Last night’s Academy Award Ceremony was fairly predictable, but in the end I would have to give it an overall grade of B-plus. Ellen Degeneres played it pretty safe as the master of ceremonies, but at least she didn’t pull a Letterman. Interviewing the nominees was fun and Degeneres took a laidback, casual approach to the whole affair, which I think came off well. It’s a tough gig and Ellen stepped up. Some of the evening’s major highlights included Forest Whitaker’s acceptance speech while his wife cried, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C. Reilly’s song and dance number, the amazing rolling shadow-dancing, Martin Scorsese finally winning, and the fact that Pixar lost for “Cars”, which I thought was mediocre at best. The biggest surprise was when Eddie Murphy lost to Alan Arkin, but it really shouldn’t have been that shocking. The Academy rarely gives statues to comedians, as a rule. The fact that The Departed got the Best Picture nod over Babel was pleasing as well. Babel was a good movie, but there was no way it should have won. I felt like it was basically an art film and a little too depressing and disjointed to be voted the best. In reality, Little Miss Sunshine should have won, but a little comedy without any big names in it was too much of an underdog and was fighting an uphill battle. Honoring Scorsese was essentially a make-up call for all the years that he should have won. Good Fellas, Raging Bull and Casino are all better than The Departed, but who knows how many more films Martin has in his arsenal, so to give it to him now was a good choice. Jennifer Hudson should have won for Dreamgirls, even though it’s a musical and didn’t break any new cinematic ground. Helen Mirren was brilliant in The Queen, so that was a no-brainer. One question: Can’t the Academy afford a larger podium? A couple of the winners, including Alan Arkin, had to actually set their Oscars on the floor next to them while they gave their speeches – how awkward is that? Other notable things that happened last night include:
-Peter O’Toole’s expression when he realized that he lost. The man looked crushed!
-Gwyneth Paltrow’s incredible dress made her look like a tasty peach parfait. I rarely get into the best-and-worst dressed game -- I leave that to the very annoying Joan Rivers -- but Paltrow looked stunning and that dress was awesome. Bad clothing decisions – Nicole Kidman with the giant bow and Anne Hathaway’s gown that made her look like a server at Dairy Queen.
-Jennifer Hudson almost falling out of her dress during the “Dreamgirls” song performance. She was bouncing around so much I got dizzy. And if Beyonce isn’t the hottest woman on the planet, than who is?
-Victories for Pan’s Labyrinth for Best Cinematography and Best Makeup. This amazing deserved everything it got and more, in my opinion.
-Why is J-Lo at all these award ceremonies? And why is she even considered an actress? Lopez could benefit by taking acting lessons from Ashton Kutcher.
-The absence of Borat was a bummer. The story behind his no-show is that Sacha Baron Cohen was asked to appear as himself and refused. Why not let the guy appear as the character that made the most popular comedy of the year?
-An after party note: The leftover food from the Oscar bash is going to be served to a homeless shelter today for lunch. Imagine being homeless and dining on Wolfgang Puck’s salmon with caviar, gold-dusted chocolate-dusted Oscar statues and imported French truffles. All washed down with a half-pint of Thunderbird wine.
Asia SF represents what San Francisco stands for on so many levels. It’s a wild combination of sexy, forbidden, naughty, unique, tasty and hip. The food has been described as Cal-Asian cuisine, and the entertainers are called gender illusionists, but Asia SF is basically great grub and grand drag. Almost eight years ago, Owners Larry Hashburger and Skip Young opened this place, and this restaurant/lounge/dance club instantly became a SF entertainment landmark. It’s a super popular spot for bachelor, bachelorette and birthday parties and the staff there really knows how to deal with big, rowdy crowds. It takes a certain amount of skill and professionalism to deal with party-crazed patrons and the beautiful people at Asia SF are the best in the business. The stars of the show at Asia SF are the beautiful and talented “ladies” that perform lip synched musical numbers while dancing on the long Chinese red runway bar. These “women” are so stunningly convincing and vivacious that you will forget that they’re really men. I have been to Asia SF several times. We usually bring out-of-towners there, especially our politically conservative friends. To see their expressions when the show begins is priceless. The illusionists do songs from such stars as Beyonce Knowles, Liza Minelli, Marilyn Monroe, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Bette Midler and more. In many cases, they dress up like them too. Ronnie Reddick is the choreographer and show director, and he does an excellent job of putting together a fun, provocative show that keeps its sense of humor and never gets trashy. If there is such a thing as a “PG” rating for this type of thing, Asia SF gets it. As for the food, you cannot go wrong with the menu that Chef Matthew Metcalf features at Asia SF. The place has a huge and varied wine list and received the Wine Spectator award from 2001 to 2005. For $48 per person, you can order three selections from Asia SF’s Gold Menu. For larger parties you can experience the place’s Platinum and Diamond Menus, which feature more food and cost more. If you feel like drinking your dinner, one of the great things about Asia SF is that you have the option of ordering a specialty drink instead of food for any course. I recommend the Blackened Tuna Sashimi, a seasoned seared piece of ahi tuna with a lemongrass buerre blanc and pickled vegetable salad. Everybody on the planet does this dish, but Asia SF does it sublimely. Then, there’s their Asia-dilla, a quesadilla stuffed with duck, jack cheese, cilantro and Fresno peppers served with a sun-dried cheery crème fraiche. You won’t find this dilla at Taco Bell, my friend – it’s muy perfecto. I also love the Miso Glazed King Salmon, a sautéed Pacific salmon, finished with a miso glaze, served over black “forbidden” rice with a sweet tomato-edamame salad; and the Orange Lamb, a lamb sirloin sautéed with a spicy orange glaze served with coconut jasmine rice and a Thai cucumber salad. Everything is innovative and perfectly prepared. The portions aren’t huge – slightly larger than tapas and a little smaller than your average appetizer. The one thing that always stands out at Asia SF (despite the gender illusionists) is their incredible signature dessert – the Miniature Ice Cream Cones and Warm Banana Beignets with Chocolate and Caramel Dipping Sauces. It’s a sugar rush that complements the adrenaline rush you’ll get when you experience Asia SF. Asia SF is located at 201 9th Street in San Francisco. Reservations are required. Call (415) 255-8887 to get a spot along the bar. It’s the best place to see this amazing show of food, drink, people and forbidden pleasure.
