THE OSCARS!

Last night's Oscar telecast was one of the more tasteful productions in recent years. There weren't any really embarrassing moments, and only a few that caused anxiety--such as Kim Novack's halting appearance during which I wondered if she knew where she was. Ellen DeGeneres was predictably Ellen. Her decision to mock many of the stars, take selfies with them, and order pizza then take up a collection for the bill, just skirted causing the viewer uneasiness. The stars, though, were mostly great sports about it, playing along with apparent enjoyment. (The all-star selfie caused Twitter to briefly crash when Ellen tweeted it.)

I was pleased with the winners, especially Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, both looking gorgeous in white tuxes; Leto's acceptance speech was one of the more eloquent in recent years. Bette Midler's performance--her first at the Oscars--was wonderful, as were most of the others--no cringe-worthy Rob Lowe and Snow White numbers for this show. And didn't Bette look and sound fantastic? She must have found the fountain of youth, because she hasn't aged in appearance for the last twenty years!

It would be fun to have Justin Timberlake or Neil Patrick Harris host next year's show. Either one, I think, would bring a breath of fresh air to the Oscars.