Weekend Vid Picks: The Oscars

It’s the Super Bowl for wannabe Pauline Kaels and Mr. Blackwells, when every frustrated film student and amateur thespian sharpens their witty bon mots to a gleaming edge. It’s the 2008 Academy Awards ceremony! And as ultimately pointless and bloatedly self-indulgent as the Hollywood royalty on display may be, that the show was almost derailed by the Writers’ Guild strike makes it a must-see, if only for Jon Stewart’s jokes about said labor unrest — not to mention which of the two Democratic presidential nominees pull the most star endorsements.

What could we have expected from an actor-free event? More dance numbers and clip montages! Who still isn’t coming, picket line or no picket line? Fidel Castro! OK, enough with the politics. We all know what the red carpet is really about — fashion. Though I’m a little disappointed that this 2008 fashion preview doesn’t feature menswear, so I don’t know exactly how behind the times my thrift-store Barney’s tux has become.

The Weinstein Company took their pitch for nominee Cate Blanchett to the people, featuring not one but five clips of her gender-bending performance in Todd Haynes I’m Not There Dylan psychopic. Not sure who to check the boxes for in your Oscar pool? 66 Cienema Psychic, Webetertainment and Scene Stealers (among many others) weigh in with their suggestions. For a refresher, Oscar.com has video clips from all the nominated films — you just have to wade through the pre-roll ads.

Last year, I predicted that the Jack Black and Will Ferrell Oscar tribute in song would be a viral video sensation. Problem is, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put the kibosh on the clip, instead partnering with YouTube to create its own page, but not allowing embeds. So I’m left with Hollyscoop TV’s coverage from the Global Green Oscar pre-party, with celebrities giving their world-saving environmental tips. Earth2Tech will appreciate Adrian Grenier’s passionate embrace of cleantech R&D funding. He’s so dreamy!