Tonight’s TV Spotlight…Sunday, February 22, 2009
February 22, 2009 by Kath Skerry
It’s Oscar night! TV takes a back seat to film when the top movies from this year are honored. All the secrecy around the event has me intrigued. I’m not a huge movie buff but I’ll still be checking it out.
Feel free to share your Oscar picks below. I haven’t seen most of the films but I’m rooting for Kate Winslet (my favorite actress), Slumdog Millionaire and of course Heath Ledger (whom I’m sure is a lock). I haven’t seen “The Wrestler” but I want Mickey Rourke to win for no other reason than I think his speech will be fun!
Most of the networks took the night off from counter programming, except for CBS who is THE AMAZING RACE up against one of the biggest ratings grab of the year. Should be interesting. Will it pay off?
What Sunday shows are YOU going to be watching tonight?
The Oscars | 8:30pm on ABC
Honors for achievements in film take place at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles; Hugh Jackman hosts. Red carpet arrivals show on ABC at 8pm. Red carpet arrivals on E! starting at 6pm est.
The Amazing Race | 9pm on CBS
“The Target is Your Partner’s Face”
An injured racer is forced to make a game-changing decision when Mother Nature intervenes; hopes of a mountain rescue preoccupy another racer; one team is eliminated.
The L Word | 9pm on HBO
“Lactose Intolerant”
Jenny throws a baby shower; Bette and Tina have troubles in the adoption process; Bette goes to the opening night without Tina; Shane feels boxed in; Alice begins to feel crowded.
Big Love | 9pm on HBO
“Come Ye, Saints”
The Henrickson clan’s ties are tested when they make a pilgrimage to New York to visit a Joseph Smith shrine, where Bill wishes to bury a family time capsule.
Flight of the Conchords | 10pm on HBO
“Love is the Weapon of Choice”
Bret and Jemaine become rivals for the attentions of the same woman (Kristen Wiig), who happens to have an epileptic dog that has gone missing.
United States of Tara | 10pm on Showtime
“Transition”
Tara’s parents visit, ostensibly for Charmaine’s birthday, but Max discovers that they are there to take the kids to live with them while Tara deals with her mental-health issues, and Max tries to keep his wife from finding out the true purpose of the visit.
Secret Diary of a Call Girl | 10:30pm on Showtime
Her break-up with Alex leaves Belle free to concentrate solely on the job and she accepts Bambi’s offer to work a sex party at a country manor, where she violates one of her cardinal rules and has a few drinks, loses control and lands herself and Bambi in trouble with the client
Also playing…
- The Barbara Walters Special | 7pm on ABC: Oscar nominees Anne Hathaway and Mickey Rourke, Oscar host Hugh Jackman and teen heartthrobs the Jonas Brothers talk to journalist Barbara Walters.
- 100 Outrageous Moments 2 | 9pm on NBC: Outrageous clips culled from viewer submissions, TV bloopers and game shows.
- Eastbound & Down | 10:30pm on HBO: Kenny tries to make extra money by pitching himself as spokesman for a luxury car dealership; Kenny and his driver make an appearance at the middle school dance.
- Jimmy Kimmel Live | 12:00am on ABC: Jimmy’s “After the Oscars” special can’t be missed. Last year’s event gave us the memorable “I’m Fu$%ing Ben Affleck” Tonight’s guests include actor Mel Gibson and Robin Thicke who will be performing.
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Haven’t seen any but Ben Button so don’t give two hoots – TAR all the way!
Mickey Rourke should win if only because his performance was the best seen in years.
But I’m watching for Hugh Jackman. The man has the most natural talent for hosting awards shows. Or at least the Tony’s.
I never watch commercials and I’m glad I didn’t hear any buzz about the Oscar telecast. I got to be pleasantly surprised all on my own without any help from advertisers who tell me that I should like it. It was probably the best format they have ever had for an Oscar show. Hugh did a great job and they didn’t make the show about the host. It was about the acceptance speeches. Somebody finally pulled their head out and got the point of the ceremony.
I loved that they had presenters giving multiple awards to save time for the speeches and explaining what the awards were for. It probably inspired kids to do something in the movie field.
They pulled back from the screen to show Ben Stiller since he was cracking up the audience. Good job directing. On the flip side, they didn’t show the screen closely enough at first on the people who died. Queen Latifa sang a beautiful song and seeing the empty spotlight at the end was very touching. Loved that they gave Paul Newman the extra shout out with the audio also.
The fans love the highlights from past shows and it was cool to see the announcements of the previous winners who were coming out to the stage. The way they handed out those acting awards was GREAT! It was like welcoming a new member to the club and very special to hear them talk about each of the nominees performances.
Sean Penn’s speech was great. He said “two more things” at the end and then forgot the second….his wife! I’m sure he got asked many times about that.
LOVED the musical number. Beyonce was great and that they included her “At Last” song was awesome.
The best song part was a very big production and was very cool. That huge red curtain that went up in 2 seconds was very dramatic and I bet it was cool to hear those drums live.
The only reason I would have rather had Ricky Gervais hosting would be for Kate Winslet to give him a shout out during her acceptance speech. Makes me want to go home and watch Extras right now! How fortuitous! Hearing Kate’s dad whistle in the audience…and the fact that the director got the camera there and the lighting up so fast was perfect.
I love the Oscars! Can’t wait ’til next year!
Great post.