This is all I am going to say about this Oscars

I had a fun time watching the show. It moved smoothly and felt like it was going by quickly which I think is the truest sign of a good host. That and if I don't viscerally hate said host by the end of the broadcast, then that is success in my book. Anyway, there were no real winners to get excited over, except for one, and everyone is talking about her so I guess I should too: Marion Cotillard.

Now, when I first saw Le Vie, I didn't really like it. It started out promising, but then took a dour turn. I had no idea Edith Piaf/Pilaf was so annoying as a person, crazy, and to a very real extent, mentally challenged. Mostly, how yelly she was, in an annoying way, really got to me, in a bad way. I am not sure if her performance was so great so much as the editing (lip-synching), the music, and the makeup to age her. We shouldn't be surprised over her win because basically any man who played a star in a biopic, aging about 70 years in the process, was a shoo-in to win, so it is nice to see we are no longer sexist in that respect. Keeping with tradition, the woman who takes on the role which has the greatest physical spectacle/achievement, is also a safe bet.

My evidence:
1995 Susan Sarandon -- Dead Man Walking: Started the NO MAKE-UP trend, which is huge.
1996 Frances McDormand -- Fargo: Her pregnancy was her character
1997 Helen Hunt -- As Good As It Gets: She is kinda an exception here. She also didn't deserve to win, but she did wear a white t-shirt in the rain.
1998 Gwyneth Paltrow -- Shakespeare in Love: Girl playing a boy on stage
1999 Hilary Swank -- Boys Don't Cry: Girl playing a real boy real well
2000 Julia Roberts -- Erin Brockovich: Holy boobs and wonder bra!
2001 Halle Berry -- Monster's Ball: More huge boobs, and no make-up
2002 Nicole Kidman -- The Hours: Fake nose, I can't believe I actually pointed that out.
2003 Charlize Theron -- Monster: Ugly Monster
2004 Hilary Swank -- Million Dollar Baby: Trained...got really butch
2005 Reese Witherspoon -- Walk the Line: Another exception, but she did go brunette.
2006 Helen Mirren -- The Queen: Transformation
2007 Marion Cotillard -- La Vie en Rose: Transformation again

Oh, and Marion's win was the only surprise and her dress was the only one really memorable in hindsight. Hers and perfect Penelope's!