The 97th Oscars are over, and I'm sure there is much on the minds of the Hollywood studios and streaming services once the final credits rolled.
The easiest question to answer is "Will we invite Conan O'Brien back as host?" The answer is a cautious "yes" (on a rotating basis with Jimmy Kimmel, no doubt). Coco did a good job, didn't make the Oscars all about him, stayed out of the way most of the time, but was available with a good quip which usually landed. As long as the Oscars are going to be hosted by comedians...and it has been throughout most of its history...he's a good choice for the job. He's as self-deprecating about himself as he is about the awards scenario in the first place and he's good at poking without puncturing. Besides, when the only other job you have is a podcast, it makes availability an easy reach.
Presentations were generally good—the "In Memoriam" section spent its time, this year, on who passed and not who was singing the sad accompaniment—the orchestra was featured playing "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's "Requiem", but not blocking out the featured remembered.
Speaking of "Requiems" there was an "In Memoriam" section for the James Bond series—Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli who've been overseeing the movies since their father, original executive Albert Broccoli, passed. They'd just given up "creative control" of the long-running franchise to producing partner Amazon for $1 billion dollars, but before that had been awarded an Academy Governor's Award. I'm sure it was pretty bittersweet for them. Margaret Qualley was tossed around by tuxedoed dancers, and three contemporary singers did try-outs for the next title song. The whole thing felt like a gold watch to me.
And the awards? I was surprised by how much Anora won and Wicked didn't. Not that I thought Wicked deserved more prizes, but, hey, it was a Company-Town production. Nickel Boys was shut out completely which was a shame. And I was glad to see I'm Still Here and Flow get the best foreign and animated features. Dune: Part Two won for Best Sound, which, given how I actually noticed the rumbling of the theater during that film, was a good choice. The Brutalist won for Best Music and I can't kick about that; it was a good score.
So, no big surprises. No shocks—not even Mikey Madison winning Best Actress (which felt like a sequel of sorts to The Substance)
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