Oscar Night!

I love to watch the Oscars. I know, it can be very loooooong and sometimes boring. Allthough I must say that they have been speeding things up quite a bit in later years.

Back in the dark age when I was young, we never got to see the Oscars here in Sweden. But that's different now. Swedish films and Swedish moviemakers have been nominated and actually won every now and then. For example Lasse Hallström's movie "My Life As A Dog" was nominated for best picture. Lasse Hallström was of course the director of "ABBA - The Movie". On a sad note regarding Lasse Hallström, his former wife Malou Hallström, who alsow worked on the ABBA movie was found dead in a hotel in Stockholm last week. It's still not decided wheter it's a crime or a suicide. And then, of course, there's Ingmar Bergman who has been nominated - and won - a lot of times.

I have another favourite that has managed to get the golden statue. Barbra Streisand for example who got an Oscar for best Actress for her role as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" in 1969. Seven years later she got an Oscar for best song in a movie "Evergreen" from the movie "A Star Is Born". But when she presented her masterpiece "Yentl" which she adapted, starred in and directed she was snubbed by the Academy. I read to my joy that "Yentl" will be released on DVD in July this year! It's 22 years since it had it's premiere, and I and many with me was waiting for a 20th Birthday release of that movie. But I guess there has been some delays. I hope it's packed with extra material and never-before-seen photge.

The two Swedish movies Agnetha and Anni-Frid acted in were not exactly Oscar material... but Agnetha was very good in "Raskenstam" in 1983. She had a much bigger role than I expected her to have. Frida only had a small role in the quite depressing realistic Swedish drama movie "Gå På Vattnet Om Du Kan". But, hey, you can't be the  best at everything, can you?

I look forward to sitting up late, here it starts a long time after midnight and goes on all through the night. It's become a tradition for me to watch it. I have loved Billy Crystal as the host for many years. And I'm one of the few who enjoyed David Letterman hosting the Oscars. Most people hated it. I will never forget his idea of how to introduce Oprah Winfrey to Uma Thurman: "- Oprah! - Uma!" Hilarious! Tonight it will be comedian Chris Rock who will be hosting, could be good.
So Happy Oscar to all of you - ABBA-fans and others.