Such a strange and subdued Oscars this year! No outrageous gowns to make fun of, no long-winded or pompous acceptance speeches to smack down. Even Jon Stewart, for all his snide snarkery, was gentler than I would have expected, and seemed genuinely moved more than once. The tone was probably exactly right, what with the … more…

Glen Hansard (winner for Best Original Song, “Falling Slowly,” from Once): Thanks! This is amazing. What are we doing here? This is mad. We made this film two years ago. We shot on two Handycams. It took us three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred grand. We never thought we would come … more…

• “Thank god for teen pregnancy.” (about Juno) • “Too often the Academy ignores movies that aren’t good.” (about Norbit) • “Oscar is 80 this year, which makes him automatically the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.” • “Usually when you have a black man or a woman president, a meteor is about to hit the … more…

• Jon Stewart bringing Markéta Irglová back out to make her acceptance speech • no glomming onto Heath Ledger sadness (except in the in-memoriam segment, where it belonged) • Helen Mirren, goddess among women, and ohmygod that dress • the long linger on Cuba Gooding Jr.’s win for Best Supporting Actor in that montage, as … more…

• Daniel Day-Lewis’s tuxedo, which made him look like a bellhop out of a 1930s screwball comedy • Regis Philbin on the red carpet • “Happy Working Song” with no dancing vermin • Seth Rogen and that not-Seth Rogen guy pretending to be Dame Judi Dench and Halle Berry • me crying again over the … more…