The 2008 Oscars; Taking Some Hints from the Grammys?

This year’s Oscars were different from any show previous. The divergence was clear – this program had more music than ever before. Perhaps in an imitation of this year’s Grammys, which also had the most musical performances in its history, the Oscars had a penchant for bringing music back, in a bid to attract more viewers to a more song and dance oriented spectacle.

The Oscars were surprising in several other ways as well. Hugh Jackman, most famed for his turn as the X-Men mutant superhero Wolverine, exhibited none of that super masculine aura, instead offering a lighthearted, musically inspired side.

Surprisingly entertaining, he added to the event’s spectacle by singing, dancing, and joking his way through the awards ceremony. As he sang in the show’s opening number, “[N]o recession can stop my confession, or silence my song.” While Jackman was onstage, nothing did, though he was seen relatively little during the program compared to hosts of previous years.

The show was different from previous Oscars in other ways, which worked to both advantage and disadvantage. In an attempt to attract more viewers and keep them glued to the screen, as well as prevent the program from becoming stale and boring over the years, these Oscars featured more musical performances than any other.

Jackman sang and danced in both his opening number with Anne Hathaway, and a number dedicated to the return of the musical, which featured the young couples from 2008’s “Mamma Mia!” and teen hit “High School Musical 3.” Though these were well done, they also unfortunately added to the runtime of the show, making the creators of the Oscars break their promise of keeping the show under three and a half hours.

A medley of the three songs nominated for Best Song was a highlight, featuring exceptional performances from John Legend and A.R. Rahman. Choreography of the dancers in the background added to the sights and sounds of the whole affair. This worked to wake a sleepy viewer up in the midst of commercials and drawn-out presenters.

Celebrity musical accompaniment was again used to mixed effect during the “In Memoriam” segment, which paid tribute to those in the filmmaking industry who passed away during 2008. Queen Latifah sang an excellent rendition of “I’ll Be Seeing You,” which was neither overwrought nor underdone. However, it distracted from the simplicity of the memorial montage, making it more about Latifah’s performance than the people being remembered. At times, it was difficult to make out names on the screen or see the figures because of the zoomed out camera angle.

There were no real surprises in the awards themselves, however. Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” swept, taking eight awards, including those for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, and Adapted Screenplay. As expected, Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his outstanding performance in “The Dark Knight;” Sean Penn and Kate Winslet were no surprises in the Best Actor and Actress categories. The only small departure from what was expected was in the Foreign-Language Film category, where Japan’s “Departures” trumped Israel’s “Waltz With Bashir.”

The Oscars this year were charmingly surprising in terms of musical influence. But overall, the show and spectacle came across as overblown. In today’s tough economic times, the Academy might have chosen a more modest approach.