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There is only one columnist on Salon.com who has the gift, hands down, of wicked, artful, tongue-in-cheek, biting commentary, where you laugh out loud while hating her, and that is Heather Havrilasky. Only Garrison Keillor is better, but I love him.
The Oscars are never FUN, and lately, celebs are shying away from the type of displays which could become a defining moment in the public's perception. Take Tom Cruise for example. Shouldn't a man have one moment in life when he jumps on the couch out of sheer exuberation? One would think that if any Star could do so, it would be Tom Cruise! However you will notice that not one of the War of the Worlds clips feature him.
Chris Rock tried to shake up the Oscars and we know the results. He was eviscerated in reviews. Sean Penn got on his pseudo-intellectual, self-righteous soapbox and repudiated him for a (really humorous) remark about Jude Law. (I notice that Sean was quiet when the nanny scandal broke out about Jude the next week.)
What really irks about this whole business is that the celebs, victims of the tabloids' shrill inaccuracies, exaggeration and downright lies, will believe them about each other!
I was caught up in a good book all day and only tuned in to the Academy Awards about halfway, just to see who won the best actress category. One show I set aside time for religiously for the MTV "moonmen' awards -- they have the best categories, the sublime moments ( a certain kiss between Will Smith and Jim Carrey comes to mind)...and make a point of being entertaining and original.
The Academy Awards were always about politics; however Cintra, your point is well-taken, even if it was not well made.
