Norm MacDonald Presents: Oscar Night 2011

This year I watched the Oscars with a theatre full of people, possibly the first time I’ve made it all the way through with other people there to witness the feat. Except this year I didn’t feel the need to congratulate myself, because it wasn’t really much of a feat. The 2011 Academy Awards weren’t just watchable; they were actually enjoyable.

This year was also the first time I followed the Oscars on Twitter alongside the actual broadcast and the experience was the final push I needed to get over my seething hatred of 140-characters-or-less. Let’s just get this out there: the real winner of the Oscars wasn’t Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, or Tom Hooper: it was Norm MacDonald. Last night was the closest I’ll ever get to hanging out with Norm MacDonald (dear god I hope that’s not true) and it was every bit as magical as I would expect. I think the best way to revisit the ceremonies is to work our way through the vast and complex terrain of Norm’s Twitter feed. A selection (in chronological order):