tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post117250636796739611..comments2023-12-20T08:31:53.642-05:00Comments on POPSURFING.COM: Oh, OscarMichael in New Yorkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01449933463450154603noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172578162041068312007-02-27T07:09:00.000-05:002007-02-27T07:09:00.000-05:00Actually, Michael -- and I hate to correct you on ...Actually, Michael -- and I hate to correct you on your blog, so come on over to mine and I'll absolutely humiliate you, that way my conscience will be clear -- what was I saying?<BR/>Oh yeah, actually in Europe Morricone IS known for his pop songs. I have a very bizarre album of Mireille Mathieu singing Morricone with the maestro himself conducting. And that's merely one of many such records. What's fascinating about all this is that Morricone started life as a classical trumpeter and avant-garde composer, very post-Schoenberg by way of Berio and Nono. (You can hear a fairly representative example when you go to his website, http://www.enniomorricone.com/<BR/>It's as if Webern had abandoned opera to start a Dixieland band (but a very, very dissonant Dixieland band). What made Morricone stand out from the very beginning of his career was that he brought that "outside" sensibility to one of the most conservative musical forms imaginable, film scoring. <BR/><BR/>As for me, I could never have suffered through four hours of the motion-picture industry building its biceps by patting itself on the back. My wife and I watched episode two of the third season "Slings and Arrows" (highly, highly recommended) and a new episode of "Crossing Jordan" (we stick with it mainly out of a perversely dogged sense of loyalty to what had originally been a quirky and clever show) and the last two episodes of this season's "Extras" a show that, frankly, says more about the business than four hours of Oscar. <BR/><BR/>If you get the producer's job, let me know. I have a few suggestions. (Like, let's kill Celine Dion before she sings again, please.)GEORGE ROBINSONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07061133578423404073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172559755720945852007-02-27T02:02:00.000-05:002007-02-27T02:02:00.000-05:00Please, please, please, if someone knows the name ...Please, please, please, if someone knows the name of that orchestral piece that Michael Mann used at the beginning of his montage, please e-mail me with the name!<BR/><BR/>I've been trying to figure it out for 15 years, and no, I'm not kidding.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>Jason Witt<BR/>witts11@yahoo.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172526797796111412007-02-26T16:53:00.000-05:002007-02-26T16:53:00.000-05:00Hey Mike,Thanks for the link to the Christian Marc...Hey Mike,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link to the Christian Marclay piece. It's about 5 minutes long and well worth watching. He's an interesting artist. I don't know if I'd think of that ad as an homage to him, though. His piece "Telephones" was done in '95, but that sort of montage seems so familiar, I'd be surprised if Workman hadn't done something similar for the Oscars decades earlier. But until I find an earlier example, he deserves credit for doing it first. And sftom, I enjoyed the show too, despite the length. I think the suspense over Best Picture and the genuine surprises in a lot of categories helped a lot. It's a lot easier to get bored when The Lord Of the Rings wins every prize in sight.Michael in New Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01449933463450154603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172521179121860802007-02-26T15:19:00.000-05:002007-02-26T15:19:00.000-05:00Being on the West coast we like the start time of ...Being on the West coast we like the start time of the show but it is too long. We had a few friends that rep'd a wide range of people (an Oscar winner, a local actor, a few Pixar people, and basic fans like myself and a couple reluctant viewers) over to watch and everyone really enjoyed Ellen, we had a number of laugh out loud moments. We also enjoyed the shadow dancers. The shadow segments were short and interesting and no one thought they were corny at all. Overall, everyone agreed it was one of the better Oscar shows of recent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172516357061601552007-02-26T13:59:00.000-05:002007-02-26T13:59:00.000-05:00Hey Michael,FYI, the iphone ad is an homage to a C...Hey Michael,<BR/><BR/>FYI, the iphone ad is an homage to a Christian Marclay piece called "Telephones". If you go <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yqM3dAqTzs" REL="nofollow">here</A> and skip to 3:36, there's a short clip.<BR/><BR/>Though of course that doesn't diminish the rights-clearing nightmare one bit!<BR/><BR/>--MikeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172515781768711262007-02-26T13:49:00.000-05:002007-02-26T13:49:00.000-05:00Yes, way way too long, Joe. I was glad The Departe...Yes, way way too long, Joe. I was glad The Departed won too. It was my favorite of the five, so I just assumed it WOULDN'T win. Justin, Seinfeld's bit was very funny. He of course would be a good host, too. Ed, the 'tude on E! was out of control. They all think bitchy is better. I thank God I never fell into that world and feel slightly embarrassed when I see peopl;e like Chris Connelly who did. Anonymous, I liked it when Ellen did her bit with Pilobolus and then came onstage and said simply, "They're naked!" That's always been one of the troupe's big draws to me, their Cirque Du Soleil like sexiness. Was I the only one who saw Jennifer Holliday belting out her signature number?Michael in New Yorkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01449933463450154603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172513935138613962007-02-26T13:18:00.000-05:002007-02-26T13:18:00.000-05:00Make that five people who were fans of the Letterm...Make that five people who were fans of the Letterman Oscars--he has been my favorite host, but I think Ellen did a terrific job too. Hey, Pilobolus may have been a good laugh for this show, but their dance troupe is beyond amazing--catch a performance sometime.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172510274402202712007-02-26T12:17:00.000-05:002007-02-26T12:17:00.000-05:00The best moment of the night was Jerry Seinfeld's ...The best moment of the night was Jerry Seinfeld's opening for Achievement in Foreign Film. Brilliant!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20710455.post-1172508430275933512007-02-26T11:47:00.000-05:002007-02-26T11:47:00.000-05:00Love your suggestions, Michael. Make it so.I agre...Love your suggestions, Michael. Make it so.<BR/><BR/>I agree that Ellen was good. What do people really want out of a host? Make a couple of jokes, keep the show moving, and that's it. Jeez.<BR/><BR/>My big issue is that the show was way too long, for the reasons that you illustrated. No reason for it to end after midnight on the east coast. They need to shorten the show AND start at 8:00 instead of 8:30.<BR/><BR/>But I really can't complain...I'm just happy that The Departed took home Best Picture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com