Last week I let it rip about my problems with the Rock and Roll Hall o0f Fame. How they continue to snub worthy artists from every decade, but let far less worthy performers in, is beyond me. Unfortunately, I don’t see it changing and it will continue to look like a “bought and paid for” occasion. That is really a shame to so many who given so much in the music industry to be shut out of a Hall where they truly belong.

So now we come to the just concluded Oscars that took place in Hollywood this past Sunday. While we didn’t watch all of the near four hours of it, we did catch most of the important and groundbreaking moments that took place. The one thing that I was very happy about was that it did not turn into a political circus. Oh, Conan O’Brien had a couple of quick jokes and few winners had a few words to say regarding politics, but overall they stayed away from it and it actually made the show more entertaining.

So here are a few of my thoughts on what we did see and my feelings. First Conan O’Brien did an excellent job as the emcee and kept the show light, well paced and entertaining. One of the best winner speeches came from Keiran Caulkin after accepting his Best Supporting Actor award. He basically asked his wife that now that he won can they go for having another child. It was fun, honest and unexpected. The James Bond tribute dance number was, uh, uh, one of the lowlights of the night. On the other hand, the tribute to Quincy Jones with Queen Latifah and Doja Cat, Payne, etc. was a big highlight. It was also a nice change with the “In Memoriam’ segment to have live clips of deceased performers as they were mentioned. Just one question, why that very dark Mozart music in the background? Ugh.

As for some of the other awards, a few groundbreakers came along and it was good to see. The extremely talented Zoe Saldana winning Best Supporting Actress for “Emilia Perez” and becoming the first Dominican to ever win an Oscar. Her reaction and comments were wonderful. Then, there was Best Costume Design for “Wicked” and the Oscar going to Paul Tazewell, the first black man to win the award. He was totally surprised and he was very gracious in his acceptance.

When it came to Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture I doubt anyone could have predicted who would win two of those awards. Adrien Brody, even with his 5:40 acceptance speech, was extremely worthy of his second Best Actor award for “The Brutalist”. But for Best Actress the expected winner was to be Demi Moore for her incredible performance in “The Substance”, but it was first timer Mikey Madison for her role in “Anora” and then another big surprise when “Anora” was winner of the Best Picture award. The film would win a total of five awards, including Best Director for Sean Baker. This is a film that most people and movie fans were very unfamiliar with, but it was a film that proved even in Hollywood, with it’s old fashioned standards, an independent film, with no major studio backing and a small $6 million budget and all lesser known stars can capture the hearts and minds of the Academy voters and that is a very good omen for the future.

The film is about a sex worker (she is a stripper and escort) who gets involved with a Russian client, is very well paid to be his ”girlfriend”, but it becomes more. That sets of a wild ride with the Russians and the guys family and all the drama and action that follows. After seeing a trailer for this film, I can understand why it and Ms. Madison won. It is definitely a film to see.

Overall, despite some bumps in the road, this was one of the more entertaining Oscar telecasts in a long time. I hope the academy brings back Conan O’ Brien as he was, to me, the perfect fit for the show. Now let’s all head out to our nearest theater and enjoy a movie!

Art Koch, National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN