I told you this morning Anthony Hopkins wasn’t coming to the Oscars,

He won anyway.

But as I reported this morning he was in Wales, where he’s been on holiday. This morning he visited his father’s grave.

He’s been blissfully oblivious to the Oscars.

Everyone thought Chadwick Boseman would win posthumously for “Ma Rainey.” But in the, Hopkins’ tour de force performance was too much to overcome. Boseman will always be remembered in this highest regard.

The Oscar producers assumed Boseman would win, and changed the order of the show. They made Best Actor last , hoping to get a huge standing ovation for the late actor. But it backfired. And the final award had no winner present.

Next year, back to the old order, please.

Richard Hopkins, my beloved father, resting in eternal peace… 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” Dylan Thomas pic.twitter.com/LbOegtGa9b

— Anthony Hopkins (@AnthonyHopkins) April 25, 2021

All the Oscar prognosticators were wrong. Frances McDormand and Anthony Hopkins won Best Actress, old stalwarts who already had Oscars.

The Academy added thousands of multi cultural people and still came up with conventional but deserving and talented winners.

Carey Mulligan did not win, despite a lot of hype.

Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman, who won the SAG Awards, lost. So much for the theory that SAG predicts the Oscars.

McDormand, looking unhappy and unkempt, still won the night by howling like a wolf when “Nomadland” won Best Picture.

Glenn Close lost for the umpteenth time, but stole the show in a scripted bit that was hilarious. She’s a gem.

The show was a little different than past Oscar broadcasts but I liked it. It was unadorned and familial. The setting of Union Station was intimate and just right. Next year, though, they should include the Best Songs.

But the show was refreshing and hit the right tone during the pandemic. Kudos to the producers.

I’m seeing articles lamenting that the Best Picture nominees for tonight’s Oscars weren’t popular or didn’t have big box office numbers.

The Oscars are not a popularity contest. They’re about awarding craftsmanship. The movies chosen in every Oscar year are meant to last, and grow, as pieces of art, kids. Commercial art, maybe, yes. But it’s not about how many seats they filled, or how often they were streamed.

And it’s been like that always. I’ve chosen 1980, a wonderful year for film, an an example.

The Best Picture nominees were “Kramer vs. Kramer,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Norma Rae,” “Breaking Away,” and “All That Jazz.”

The winner was “Kramer,” which made $11.6 million on its release and didn’t ultimately hit $106 million until well after Oscar nominations and the win.

Runner up was “Apocalypse Now,” which ultimately earned $89 million, didn’t break $100 million and lost money. It became a classic over four decades.

The remaining three were not widely seen at the time and didn’t make much money. The lovely “Breaking Away” earned $16.8 million. “Norma Rae” was about $23 million. “All that Jazz” did a little better with $37.8 million.

All of them, despite low numbers in 1980, are still seen today and highly regarded and even kind of loved.

That is the case for every year. Sometimes you get a big box office hit in the mix. More than often you don’t.

Keep that in mind. This year’s films, in an odd pandemic year, were really terrific. “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Chicago 7,” “Ma Rainey,” “The Father,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Billie Holiday,” — there isn’t a clunker in the group. Even “Mank” will remain watchable, and maybe more so as time goes by. Did they set box office records? No. But they added to the human condition. And that’s what this is all about.

PS There will be a rush to post the ratings tomorrow morning, wait and see — headlines about lowest rated Oscars ever. Let’s concede that point now, and just enjoy the show.