It's easy to complain about the Oscars-- I already did, focusing my frustration on James Franco-- but it's rare that an Oscar ceremony goes by where nothing works. And sure, this year a lot of the speeches were boring, a lot of the jokes fell flat, and the censors caught Melissa Leo's f-bomb in time to bleep it out. But there were things that worked, believe it or not, and even some tweaks to the ceremony that I think they ought to keep in place for years to come. Below were my five favorites parts of the show that were actually planned ahead of time-- as in, no acceptance speeches, but produced stuff--what I liked about them, and how they might be able to make it even better next time. Take a look and chime in with your favorites in the comments.


The Best Picture montages.
Much as we've complained about them at Oscar ceremonies in the past, everyone loves a good montage-- how else to explain the endless "films of 2010" mashups that hit YouTube last December? Seeming to take a cue from those web phenomenons, the Oscar producers limited themselves to only two montages this year, opening and closing the show and focusing only on the Best Picture nominees. Blessed with a Best Picture lineup that really represented the year, and two frontrunners-- The Social Network and The King's Speech-- with audio moments that isolated well, the two montages focused on what was great about all the nominees, gave them all a sense of importance, and united the entire group, even if artificially. As opposed to that weird AutoTune bit in the middle of the show, these montages were a way to borrow from online culture and actually make it work.


The P.S. 122 kids chorus.Yet another online sensation brought to the Oscar stage, the school chorus famous for singing choral arrangements of pop songs took the stage at the very end of the night, singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as every single one of the night's winners eventually joined them. It was a nice moment of unity, and an excellent way to close the show beyond just seeing the producers of The King's Speech glow onstage. I doubt that anyone stayed up just to see the kid's chorus, but it was a nice way to juice the show's final moments when it was so obvious which film would win Best Picture. I say bring 'em back every year, though next time don't be afraid to let them sing one of the pop songs they're famous for. Sure, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" suited the ceremony's theme of referencing older movies, but wouldn't it have been just as fun to see them sing, say, Katy Perry's "Firework"?


Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges doing tributes to the nominees. I was sad to see them ditch the format from the past two years, in which they brought together a bunch of un-nominated actors to sing the praises of the nominees-- it worked especially well last year, when they brought out each actor's former co-star to tell specific stories. It's a gamble to have one person handle the duties for all five nominees, but they lucked out this year in having Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges as the presenters, two of the most charming people on the planet capable of making even Michelle Williams and Jesse Eisenberg temporarily perk up. Their presentations were streamlined while also properly honoring each of the nominees, a tradition I'd love to see them hold up. They'll have a much tougher time next year with presentations from Natalie Portman and Colin Firth--each charming in their own right, but no Bullock or Bridges--but hopefully they'll at least continue the tradition of honoring each nominee on their own.


The cold open with Hathaway and Franco inserting themselves into the nominees. It's an old trick that Billy Crystal made his own back in the 90s, but Hathaway and Franco proved it always works, particularly since it was the only part of the show that the two hosts seemed to be working at all in synch. Even when Alec Baldwin appeared and reminded us of what a better job he and Steve Martin did hosting last year, it was still an early highlight of the show, and an evergreen gag that pretty much any host can fit into. (You can see the full video of it here)


Bringing back the Best Original Song performances. Not that the performances themselves actually went that well-- the "If I Rise" number felt more like a funeral dirge, and Gwyneth Paltrow's limited singing abilities were pushed to the limit for "Country Strong"-- but I'm glad they're at least willing to let the songs be performed again, since when they're done well they're usually the highlights of a given Oscar broadcast. Here's hoping next year they expand them even further, include some of the song-and-dance spectacle that really livens things up, and on top of it the nominees are actually, y'know, good.