Davis Brought It
Tonight’s Hollywood Awards ceremony was the first awards show of the season, and it occured to me early on that the major award recipients — George Clooney, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Christopher Plummer, Bennett Miller — were using this event (as they do every year) to try out and refine their acceptance speeches, like a Broadway-bound play playing Boston or Los Angeles. So who fared best?
For most of the show I thought Close was the shit. Her words were eloquent, heartfelt, well chosen. Plus she got a long standing ovation as she walked to the podium. Well loved. But then Davis, glammy costar of The Help and a likely Best Actress nominee, took the mike near the end of the show, and she blew Close out of the water. Calm, sassy, impassioned — it was easily the finest acceptance speech of the night.
A friend tells me that’s not enough. It doesn’t matter if an acceptance speech is really superb unless it’s been captured for broadcast and seen all around. Davis’s speech (along with the show) will presumably be broadcast by Starz, although it’s not listed on their website.
I knew Davis was hitting it right 20 seconds after she began but I was too slow and too stupid to shoot video of her speech right away. I finally picked up the camera toward the end and caught the last 78 seconds’ worth. I knew then and there she’s going to win the Best Actress Oscar. She knew it, the room knew it. You could just feel it.
George Clooney handled himself with assurance and charm. Candid, amusingly blunt, self-effacing, gracious…the usual one-two-three shazam. And Beau Bridges‘ introduction of Clooney was choice. Christopher Plummer delivered with wit, class and aplomb. But Quentin Tarantino‘s introduction of Diablo Cody was the most pizazzy and high-voltage of all. Cody clearly felt he’d oversold her.
By the way: Cinematographer Emanuel Lubezki (Tree of Life, Gravity) told me earlier tonight that his next film, he believes, will be for Terrence Malick (again)…the one with Christian Bale that was filming in mid September in a park outside Austin.
George Clooney
Carey Mulligan
Viola Davis
Michelle Willliams
Ben Affleck
Diablo Cody
Jonah Hill
Oh my God, I was all set to go all “look at her” over Emma Stone being FETCHING in the background backing up Viola, then MULLIGANY being SO CUTE, but then–
HOLY SHIT LOOK AT AFFLECK! WHAT IS THAT?????
agree with the Affleck pic … hello I just stepped off the set of Ravenous
I didn’t know Affleck was shooting a Dave Grohl biopic.
Everyone wants to win, not the people want prizes, just want to stand on the stage,hoping that their efforts to allow some people to see,So with or without winning,for us,they are great,
The Grohl comment was funny, but I think Affleck looks a little more like the resulting hypothetical love-child of a gay affair between Jason Reitman and Robert Davi.
He still looks sexier than Diablo Cody, though…Jeeezus.
AfflIeck negotiates million dollar deals for breakfast. I think he can handle this Eurotrash.
Stu, let’s send this caller a free copy of Miss Representation.
I didn’t know Affleck was shooting a Dave Grohl biopic.
Sometimes, pictures are uglier than any thousand words.
Some of you guys put the ass in class you know that?
I’d delete a few of these if I were you Jeff.
I am Jack’s muddled intent.
Super Soul, FTW.
Hans. Buhby. I’m your white knight.
You all are aware Affleck is in the middle of shooting a 1970s period drama, right? That’s what’s up with his Tobe Hooper directing Texas Chainsaw-inspired look.
“I knew then and there she’s going to win the Best Actress Oscar.”
Based on this acceptance speech? Really?
Wells response: You had to be there, but yeah. The room half knew it. Davis seemed to know it. She sure as hell knows that The Help is a huge cultural force among women, and that she’s the top dog among her sister brethren ensemble costars. She had the force, the swagger, the gravity…you could feel it.
My comment #7 was edited, now it makes absolutely no sense. That’s ok, I usually don’t anyways.
What is going on with the edits in posts? My post mentioned Viola Davis…now its gone….
Wells comment: It was an accident during spambot cleanout. Re-post it.
Yeah, I am surprised at the shock over Affleck’s look. Haven’t you guys learned yet that actors often have weird looks going depending on what movie they are shooting? Tommy Lee Jones gave his Oscar acceptance speech bald, Brad Pitt growing a beard down to his navel gearing up for The Fountain, Matt Damon is bald these days for the Blomkamp movie, and a million other examples. He’s doing a movie set in the 70s. Lex, I expect better from you.
Oh, come on, it ain’t just Affleck. The garish flourescent lighting, the aquamarine backdrop, the garish makeup & hair, the warpy video-capture vibe of the photos, AND the way the men are far uglier than the women, all *combine* to make this look like the AVN Awards of 1978.
Yes, I’m fully aware that actors get stuck carrying around their current “look” from whatever they’re shooting into their day-to-day travails– I always try to imagine Daniel Day Lewis grocery shopping at Pavillions in full Bill the Butcher garb and ‘stache loading up on Hungry Mans a la McQueen in Bullitt– and that Russell Crowe actually had his wedding while sporting those RIDICULOUS Master and Commander muttonchops…
It’s just a testament to Affleck’s absolute lack of changing his look at all, ever, save for a goatee here and there, since 1995 and a phony wig in EXTRACT, that makes it a shock. It’d be like The Duke in 1975 turning up in a full Jeff Bridges in King Kong beach bum shag and beard… Affleck NEVER changes his basic look (nor did Damon until the last year with the mullet then the shaved head), and the rumor for years has been that his Astro-turf chop-cut matte is a piece… So mostly I wanna know where one gets a wig, assuming this is one, of this AWESOME hairstyle.
Ben Affleck IS Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.
I don’t ultimately give a shit what anyone here looks like — yes, even Diablo Cody — and obviously I understand the logistics that require an actor to maintain a look at least until principal photography wraps, or a director who goes “method” to try to immerse himself mentally/stylistically in a particular era or genre (thank you Captain & Tennille Obvious on that subject, Edward Havens and Breedlove).
Two important things, though:
1) If you’re in the entertainment industry, this kind of appearance-prodding (no matter how vain) goes hand-in-hand with your chosen profession. Try getting a gig in construction after scrawling “No Physical Labor” at the bottom of your resume. As Kurt Blow was so fond of preaching, “these are the breaks.”
2) The picture just flat-out seems goofy. It’s not just his “George Harrison on a month-long, unshaven bender after the Beatles broke up” look, it’s also the impassioned Guevara-ian pose he’s striking, the cheesy backdrop (is he the pitchman for Holiday Inn circa 1979?), and unflattering lighting.
There’s nothing inherently “evil” or “mean” about laughing at a fucking ridiculous photograph. It sort of irritates me to no end that most Hollywood insiders equate this kind of behavior — which is entirely human, by the way — with being “unclassy” (it’s not just SS, either, so I hope she doesn’t feel like I’m singling her out at all).
It’s like the Oscars five or so years back where Rock made a funny, off-the-cuff joke about the-then suddenly ubiquitous Jude Law, and Sean Penn (who I love as an actor, but dude’s pretty humorless) proceeds to trot onto the stage to defend his honor with all the misplaced intensity of George McFly.
If you hear a Popcorn Joe or Jill making a snide comment about an actor, they’ve officially made it as a celebrity because joking implies a certain form of interactive awareness with their public persona. It’s usually just a psychological outlet for people to humanize these big stars by bringing them “down to earth” (which is a healthy inclination for both parties, IMHO).
Sorry for the rather disproportionate rant here, but — hanging around blogs like this for literally YEARS now — these things have been sorta bugging me for awhile, and this seemed like perhaps the most appropriate time to unload that ammo.
Not so sure Davis has it in the bag. Dave Poland thinks it will be Michelle Williams and we haven’t seen Streep as Thatcher yet. No one is going to remember this speech this time tomorrow. Hold your horses.
Streep’s performance as Thatcher looks like a parody though. And let’s not forget it’s from the director that gave us Mamma Mia! (not that I have anything against ABBA, as Japesome Swedish Tunesmiths go they’re the best). That truly was an excruciating piece of ‘film-making’.
No one can do any worse than Jamie Foxx, who gave the same goddamned speech about his dead grandma over and over and over and over. Glad I stopped watching award shows after that year, whenever it was.
It might not matter, mark. If the performance is halfway entertaining, she could still get it just because of so many losses and she’s no slouch when it comes to acceptance speeches. And it would be ironic if Davis won because this is NOT her best work. But it wouldn’t be the first time that happened.
@great scott: you’re actually going by what David Poland says? The blogger whose been wrong about…EVERYTHING! Really?
Four points:
1) Saw you at the do last night but didn’t get a chance to say, “U ROCK FOR YOUR WORK SUPPORTING TREX PIC!”
2) The screen (which we see in shots above) was ridiculous last night. Almost gave the people on stage heart attacks.
3) Christopher Plummer KILLED it.
4) And yes Close was WONDERFUL and lots of love in room, especially after that amazing clip reel.
Oh, one more thing per my conversation with Ted Danson: Where in the world is the genius writer Alan Sharp? God we need his writing skills for indie films today.
Citizen, moronic post. First of all, I wasn’t addressing you, I was talking to Lex, who knows a shitload about movies and seemed legitimately baffled as to Affleck’s look. So not really feeling the Captain Obvious remark. Also, I think Sasha was offended by the usual remarks about Diable Cody, not Affleck. She is a writer, not an actor, and she’s female, and yeah, a lot of people think trashing a a female screenwriter’s looks, as fascinating as that is, is kinda tacky and classless. She’s not some celebrity actor who works because of her looks. How come you don’t chime in on Charlie Kaufman’s looks whenever he comes up?
Streep’s performance as Thatcher looks like a parody though. And let’s not forget it’s from the director that gave us Mamma Mia! (not that I have anything against ABBA, as Japesome Swedish Tunesmiths go they’re the best). That truly was an excruciating piece of ‘film-making’.
Diablo Cody is a celebrity screenwriter, so fair game (even though it was a joke, admittedly a bad one). Cody could have said “no” to all that press and photo shoots when Juno was released. It’s not that hard to stay incognito as a writer if you really want to — although, admittedly, probably easier for men than women.
You must be new to HE if you don’t think behind-the-scenes guys like Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, or Quentin Tarantino don’t take their lumps here. Hell, some people who don’t even work in the public sphere are subject to our host’s pet peeves, rantings, and ravings on personal appearance and/or grooming habits (or lack thereof). I’m not sure why you think anyone here is literally “shocked” because he’s “in character,” he just looks fucking ridiculous is all.
I don’t really feel like it’s a sexist thing at all. There’s always equal-opportunity bashing. How many remarks do we see here about male-pattern baldness, beardos, scruff, man-feet/mandals, etc., etc.
To quote Mr. White, “a lot.”
And, for the record, DC does look like a tranny hooker in that photo. Sadly, I know (and pay) from experience.
Alboone, ordinarily I would agree, but Poland insisted from the beginning The Social Network would never win Best Picture and he was right.