Over the years, the Oscars have changed drastically. We’re now back to 10 Best Picture nominations, two hosts seem to be the normal shtick now (Seriously, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were priceless. Why couldn’t that be a double dip?), and set pieces become more and more extravagant. Some still pine for Billy Crystal (this writer included), while others gripe about smaller details now lost. You know, like those film clips? What’s the deal? They used to actually show the actor’s performances. Now it’s just a name, an awkward pan to the actor in the audience, and bada bing, bada boom the winner. Yeah, it saves time and all, but something’s just missing.
One thing that’ll never change are the performances. While the Grammys have become a four-hour glorified all-stars concert, the Oscars still have to stick to its guns. The awards take precedence. Always. That’s why we’ll never see performances tossed to the side; simply because they’re the only things that tend to thrill or pick up the pace. Boy, does the show need it, too. Sometimes it’s just downright nails on a chalkboard. C’mon, don’t lie. You know you flip to another station whenever those over-the-top montages take up an hour and change – especially since they continue to use the theme from Dragonheart every…goddamn…year. Really? Give it up.
In hindsight, there aren’t that many memorable performances on the Oscars. Some come to mind as being odd or ironic (i.e. Three Six Mafia, anyone?) while others just seem fitting (e.g. Any Randy Newman inclusion). None of them ever eclipse those on, say, the Grammys or MTV’s Video Music Awards. But, some have come close. We collected our favorites, put ’em in a list (yeah, just five, folks), and gave our reasons. To be honest, these won’t surprise you much. In fact, you can probably guess a few right off the bat. They’re just that obvious. Still, there’s always those select few who just aren’t “with it.”
This one’s for you.
-Michael Roffman
President/Editor-in-Chief