Oscar ratings bump

 

There was no droning, monotone Sid Ganis speech, and the suits from PriceWaterhouseCoopers didn't get their usual time in the spotlight.

If those had been the only two changes to this year's Oscar telecast, that would've been a decent start for us. Truth was, there was a much broader revamp, as the Academy and first-time producers Larry Mark and Bill Condon had promised.

Much to discuss on this Day After, like why in the world "Last Chance Harvey" got even one second of montage time, but we'll pick a place and start:

First, the ratings. In other words, did the advance hype translate to more eyeballs watching the "81st Annual Academy Awards?" Early word from brother blog Live Feed says yes; ABC is reporting a 6% bump in major markets and expects to see as much as a 10% jump in overall viewing once it gets the final tallies.

Since the telecast sank to record lows last year, with 32 million people watching, the preliminary numbers would seem to indicate that the full-court marketing press from the network and the Academy convinced some lapsed, on-the-fence or uninterested viewers to take a look.

Since the winners weren't much of a surprise, we expect a lot of the talk today to be about the kudocast itself. Come on back as we deconstruct.

Clothes make the men at Oscars

Did you know that the cummerbund is basically the male equivalent of a bra? Or that there's a right and wrong way to wear a pocket square, if, that is, you're rocking a tie tack at the same time?

Neither did we.

That's where Esquire comes in today, with a cold, hard assessment of male fashion from the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

And just in case you couldn't tell, it's the Day After the Oscars and your resident Gold Rusher is sporting a brain so fried that anything more than fashion recaps may cause a meltdown of epic proportions.

So we checked out the Esquire best/worst list to see that 18-year-old Dev Patel, star of the eight-time Oscar-winning love story "Slumdog Millionaire," scored again as a best-dressed dude (something about a shawl collar), Mickey Rourke, best actor nominee for "The Wrestler," earned the "so crazy it might work" label (Isaac Mizrahi just called him "jaunty" on the "Today Show"), Brad Pitt's sleeves were too long, Zac Efron used too much product while trying to "upscale his haircut," and Seth Rogen is "most improved."

Seal looked great too, the magazine says, but nobody ever pays attention because they're much more interested in what Heidi's wearing. Didn't she look fab in that red frock?

For the full slideshow, go here.

'Slumdog' feels the love

It's been an extraordinary journey indeed.

No stars, no money, producer Christian Colson said, and eventually no distributor. But Warner Bros. did the right thing, as Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle said a few minutes ago, and handed the Mumbai-set rags-to-riches love story over to a loving home, indie powerhouse Fox Searchlight.

That changing of the guard made all the difference in the world. It meant a wide release and an intuitive marketing program for a movie that could've ended up going straight to DVD.

And now "Slumdog Millionaire" wins best picture, becoming the most heavily decorated Little Movie That Could. It's a timeless piece of cinema, beloved by most everyone who sees it. That's the very definition of an Oscar winner, or it should be.

Penn wins for 'Milk'

 

Robert De Niro probably doesn't suffer fools or give hollow complements. Again, that's why this new format is working for us, and apparently for the Oscar nominated stars, who are welling up at their introductions from prior Academy Award winners.

Win or not, they're all choking up.

And that makes for good TV (congrats on that, first-time Oscar producers Larry Mark and Bill Condon).

And speaking of that batting average: Sean Penn, our pick, just won the much-deserved trophy for best actor for "Milk." We figured that there would be the two places the Academy voters would reward "Milk," a drama about the life and murder of gay activist Harvey Milk that couldn't have proven more timely in this Prop 8 world. (Best actor and best original screenplay for Dustin Lance Black).

"You commie, homo-loving sons of guns," Penn said with a smirk.

He took the opportunity to talk about the Prop 8 proponents against gay marriage and the "signs of hate" that greeted attendees of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. He didn't specifically explain it, but if it's like every other award show, there are always some placard-wavers outside the venues damning everyone to hell for Hollywood's entertainment output, gay-friendly or otherwise.

We're thrilled with this win and for the exposure it will give to vital human rights issues.

 

Winslet wins on sixth try

 

By far one of the best changes to this rejiggered Oscar show is the way the acting awards are being presented. And if we'd known about this ahead of time? Would it have been any less meaningful?

Definitely not.

It's the juxtaposition of the prior winners with the current nominees that works. And not only that, it's the way the nominees are being introduced and saluted. It's so much more personal. It's warmer; it's real. 

And just now as Kate Winslet won her first trophy in six tries, for best actress in "The Reader," and was quickly surrounded by those presenters -- Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman among them -- it was an authentic moment of joy. We don't get nearly enough of these.

Winslet, who says she's been dreaming of this moment since she was a kid practicing her acceptance speech in the bathroom mirror, gladly trades the shampoo bottle of her youth for the Little Gold Guy.

As we said before, we still feel like this is a case of right actor/wrong role, but Winslet's win was a sweet TV event. And it works for our predictions, which are swimming along quite nicely, thank you very much.

A tuneful In Memoriam

 

If the attending stars at the Kodak Theatre are clapping after some of the images appear during the "In Memoriam" segment that's happening now, it's not possible to hear them on the live telecast.

That was the whole point of having a song accompany this bit, with first-time Oscar producers Larry Mark and Bill Condon talking in the last few weeks about how much they didn't like those outbursts, however heartfelt. They made the "people we lost" segment into a popularity contest, the producers had said.

Insert Queen Latifah singing a lovely rendition of "I'll Be Seeing You" and, check it out, problem solved!

Not so here at Regular Joe Central, where nobody got that memo. The hoots and hollers were nearly deafening at times, but hey, we did lose Paul Newman.

Big dance number

 

There was a big song-and-dance number in the 81st Annual Academy Awards that didn't put people to sleep. Or if it did, there was the addition of the USC marching band there to wake them back up. Oh, you're a clever guy, Baz Luhrmann, and don't think we didn't notice the "Moulin Rouge" plugs.

Gathering some performers who can really sing and dance -- like Beyonce, host Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, et al. -- was a good idea, given that "The musical is back!" We'll give you that, especially if you count "Camp Rock."

Manly men like Oscar

A few of the guys here at Busby's East admitted to having fallen asleep during previous Oscar telecasts. They prefer sports, after all, and really just watched the kudofest when somebody else in the house turned it on and they were too lazy to leave the room.

Tonight, it's a different story. They're not only watching, but they seem to be enjoying it. They're connecting with it. The reasons are running the range -- they saw more of the movies nominated than they usually do, they're digging first-time host Hugh Jackman, who's likable in a charming and manly way, and they think it's flowing a lot better than usual. Less stiff and uptight. Looser.

"There's more interaction with the audience, and Hugh Jackman is really keeping it all moving along," said Rob, a non-industryite who came to the viewing party with his filmmaker girlfriend. "It really does feel different than in the past."

We won't know until the ratings come in whether more people decided to give it a go this year -- the Oscars suffered a record-low rating last year of 32 million viewers, and this whole revamp is happening to try to woo the lapsed viewers, the indifferent and the haters. Maybe those who did tune in like what they're seeing? We do, though it sure is still a butt-numbingly long event.

'Man on Wire's' magic act

 

Illusionist and daredevil Philippe Petit balanced the Oscar statue on his chin and did a magic trick after "Man on Wire," the incredible film about his insane tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, won the Oscar for best documentary.

Bet the team from "Trouble the Water" couldn't have done that.

Petit can't resist the spotlight, as anyone who's seen the compelling movie about his life and mind-boggling World Trade Center stunt can tell you. He's energized, delighted and fortified by it.

"Man on Wire" so wonderfully captured who Petit is, what motivates him and the gift that compulsive drive gave the rest of us.

And it helped our batting average for the night, which ain't too shabby. (Full tally after all the dust has settled.)

Heath Ledger makes history

 

Just because it wasn't a surprise doesn't make it any less historic or emotional. 

Heath Ledger has become only the second actor to receive a posthumous Oscar, for his daring performance as the sociopathic arch-villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight."

His family -- father, mother and sister -- accepted the best supporting actor trophy "on behalf of his beautiful Matilda," his 3-year-old daughter with former love Michelle Williams. Matilda will inherit the Little Gold Man when she turns 18.

"It would've humbly validated Heath's quiet determination to be accepted by all you here, his peers, in an industry he so loved," said his dad, Kim Ledger.

And as a reminder to a room full of Hollywood stars and perhaps a lot of viewers tearing up, Ledger's mother said, "We are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved." In other words, this isn't a funeral, it's a wake.

Lovely. Simply lovely.