Ask Amanda: Presenters At the Academy Awards — Why Them?

Last night while I was watching the Academy Awards, I kept thinking “why them?” nearly every time a presenter took the stage.

Some made sense — Colin Firth and Natalie Portman were past winners, and I like that tradition. Having the Bridesmaids cast was inspired, but then all of a sudden there was half the cast of the upcoming film, What To Expect When You’re Expecting (Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Rock). After a little bit of research, I’m willing to bet that ensemble comedy will not be an Oscar nominated film, but hey, it was fun to hear Diaz and Lopez recite that “tight enough to show you’re a woman but loose enough to show you’re a lady” quote while Lopez was seconds away from a wardrobe malfunction.

I think some of the presenters were consolation prizes. “Hey, sorry your film was nominated but you weren’t!” Sorry Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Emma Stone and Owen Wilson. But gosh, at the same time, thank you Emma Stone. Thank you thank you thank you for bringing some young, fresh blood to the stage.

But Ben Stiller? Bradley Cooper? Their work hardly qualifies as “Oscar worthy.” Is this the producer’s attempt to prove how accessible the Academy really is? Crowd favorites Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and Kermit and Miss Piggy made welcome appearances, and even Justin Bieber had a cameo. At least Billy Crystal made it clear that was a gimmick, telling Bieber he only needed him in the frame for a few seconds to reach a younger demographic.

So how do they choose presenters, and even attendees for the Oscars? Why Penelope Cruz? She is a past winner, but not exactly relevant to the 2011 year of movie making. Where was Ryan Gosling, man of the year with three performances in very diverse roles (Drive, Ides of March, Crazy Stupid Love)? And then there was Angelina Jolie and her obnoxious leg, neither of which did much to merit stage time this year.

Personally, I wish Gosling had been there, and hey, how about Michael Fassbender? Let’s really please me and bring the cast of Fast Five to the Oscars. Joseph Gordon-Levitt would’ve been an excellent choice, too.

Also, it seemed weird to be without Kate Winslet. She could have at least been in the videos they made about people talking about movies, right?

Next year, I’ll be sending out the invitations. ♦ ♦ ♦

Amanda Taylor is SOUND’s opinionated style correspondent. She recently graduated from BYU with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as an editor for The Daily Universe. Amanda hails from Salt Lake City, UT. You can follow her on Twitter at @salamandrs.

Tags: Academy Awards, Ask Amanda, Billy Crystal, Host, Jennifer Lopez Cameron Diaz, Michael Fassbender, Oscars, Ryan Gosling

About the Author

Amanda Taylor is an outspoken pop culture lover who majored in journalism and minored in gossip. Referred to as “endearingly manic,” she knows that just means she’s a lunatic. In her illustrious career, she has written for a museum, a candy store, a U.S. Senator and had one review published in an actual newspaper. She now writes for Entertainment Weekly. Find her in 140 characters @amandataylor88.