OSCAR – AT 8:15 A.M. ET:  There is a national sport in bashing Oscar broadcasts, so I won't do it.  The fact is that, historically, the Oscar show has been long and mostly boring, saved, at one time, by Hollywood glamour and a great comedian like Bob Hope at the helm.  Hope hosted the show for 18 years.

In recent years the glamour faded, replaced by a vulgar youth culture that didn't quite fill the shoes of Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, or Natalie Wood.  When Billy Crystal, a very funny guy, dropped out as host, all seemed lost.

However, let me dissent from all the negative comment about last night's show.  It wasn't bad.  Not bad at all.  Not a great show, but quite watchable, and generally free of the moronic political speeches of Hollywood lefties.  I have to admit that I'm a softie for Anne Hathaway, the co-host, who did, in my view, bring back some of that Hollywood glamour I miss, and has an infectious charm.  The other co-host, James Franco, kind of wasn't there, and might have served us better by staying home.

Look, it's an awards show.  How interesting can an acceptance speech for best sound editing be?  I thought most of the women looked reasonably classy, avoiding some of the tasteless costuming that ran Oscar downhill for years.  I have, I must admit, not seen "The King's Speech," but, from what I've heard, it deserved the Oscar for best picture.  I'm personally happy that "The Social Network" didn't win.  It's a good movie, but no more than that, and vastly overhyped. 

One responsibility of being a star is developing the art to leave gracefully.  Johnny Carson, with whom I worked, did it superbly, and with style.  When he left, he left, and that was it.  Last night we saw Kirk Douglas, sick, frail, and old, demonstrate what happens when a man stays too long at the fair.  This virile man and solid actor was a sad spectacle, the picture of a man who should have gotten off the stage years ago.  We want to remember stars as they were.

The old Hollywood, the larger than life personalities, will probably never return.  But I didn't think last night's show was a disgrace, so I can't join all the trendy bashers this morning.  And, if I weren't a happily married man, I'd take Anne Hathaway out to dinner anytime.

February 28, 2011