Why I'm skipping the Oscars this year

Townhall.com ^ | 13 January 2006 | Ben Shapiro

[Clemenza]

And 2002 was the year of the African-American honorary Oscars, when Denzel Washington took home Best Actor for his decent if overrated performance in "Training Day"

Disagree with Shapiro here. While race may have been a consideration, Denzel's performance was FAR superior to Russel Crowe's in the AWFUL "Beautiful Mind" which took best picture.

[x]

There's nothing new in this, though. Well-meaning, "idealistic," socially conscious, "breakthrough" movies have beaten better films out for Oscars for a long time:

According to both the Oscars and the New York Film Critics Circle, the best picture of 1947 was Elia Kazan’s Gentleman’s Agreement, in which Gregory Peck’s gentile journalist goes undercover to expose anti-Semitism in America. At the time, I’m sure critics felt they were striking a blow for social justice by voting for it, but in hindsight, that movie seems more earnest than artful. In any case, it can’t touch Monsieur Verdoux, Shoeshine, Out of the Past, Great Expectations, Black Narcissus, Kiss of Death, The Lady From Shanghai or another polemic on anti-Semitism like Edward Dmytryk’s searing, superior Crossfire (which was originally supposed to be about homophobia). The National Board of Review went with Monsieur Verdoux, which now seems, if not the right choice, than certainly a wiser one. As I’ve said before, awards are just the first draft of movie history. First drafts are full of mistakes. Source

[firebrand]

Why I skip the Oscars every year: I couldn't give a rat's patootie about Hollywood or the sewage it produces.

[Mr. Blonde]

Although it is very clear that if you go gay or retarded in a movie you are a lock for at least a nomination, I don't think anyone's performance should be degraded because they play a gay character. I haven't seen Capote, but in my book Phillip Seymour Hoffman is overdue for recognition.

I really wish the academy would throw in some interesting dark horses, but no doubt they will go with boring choices. If I had any say I would have Batman Begins, Crash, Walk the Line, Cindarella Man and King Kong. Of those I would have to give the award to Batman Begins. It is the best of the movies I have seen this year, at least with some weight to it. As much as I would like to see Wedding Crashers and The 40 Year Old Virgin nominated they just don't deserve it. Unless the academy is thinking of giving Rachel McAdams an award for being smoking. It might be the least controversial pick they could make.

[pahpaw]

About every week starting in late January through May that is all that is going on is these awards shows where they are patting the same people over and over. Obvious winners are best male and female (the two in the Johnny Cash movie). Big su

[Hildy]

Halle Berry deserved her award for Monster's Ball. Not so for Denzel. He's a great actor...but not for that role. I won't watch because I just can't stand Jon Stewart. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, politics or no politics. He's just Smarmy.

[metesky]

Proudly not watching the Oscars since 1965. I care about the product, but not a whit about their self-congratulatory log-rolling or their personal lives.

[napscoordinator]

The thing I don't understand is that why should hollywood care about what we think when no of us have watched the show forever? LOL.