Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, aka Bialystock and Bloom, presented his statue. Mel is literally older than the Oscars, and is as feisty as ever. Now THAT is a true showbiz legend, and he deserved to be part of the main broadcast.
Speaking of the Oscars, here is the full list of winners. Every one of the betting favorites won except Lily Gladstone. The “Best Actress” race was the only one where the odds were close, and it provided the only real nail-biter in an evening of foregone conclusions. In my opinion, Emma Stone did a better job with a more difficult role, but I have to admit I was rooting for Lily.
The best Kimmel gag of the night came after the show was finished: a very quick look at the dog from Anatomy of a Fall pissing on Matt Damon’s star on the Walk of Fame. I figured that Kimmel would get a Damon joke in there somewhere, but I thought he had blown a great chance in the last minute when every major Oppenheimer contributor was on the stage except Damon (who was not in attendance). I’m glad I didn’t turn the show off when Kimmel said goodnight.