What's so FUNNY, Billy Crystal?

One of the things that makes watching the Oscars in another language an unfortunate experience is that all the jokes that the host makes are translated to the point where they make no sense or as the title of a wonderful movie that dealt with such situations, the message gets Lost in Translation.

At this year's 84th Academy Awards, Billy Crystal - who had hosted the show 8 times in the past - made a lot of jokes. But I bet around the world a lot of people were wondering, "What's so funny, Billy Crystal?"

So for this post, we're providing Mr. Crystal's opening monologue with the transcript and highlighting the punchline (funny end or remark) of each joke and an explanation in blue.

Thank you, thank you. That was extremely loud and incredibly close. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- that’s how my relatives are watching this show (he's making fun of his family with the title of a nominated movie). This is my ninth time, ninth time hosting the Oscars. So tonight just call me War Horse (another nominated movie).

We’re here at the beautiful Chapter 11 theater (Chapter 11 is not the name of the theater, but a technical term used to describe bankruptcy; the real theater is called the Kodak Theater, the famous company that recently declared bankruptcy) to celebrate a Hollywood tradition that not only creates memories for the ages but also breeds resentment that lasts a lifetime (obviously describing the feelings of those who don't win, perhaps with a little exaggeration... or not) . We’re part of a great industry, a great industry. Movies have always been able to provide entertainment whenever we need a place to get away from it all.

It’s like that great speech that James Earl Jones (a famous actor) made in Field of Dreams (a famous movie about baseball co-starring James Earl Jones. Mr. Crystal imitates the way this actor said the word "baseball" perfectly, many times. Mr. Jones has one of the most recognizable voices in movie history: Darth Vader, The Lion King and many others had his powerful and commanding voice ). It’s that great speech when he talked about baseball. He said in that movie that baseball has always been there during good times and hard times, and just as people turn to baseball, the movies have always been there for us. They’re the place to go to laugh, to cry, to question, to text (referring to the more current habit of people using cell phones to send text messages from the movie theater). So tonight, enjoy yourselves because nothing can take the sting of the world’s economic problems like watching millionaires present each other with golden statues (sarcastic way to look at the Oscars, in view of the world's difficult economy and the fact that Hollywood millionaires are probably not seeing the worse part of it).

So English Users, we hope that you got it and that - whether you found it funny or not - at least understood why at least for many at the 84th Academy Awards, Billy Crystal was funny.

By the way, the Song "Man or a Muppet" from the movie The Muppets that we posted last month, was the winner of an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 84th Academy Awards. How did we know? We didn't. ;-)

Talking about movies – Part II

You loved Part I so much, we decided to do a second part.

Here in Part II, we provide you more cool vocabulary you can use next time you're talking about movies and the things that make them unique and even ridiculous.

B film: a low budget movie, possibly with a second rate cast and production
Backstory: the events that happened before a movie begins (backstories are sometimes revealed with flashbacks or opening text)
Blooper: Mistakes made by actors or the film crew while the movie is being filmed
Extra: An actor in a film or TV show that has no spoken parts
Flick: another way to say movie
Foreshadowing: Something in the movie that suggests what is going to happen next
Prequel: A second or third movie in a series that takes place in time before the original movie
Damsel in distress: a beautiful young woman placed in danger by a villain, but eventually rescued by the hero
Slapstick: Comedy that uses a lot of funny, harmless, violence
Green screen: A screen used to film actors and actresses, that is later replaced by a virtual background.

Examples.

1. Ed Wood was one of the most famous directors of B films during the 1950s.
2. The backstory of each Star Wars episode is presented as a text in scroll at the beginning of each movie.
3. A common blooper in movies is when a microphone or a member of the crew appear in the middle of the action.
4. I have friend who's worked as an extra on a famous movie.
5. The girls met at the mall to watch the same flick for the third time.
6. The black raven in the scene foreshadows the return of the dark forces.
7. The prequel of the original movie tells the story of why the bad guy became a gangster.
8. Kim Bassinger played the damsel in distress in the Batman movie starring Michael Keaton.
9. Charlie Chaplin was the master of slapstick comedy.
10. The movie 300 was mostly filmed on a green screen studio.

And speaking of ridiculous, we invite you to check out some of the biggest bloopers in movie history.

Talking about movies – Part I

When you’re an English User, a great way to practice conversation is to talk about movies. In order to help you achieve that, we're providing a list of some of the most common expressions used to talk about show business.

Synopsis: a short summary of the main points of a movie plot
Cameo: a brief appearance by a famous person in a movie
Adaptation: when a TV show or movie was created from a book
Cliché ridden: something that has been overused so many times it has lost its effect
Thriller: an exciting story, usually associated with horror or suspense
A-list: the most popular actors and actresses
Tale: a story, often associated with adventure stories
Highest-grossing: movies that made the most money for a certain period of time
Genre: category or type of film
Star-studded: a show with many recognizable actors and actresses

Let's check out some examples:

• What's that movie about? Can you give me a synopsis?
• My favorite tennis player makes a cameo in the movie.
• That movie was an adaptation of a great novel.
• Although the movie has great moments, it’s very cliché ridden.
• I love watching thrillers, but my girlfriend prefers comedies.
• The movie must have a huge budget because there are about 20 A-list actors in it.
• Back to the Future tells the tale of a young boy who must travel back in time to save his parents’ marriage and his own existence.
• Titanic was one of the highest-grossing movies in history.
• My favorite genre is sci-fi.
• The Oscars is the most star-studded event of the year.

And speaking of movies, here is a synopsis of one of the highest-grossing movies of all times, starring one of the A-list actors of the 1980s and 1990s: Michael J. Fox.

Back to the Future

High school student Marty McFly doesn’t have the most pleasant of lives. Scorned by his principal at school, Marty must also endure the deteriorating relationship between his nerdy father George and his once lovely mother Lorraine. On top of that, the family suffers the constant bullying of Biff, George's supervisor at work. But Marty is also friends with an eccentric scientist: Doc Brown, who is building a time machine. Yet accidentally, Marty gets sent back into the 1950s. And without meaning to, he interferes with the budding romance of his now-teenaged parents. Marty finds himself having to reunite his parents-to-be or disappear from existence in the 1980s. It won't be easy, especially with Biff, now also a teenager, complicating matters.

Think about a movie you really loved. Could you write a synopsis for it like this, without giving away the end?

And closing out our post, here is a memorable clip that will take lovers of Back to the Future back in time... edited to the movie's mega hit song "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. Enjoy...