Dammit
I didn't want to write anymore about Oscar and here I am. I am so pissed about how pissed people are getting about the show. Man, it's getting out of control. Mark Ebner needs to seriously get things into perspective. Has everyone turned into Steven Cojocaru? Enough with the catty remarks.
With a few exceptions, I'm pretty much with Burbanked on this whole thing. It's an award show. It's not a science. Millions of people watch it. Good luck getting them to agree on anything. So just watch it, have some drinks and enjoy yourself.
No presenter will ever be up to snuff. No single film will be that deserving. No actor will be humble enough, or say enough. Accept the facts and move on.
WOW Piper….seems like someone hit a nerve with you! I have to laugh a little that you are getting this worked up over Oscar…even more worked up than my comment about “Dances with Wolves” or the fact I said “Reservoir Dogs” was not a good movie! Let me see if I can shine a little light on the issue.
ReplyDeleteI agree Piper. No one is going to ever be happy with the Oscars, but perhaps in the problem lays the solution. Stick with me. In no uncertain words, the Oscars, well….SUCK! I have never seen a bigger group of prima donnas who seriously need to have their asses kicked! It has become a show of “who’s wearing what” and “what political platform can I take,” rather than the honor it was established to be 80 years ago. It has become a show of “payback” rather than competition. (See Scorsese) and yes, it has become a show of hypocrisy! (See “fill in name here”) Like most things in our society, Oscar has become watered down. Oscar doesn’t want to offend anyone anymore. (Seriously, how many categories are there?) The “prestige” is no longer there. I wonder if ANYONE would go if it were like the original awards show was in 1929. At that dinner, winners were announced 3 months prior.
So back to my statement “perhaps in the problem lies the solution.” My solution…scrap the whole frigging thing. DONE. BUH-BYE. Follow me here. Rather than the studios, sponsors, clothing and jewelry designers spending all that money on a self-pontificating ego driven night, donate it to various social and environmental causes. Better yet, the money goes into a foundation (Hell, call it the Oscar Foundation) and each member of the Academy has a vote as to where it goes. If everyone who has a vote wants to “Save the Purple Spotted Dung Beatle” well, then that is one lucky bug! Everyone wins!
As for the awards, still have them. Have “The People’s Choice” and “Directors Awards.” The “Directors Awards” would be a nice intimate gathering to say, “Well done.” No Television, No Red Carpet, No Political Platform. Just an award at its purest form.
“The People’s Choice” award would be just that. An award show at the most democratic form. Now I know you will say, “The majority of people wouldn’t know a good movie if it hit them in the face. People will pick “Earnest Saves Christmas” over “The Last King of Scotland” and good movies will go unrecognized.” Perhaps that is true and to that I say good. Most people do their job because it brings them inner satisfaction. Actors SHOULD be no different. The multi-million dollar pay check should help console their egos. For those who say good movies wouldn’t be made I say you need to have more faith in the American people. Will some movies get overlooked? YEP. But you know what, it happens today.
People who cannot or will not look for other solutions than the current paradigm are either 1. Scared of change, 2. Are not capable of an original thought or 3. So DAMN narcissistic that they think they are the only smart people in the room.
Ditch the show….the bitching stops. Ditch the show….social and environmental causes win. Ditch the show…the “customer” chooses what moved them. Ditch the show…the “professionals” award peers at the purest level. Ditch the show…everyone wins. Perfect. Oh wait, Hollywooders, who need that one last pat on the back and ego stroke, would never let that happen. So, I guess we’ll revisit this again next year.
Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI know this goes against the adversarial relationship that we have successfully built thus far, but I agree with you on most points.
I believe that the awards show needs a redo. It's about everything that it shouldn't be. Fashions and gossip and politics and making up for past mistakes and whatever.
I think that turning it into a people's choice award is a bad idea. The bar is set so low already, I would hate to set it even lower. The reason why we get movies like Because I Said So is because they want to appeal to everyone. They don't want to take risks. To be different. And that's what makes a great movie great. Is because it takes risks. It's because it takes a different look at things that may not be as popular. Movies are art. And art needs to be personal and create emotion and sometimes make statements. But it needs to do something.
I'm in advertising and I've seen what happens when you try to appeal to everyone. It's a mess. Someone once said, if no one hates it, no one can love it. That's the truth baby.
I think the solution is for Oscar to get back to what makes Oscar great. Rewarding the movies that move you, that take risks. That put themselves out there. If we do that, then I think we accomplish what you and I want to do.