Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (February 20, 2009)

Hmmmmm, whatever shall I write about this week? I can’t think of anything. Can you?

Nope, I got nuthin’, nuthin’ at all.

Okay, all right! It is, of course, the weekend of the Oscars. I know I said before that I’d waited my whole life to write the “Christmas television special” edition of BGWE!., but I see now that was a lie. This was the edition I’ve been waiting my whole life to write!

MY FAVORITE OSCAR MOMENTS!
Everyone has their favorite Oscar moment: Sally Field gushing, Adrien Brody kissing Halle Berry, Cher showing up in something outrageous.

My favorite Oscar moments are a little more obscure.

One was when Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton presented Jack Nicholson with his Supporting Actor Oscar for Terms of Endearment in 1981. They’re totally acting out their characters from Ordinary People, with Mary acting all plastic-y and perfect, and Timothy acting all gruff and resentful and you-loved-my-dead-brother-better-than-me!

It’s there, but it’s subtle. When Timothy Hutton mutters, "It's an honor to present this award," Mary looks at him with an icy plastic smile that says, "Don't you dare embarrass me in front of all these people!" And Timothy is thinking, "Just give her the Goddamn camera!"

Okay, maybe I'm reading into it. See for yourself:

When Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were nominated for 1997’s Good Will Hunting, you just knew they were going to win – it was far too good a story for them not to win, and I’m not talking about their screenplay.

And sure enough, when they did, they set a new standard for “adorable.”

Don’t you just want to dissolve them both in water and drink them down? Kiss him, you fool!

Finally, there’s Tom Hanks winning his first Oscar for Philadelphia. Yes, he unintentionally outed his high school acting teacher (which later became the inspiration for the movie In & Out). But it’s what he says at the end of the speech that’s so moving. This is the exact moment I not only finally forgave him for Bachelor Party, he developed such a pool of goodwill in me that I couldn’t even hold Forrest Gump against him the following year.

Since this is the Oscar Edition of BGWE!, it stands to reason we should have some Oscar trivia, no?

First Oscar Trivia Question: Who holds the record for the most number of Oscar nominations?