“变脸”后的奥斯卡惊喜连连 Revamped Oscar broadcast a pleasant surprise

第81届奥斯卡颁奖礼的制片人比尔•康登和劳伦斯•马克曾经宣称要重振奥斯卡。昨天，他们真的做到了。从澳洲性感男性休•杰克曼取代之前的谐星担当主持、并与碧昂斯共同表演开场歌舞秀，到历届奥斯卡获奖者担任颁奖嘉宾，以及展望未来式的新片片花集锦，这每一项新的举措都带给观众和到场嘉宾不同的惊喜和感触。

It turns out producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark weren't kidding when they promised to reinvent the broken Academy Awards ceremony.

On Sunday night, the "Dreamgirls" duo pulled off a heartfelt, elegant and stylish¹ affair that played with uncommon² flair³ over ABC.

One can quibble about the effectiveness of the production numbers but not the fact that this wasn't the same old Oscar song and dance.

The newfangled touches put the Oscarcast's focus back where it should be: on the nominees⁴ and winners rather than some thematic salute⁵ to yesteryear. The gambit of having a group of former winners pay homage⁶ to the acting⁷ nominees with singularly focused tributes should be made part of every Academy Awards going forward. The incorporation⁸ of classic clips into the best picture intro likewise proved impactful for its sheer simplicity⁹.

And wonder of wonders, no one got played off of the stage by the orchestra.

There was a 1940s nightclub feel in the ambience and the shimmering¹⁰ rounded stage and a Broadway musical vibe that played to the strengths of first-time host Hugh Jackman, who seemed almost shockingly comfortable in the role.

Jackman eschewed¹¹ a traditional monologue¹² for a lighthearted opening production medley¹³ paying playful homage to the year's biggest films, which from what apparently¹⁴ played better in the room than on the tube -- where it came off awkward and forced. But Jackman found his sea legs to preside with his typical sprightly¹⁵ charm, faring better around the midway point with a spirited "The Musical Is Back" number beside a vivacious¹⁶ Beyonce.

A viewer also couldn't help but get caught up in the Bollywood-conquers-Hollywood electricity that enveloped¹⁷ the Kodak Theater with "Slumdog Millionaire's" wildly popular eight-victory explosion. It was also perhaps fitting that at a time when the Screen Actors Guild¹⁸ finds its contract talks imperiled, a film that featured no nominated actors from its cast would pull off such a haul.

There were few gaffes¹⁹ in the telecast and substantially less of the usual stilted²⁰ wisecracking among presenters²¹ -- and in fact, far fewer presenters. It was a novel format²² that had people staying up there longer to dispense²³ more awards, giving the proceedings²⁴ less a feel of a teleprompter-fueled revolving²⁵ door. Sean Penn and Kate Winslet gave stirring acceptance speeches as well, though Penn's began a bit painfully with his blurting²⁶, "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns" while holding his golden guy aloft. Even the Brits will be pleased this time, as Winslet was able to avoid crying (unlike at the Golden Globes) and kept the blubbering to a minimum.

Indeed, it was the kind of night when the winners were treated like winners rather than motorists whose parking meters are about to expire. And for a change, the audience didn't feel cheated.