Yes, I turned off the Oscars
I usually leave awards shows on "in the background" while I do other things. I couldn't do that with this years Oscar show. I lasted a grand total of sixteen minutes. Between the lame Captain Kirk segment and the "boob song" there was NO WAY I was subjecting myself to that drivel for three plus more hours.
I thought the host was bad, tasteless, and irritating. So I didn't actually see any of the awards presented. Which is fine - I am not all that invested in actually watching people thank Mom and God and everyone else.
I'm glad Brave got the Oscar for animated feature - I loved it (I also loved ParaNorman and was glad to see it nominated). And Paperman (for animated short) is completely adorable.
For awards shows, I am far more interested in the Tonys than the Oscars - mostly because of the actual numbers from shows running on Broadway (makes me think - hey I like that - and make a note to get the album) and theatre actors are so much BETTER at putting together an actual show that is a good balance of THEATRE and awards. Plus people who work day-in day-out in live theatre just do it better, imo.
Yes, there are in jokes and navel gazing and a bit of onanism - but the self-gratification is less and we feel part of the process more because it isn't the film-company that depends on us seeing the movie it is the entire theatre-company that depend on us coming to see them live night after night. There is an immediacy to the thankfulness for theatre actors that there isn't for film-actors. Film-actors went and did their job and it was over, and they went on to other projects, and then weeks and months later they are suddenly in the spotlight for something that for them was finished a long time ago. Theatre-actors are (a lot of the time) still doing the job they are being honored for.
I find it means more.
I thought the host was bad, tasteless, and irritating. So I didn't actually see any of the awards presented. Which is fine - I am not all that invested in actually watching people thank Mom and God and everyone else.
I'm glad Brave got the Oscar for animated feature - I loved it (I also loved ParaNorman and was glad to see it nominated). And Paperman (for animated short) is completely adorable.
For awards shows, I am far more interested in the Tonys than the Oscars - mostly because of the actual numbers from shows running on Broadway (makes me think - hey I like that - and make a note to get the album) and theatre actors are so much BETTER at putting together an actual show that is a good balance of THEATRE and awards. Plus people who work day-in day-out in live theatre just do it better, imo.
Yes, there are in jokes and navel gazing and a bit of onanism - but the self-gratification is less and we feel part of the process more because it isn't the film-company that depends on us seeing the movie it is the entire theatre-company that depend on us coming to see them live night after night. There is an immediacy to the thankfulness for theatre actors that there isn't for film-actors. Film-actors went and did their job and it was over, and they went on to other projects, and then weeks and months later they are suddenly in the spotlight for something that for them was finished a long time ago. Theatre-actors are (a lot of the time) still doing the job they are being honored for.
I find it means more.