Oscar Reaction

These were my foremost thoughts in regards to last night's Academy Awards:

- The highlight of the evening for me was the tribute to screenwriters being portrayed in the movies. But why did they have to have Ben Affleck introduce this segment? He wrote ONE screenplay TEN YEARS AGO. He hasn't had the guts or stamina to try it since. Come on, they should have let a real screenwriter introduce this.

- Did you notice the tribute to America in the movies was put together by Michael Mann? And that they introduced him as "Michael Mann, director of 'Collateral' and 'Ali'"? Uh, was anyone with the Academy aware he also directed a little movie called "Last of the Mohicans"? But he's introduced as the "director of 'Collateral' and 'Ali'"? That's like introducing George Lucas as the "director of 'THX-1138' and 'Radioland Murders'".

- To borrow and alter Jon Stewart's wonderful line from last year's Academy Awards, For those of you keep scoring at home, Kate Winslet: Zero Oscars. Jennifer Hudson: One.

- Best Acceptance Speech: Forest Whitaker for Best Actor. I'm glad I was alone during that. I didn't need any other grown men around me. It got emotional, man.

- Despite the fact my premonition was off base, I'm glad "The Departed" won the biggest prize of the evening. I thought it was truly the best of the five nominees but I didn't think it stood a chance. And to the many critics who said it couldn't win because it was strictly a "genre picture" (and, really, is there a more amateurish piece of criticism from so-called professional critics) I guess you could say it genred its way to Best Picture. Ba-da-bing!