I love the Oscars.
Not as much as I love the Tonys! But I do love the Oscars.
I have watched the telecast every single year since I’ve been in the double digit age range. Now as to whether or not I can remember any of it, HA!
There have been years where the show was so boring and I just wished that they would just drop event time to a single hour. But, there have also been years when I didn’t want the Best Picture category to come up. A lot of it had to do with the host. Last year, I think was the James Franco and Anne Hathaway co-host nightmare. It felt awkward and kinda messy. But Hugh Jackman or Jon Stewart did really respectable jobs. But the king will probably always be Billy Crystal.
While I was at the gym, Piers Morgan was on one of the tv’s and he was interviewing a columnist for EW magazine and the interviewee said that there were some doubts as to whether Billy C would be able to do it. Wait…WHAT? He went on to say it would be the equivalent of putting Willy Mayes (or some baseball player that I am just naming at random) back in the game after 20 years of not playing. I call shenanigans!! Of course BC is gonna be fab, he will always be fab! He’s Billy Frakin’ Crystal.
This year, I don’t have any real preference as to who wins with one exception. Octavia Spencer. I’d always seen her in tiny bit parts and loved her. Now that she’s had the opportunity to shine, I hope she is rewarded for all the little nuances that are in her performance in “The Help.”
If you haven’t seen it, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
My friends and I used to have games and stuff for awards shows. Sadly now that I work on Sundays, I don’t have time to come up with stuff. I know the logical answer to that is plan ahead and do it early. I know and I hear you, but I just space out and forget that it is even happening.
So as I watch the show this year, I will probably harbor a tiny chip on my shoulder with the knowledge that just to get nominations, the studios spend approximately $100 million in media blitzes. With numerous studios spending that much on this little award, I just wonder how much good that would do if they invest even half of that into public education or building homeless shelters that are open all year round and not just in the winter. I understand that it’s just Hollywood. But that’s the point
It’s JUST Hollywood. It’s great that they make a film about bullying and try to raise awareness like that. But it’s a business strategy as well. Make a movie about a problem that’s plaguing youth or society and millions of people around the world will pay money to see it and a big portion of that money will go into the producer’s pocket. Yeah, s/he might be philanthropic and donate to charities or whatnot. But there’s also, maybe not.
So Billy, even before you are on that stage, I shall raise a glass to you after a long day’s work and have every confidence that this year’s Oscar show will be golden.
The Actorvist 