and the envelope went to...?

Okay, so who remembered that Morgan Freeman won Best Supporting Actor last year, until he presented, um... oh right, Rachel Weisz, her Oscar last night? And who else was pummeling their brain trying to figure out what the hell Nicole Kidman won Best Supporting Actress for last year when she showed up to give George Clooney his award last night? (for those who didn't race to IMDB.com to figure it out - she didn't win, Cate Blanchett won for playing Katherine Hepburn. Guess Cate wasn't available last night...)

Don't get me wrong, I was glued to the tube, and for the life of me, couldn't figure out how I ever watched the Oscars before TiVo (TiVo, I bow before you, I worship you, I adore you... whatever happens in the corporate world, in the zeitgeist you are right up there with cell phones, microwave ovens and Chinese food delivery). But still... did Nicole win for Moulin Rouge or Cold Mountain? Or was it To Die For? Did anyone, anyone!, make a speech last night that was memorable, even charming? Actually, Three 6 Mafia, was elated and charming and pretty darn cool. But really, think about it - who will forget Cuba Gooding, Jr.? Or Julia Roberts - "put down that baton, I'm not done" Or Charlton Heston? Or even Hilary Swank, if only because she memorably forgot to thank her husband (the first time, not the second, let's be fair).
Jon Stewart was funny - I'd ask him back - but he wasn't outrageous. And maybe that's what Hollywood was shooting for, at least I hope they were, because that's what we got.

Back to our point (we did have one) - it's the ultimate paradox of ultimate TV (quick, who won the Superbowl last year? for that matter, who won this year?) -- the most-watched, most paid-for, arguably most anticipated (though the new season of The Sopranos may just be giving these old standbys a run for their money - maybe waiting 2 years between seasons wasn't such a bad idea after all) events on TV have the staying power of cotton candy in the rain - and the substance. What does that mean? That we're overloaded with information, with entertainment, with choices? Yes to all of the above. That we enjoy spectacles, especially without meaning - in this corner, let's give a hand to the Superbowl, weighing in at $2.4 million per 30 seconds and 130 million viewers and in the other corner, please pay your respects, we have the XX Olympics, weighing in at just 14 million viewers for the closing ceremonies, and asking just $700k per spot. And maybe that one-time events are just that, and we can and maybe should, just appreciate them for the 3 hours of entertainment they provide. I know where I'll be the first Sunday in March 2007... wondering who the hell won for best screenplay last year, and hoping for somebody, any body, to do something memorable.

p.s. Nicole won for Best Prosthetic - I mean Actress - for The Hours in 2002