The 67th Annual Academy Awards

This was only the second time that I had watched the Oscars (and the first time that I had watched a large portion of it). At this time, I wasn't yet watching David Letterman's show, so it's only been since then that I've come to understand his jokes here.

I think that they should have given at least one award to "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Quiz Show" (why'd they even nominate "Four Weddings and a Funeral"?). "Forrest Gump" was an interesting movie, but far from the best of 1994. But I did agree with them awarding Martin Landau for "Ed Wood".

So, "The 67th Annual Academy Awards" wasn't the best ceremony ever, but I still enjoyed it.

The one everyone remembers because they went `outside the community' for their compere by bringing in David Letterman from the east coast. Now, on one hand I can see why he flopped, when he started the show by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey `Uma, Oprah etc' he immediately lost the half of the audience that preferred their jokes a little more, well, normal.

However I felt Letterman was a great host who did well because he was so different from the norm that he did feel like a breath of fresh air. I'm a fan so maybe that is part of it but he was good. His video of montage of people auditioning for his part in the movie Cabin Boy had me in tears - `you wanna buy a monkey?' He'll never be back to do it again but it was really good to have that off the wall, New York chat show host humour to off set all the back slapping and teasing jokes that goes on.

The actual award themselves were good and Letterman kept a good level of humour throughout. I did actually sit up all night to watch this ceremony and then go to work for 7am and I didn't feel short changed so it can't have been that bad! Of the winners, Braveheart seemed a populist choice - I would have preferred Sense & Sensibility or even Babe - just for the sheer heart warming nature of it! Gibson for Braveheart was also a bit too much for it - although it was a bit of an epic I suppose, regardless of factual basis! Cage as best actor was deserved. Sarandon was a shoe in (excuse the Walking pun). Sorvino was a surprise and an unusual winner for a comedy role, but it was worth it to see father Paul in tears. Spacey was a great choice for Supporting Actor. Pitt was good but Spacey really drove Usual Suspects - a film that 100% deserved it's screenplay award. A good list, even if some of them don't seem the right choice with hindsight.

Overall I enjoyed the ceremony mainly because I love Letterman's sense of humour. I understand why it didn't fit but it worked for me. Overlong but worth seeing just for Letterman's one (and probably only) Oscar turn.

I have to admit that David Letterman tried too hard to host the Academy Awards just like his own late night show. Too bad the audience were made up of Hollywood celebrities and not the locals or tourists from New York! His monologue and ad-lib jokes just did not work. Not because it wasn't funny, but because it's not the type of humor that is televised well in front of celebrities and your prime-time audiences.

But what David Letterman did do that made this Academy Award memorable, were his two skits. The cab drivers that were auditioning lines. "Are you talking to me?" & "Hakuna Matata". I almost fell off of my chair when they drove through the red light! The other skit was "Do you want to buy a monkey?" Classic! I had tears in my eyes when you heard Barry White & Michael Buffer recite those lines!

How about Tom Hanks? Only the 2nd actor to ever win back-to-back Oscars! They were Philadelphia (1993) & Forrest Gump (1994). The 1st actor to accomplish that feat was the great actor Spencer Tracy for Captains Courageous (1937) & Boys Town (1938).

Another credit to the 67th Academy Awards were the two movies nominated for Best Picture. Almost everybody saw either Forrest Gump or Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction was the more original movie that has changed dark/comedy/action movies to today's standards, but Forrest Gump had everything a movie needed to be considered as the Best Picture of 1994.

I remember a lot of critics and reviews were incredibly harsh after this awards show with a lot of attention focused on a joke host David Letterman did that kind of fell flat where he just kept going between Oprah Winfrey and Uma Thurman and saying "Oprah... Uma. Uma... Oprah." And yes that joke was kind of dumb but it was also so dumb it was kind of funny. I mean think about it, to this day people still talk about it and laugh at least because it was so dumb.

Also the show was what like three hours long and the rest of it was great! David Letterman was very comfortable and funny with some great jokes, perhaps the Hollywood stiffs just didn't like some of the ones which were aimed at themselves.

Also the short videos he did were the best I've ever seen on any Oscars, with fake auditions for a tiny part he played in Cabin Boy (not exactly an Oscar nominated movie) and taxi cabs. All of that was amazing! I honestly don't know why some people act like Letterman was terrible or that this was a bad Oscars broadcast.

Honestly if you thought this was anywhere near as bad as any of the years hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Degeneres, Billy Crystal (especially the later years), high James Franco (dumpster fire) or many many others, I question your sense of humor and I.Q.

The Oscars needs more fun years like this one!