FANNING AND PANNING THE 84TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS............

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, held its 84th Annual Oscars Awards presentation Sunday night, to a television audience of 39.3 million viewers in the United States, an increase in viewership of one million four hundred thousand more viewers than last year, yet not with controversy and criticism the day after.  After the mediocre hosting duties of younger actors, James Franco and Jane Hathaway in 2011, and the snafu that saw Eddie Murphy named and then withdrawn as this year's Oscar Host, eight time veteran Billy Crystal was tapped.  It has been since 2004 when Crystal last hosted the Oscars, yet he was expected to deliver as phenomenally as he did twenty years ago.  Billy Crystal was himself yet for many the bloom was off the rose and his predictable and expected fare of comedy fell short, if not disappointed many, as evidenced today by a cross section of critics, bloggers, and social networkers.  Crystal's character impersonation of Sammy Davis Jr,. which he portrayed on "Saturday Night Live", in the 1990's , in a nominated movie parody last night with current singing sensation Justin Bieber, was criticized today as a "black face" routine !   Hosting the Academy Awards for the ninth time, the standard Billy Crystal faced was all but impossible to attain.  He is the second mostv recurring host of the Oscars, with only iconic Bob Hope's eighteen times as host, greater in number.  Even the great, Johnny Carson only hosted the Oscars five times.  Truly memorable moments of this year's ceremonies were the Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards going to Octavia Spencer, for "The Help"; and Christopher Plummer, for "Beginners".  Spencer's sincerely emotional acceptance speech, and Plummer's quip that the Oscar is only two years older than himself, as he becomes the oldest actor ever to win a competitive Academy Award; along with Meryl Streep's upset of favorite Viola Davis, as Best Actress, and as expected, the retro silent film, "The Artist", winning Best Actor, Best Picture, Best Director; still made for the shortest telecast of Holywood's biggest night of  self congratulations and recognition in many years.  The Oscars are history for another year - and despite the panning, the fans of this annual big screen luminaries night of nights, will continue to find an audience ready to see and celebrate the accomplishment of films, filmmakers, and the glamour and glitz that sings, "Hooray For Hollywood" !............Fr.  Troy