January 24, 2000
That’s the way it was - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - The hardest working man in show business, is not James Brown. Dick Clark may not have funky pants or a singing voice, but he’s got a hell of a number of gigs on his plate right now; it’s not human. 23 nights ago, Dick was readying his booth in Times Square, he was also readying the American Music Awards for air, as well as filming episodes of that horrible game show, Winning Lines. (Dick is producing and hosting the pre-show tonight.) Watching the pre-telecast arrivals show, I noted that horrible floor announcer from NBC’s Later Today, who said the word ‘God’ no less than 4 times. The colour du jour, of the ladies’ dresses was blue. January and raining? Blue? Come on it ain’t the Oscars yet!
The first award of then night went to the drug addict of them all, Angelina Jolie who was probably toked. Come on, bringing up her brother? Tom Cruise won the other supporting honour for Magnolia. Sarah Jessica Parker had a terrific speech for her well-deserved turns on Sex and The City. The Sopranos, very deservingly won awards, as does Jim Carrey for Man on The Moon, and Janet McTeer for her tour de force in Tumbleweeds.
I was both glad to see Jack Lemmon and Nancy Marchand win Globe’s for their television work. Lemmon bellows out, “Ah, shit!,” the moment his name was called out. Ms. Marchand was absent, and rightfully won a Globe for her work on The Sopranos.
Barbra Striesand gave a very eloquent speech, after Shirley MacLaine gave a very eloquent tribute to her work, as Striesand received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. I could tell from the sidebar, Barbra was nervous as hell, perhaps a little pissed off at being subjected to see her age on celluloid. It was indeed a rare moment to see Barbra there to accept the award, as well as appear on television, live and not in control.
Annette Benning was shaking the moment Mike Douglas announced her name in presenting the Best Actress honour. But, it was Bellingham’s own Hillary Swank who took the honour for her performance in Boys Don’t Cry.
All About My Mother took best foreign film, thus will make its way to the Oscars. (Pool players, take note.) Pedro Aldomovar, the Spanish fellow who accepted the award, tried very much in that speech of his to emulate last year’s foriegn director, Roberto Benigni.
I didn’t happen to predict Toy Story 2’s win for best musical/comedy film, but I had a feeling it would make it. That means that Being John Malkovich’s chances are seriously in trouble, let’s hope at the SAG’s it can bounce back.
Denzel Washington’s win for The Hurricane, will certainly secure the real Rubin Carter’s tickets to the Oscars. Listen, if Larry Flynt and Sister Helen Prejan can do it, why not the Hurricane himself?
American Beauty’s win for best Dramatic film, will probably bring it to the Oscar’s, but last year’s winner Saving Private Ryan, didn’t even win the Best Picture honor. All in all, it wasn’t a bad show. The problem with award shows is not the long speeches or the dance numbers, but the fact they start off at a tremendous pace but somehow in the second hour, looses the momentum. Dick Clark should take a break.
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