Live Oscars Blog 2011!

11:40 [Ian]: Well, that should just about wrap it up. Ultimately, the triumph of British film left few surprises tonight, but at least most injustices were avoided. And it did give us a break from a year where Justin Beiber's documentary is nearly the highest rated blockbuster so far. Here's hoping the rest of 2011 can shape up to match the previous one.

11:40 [Greg] I can't quite say I'm disappointed with The King's Speech winning, being an all-around excellently made film, but I can't imagine wanting to revisit it ten or even two years from now the way I would The Social Network, Inception, or Black Swan. Unfortunately, Nolan and Fincher will probably go the Scorsesse route at this point, being honored past their prime for a lesser movie they're bound to make in the future. Still, all things considered, this was an impressively tight race and there were no obviously weak nominees. Aside from maybe The Kids are Alright, I can't think of a single choice that would have disappointed me.

11:39 [Ian]: If it makes you feel better, your film is the one I'll likely keep in my collection in the future. And God, I love the music that PS 22 creates and here is no exception, can you say "next viral Youtube hit"?

11:35 [Greg]: Well played, Ian. Well played.

11:35 [Ian]: Drumroll.......Damn spoilers.

11:31 [Ian]: Officially past the 11:30 deadline set up in TV Guide, we only have one major question (and a fun children's choir) left: Alpha Film of 2010. And nice job, Academy, your narration of the scenes leaves us with no suspense for the results. We may as well go to bed now and have an extra 2 minutes and 43 seconds of sleep...But for once, the record for deserving nominees is 10-0.

11:26 [Greg]: It's impressive that any of the other nominees bothered to get out of bed today as Colin Firth takes home best actor. Though I was rooting for James Franco, I couldn't imagine betting on anyone besides Firth.

11:18 [Ian]: Natalie Portman is officially on the short list of people I think I'd like to meet from Hollywood. What an emotionally warm-hearted, thorough acknowledgment of what is truly important. Let's hope Colin Firth is as impressive....oops, that is not supposed to be stated as fact yet. In the meantime, Sandra Bullock, in my mind, is standing out merely for being herself, witty and playful, as she gently jabs at each Best Actor nominee. It works well.

11:14 [Greg]: Jeff Bridges gives some really sincere and touching evaluations of each of the Best Actress nominees, and I'm impressed to see such a strong, varied list of contenders. In my mind there's no contest: this is going to Natalie Portman.

11:07 [Ian]: For Devil's Advocate purposes, I will go for The King's Speech for this one. (1) It's already won for Screenplay, Director and (most certainly) Actor, and thus looks like it is heading for a sweep. (2) The Academy loves to go with a British film on occasion, even when it doesn't seem suitable...remember Shakespeare In Love over Saving Private Ryan? (3) It features compelling characters and works as a faithful historical drama, with points for relevance to the WWII debacle. I would prefer Social Network to win, but I am not sure I can imagine Mr. NSYNC and Mr. Zombieland as Kings of Oscar Night.

11:06 [Greg] Speaking of being overdue, add some Oscar points to Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, and Darren Arronofsky, hopefully to be cashed in at some future date.

11:03 [Greg] So I figure I should make my prediction for Best Picture now, because why should I pass up an opportunity to brag or embarrass myself? I think it'll go to The Social Network, for three reasons. One, it's an all-around great movie, with a brilliant script, solid performances all-around, and excellent soundtrack. Two, it feels very little like Oscar Bait, making it a safe choice, and at the same time, a somewhat bold one. And three, if there's anything that's sure to win an Oscar, it's being overdue for one, and I can't think of a director on this list more overdue for an Oscar than David Fincher.

11:02 [Ian]: Anywho, now the home stretch with Achievement in Directing (aka, the Annual "Screw You, Mr. Nolan" Award)...And Tom Hooper pulls away, and with it, "The King's Speech" gains a sizable advantage in the two-horse Best Picture race.

10:53 [Ian]: Memorial Time, done with surprising restraint by Celine Dion. All I will say about this is...well, most of these people are unknown by the general public, but they matter to loved ones who see their efforts to be good people and follow their passions. So maybe show some love for your loved ones in the near future, it helps them realize that their impact will last much longer in this world than a photo montage could ever portray. Oh, and as for the last image, it is Lena Horne...Halle Berry explains.

10:47 [Greg] Randy Newman wins best song for the touching We Belong Together from Toy Story 3. Say what you want about Newman's voice, but he knows how to write a truly heartwarming song that captures the youthful wonder of the Toy Story movies.

10:45 [Ian]: OK, the last two Best Song nominees:

127 Hours' "If I Rise", from Dido and A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire fame, is third. It works fairly well in a mystical sort of way, to match the hallucinations of the central rock-wedged character, but it does feel a bit off-putting. When in doubt, people like a song they can sing along with.

And as for Gwenyth Paltrow's "Coming Home" from Country Strong, she is incredibly likable and winning an Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love" has the crowd behind her. But I dunno, she seems almost like cotton candy as an actress and singer: always enjoyable, very effective presentation, but not always something that stays with you too long. Not sure who to expect here, I can see two of the four winning....and that is not the one of the ones I was expecting.

10:35 [Ian]: Well, if you ignore the completely innovative imagery and revolutionary reflection on the dream realm, Inception is a visually iconic film. Another notch for Visual Effects. At least it is getting recognized frequently tonight...albeit for the minor goodies...And among a packed field, The Social Network is a deserving winner for Best Film Editing too, for making a deposition hearing and discussions over Internet programming utterly compelling.

10:33 [Greg]: Billy Crystal gives some much-needed class and wit to the ceremony, and Bob Hope delivers some great jokes. There's some great interplay between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, making this so far the funniest part of the ceremony. I can't imagine Inception not winning best visual effects, although Hereafter's tsunami scene makes it a pretty strong underdog.

10:20 [Ian]: Come on, Oprah, you can give 300 audience members new cars at once and can make any book in the world a bestseller...Please call for Banksy...please...

Of course, as if we did not need another reminder about the difficult economy, "Inside Job" wins the Oscar. Grrrrrr, where is your sense of fun, Academy? You give The Wolfman an Oscar, but don't give it to Banksy - who will probably never make a feature film again? Hipsters everywhere are weeping right now, between their sips of Starbucks mocha lattes.

10:18 [Greg] And now, for no reason, an autotune segment. It's a funny idea in theory, with one or two clever moments, but.....really?

10:14 [Ian]: "Strangers No More" wins for Documentary Short, "God of Love" for Live Action Short, kinda passing quickly for me....oh, please let Banksy win for Best Documentary, I do not care if I go 1-for-everything else. I so want to see what happens if he is invited onstage...

10:07 [Ian]: Well, now we start hearing the nominations for Best Song, starting with the two Disney-based ones.

Randy Newman's "We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 comes first, piano and, er, stumpy voice included. Hard to believe this is his TWENTIETH nomination, since he sounds the same in every song, but he defines the term "infectious".

As for Mandy Moore and Zachery Levi doing "I See the Light", they fits as well here as they fit in the movie. Chuck fans can rejoice, and I stand by the claim that Tangled signals a potential new "golden age" for Disney under Lasseter's command.

9:59 [Ian]: Don't worry, it wasn't...but that does not bother me like Best Costume Design. The most authentic Western in over 10 years is found in True Grit, and yet they give the award to the same set of costumes Tim Burton does in every single film? There is a different between being different and being innovative, Academy, please try getting him to make non-superficial films like Ed Wood and Big Fish again!

9:57 [Greg]: The Wolf Man wins for best make-up. Definitely a deserving win, though don't expect this movie to be nominated for anything else.

9:50 [Ian]: Agreed, could not be happier that Inception got a bit of attention for winning Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. Major kudos to the winners of each category for crediting Christopher Nolan, since it is highly unlikely that he will appear on stage himself at the end of the night. Take comfort in the fact that Inception will likely resonate in pop culture far longer than King's Speech....cannot say the same about Facebook, though.

9:48 [Greg]: Anyone lucky enough to see Inception in a good theater knows it deserves every bit of its win for sound design.

9:44 [Ian]: And naturally, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor pull away with it. I completely can get behind this, by the way, for the minimalist theme song alone set a sense of foreboding and unease to the entire film. Now let's see if Inception gets an Avatar-esque bone for Best Sound Mixing...

9:39 [Ian]: Um...renewal of the Academy Awards on ABC through 2020...um, yay? And following his make-up session with Hathaway, Hugh Jackman joins Nicole Kidman to introduce the standard "Music Appreciation" segment of the show, where the nominees for Best Original Score are performed live. Personally, I would love Powell to get overdue respect for "How To Train Your Dragon", but I think that a Social sort of score will triumph.

9:34 [Greg]: And Christian Bale wins best supporting actor for The Fighter. A strong selection in general, but let's be honest, he and Geoffrey Rush were the only real contenders. It's good to see Bale able to laugh at himself in his acceptance speech, and even better to see his talent rewarded after brilliant performances in American Psycho and The Machinist.

9:27 [Ian]: Franco's cross-dressing aside, it is hard to describe the Best Foreign Language Film being awarded to "In A Better World" on behalf of Denmark - because, honestly, I have not seen any of them. But at least it was fitting to have Helen Mirren and Russell Brand present, because both were speaking a foreign language...in one way or another.

9:23 [Ian]: Anne Hathaway is spoofing Les Miserables, including using the word "jackass". I do not know if I find this more offensive or unintentionally hilarious, but at least her voice is pretty passable by actor's standards...Wait, what....in the world?

9:18 [Greg]: The King's Speech takes home best original screenplay. Hardly a disappointing choice, although I'd say Nolan's script deserved it just a little bit more. At this point it's safe to say that best picture will be between The King's Speech and The Social Network.

9:16 [Ian]: Agreed, the dialogue and overall wit used in every scene took audiences seriously and was highly respected in return. It should gain respect from any guinea pig. Now the big question is whether Inception will be given as an apologetic nod by the Academy for Best Original Screenplay....nope, guess not.

9:15 [Greg]: The Social Network wins for best adapted screenplay. With such strongly written dialogue, it's no surprise. This is a good sign for the movie's best picture odds.

9:10 [Ian]: There is an interesting article waiting to be written about how close TS3 and How To Train Your Dragon are in overall quality, but in the meantime, this is a good chance for a bold prediction. I am personally thinking Bening might upset Natalie Portman for Best Actress, she has been nominated four times before and Academy might give her the "overdue recognition" award to make up for American Beauty.

9:07 [Greg]: And Toy Story 3 wins. No big surprise there, and Pixar definitely earned their win, though this was the rare year that the competition actually had a shot.

9:04 [Greg]: Shocked to see Pixar lose for best animated short, but I'm predicting they'll come back strong for best animated feature film. On the other hand, this is the first year in a long time that Pixar has some viable competition.

9:02 [Ian]: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake (at least one of which should have been nominated tonight) are onstage, and by the "I'm Banksy" line, you'd assume we are up to Best Documentary, right? Nope, we are at Best Animated Film and Animated Short. Personally, I am praying for a Pixar sweep, especially for Teddy Newton.

8:58 [Greg]: Kirk Douglas is disappointingly unintelligible and his appearance is honestly just awkward. It's sad to see an actor I have so much respect for like this. That aside, a strong selection of nominees for best supporting actress this year. Melissa Leo is a strong pick, and my personal second choice after Hailee Steinfeld.

8:47 [Ian]: But Inception did recieve justice in recieving the award for Best CInematography; the sans-gravity for Joseph Gordon-Levitt should have made this no contest from the start. Well done, Wally Pfister. Those with totems in their pockets can rest easy, Nolan's masterpiece will not go home winless tonight.

8:45 [Greg]: Off to a weak start. I'd think Inception would be a shoe-in for set design and decoration. Alice in Wonderland no doubt looked pretty and uniquely whimsical, but it can't seriously rival Inception's stunning dreamscapes. Bad news for Inception's chances for best picture.

8:38 [Ian]: "Oh my Gosh, you're all real..." Anne Hathaway and James Franco are clearly enthusiastic and likeable, and they each have an Oscar nod now to give them Academy cred. But they seem a little stilted in their delivery....I was gonna complain, but Hathaway's mom just told her to stand up straight and Franco's grandma...just referred to Marky Mark?!

8:36 [Greg]: All in all, a little disappointed by the intro segment. There are some seriously funny bits, but this feels more like something I'd expect to see at the MTV's Movie Awards. Glad to see a Back to the Future reference though, as baffling as it is in context.

8:30 [Ian]: Although I will say that if any of you bet on Tom Hanks NOT beatboxing during the red carpet event, your predictions are already off to an bumpy start. Here we go....

8:27 [Greg]: Ready, and needless to say I'm excited. Just a reminder to anyone following us, feel free to message us with your predictions or reactions any time you want.

8:20 [Ian]: Hey there, for those of you who are glancing at this during the Academy's self-congratulatory festivities and those of you who are seeing it later. In the midst of chants screaming "Christopher Nolan (clap clap)!", this is our attempt to try following along with the Oscars as they provide their usual share of hair-raising and want-to-rip-your-hair out moments. It should be good for a couple laughs, at least for those following along at home, so prepare yourselves! T-Minus 10 minutes; ready, Greg?