Best & Worst Oscar Moments

[marywebgirl]

The best moment for me is Will Ferrell and Jack Black singing the get off the stage song.

I loved that too.

I don't know why they've never had Steve Martin host again. He was classy and funny at the same time, and you got the impression that the people in the audience respected him a lot more since he was an "insider." I loved it when he took dip to Danny DeVito.

[kittykitty]

One of my favorite Oscar memories was the night when Nicole Kidman was sitting in the front row with her then husband Tom Cruise and she looked totally pissed off at him all night. I remember hearing comments afterwards in the line of "What does she have to be mad about? She's married to TOM CRUISE!!" Ha.

Now we know better!!!

[Deleted]

I don't know why they've never had Steve Martin host again.

He has hosted twice so I guess he did do something right somewhere along the line. I do wonder why they keep changing hosts, though. Do comics/potential hosts just say no? Are TPTB just obsessed with keeping the Oscars relevant and getting higher and higher numbers (even though the popularity of the films nominated seems to effect viewing numbers more than the host or stars attending) so they keep picking different, "edgier" hosts? In any case, I think the last few years of hosts (Martin, Chris Rock, and John Stewart) have been pretty awesome - making some pretty biting and funny jokes while still maintaining a respect for the whole (pretty damn absurd) thing.

[Deleted]

I think it's a pretty draining and stressful job and you come into so much scrutiny for it that a lot of comics back off and find it daunting. Look at Letterman, he did it once and still twenty-five years on he STILL gets ragged on for it. It's something where there's a high possibility for failure and if you fail it will dog your career for the rest of the your life. And all that for what? It's not very rewarding in the long run for the host, I don't think. Maybe you'll get an Emmy the next year but that's about it.

[Deleted]

I loved it when Letterman hosted the Oscars, I thought the Oprah-Uma thing was great. Although I was only 12 at the time so my sense of humor was still a bit juvenile. It sucks that everyone still mocks him about it though. Whoopi Goldberg has done much worse and very few seem to care about that.

[Binky]

I think it's a pretty draining and stressful job and you come into so much scrutiny for it that a lot of comics back off and find it daunting.

Yeah. Even Jon Stewart looked intimidated. I think a big part of it is the ratings/success of the show gets put on the host's shoulders. So even though the host didn't decide to have 37 montages about key grips from the 1980's, s/he gets the backlash from that.

Steve Martin is definitely my most recent favorite. I loved that bit where he accused Hanks of plotting to kidnap Crowe.

[india7]

LOVED Steve Martin hosting and I think he should do it again, but I also thought David Letterman did a great job! "Uma/Oprah" was hilarious, and I always felt bad the way he's gotten ragged on all these years.

[Deleted]

I loved it when Letterman hosted the Oscars, I thought the Oprah-Uma thing was great. Although I was only 12 at the time so my sense of humor was still a bit juvenile. It sucks that everyone still mocks him about it though. Whoopi Goldberg has done much worse and very few seem to care about that.

Oh absolutely. My favorite Letterman moment was when he did that whole "Would you like to buy a monkey?" audition skit. For those who don't remember, it was Dave's cameo in Cabin Boy and he had a bit at the Oscars where he auditioned people like Madonna, Tom Hanks, Barry White (!), and Paul Newman for the role. The footage was hilarious.

I also liked that Letterman showed up the following year in Billy Crystal's opening film montage thing. I don't really like Billy all that much as a host but I always got a huge kick out of his opening montage that incorporated Billy into all of the nominated films. The year after Letterman, The English Patient was the big film and Crystal inserted himself into the scene where Ralph Fiennes runs from the plane that is crashing into the desert. Crystal was in the Fiennes role, running from the plane, and Letterman was in the cockpit screaming out hosting "tips" for Billy ("First you introduce Oprah to Uma and you do it again, and again, AND AGAIN!"). It was funny and good natured after the critical pounding he received as host.

[FotoStoreSheila]

kittykitty said:

One of my favorite Oscar memories was the night when Nicole Kidman was sitting in the front row with her then husband Tom Cruise and she looked totally pissed off at him all night. I remember hearing comments afterwards in the line of "What does she have to be mad about? She's married to TOM CRUISE!!" Ha. Now we know better!!!

I remember this very clearly, but I think it was the 2001 Golden Globes, and not the Oscars. Nicole still had her hair styled in that lovely bob from The Others, and she looked royally pissed the entire night. I remember watching the show with a friend and using the phrase "spoiled ice princess". At the time I believed as most people, that Tom was the Best. Husband. Ever. Who knew that their marriage would soon be over and Tom's sanity would take a permanent vacation.

[Deleted]

I remember Nicole looking PISSED during the Oscars when she wore that gorgeous green dress with all of the embroidery on it. I remember being shocked at the time because they were such a golden couple. I think she has a tendency to look a little unamused and he has that tendency to try too hard to show that he is in on the joke so the combination was just hilarious. He would turn to her all jazzed and she would just smile wanly. Hee!