Oscar the Grouch

Since I was wandering Hollywood Boulevard with my family just last weekend, I had to tune into the Academy Awards tonight. But was disappointed to see that rain had forced them to cover the red carpet, eliminating any possible "Look! We were just there!" moments. While in L.A., I saw Joan Rivers' latest project, a one-woman show of sorts (there were other actors onstage with her, but you hardly noticed them), in which she got to vent some bile about having E! yank the Red Carpet out from under her. Now Hollywood vacancy is more or less the same in any generation. But with Rivers' rants about her ill treatment still in my memory, Ryan Seacrest's bland dishing with various stars was all the more difficult to take.

Best moment of the awards? Daniel Day Lewis's sweet and eloquent acceptance speech. It's nice to know that the greatest screen actor of his generation actually prepares an acceptance speech when there's a chance he'll be called to say a few words to a billion or so people.