tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post5725189706977972788..comments2024-01-17T07:50:03.381-07:00Comments on Building Castles on the Beach: Guest Hosting the OscarsBrent Wescotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08313269993916969201noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-32319773522671840642012-03-28T21:09:46.116-06:002012-03-28T21:09:46.116-06:00I know I'm tardy, but thanks for all the comme...I know I'm tardy, but thanks for all the comments. I'm not sure why Wifey May hasn't responded herself, other than for the same reason I've been absent, but I'm glad she posted this. I concur with most of what she has to say here. The big difference, I think, is that I'm not such a fan of Annette Benning; thus, I'm not so offended that the Next Karate Kid stole two Oscars from her.Brent Wescotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08313269993916969201noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-45891926657160331822012-03-04T08:33:04.048-07:002012-03-04T08:33:04.048-07:00Glad to hear from you, Miz W!
I've tried to g...Glad to hear from you, Miz W!<br /><br />I've tried to get Miz rev to do a guest post on my blog before and all I get is a "I don't think so!"<br /><br />Ah, well.<br /><br />I think they should run the Oscars and the Grammys and all of the other award shows like the general elections, with everyone being allowed a vote, not just some obviously corporately sponsored geeks in a small dark back room making the decisions based on how much money they are paid.JustRexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00389126268262607714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-644307053689318862012-03-03T13:06:36.081-07:002012-03-03T13:06:36.081-07:00I hear you on the Oscars. I like the fact that th...I hear you on the Oscars. I like the fact that they bring attention to some interesting movies around this time of year, but I can't really stand to watch the actual ceremony, and I agree with you completely that the winners aren't always picked on sheer talent alone. Sometimes there's a hot button issue; sometimes they give someone an award to make up an award they should have given them a previous years (like Denzel Washington, as the person above mentioned.) <br /><br />So, I'm glad the Oscars exist...as a thing...but I don't like to watch them. The Grammy's on the other hand, I really can't stand altogether, but that's another story ;DBryan Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01607046468663026271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-22178967506338991362012-03-02T10:37:27.742-07:002012-03-02T10:37:27.742-07:00Training Day was not a good movie, but Malcolm X w...Training Day was not a good movie, but Malcolm X was, and that year Denzel lost to Al Pacino in Scent of A Woman. Although it's not supposed to happen, there is sometimes a "career achievement" quality to an Oscar even when it's given for a specific performance. (See Paul Newman in The Color Of Money.)Paul O'Brianhttp://paulobrian.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-59323657835236352072012-03-02T09:01:17.239-07:002012-03-02T09:01:17.239-07:00I love Denzel Washington so, so much but there was...I love Denzel Washington so, so much but there was no way he should've won the Best Actor award for Training Day. I'm pretty sure that's when my profound cynicism for the Oscars started.<br /><br />A fantastic post. I loved reading it.M.J. Fifieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15626475963328519693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-73242158010530465872012-03-02T00:10:57.595-07:002012-03-02T00:10:57.595-07:00That would be "red carpet carping", not ...That would be "red carpet carping", not "red carpet carpet." My proofreading process got a little derailed by the fact that for some unknown reason blogspot doesn't want to accept my livejournal credentials today.Paul O'Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295914149726656839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-52449386723961097042012-03-02T00:08:08.366-07:002012-03-02T00:08:08.366-07:00Thanks so much for writing this, May. I really enj...Thanks so much for writing this, May. I really enjoyed it, and it helped ground my understanding of why you grumble about the Oscars. <br /><br />As you know, I don't share your anti-Swank (her birth name, by the way) bias, but I will certainly agree in a heartbeat that Annette Bening is a fantastic actress who deserves to be feted to the skies. And sure, I don't have any trouble believing that rather broad choices tend to attract disproportionate attention (disabilities, Holocaust, celebrity imitations -- thought apparently Marilyn isn't as compelling as Capote) and that sometimes a performance or film that is hot for some non-intrinsic reason gets the nod over a deeper, subtler one. Absolutely. Oscar history is rife with that sort of thing, along with longstanding prejudices against comedies, genre films, etc. etc. <br /><br />Here's the thing though. The notion of arguing about who or what should win an Oscar -- just like the notion of giving Oscars in the first place -- is fatally flawed by the fact that although Hollywood is a business, movies themselves are works of ART. Very often pretty crappy art, but art nonetheless, and whenever the notion of competition gets superimposed over artistic creations, the result is *always* going to be awkward and tense. How could it possibly be otherwise? You end up comparing wildly different things that are only superficially in the same category, and judging them on incredibly subjective, personal criteria. To say that any kind of authoritative statement arises from such a process is silly. <br /><br />To me, focusing on who wins, who should have won, who should have gotten nominated, etc., is kind of missing the forest for the trees. The point of the Oscars, at least in my little world, is not to decide who gave the single best performance of the year, or what film is better than what other films, but simply to a) bring attention to worthy work and b) celebrate the art form. In my opinion, the Academy Awards do a great job of both, and that is why they are my favorite TV night of the year. <br /><br />Except for all the red carpet carpet about who's wearing what. (Or as it's apparently said now, who's wearing who.) Now THAT's ridiculous. :)Paul O'Brianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295914149726656839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-67405526345581136342012-03-01T17:33:19.278-07:002012-03-01T17:33:19.278-07:00I hate Hilary Swank. But the Artist? Oh, come on, ...I hate Hilary Swank. But the Artist? Oh, come on, it totally deserved to win this year!Nickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03830994879944216241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-29205033886169180402012-03-01T15:57:46.275-07:002012-03-01T15:57:46.275-07:00I never watch the awards because I feel like you--...I never watch the awards because I feel like you--they are based on something other than merit. Thanks for the entertaining synopsis!<br /><br />And yes, Hilary Swank does look like a man.Julie Daineshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350205936357263571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2772006307472464943.post-54383308548780412452012-02-29T20:13:05.086-07:002012-02-29T20:13:05.086-07:00Your snarky comments made me laugh. Although I sho...Your snarky comments made me laugh. Although I should warn you that I am madly in love with Adrian Brody. But I'm pretty sure if he didn't have his nose I'd probably forget he exists.<br /><br />I'm personally not that pleased with the awards this year.<br /><br />P.S. Hilary Swank looks like a man.Chanelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18159248995263246944noreply@blogger.com