Halfway through, I thought the show succeeded in its mission, it made me want to go to the movies, I suddenly had a desire to run out and see all the flicks I’d missed, not on DVD, but in a theatre, savoring the separate location and the darkness.<\/p>\n
But by time the final credits ran, and I saw the image of James Taylor singing "In My Life", I asked myself, didn’t he perform YESTERDAY?<\/p>\n
Maybe it’s undoable.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe you can’t make a good Oscar show.\u00c2\u00a0 You’re beholden to too many interests.\u00c2\u00a0 Pulled in too many directions.\u00c2\u00a0 So what you end up with is an endless mishmash, like those records with ten tracks and just as many producers.\u00c2\u00a0 It just doesn’t hang together.<\/p>\n
Then again, when I finish watching the Grammys I don’t want to go out and buy the winning records.\u00c2\u00a0 And recently, neither has the public.\u00c2\u00a0 But at least the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences usually gets it right, unlike NARAS.\u00c2\u00a0 "The Hurt Locker" was the best picture of the year.\u00c2\u00a0 Yes, Taylor Swift’s "Fearless" was the best album, but that doesn’t make up for the abomination of handing mini-gramophones to Herbie Hancock and Steely Dan and all those others who won for their careers as opposed to their latest records.<\/p>\n
Then again, Jeff Bridges won for his career.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, he was the best actor in any film I saw this year.\u00c2\u00a0 Not that I saw many. Because somehow, despite the seriousness of the Oscar telecast, films are no longer serious business, or should I say serious art. They’re made for a market.\u00c2\u00a0 Usually teenage.\u00c2\u00a0 Oftentimes prepubescent.\u00c2\u00a0 Rarely adult.<\/p>\n
But adults vote for the Oscars, and that’s why "The Hurt Locker" won.\u00c2\u00a0 And "Up" too.\u00c2\u00a0 Because somehow, the animated film could be about children and adults, for children and adults at the same time.\u00c2\u00a0 Taylor Swift accomplished the same goal, give her music a chance, she’s no NKOTB.\u00c2\u00a0 But in music, we expect you to continue the tradition, to get better and better, whereas films are sui generis.\u00c2\u00a0 Unless they decide to make a sequel, which hasn’t been better than the original since "Godfather II".\u00c2\u00a0 And that’s a heavy burden for Ms. Swift to carry, especially being unable to sing.<\/p>\n
Then we’ve got Kathy Ireland, who’s unable to host.<\/p>\n
Come on, you watch the pre-game show.\u00c2\u00a0 Was she terrible or what?\u00c2\u00a0 Posing like a model, and they don’t speak, in case you’ve been oblivious to the fashion-mania that’s coursing through our nation, Kathy fawned and asked dumb questions, making one wince.<\/p>\n
And there was the focus on dresses.\u00c2\u00a0 As if the real stars were the designers, not the actors or the films.\u00c2\u00a0 Which way do you want it, irreverent and base or highbrow?\u00c2\u00a0 Because the Golden Globes do irreverent, informal and frequently base, very well, and end up with a much more watchable show.<\/p>\n
Then again, with fewer people involved, the Globes know it’s about the show.\u00c2\u00a0 That unless the whole thing hangs together, the elements are meaningless.\u00c2\u00a0 Will you remember who won the Best Supporting Oscars next year?\u00c2\u00a0 Doubtful.\u00c2\u00a0 But you’ll remember who committed a faux pas at the Globes.\u00c2\u00a0 We need hooks to hang our memories on.\u00c2\u00a0 And in this show, there just weren’t enough.<\/p>\n
The honoring of the actors by their coworkers\/peers.\u00c2\u00a0 Just plain creepy.\u00c2\u00a0 Then again, it was so deep into the show ANYTHING would suck.<\/p>\n
Not that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did.\u00c2\u00a0 But somehow, it didn’t seem to be their show.\u00c2\u00a0 They lost control of it.\u00c2\u00a0 Or never had it. Unlike Billy Crystal, they never came back with witty comments.\u00c2\u00a0 They were just part of the endless tsunami of Hollywood.\u00c2\u00a0 A duo doing a vaudeville skit in between the animal exploits.<\/p>\n
And if you can eliminate the performances of songs, why do we have to have dancing to the scores?\u00c2\u00a0 Well, I guess everybody needs to go to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
As for the ten best movie nominations…\u00c2\u00a0 That just made the show longer, with each one needing to be introduced.\u00c2\u00a0 It didn’t affect the winner whatsoever.\u00c2\u00a0 And it didn’t entrance the young ‘uns.\u00c2\u00a0 Although it did have us oldsters scratching our heads as to who some of the presenters were.<\/p>\n
It’s like the Academy wants to do the MTV Movie Awards but feels it’s restrained by pomp and circumstance.\u00c2\u00a0 And like a major label, no one can mess with the underlying construct.\u00c2\u00a0 Eliminate so many of the awards and focus on ogling the stars, that’s what we’re truly interested in.\u00c2\u00a0 Even with some high quality lead-ins, like Taylor Hackford’s short film segment, ultimately these minor awards bring down the whole show.<\/p>\n
If only it were like the old days, when it was a party.\u00c2\u00a0 But now the party’s on the other side of the screen.\u00c2\u00a0 No one’s having any fun at the Kodak.\u00c2\u00a0 Except maybe for George Clooney, mugging away, the new Jack Nicholson of the annual event.<\/p>\n
"The Hurt Locker" is serious business.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s so great it won.\u00c2\u00a0 But how lame is ABC for cutting away from the Best Documentary winner holding up the dolphin text number?\u00c2\u00a0 No controversy.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what’s wrong with network television today.\u00c2\u00a0 Afraid that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Sarah Palin are going to crack the whip, they’re afraid of taking a stand.\u00c2\u00a0 But that’s what we’re looking for.\u00c2\u00a0 If someone gets pissed off, just stand your ground.<\/p>\n
The John Hughes tribute was heartfelt and touching.<\/p>\n
It was a good idea to hold the light up to horror, even if the montage was done poorly.\u00c2\u00a0 And even though they were honored at a separate ceremony, the brief moment in the spotlight for Lauren Bacall and Roger Corman helped burnish their images.<\/p>\n
What will I remember?\u00c2\u00a0 The endless Skechers commercials.\u00c2\u00a0 And the ones for Samsung 3-D TV.\u00c2\u00a0 BMW’s ads were better than Mercedes-Benz’s, because they realized eras have changed, and now Munich promotes joy, while Stuttgart still hypes exclusivity, elitism.<\/p>\n
When done right, movies can change our lives, inspire us, help us to hang on.\u00c2\u00a0 But somehow, this awards show no longer inspires the same belief, the same reverence.<\/p>\n
But there were choice moments.\u00c2\u00a0 The winner saying that creative pursuits were worthwhile, the speech of the "Inglorious Basterds" actor who won the supporting role.<\/p>\n
But the show ultimately failed.\u00c2\u00a0 Like a wannabe blockbuster with too many stars and not enough plot.<\/p>\n
I thought I could miss it.\u00c2\u00a0 But on a deep level, I still want to believe.\u00c2\u00a0 I think back to prior ceremonies, the victory of both "Godfather" movies, "Annie Hall"’s triumph.\u00c2\u00a0 "The Hurt Locker" wasn’t quite as much of a personal favorite, but the real tragedy is it’ll still go unseen by the masses who would rather be somnambulized by the fabulistic "Avatar" than confront today’s reality, which is just too scary…hell, as Jack Nicholson said so directly, we can’t handle the truth.<\/p>\n
The truth is the Academy got it right.\u00c2\u00a0 The correct nominees won.\u00c2\u00a0 But whereas "The Hurt Locker" triumphed because it was made outside the system, with no test screenings and no extraneous input, this show had too many cooks and too many influences.\u00c2\u00a0 So, as a viewing experience, it fell flat.\u00c2\u00a0 At least the winners will live on in video.<\/p>\n
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