Hooray for Hollywood

Call me cheesy, but I adore the Academy Awards, and they are tonight! Unfortunately for me, I have to work during the ceremony, but the good thing about my job is that I'll get to watch at least parts of the event. I'll consult my vcr tomorrow for any moments I may have missed.

As I have told you before, I'm incredibly lazy about seeing movies in the theatre. So here's what I've done to prepare for Hollywood's biggest night. Yesterday afternoon I went to see The Queen. It was good, and Helen Mirren did a nice job as Elizabeth II. The most interesting part of the film to me, however, is its incredibly sympathetic portrayal of Tony Blair. Who knew back in 1997 that such a popular Prime Minister would turn into Bush's lackey. What a terrible shame that turned out to be.

I also watched yesterday's Independent Spirit Awards as both a warm-up to the main event and an opportunity to see the honoring of actual good cinema. And there's nothing wrong with a truly live awards show that allows swearing. I hardly have a potty mouth, but sometimes more colorful language is necessary. I also intended to see all the Oscar-nominated short films at The Lumiere Theatre this afternoon, but a combination of laziness and a laundry crisis put a stop to that plan. Ah, well. In addition to The Queen, I've seen Little Miss Sunshine, Dreamgirls and The Pursuit of Happyness. I'd say that's a decent combination of indie and mainstream films which are up for awards.

So color me prepared. Bring on the red carpet, babies!