Oh, and didn't the Oscar's have a 3 hour delay on the West Coast? Why didn't the West Coast DISers start their own commentary thread while the Oscars were running there?
West Coast here! No, the oscars is not on a three hours delay. We see it real time (the same time you did). For us it's great because we don't have to stay up to oh-dark-hundred to watch the entire thing (Barbara Wah-Wah comes on after the awards, not before).
I wasn't contributing because we were at an oscar party (a tradition our best friend started 20 years ago). Just a small group but I won the pool again this year. Lots of upsets this year and a few disappointments. My own observations:
* Ellen was good. Appropriately starstruck but still joked with the big stars like they were real people (which we forget they are). Personally, I would like to see a host rotation of Ellen, Jon Stewart & Billy Crystal.
* Pilobolus (sp?) was fantastic. Short and sweet transitions and really amazing.
* We (or at least some of us) knew ahead of time that it would be Martin and Jennifer's night. I do feel badly for Peter O'Toole as the academy typically hands out an "old trout" award to a performer who's been nominated repeatedly and deserved a win for a different performance but gets it for this one (I would say this is true of Martin Scorcese as
The Departed was good but not his best work by any stretch). But Forest Whitaker's transformation into Idi Amin was amazing. Just like Helen Mirren...at some point you forget you're watching a movie and think you're watching a documentary about the real people.
* Melissa Ethridge. Hey, she was able to rhyme
Inconvenient Truth (what was it...something youth?). I think this was a case where the three Dreamgirls songs cancelled each other out and Randy Newman has gotten the nod over the past few years (and how much can you stand to listen to the same basic melody with different words over and over and over...he really is the Allen & Marilyn Bergman of the last decade). Besides the academy will often recognize a popular commercial artist who has made a film contribution (perhaps with the idea to get more commercial artists to do film work...i don't know).
* Jack's head.
But after I got used to it, I thought it was sort of hot (in a Telly Savalas, Yul Brenner kind of way). I think he's been balding for a long time...good to see he's finally gotten rid of the toupe (although I'm not sure if the shaved thing is for a movie role).
* Memorial. I especially liked the image of the burning film with the stars images on it. Poignant. I wish this wouldn't have been at the very end though.
* As for fashion, in my opinion, it's gotten just a little too safe. Although it was ironic that Meryl was nominated for a fashion film and then shows up in a black schmata and clunky jewelry. I'm pretty much agreed with everyone else that it was a good thing Jennifer took off the Jetson's jacket. and personally, I hated that huge bow on nicole's shoulder. And what was up with Philip Seymour Hoffman's hair??
At the show is still just too f***ing long!!! The academy doesn't need to justify the role of films in society. Why do we need to see five film clip montages over the course of the evening ([Choose your topic] as seen in the movies)? Show me more longer clips from the nominated films (have those gotten shorter?) and cut out the rest. I liked what they did for the screenplay noms (reciting an excerpt from each) and the fashion noms (having models posed in the costumes). Just cut out the fluff that has nothing to do with the awards that year.
Since then, she's been the most nominated actress in history for the Oscar - or as she says, the one who's lost the most times, and had to put on that "Oh, I'm so glad she won instead," face. 
Do they simply automatically include her every year now?" 
