The Oscars happened. And people responded. A lot of them not too kindly.
James Franco, who was so casual as to appear as if he'd stepped out of a stoner comedy like "Pineapple Express," draws scathing reviews. "Rather than underplaying," writes Tim Greierson, "he seemed like he was hardly there … Franco was lifeless, dragging Hathaway's showmanship down with him." (The Projector)
Caryn James kicks it up a notch: "Sluggish, badly-written, a near-disaster from start to finish, the Oscar show was the best evidence yet that even if the Academy thinks it want to be younger and hipper, it has no idea how to do that." (indieWIRE)
But Ken Tucker liked it. "Funny, poised, relaxed, and smart, Anne Hathaway and James Franco made for marvelous Oscar hosts." (Entertainment Weekly)
The AP gives a rundown on Oscar behind-the-scenes: Anne Hathaway raffled off a plate of sushi during a commercial break, the announcer told the crowd not to applaud during the In Memoriam segment, and Francis Ford Coppola bragged about tying his bow tie: "No one ties their own ties anymore." Not true, Mr. Coppola. (AP via Yahoo! Movies)
Much of the response to the show came in real time on Twitter, so here's a sampling:
Roger Ebert, @ebertchicago: "The worst Oscarcast I've seen, and I go back awhile. Some great winners, a nice distribution of awards, but the show? Dead. In. The. Water."
Oscar-winning composer @trent_reznor: "HOLY S*** doesn't seem enough…."
Daniel Feinberg, @HitFixDaniel: "'Winter's Bone,' 'True Grit,' '127 Hours' & 'The Kids Are All Right' combined for fewer Oscars than "'The Wolfman.'"
Writer @ChrisWillman: "I would love to crash Melissa Leo's after-party, if I could guess which biker bar she's holding it at."
The New York Times' David Carr: @carr2n: "so james franco twitters abt the Oscars, mom twitters, he makes movies abt the Oscars, and then is a no show … at the actual Oscars."
"Dustin," aka @sidecarsally: "NOBODY thanked God tonight at the Academy Awards. Take that, God!"
"The Social Network" producer @DanaBrunetti: "F********." (The first six of those *s are the letter u.)
Columnist Peter Sciretta, @slashfilm: "next year: @kevinspacey host, Kirk Douglas should present, & Randy Newman should give all the acceptance speeches."
Huge "Social Network" fan Sasha Stone, @awardsdaily: "Just call it a day. They are lame and the Oscars blow. What else is new."
Documentary filmmaker and writer AJ Schnack, @ajschnack: "Did James Franco direct this show? Oscars as performance art."
