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The Academy Awards 2009 Blog
Hugh Jackman, looking immaculate, starts by singing – yes, singing – us through the nominees. And dancing. That man can move. Scoops Anna Hathaway on stage for a Frost/Nixon duet. Jon Stewart never did that.
"I’m Wol-ver-iiiiiiiine!"
Bit lovey-lovey. Whoopi, Tilda, Goldie, Angelica Huston and Eva Marie Saint pour praise on the Best Supporting Actress nominees. Whoopi to Amy Adams: "It’s not easy being a nun."
And the Oscar goes to… Penelope Cruz! The Vicky Christina Barcelona star threatens to faint. But doesn’t. No one really understands what she’s saying. But everyone claps anyway.
So far, so very well behaved. Too well behaved. No crying. No faux pas. No camera-cuts to Jack Nicholson. Not even anyone dressed as a swan.
The BRITs: No Alarms And No Surprises
In a set of results that will surprise nobody, Duffy was the big winner at last night’s BRITs, taking home awards in three of the four categories she was nominated in.
It was a disappointing night for Coldplay though, who failed to pick up a single gong despite also being up for four.
Oh, and in a turn of events which would appear to vindicate the bookies’ decision to stop taking bets earlier in the week, Paul Weller won Best Male Solo Artist.
Here are the results in full:
British Female Solo Artist: Duffy
International Female Solo Artist: Katy Perry
British Breakthrough Act: Duffy
International Group: Kings of Leon
British Male Solo Artist: Paul Weller
International Album: Kings of Leon, Only By The Night
British Live Act: Iron Maiden
British Group: Elbow
Critics’ Choice: Florence and The Machine
International Male Solo Artist: Kanye West
British Single: Girls Aloud, The Promise
British Album: Duffy, Rockferry
Outstanding Contribution to Music: Pet Shop Boys
It’s The Brits Blog
19:45
Hello there. This isn’t James, I’m afraid. It’s Tom Townshend. Hello. I’ve been asked to blog about this year’s Brits, live, as it happens, er, on the telly.
Think of this as a kind of improvised DVD commentary or a new version of Twitter where the word limit has been removed and Stephen Fry has been banned from telling us what he has for breakfast.
Anyway, how’s everyone feeling about the Brits this year? I know it’s the done thing to be cynical but I genuinely think it might actually be good this year. The hosts, Gavin and Smithy are genuinely funny and lovely people (i.e. we met one of them once and he didn’t spit at us). Kylie is officially the queen of all our hearts, what’s not to like there? And most of the live acts aren’t rubbish.
So providing Fearne Cotton doesn’t say too many annoying things in her links and we can find something edible in our cupboard to have for tea, we could be talking a classic year.
I’ve also asked someone I know who is literally at the ceremony to text me their gossip and celebrity sightings. Of course, they might forget in which case we’ll have to make it up.
Let’s go…. Brits 2009! Come on! Woo! etc
20:00
It’s U2. They’re quite literally a very successful band. Overlooking the fact that this is a lousy song and the worst on the new album, it’s quite exciting they’re here really isn’t it? Or there, at least. It makes the Brits feel important again.
Nice of them to put the words up on the screen so everyone can sing along.
You really wouldn’t be surprised to get to Hell and find that the Bono was the devil, would you? He’s really quite scary.
Would’ve liked some lasers in that performance to be honest.
20:07
Kylie and the boys doing Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. Hmm. A bit flat. Why does the set look like the kind of thing they have for T4 on the Beach? It’s all a bit cheap. We hope this isn’t a credit crunch Brits.
20:06 James Corden makes a joke about The Ting Tings. Is it going to be that sort of evening?
20:10
Duffy 1, Beth Rowley 0. Who’d have guessed that.
Duffy’s lost her Welsh accent! And seemed deeply unsurprised and unimpressed by that. Let’s not give her any more. (That’s not gonna happen, is it?)
20:14
‘Controversial’ Katy Perry’s just been censored already. What did she say? Can anyone here lip read? Was it “farts”?
Girls Aloud. Hurrah! Now that is what we call a stage set. Are they nude behind those feathers? No. 🙁
This is how U2 should’ve done it. Look and learn, The Edge.
Nicola Roberts – a goddess among women. We wish she was our Facebook friend.
20:20
20:22
Congratulations to Lulu for being the first commenter on this very special Brits 2009 blog. She wins a prize. Possibly. We’ll look into it.
Genuine Backstage Gossip
Alexa Chung has a nice sparkly dress on but, our spy says, “could use a pie”. Katherine Jenkins has a nice white dress on but has teemed it with a pink clutch and heels, described by our source as “mad”.
You heard it here first!
20:27
Aw, the lovely Alex James has actually come dressed as a farmer. Please let the Blur reunion be amazing.
Oh for goodness sake. Maybe Duffy can look more pleased this time…
Nope, looks like she’s just popping out to post a letter. We liked her much more back when she was excitable and Welsh.
We’ve had a complaint!
new, life,new days, new shame has complained I haven’t been telling you all who won what. Sorry.
Best Female – Duffy
Best Female from somewhere that isn’t Wales – Katy Perry
Best Breakthrough Act (?) – Duffy
20:34
Do we agree that Coldplay just totally out-U2-ed U2? Rather lovely performance and a nice colour. Very Autumn. Very good.
No Name says Chris Martin sang the wrong words? Did he? Excellent.
Genuine Backstage Gossip
Little Boots (she’s new) looks “amazing”. Alexander McQueen (he’s from fashion, we think) “dripping in diamonds”.
Actually, does anyone have any particular backstage-based questions we can ask our source? Let’s make this very web 2.0 and interactive (disclaimer: experiment may fail dismally)
International Group Award time. Come on Vengaboys!
20:13
It goes to Kings of Leon. Hooray. We like Kings of Leon, not because of their excellent brand of rock and/or roll but because when we went to interview them last year, they arrived on individual Segways. Brilliant!
20:46
Jamie Oliver came dressed as Paul Weller. Bless.
Best British Male – Paul Weller
He’s not there, he’s in a cafe giggling with the lovely Adele. Lucky old Weller.
Does anyone know what song Duffy is singing? *sarcasm* We don’t think we’ve heard it before. It can’t have got much radio play *sarcasm*
20:50
Maybe it’s just us but Duffy’s stage stage set looked very ‘Morecambe & Wise’. If only she’d walked off doing the Bring Me Sunshine dance.
20:52
20:53
Michelle O’Brien wrote:
“MAIDEN FOR BEST LIVE ACT :P”
Can we all promise to do ‘rock hands’ if this comes true. No one will see us doing them, but we’ll know. It’ll be a special moment. If only for Michelle.
20:58
Starting to regret saying that Gavin and Smithy were funny. It’s all a bit Cannon & Ball at the moment.
Kings of Leon shouldn’t have sat down. They’ve won Best International Album. I was kind of hoping for AC/DC. Did you know that was the second biggest selling album in the world last year? I didn’t till yesterday. But now I do. Hooray for facts.
OH SERIOUSLY AMAZING START TO THE TAKE THAT PERFORMANCE
I think they might be on an actual spaceship. Like, a real one.
50s sci-fi scientist is going to be the look for Spring now.
What an amazing song.
What an amazing band.
We feel like we need a bit of a cry.
21:07
Lovely Nick Frost gave me the first Brits lol moment. Not sure it went down too well with the crowd though. They’re probably all drunk by now. They’ve been at it since 5.
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Iron Maiden won Best Live Band!
Did you all do the hands?
Can we just say we agree with everything Joel Richards said, ten minutes ago. Thanks.
21:10
Good to have the sober, modest presence of the Hoff. 🙁
21:12
Elbow have repeated their Mercury win and got Best British Group. That’s nice. But they don’t look as surprised and thrilled as they did then, do they?
Would it be a terrible thing to suggest that maybe these artists had an inkling they’d won, in advance? No, that’s a terrible thing to think. They definitely didn’t.
Eliott Fellinger – We’re sorry to report that our source hasn’t been heard of since I set them your first challenges. We hope they’ve not been ‘dealt with’.
21:17
We’re taking this opportunity to cook some tea. Do let us know how the Kings were. We’re in the kitchen and can’t see the telly.
21:24
Literally no one laughed at Matthew Horne’s Craig David joke. 🙁
21:25
Critics Award winner Florence just did a swear. She’s crazy that one.
21:28
Kanye clearly on his way to a Pee Wee Herman-themed fancy dress party. What is he going on about? First awkwardly crowbarred Obama reference of the night. Congratulations.
He’s Best International Male, by the way.
The Ting Tings and Estelle are playing two different songs at once. What a novel and original idea. I bet Kylie will now steal that idea, travel back in time and try the same trick in 2002.
21:30
Who wants to see my dinner? Well here it is anyway.
It’s egg fried rice with some vegetables on the top. Some might consider that a fail, but anyone who was here for the Eurovision blog might agree it’s a step up from that night’s dinner. And notice the glass of famous brand cola next to it. Classy.
Unfortunately I forgot to get pudding.
21:35
The people have spoken!
Girls Aloud win Best Single
Finally some genuine gratitude. Look at Nicola’s smiley little face. Uh Oh, Sarah’s off.
21:38
It’s the all-new white-haired Tom Jones. Grecian 2000 sales have plummeted. This is what Father Christmas looks like on his Summer holiday.
Duffy gets Best Album. Woo.
She’s got all emotional now. But by this time of the night, most of the crowd are ‘emotional’. If you know what I mean.
To be fair, Fearne’s been quite restrained this evening. We just wanted to use our last graphic before the end of the show. Sorry.
21:47
Those hawks Brandon Flowers trained to sit on his shoulder have fallen asleep. It’s quite a late night for hawks.
“Naturally eccentric” voice? Is that like saying, “don’t worry dear, you’ve got a nice personality”?
Wow. Any idea how much the Pet Shop Boys performance must’ve cost? We reckon it’s between a lot and bloody loads.
Close up of Louis Walsh – thanks cameraman. Louis is bound to be a big Pet Shop Boys fan.
Neil Tennant’s “naturally eccentric” voice was in evidence at the end of Suburbia.
It’s a medley! Everyone loves a medley.
Neil definitely got the better deal from the costume box. Chris is wearing one of Britney’s old wigs.
Remember when they did Go West with lots of miners singing? That was good.
Crikey, it’s Lady GaGa. We are literally a bit terrified. Oh, she’s gone. That was weird.
Here’s Brandon and his sleepy hawks. Or maybe they’re kestrels. Like in that film.
The new album material is sounding really strong up against the old stuff, don’t you think? Well done the Pet Shop Men.
West End Girls – you can hear the Brits liggers going completely nuts.
GaGa is back. She is totally frightening. And wearing a Wedgewood pot on her head. She is literally the future of pop, ladies and gentlemen.
21:59
And that’s it.
Apart from Duffy’s famous brand cola advert. Sad face x one million.
Well, maybe it wasn’t quite the classic Brits we were anticipating.
The set was utterly terrible. We can’t remember a single thing Kylie said (but her skin looked nice). James and Matthew were a disappointment. As were U2 who, by comparison to everyone else, phoned it in.
But, BUT, BUT!
Everyone else was pretty darn amazing. Well done everyone else. You all deserve your Brits (though perhaps not three of them).
Thank you to all of you who commented and kept me company. I’m off to try and find out what happened to my backstage ‘source’. Let’s hope she’s not been Hoffed.
Goodnight. x
Don’t Bet On Leona Being At The BRITs
I should have known something was up yesterday morning when a friend emailed me to ask if I knew who the winners of tomorrow night’s BRIT Awards would be.
Strange question, I thought. If I did, I could make a killing down the bookies.
Well, as it turns out, it appears someone has been trying to do just that by placing numerous bets on Paul Weller to win Best Solo Male Artist, despite the Modfather being a 5-1 outsider.
News of this suspicious betting activity (multiple £50 stakes at various branches of William Hill) has not only resulted in Weller becoming the 1-5 favourite, it has led to William Hill, Paddy Power, and Ladbrokes closing their books on this year’s BRITs.
Although I am one of the 1000 ‘music industry figures’ (not my words) who make up the voting panel, I have no more idea of who the winners will be than anyone else. It would be like voting in a general election and claiming inside knowledge as a result.
But clearly someone (ie. whoever collates the votes) does know in advance.
I’m not saying there is definitely something fishy going on but any media-created event like this or, say, a Big Brother eviction or Christmas number one, necessarily involves certain individuals having advance knowledge of the result.
Can you imagine gambling on horses being allowed under such circumstances? I’ve never understood it.
On a related note, the story in today’s Daily Mirror about Leona Lewis ‘making a stand by not attending’ the BRITs doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny.
The article quotes Simon Cowell as saying "I don’t like the BRITs. Leona at the BRITs tells you all you need to know about the record business. You should recognise and celebrate success, not sneer at it, wherever the artist comes from".
Right, so we’re supposed to believe that Leona is staying away because the horrible snobby ‘Brits bosses’ (again not my words) who decide the winners have some sort of agenda against her?
This might have some credibility were it not for the fact that the award she is nominated for, Best British Single, is one of three decided by the public. D’oh!
* By the way, the wonderful Tom Townshend will be taking over my blog tomorrow night to bring you his wit and wisdom as the ceremony unfolds – watch this space…
Two happy things…
The world came out with two wonderful things that made me smile today.
One – Chewbacca in a cupboard (I don’t care if it’s fake!).
Two – The Sun’s clever, clever front page headline (on the subject of the bankers who were questioned yesterday.
Live BAFTA Blog 2009
Etta, The Devil You Know
Please excuse the dreadful pun but I had to comment on Etta James’ public savaging of Beyonce which is all over the news this morning.
Ms James, an evidently sprightly 71, seems to have taken exception to Beyonce performing At Last (a song she made famous) at the Obama inauguration ball last month.
The veteran singer told the audience during a show in Seattle yesterday, "You know your president, the one with the big ears? Wait a minute, he ain’t my president", continuing "I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped."
In case there was any doubt who she was referring to, she added, "I can’t stand Beyonce."
Well, miaow.
My fondness for Beyonce is well known but even I have to admit she made a bit of a hash of it. If I was being charitable I’d say the emotion of the occasion got to her but I think the truth is her voice isn’t suited to that sort of song.
Anyway, that’s hardly the point.
I just loved the sheer childish spite of Etta James’ rant. The one with the big ears? She gonna get her ass whupped? Brilliant. Who says you have to grow old gracefully?
Robbie Recording Chambers Music?
Although Robbie Williams is keeping schtum about the possibility of a Take That reunion (which, if the comments on my last blog entry about it are anything to go by, suits the vast majority of TT fans just fine anyway) recent news reports suggest a rapprochement with another key figure from his musical past – Guy Chambers.
As you may be aware, Guy Chambers was Robbie Williams writing partner on pretty much all his biggest hits; Rock DJ, Let Me Entertain You, and the all-conquering Angels to name but three.
They fell out towards the end of 2002 after the recording of Robbie’s fifth solo album, Escapology. It may or may not be a coincidence that Williams’ two albums since then are the lowest-selling of his career to date.
So, has Robbie learned how to swallow his pride and admit mistakes? Does it offer any clues as to the likelihood of him joining Take That on tour?
It’s hard to say from this. Reforming a business partnership (which, however matey they might once have been, was always the essential nature of his relationship with Chambers) isn’t the same as making up with friends. The jury’s still out on whether we’ll ever see a five-man Take That again.
Having said all this, I watched a documentary about the band on Channel 5 last night. It was tabloid-level stuff and didn’t offer much in the way of revelations (and I’m fairly sure it was a repeat anyway) but it did make me soften my stance on Robbie a bit.
I long ago lost patience with his constant carping about Take That and all that "I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams!" stuff left a nasty taste in the mouth but I’d forgotten (if indeed I ever really knew) how charmlessly ambitious Gary was back in the 1990s.
Also, I specifically criticised Robbie for leaving Mark, Jason, and Howard in the lurch when he left, but of course it was Gary who pulled the plug on Take That the first time around on the rather smug assumption that solo success was his for the taking.
That, of course, was much of the reason the public got behind Robbie and why we indulged his all too successful efforts to turn Gary into a national laughing-stock.
The twists and turns of their contrasting fortunes have made for a fascinating soap opera. Pride came before a fall for Gary but, all credit to him, he’s emerged a better man for the experience, relinquishing his stranglehold on songwriting duties and allowing Take That to become a democracy.
He also seems at peace with himself, which, as Robbie knows, is something money can’t buy.
What we’re all waiting to see is if Robbie can respond to his own setbacks with equal maturity.
If resuming his working relationship with Guy Chambers is the first step on that road, then I for one wish him every success.
Bale Rant: Out Of Context?
The amusement of listening to Christian Bale throwing his toys out of the pram wore off pretty fast yesterday. If you’re yet to hear it – listen here.
But it raises a few interesting questions. Certainly, it would appear that the key presence on the set is Bale himself rather than relatively inexperienced director "McG". As pointed out in this blog entry from the Guardian, it’s more embarrassing for the director, who feebly suggests that Bale "take a walk" to try and calm the situation. When Bale shouts "Let’s go again!" he sounds like an actor/director.
Certainly, if it had been a director shouting at a technician, there wouldn’t nearly be such a scandal – it might even be considered normal. It’s solely due to Bale’s star status that the audio recording has become such big news.
Furthermore, if it was such a key scene, Bale would have undoubtedly been in a hot-headed frame of mind. John Conner is concerned with saving humanity from Skynet and a good bit of shouting would be commonplace for the character. Remember that Bale is a method man – remember when he thinned down to a puny streak of flesh for The Machinist? He submerges himself in a character…
I don’t read much Harry Knowles to be honest, but he pointedly makes the case in favour of Bale here over on Ain’t It Cool, claiming to know a witness to the incident who confirms that DP Shane Hurlbut was completely out of line in adjusting the lights during such a key scene.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that this was shot not long after the incident in which Bale was arrested (and later released) over allegations of abuse made by his own family. He was perhaps feeling the pressure out of character as well as in it. Such an eruption might well be expected under the circumstances.
Hurlbut must have a side of the story to tell, and probably will. But for now it’s impossible to judge Bale (or Terminator Salvation) without the benefit of context.
