Arts: Let's Talk Oscars

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The Oscars Let's Talk Oscars Who will be my generation's Billy Crystal? An aged Will Ferrell? By Troy Patterson Posted Monday, Feb 27, 2012, at 03:03 PM ET Hey, gang! I had such a good time watching this years Oscars! No, I didn't, really. But ABC's Robin Roberts kept breathlessly saying words to that effect throughout the preshow, in what played like a heroic effort to wash her own brain, so I thought I'd follow suit. No, in truth, I had merely an OK time. But my perspective is warped. I'd steeled myself for something far drearier. The first two hours moved along at a good pace, and the third only felt like it was 200 minutes long. The Artist does not arouse great passion in me, but I remain—despite the best efforts of best actor Jean Dujardin, who last night tap-danced with a hamminess registering low on the Benigni scale of Euro- buffoonery —fond of the French. I found Ludovic Bource, Dujardin's colleague and countryman, to be suave in his bearing, even if I did not share his enthusiasm for the Oscar percussionism of "Zheila E.," whose band, in a minor accident of staging, had been corralled in an opera box. And I warmed to Bérénice Bejo, who was as refreshing as a breath mint and fresher than a pea shoot in her pale green gown. Hey, by the way, may I drop some context on you? I took my laptop out to a bar to transcribe my notes, and I am now eavesdropping on a discussion about Bejo. One party has ventured that she—who is married to ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Why Has the Syrian Uprising Been Such a Dud on Facebook and Twitter? Finally, New Laws That Give Nannies and Maids Real Legal Rights Muckreads: Dissing Reagan, Loving Government. Archives Reveal the Other Side of Newt.	Advertisement
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