So the Academy Awards are tonight and I'm excited. Not necessarily because I'm worried whether my favorites will win (like The Fighter, above) but just the novelty of it. All of the most amazing people on the planet in the room at the same time, looking fabulous, making jokes, jabbing each other with little phrases like "AYYY Nat! Isn't it my lil' black swan ovah heah?" or "Yo Chris! You gain summah that weight back? You're not a crack addict anymore, are yah?"
Okay, so maybe it's all in my head. But I like to imagine. In what other universe would Robert DeNiro be sitting next to Johnny Depp whose sitting next to Diane Keaton. Or should I say: Young Don Corleone sitting next to Edward Scissorhands sitting next to Annie Hall.
The funny thing is, as much as I follow the Oscars religiously, and have made countless teary-eyed acceptance speeches in my shower, I don't take much stock in them.
A) It's a selected jury. Yes, the Academy includes some of the industry's greats, but it also includes some of the industry's most conservative members. When it's all said and done, it's a selected opinion.
B) More importantly, the root of competitive art seems too fickle. Yes, I would say Amadeus is better than The Room, but I have a problem comparing a whole slew of well-produced, fabulous movies. I loved The King's Speech, The Social Network, and The Fighter. Do I have to pick a favorite?
But the truth is, no matter the flawed reasoning, the Academy Awards retains its charm. This year will be the first year that I'm not home for the Oscars. I'm going into New York City to watch it with my friends, which will be a new experience. Maybe other opinions will shed a new light on mine. Maybe the Oscars is just a conversation-starter. And an excuse for people to get gussied up. And sometimes, that's all we really need.
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