Well, the verdict is in. Everyone, the Academy included, seems to love The Artist. But during the 2012 Oscars on Sunday, room was also made for winners of a more felt-covered persuasion.
No, I’m not talking about actor Sacha Baron Cohen and his carpet-crashing turn as Admiral General Aladeen of the fictional country of Wadiya. Though the ash-dumping stunt Cohen pulled on red carpet host Ryan Seacrest was probably the highlight of the evening (at least for me), I’m referring instead to the winners of the Oscar for Best Original Song: the Muppets.
Yes, you read that correctly. The Muppets won an Oscar.
While the official name on the award belongs to musician and comedian Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords fame, the driving force behind the Academy’s decision was the star’s work on the 2011 movie The Muppets, notably the song “Man Or Muppet” performed by actor Jason Segel and his muppet brother Walter (voiced by Peter Lintz).
Watch the official video for “Man Or Muppet,” the 2012 Oscar winner for Best Original song here:
Unfortunately, puppet victory aside, the voting for Best Original Song was not without its drawbacks. Unlike years past, which typically saw up to five nominees vying for the coveted prize, this year’s Academy Awards saw only two nominees culled from two family-friendly pictures – The Muppets (live-action) and Rio (animated). The Golden Globe winner for Best Original Song, Madonna, wasn’t even in the running. And neither was fellow Golden Globe nominee Elton John.
However, at an industry-driven event that too often focuses on clichés and Academy-familiarity to pick its winners (hello Meryl Streep and her 17 nominations), it was still a nice touch to see the little guys (seriously Kermit is only about 19 inches tall) win one for a change.
And hey, who knows, maybe if ALF ever makes his way to the silver screen a song from his picture could make it Oscar win number two for the puppet community.
Only in Hollywood…
For more information on the film The Muppets please visit http://disney.go.com/muppets/.
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