Sensible Specs wins out over Silly Sunglasses: Penn beats Rourke

Mickey Rourke at the Independent Spirit Awards

One more year goes past, and with it another Oscars. The awards pretty much got handed out as expected. Slumdog Millionaire swept the board and Kate Winslet finally got the Academy's recognition she deserves. The nights biggest shock, which frankly disappointed me, was that the crazy and unpredictable Mickey Rourke didn't add to his Golden Globes, BAFTA and Spirit triumphs as expected. But I for one was hoping that Mickey would get to spice up the night with another nutty acceptance speech.

Ultimately it was Sean Penn, not Rourke, who got the gong for his excellent performance as Harvey Milk. Look - I am not saying that Sean Penn wasn't worthy of the accolade. Far from it - his role was as iconic as it was important. But am I the only one that just loves the crazyness that Mickey brings to the often staged and insincere PR stunt that is the Oscars?

When it comes to male celebrities on the red carpet, their dress isn't exactly exciting - with the boring black tux being the standard.But Mickey Rourke went against the grain by showing up in a shabby chic white tux with his shirt open. Of course he also wore his trademark designer sunglasses which have become part of his image in the awards season. Nuttiest of all was Rourke's "Loki the dead chihuahua" necklace in tribute to his recently deceased pet, which he pointed out to every invterviewer he spoke to!

The signs were pointing to Mickey making us chuckle yet again with a downright baffling onstage speech if he had won.  Who knows what he would have come out with on the stage, chihuahua memorial necklace, glasses and all? His performance at the Golden Globes will live long in the memory. And, the day before the Oscars, he was outrageous once again in accepting his Best Actor award at the Spirit awards.

I suspect there was more than a little politics involved in denying Rourke the Oscar. Mickey himself had predicted he woudldn't win because he's pissed off too many hollywood hotshots in the past. "I stupidly said acting wasn't a job for a real man. I threatened producers, raged at directors, forgot my agent's name. I really burned my bridges. And a lot of people have long memories," was the eerily accurate prediction from Mickey Rourke before the awards.

You gotta give it up for the Pennster however, his speech was certainly an interesting one. To begin with his thank-you's were directed at the Academy, whom he referred to as "commie, homo-loving sons of guns"! Penn then pulled out a small scribbled bit of paper, donned his prescription glasses, and after a few thank-yous proceeded with an impassioned plea for equal rights for gays and against the ban on gay marriages. OK, perhaps not quite as impressive as Crazy Mickey might have been, however a lot more interesting than the usual acceptance speech drivel.

Meanwhile the Mickey Rourke comeback continues!