"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final Oscar ceremony," announced host Billy Crystal excitedly, jumping onto the stage as the prelude music began to fade and the lights in the hall brightened.
Then he paused, carefully looking around before asking nervously, "Did I just misspeak? Did I say this is the last one? Oh, God, I think I might have had too much coffee."
Laughter immediately filled the hall, followed by a round of applause. Adrian, who was sitting a bit toward the back with the crew of "The Shawshank Redemption," couldn't help but join in the clapping.
It had to be admitted that Billy Crystal was quite skilled at stirring up the atmosphere. This wasn't unrelated to his days performing stand-up at various coffeehouses and on campus when he was young. Before he became known as an actor, he had always been a host for TV talk shows and comedy programs, which is probably why the Oscars had invited him to host seven ceremonies.
