WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE OSCARS

Oscar voters seemed to make a concerted effort to pass the love around between Sinners and One Battle After Another instead of a full-on sweep that would have evoked the dreaded "snub" criticism on social media. 

Whoever did the audio mix needs a lifetime supply of Debrox. 

The "Best Song" once again award went to something people will forget a week from now. 

Now that the Academy has gotten over its long-standing dismissal of horror movies as worthy of nomination (Sinners and Frankenstein -- two in one year!), maybe they can take notice of comedies. And don't whine, "But what about Shakespeare in Love, Terms of Endearment, Anora and Parasite?" Funny moments do not a comedy make. 

The Academy finally got the memo about how to present a decent "In Memoriam" segment, although TCM is still the champ and remembered Brigette Bardot.

After living in California for 60 years, Barbra Streisand still hasn't lost her Brooklyn accent or her knack for making everything about her. 

The under-40 attendees who laughed at the Basil Rathbone reference did so only because they thought it was a funny-sounding name the announcer just made up. 

Best Short Film presenter Kumail Nanjiani has apparently gotten over appearing in a flop movie that sent him to a therapist for three years. What a man!

Judging by the number of commercials for pharmaceuticals, either people in the industry are in need of meds or the at-home audience skews really old.

The broadcast director was too chickenshit to keep the camera on one of the winners when the microphone went down because Oscars don't make mistakes!

Someone close to Timothee Chalamet should have warned him to Google "Chill Wills + Alamo + Oscar Campaign" to learn how not to win the hearts and minds of Oscar voters. Oh, and to leave the Kardashian stepsister at home next time. 

Now that Jack Nicholson is retired, Leonardo DiCaprio has become the "cool guy" in the front row the hosts can make good-natured jokes about. But he will never be as cool as Jack Nicholson.

There are always a couple of movies I've never heard of except in relation to the Oscars, and this year's were The Secret Agent and Weapons. If you've seen either of these, drop me a line.

Only two of the "Best Song" nominees were performed and the damned show still lasted three and a half hours. 

Comedians and documentary makers have more courage than the mainstream press and most of Congress.

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To prove the ceremony can be presented in just over an hour, listen to this: 1945 Academy Awards Radio Broadcast