Wired Cola

So, I did my first bicycle race of the season, a nice jaunt scheduled at 80 km. For training purposes, and to properly test my skills, I rode with the "B" group. Even on the line, it was obviously a huge group. It may have been close to a hundred riders in the B group alone, with substantial A and C races, too. It may have been the largest race I have ever been in.

Oh dear. After 15 minutes, I couldn't believe I'd be able to stay in the race. But I told myself that if I was suffering, so was everybody else.

Just to clarify what is going on below, I live-blogged the Oscars. I did this myself, so I don't have anyone special to thank.

Eastwood gives a reasonable speech. The funny line is comparing himself to Lumet, and proclaiming "I'm just a kid!"

Best picture: also Million Dollar Baby. Reasonable speeches by the three of 'em.

Conclusion: pretty spare show, Rock did a darned good job as host. I'm not the ideal audience for the show.

Best actor nominees. TLO likes Johnny Depp when he's "cleaner." The girls don't like Leo DiCaprio. Marjie, on Eastwood: "Is that his daughter?" Mike: "no, that's his wife. His daughter is older."

Jamie Foxx wins for "Ray." Haven't seen it, but heard it was good. Then again, you usually hear that some people like performances that win this award. Foxx thanks the late Ray Charles for "living." Hm.

Chris Rock cracks a good joke about his accountants (the two huge guys from before) wanting a word with Sean Penn.

Ooh. Best Foreign Lanugage goes to another assisted-suicide film! Woo!

Kaufman cops a Best Original Screenplay for "Eternal Sunshine." Short speech. I missed it. Rebecca says it was quite funny.

TLO thinks they should have a ticker under the speeches with the thank-yous. then they can give good speeches.

Sean Penn is having a major breakdown on stage or something. And it's really lame. Is he drunk, or just deep? Nah, drunk.

Puff Daddy introducing the Polar Express song, sung by Beyonce and Josh Groban. Beyonce's best dress yet. Rebecca points out that if you listen to Groban's CD, you get the voice without having to see him. I still like the French song the best, but TLO favours this one. I just like French folk music.

Prince: second creepiest singer, after Michael Jackson.

Ugh. The song from "The Motorcycle Diaries" won. We're all bored. But the guy who won the award is singing beautifully in Spanish. Best speech of the night! Mike agrees.

Annette Bening has mysteriously huge trapezius muscles. And Yo-Yo Ma is playing cello. Yeah. Oh. He's playing over the reel of the dead: Reagan, Ustinov, people I've never heard of, Fay Wray, some agent, others, a Disney animator, Russ Meyer!! jerry Orbach, unknowns, Janet Leigh, Reeve, Ozzie Davis, nobodies, an inventor, Paul "Roots" Winfield, others, Dangerfield, nobody, Tony Randall, someone, and Brando.

The cello work was good. That's what happens when you hire the best cellist in the world for your industry function.

Scorsese is introducing an award for . . . humanitarianism in film-making? It calls to mind the idea of cruel film-making. It's being given to Roger Mayer for achievements in film preservation and medical philanthropy towards people in the film industry. This is rather muchly Inside Hollywood, but hey, it's their awards show. I'm just watching it.

The speech at least seems to be telling the story of the organizations he has worked for in winning this award.

Travolta is introducing the best score award. Mike admits to having seen "Battlefield Earth" in theatres. Oh dear.

"Finding Neverland" scores. Get it? At least the winner speaks heavily accented English. That always makes the speech funnier. No wait, his is a thankathon. He even thanks Harvey Weinstein. Which was sort of funny, but mostly just dull.