82nd Academy Awards: Glitzy as usual, but why can't the ceremony be more imaginative?

Once again, it's Hollywood's biggest night.

The eighty second annual Academy Awards are being televised as I type, and so far, what's most memorable about the ceremony so far is what's not in it. As usual, there's an elaborately designed stage (with rather intricate backgrounds), plenty of glitter, colored lights, and people in fancy clothes.

What's missing is a presentation that's imaginative without sacrificing worthy traditions (like having the nominations for Best Original Song performed live on stage). I keep wishing they'd bring back Billy Crystal to do the show again. The last time he hosted (2004), we were treated to a classic opening montage and clever one liners deep into the ceremony.

(My favorite came after Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson had thanked the people of his home country. As soon as he was offstage, Crystal quipped, "It's official: There is no one in New Zealand left to thank.")

But no. Instead the producers picked two hosts for 2010: Steve Martin (who has previously hosted) and Alec Baldwin (who hasn't). The two seemed to share the screen somewhat awkwardly, especially at the beginning. Admittedly, the scenes of them sharing a hotel room bed and a couch were funny, but if you ask me, the typical Daily Show segment is funnier than the monologue they delivered.

The producers also should have dispensed with Neil Patrick Harris' forgettable opening so they could avoid leaving out Hollywood legends like Farah Fawcett from the In Memoriam segment. Seriously, what was up with that?

(They did separately honor famed director John Hughes with a rather touching tribute featuring many of the actors he worked with).

At least the sound quality improved over last year.

Here's a running tally of the winners:

• Best Costume Design: Sandy Powell, for The Young Victoria
• Best Animated Feature Film: Up (Pixar triumphs again....)
• Best Makeup: Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, and Joel Harlow, for Star Trek
• Best Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones, for Avatar
• Best Art Direction: Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair, for Avatar
• Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
• Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, for Precious
• Best Sound Editing: Paul N.J. Ottosson for The Hurt Locker
• Best Sound Mixing: Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett, for The Hurt Locker
• Best Film Editing: Chris Innis and Bob Murawski, for The Hurt Locker
• Best Foriegn Language Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos (from Argentina)
• Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart – Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett
• Best Cinematography: Mauro Fiore, for Avatar
• Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino for Up
• Best Animated Short Film: Logorama
• Best Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants
• Best Documentary Short: Music by Prudence
• Best Documentary Feature: The Cove
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, for Precious
• Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, for The Hurt Locker
• Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, for The Hurt Locker
• Best Actress (Leading Role): Sandra Bullock, for The Blind Side
• Best Actor (Leading Role): Jeff Bridges, for Crazy Heart
• Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Some final thoughts about Best Picture... Our friends at VoteVets are none too happy with the Best Picture award for The Hurt Locker. Jon Soltz tweets:

Best picture for Hurt Locker? What a poor representation of our troops to live in history. Disgraceful. I'm embarrassed.

Richard Smith adds:

Love that troops kept getting thanked by Hurt Locker crew who made a movie that does not resemble reality for troops at all.

Brandon Friedman echoes their sentiment:

The reason vets don't like The Hurt Locker is because the movie's praise is *based* on its purported "realism." #Oscars

I'll take the word of our veterans over the professional film critics any day. Truth be told, I was rooting for Avatar to win, and I'm sorry that it didn't.