The Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are like a holiday for me. I look forward to them every single year. To be fair, I think I have watched every single year since 1998. I never miss it, it is like a holiday. And before she stopped doing it, I used to watch the Barbara Walters Special beforehand. Her final Oscars Special was in 2010. I absolutely love movies and always have. I have a great respect for the art of film making and have a great deal of appreciation for the history of the movies.

I watched many of the Oscars where Billy Crystal hosted and did his tid bit beforehand. Of course he is the most famous host next to Bob Hope who hosted the most I think. We get to review some of the timeless classics, actors and actresses who are legends in the field, and stories that have touched us and have so much meaning to us as we have ALL grown to know and love.

I remember the first Oscars appearance after his accident where Christopher Reeves rolled out as an annoucner and was given a standing ovation that lasted three minutes. I remember Sid Ceasar, Red Skelton, and Bob Hope honored together at the Oscars. I remember Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On the year Titanic was up for all the awards and even sang Barbra Streisand's song that year when she couldn't attend last minute. Lucille Ball's final television appearance was at the Oscars with Bob Hope.

The Academy Awards is a time to celebrate the movies and I love them so much. I don't get to go to the movie theatre like I used to, but I will get my chance to curl up on my couch and get lost into a good story. I watch and love all genres and have all my favorites to date. I can appreciate a classic from early movie days, to a good 80s film, to a new animated feature.

Ellen DeGeneres was a fantastic host to the 2014 Academy Awards

I watched when Ellen first hosted the Oscars a few years back. I thought she was excellent then. However, I go farther back remembering her host the Emmys in 2001. They post poned it several times because of 9/11. In my opinion, Ellen saved the Emmys that year. She was funny, gracious, and kept everyone's attention. Well I think she was funny as ever, and absolutely entertaining hosting this year's Academy Awards.

Her opening monologue was hilarious with her jokes and jabs. Her changing outfits, including Glinda the good witch costume at one time got a good laugh. Her taking selfies the entire time, one actually making history and shutting down Twitter was classic Ellen in itself. But I think the funniest "ha ha" with her was her asking who wanted pizza, actually ordering pizza from a local pizzeria, and delivery boy having NO clue where he was going, and being brought out on stage to deliver pizza.

Ellen had the audience in hysterics as she ordered pizza and dragged the delivery boy on stage to deliver to the movie royalty.

Ellen had the delivery boy on her show the following day. He said that he was told he was delivering to producers and then Ellen came out to get him and he was shocked. She told him he was just going behind back stage, but then she pulled him on on stage. The delivery boy said his highlight was passing pizza to his all time favorite actress, Julia Roberts. And then later on the show Ellen was hysterical getting money from the famous actors for the pizza. Well she collected $1000 which she ended up giving to the delivery boy on her show as tip! Absolutely priceless!

I think one of my favorite Oscar moments was the very first award given to Jared Leto for best supporting actor. I have not seen his movie, and really didn't know him. But he had an absolutely beautiful speech. In my opinion it was the best Oscar speech I have ever heard. He gave a beautiful tribute to his mother (who he also got pizza from Ellen for), and he gave tribute to the goings on in the world and a message to people who could relate to his movie:

“In 1971, Bossier City, Louisiana, there was a teenage girl who was pregnant with her second child. She was a high school dropout and a single mom, but somehow she managed to make a better life for herself and her children. She encouraged her kids to be creative, to work hard and to do something special. That girl is my mother and she’s here tonight. And I just want to say, I love you, Mom. Thank you for teaching me to dream... And this is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you out there who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love. Tonight I stand here in front of the world with you and for you. Thank you so much and goodnight.”

I am now a Jared Leto fan.

Jared Leto made one of the greatest speeches ever winning for Best Supporting Actor.

But those who know me best know my all time favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio, who once again was overlooked at the Oscars. This is my biggest complaint. This man is a fantastic actor. I have seen just about every single one of his except his newest Wolf of Wall Street. But he has not been nominated for as many Academy Awards as you may think, and in The Great Gatsby alone he was superb. In Titanic or The Aviator he was phenomenal. The studying he did in Gangs of New York was unparalleled. Blood Diamond, Shutter Island, Inception, there are no words for his talent. So I am annoyed my boy, Leo, did not win. He is WAY overdue to be acknowledged for something he so deserves. My other favorite was Meryl Streep, but let's face it, she's been nominated 18 times and won like 3 or 4, it's all good. Leo, your time will come!

Leonardo DiCaprio can do no wrong.

The musical accolades were fantastic. Frozen won best animated film and the song from Frozen, "Let it Go" won best original score. A well deserved award. The song was sung by one of the greatest musical talents of the day Idina Menzel. Not many people know her believe it or not, but she starred in the original Broadway Plays Rent and my personal favorite Wicked. She was has a powerful voice and such control. Even if John Travolta mispronounced her name when introducing her! Pink had me cry when she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" when they did the Wizard of Oz tribute. She was also stunningly beautiful.

But my favorite moment was after the Memorium, when the legendary Bette Midler walked out and sang HER star song "The Wind Beneath My Wings." What a moment! She sang it beautifully, and I hate to say it, the magnifying moment as it was last year when Barbra Streisand came out to sing, Bette sang better than Barbra did last year. I also watched the movie Beaches earlier this past summer and hearing Bette sing her song meant a lot to me personally hearing it. Beautifully done.

Idina Menzel singing Best sinning song "Let it Go" from best animated film "Frozen.

Pink singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" to tribute The Wizard of Oz.

Bette Midler singing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" after the Memorium.

I really enjoyed this year's Academy Awards. They were entertaining, music, good laughs, nothing too political, and still held the essence of what the movies do for people. For me, like I said, it is like a major holiday and I look forward to them every year. And now I am looking forward to what the following year of movies can bring to us. Good stories to get lost in, adventures we feel like we are sharing, horrors that make us think, love stories that make us cry, and comedies that have us laughing. God, I love the movies!

"You have got to believe in yourself, that's the secret. Even when I was in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to eat, even then I thought of myself as the greatest actor in the world."

-Charlie Chaplin

Yours in service,

MASTER A TRENTO