the biggest stars of the alternative rock scene.
He will sorely be missed.
I honestly enjoyed this edition of the Oscars. It seemed to move by fairly quickly and the lack of a host made it more livelier. Of course the conclusion was a huge sigh but we'll get to that disappointment in a bit.
13-11 in my predictions. I really blew it. I should have gone with the predictable or at least have some more love for Black Panther.
Not much to say about the red carpet pre-show besides I heart Maria Menounos, Billy Porter and his lovely/bizarre tuxedo bathrobe jacket and detachable giant gown, Glenn Close talking about her 42 pound golden dress and cape, and Ryan Seacrest sadly popping in the last 30 minutes.
Adam Lambert and Queen kicked things off. This the Oscars, right? You sure it's not the Grammys? They were fine but they did the classic rock radio decision of playing "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" back to back. Maybe if they performed the songs while the director cut to some footage of last year's films, we would have a proper movie awards show.
The opening year-end montage featured such classics as Tag, A Wrinkle In Time, I Feel Pretty, Stan & Ollie and Sicario: Day of the Soldado. Also boo on using Won't You Be My Neighbor? as the wraparound soundtrack considering the massive snub you gave it, Academy.
I was kinda digging the goofy set. Giant obtrusive waves in the foreground and a bunch of galaxy swirls across the backdrop and floor.
Oh look everyone, three talented comedians that should have been the hosts in the first place. Oh but there are all women and the Academy can't really put their trust in them.
Those were some bright ass red envelopes, brighter than the bizarre plastic top thingy Rachel Weisz was wearing.
"God is good, all the time." Great job Regina King.
Dear lord, I got quickly sick of the plugging of the official Oscar online prediction game during the pre-show but was even more annoyed whenever the banner for it popped up during right before the announcement of the nominees for many of the major awards.
Tom Morello?! From Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave to being the presenter for Vice.
My god, the total cringe during the acceptance speech for Best Makeup. You're not helping the case for casting this award to commercials, you three nitwits!
MVP of the night: Melissa McCarthy's bunny hand puppet. Sam Rockwell couldn't handle how funny that was during Best Costume Design.
Alright Ruth E. Carter! Kicking ass, taking names, and making history as the first black winner.
And Black Panther's streak continues by nabbing Best Production Design. The Academy normally hates awarding works of fantasy in the tech categories but not this year it seems. Also, what really good heartfelt speech by Hannah Beachler.
Maybe I've been spoiled by Eurovision and the currently ongoing National Finals but I really detested the number for "I'll Fight". It was cut way short, Jennifer Hudson was often off-key, and it was a forgettable song in general. What a horrible nominee.
Serena Williams really missed the point of the recent remake of A Star Is Born. Bradley Cooper was the main focus, especially towards the second of the film.
Please tell Bohemian Rhapsody doesn't win Best Picture after picking up both sound awards. Seriously, over Roma?
Oh shit, Roma is so not winning Best Picture. The Best Foreign Language Film Curse might be too strong to overcome.
Dear me, Keegan Michael-Key must have had a lot of liquid courage to do that Mary Poppins stunt. Did you see how fast he flew down on those wires?!
OH NO, Best editing for Bohemian Rhapsody! I guess the Academy voters did see that video tweet showing off how bad the editing was in that film.
Of course Ali won. Love his hat though.
You get Laura Dern to come in and you have her kill air time by pushing the long-developed Academy Museum. For shame.
Hell yeah Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse! Sadly, that fifth guy didn't get to talk, which really sucked. ABC needed more time for Kacey Musgraves to come out.
Eh, that dolly shot during the Ballad of Buster Scruggs performance.
People talking about the teaser trailer for The Irishman. You know, that absolutely nothing teaser that was practically pure black screen.
Stop screaming Dana Carvey! Oh fantastic, a Wayne's World routine in 2019 which of course fell flat with the audience. Myers and Carvey didn't even dress up for the part, those lazy middle-aged bums!
So happy for Bao and the win going to two female animated directors.
I just had to go with the depressing one for Best Documentary Short Subject. An absolutely killer opening line for the acceptance speech that will make the montages for years to come. Could have done without the screaming, considering what we just had to sit through, but the adrenaline was pumping too much for those excited filmmakers.
Had absolutely no idea who the fat guy was with Diego Luna when presenting Roma. My mom had to inform me that he's a famous chef. Seriously, what television audience member wanted to watch the Oscars just to see that guy?
Very happy with First Man earning Best Visual Effects. Very understated and not bombastic and laughable like in the standard Hollywood blockbusters.
Wow, what an intro for "Shallow". And holy shit, what a phenomenal performance, all done in one shot. Congrats Oscar cameraman and director.
I freaking knew it. Don't go with thrillers for Best Live Action Short.
Great, an Anti-Muslim guy (who I just learned also co-wrote the legendarily awful Deadfall) and Peter freakin' Farrelly get an Oscar over Schrader. And oh goody, Farrelly is going crazy again, trying to talk even more after having the mic cut.
Loved Samuel L. Jackson being the hype man for Lee. That big yelp and hug made it even better.
Very rambling but Spike Lee's speech had a good message and was long deserved.
Very glad with the score, though I've lately really fallen for If Beale Street Could Talk. Too obvious with song.
Stanley Donen got Farina'd during In Memoriam but that was to be expected. But to snub out Dick Miller, R. Lee Ermey, Carol Channing, Sondra Locke, Aretha Franklin, and John Mahoney? What the hell? Also, shout out to We Hate Movies who called the shot that Verne Troyer was definitely going to be left out.
Barbra for BlacKkKlansman?! Oh, it's because of some twitter exchange that I never knew about.
Happy for Rami Malek snatching up Best Actor but dear lord, the producers should have picked a different clip. Showing off that he lip-synched didn't help the case of him winning tonight.
Did they have Senator John Lewis out to present for Selma back in 2015? Because him coming out to present for Green Book really sucks despite what he had to say about the film.
I told you, told you, told you. Always bet on Colman. Her overjoyed and jumbled acceptance speech was absolutely delightful. If it wasn't for her, The Favourite was almost shut out.
It looked like Guillermo del Toro wanted to run away with Alfonso Cuarón's Best Director Oscar.
Ah fuck. Really, Green Book for Best Picture? Driving Ms. Daisy winning the same award was a smear to the Oscars and now thirty years later a redux of it wins the top prize. Oh great, even more Farrelly, who immediately pushes how it was all thanks to Viggo.
I did perk back up a bit with Julia Roberts snarky send-off.
A fun show but oh boy the think pieces that will be coming for the next couple of weeks.
