Oscar Sunday

"Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings." ~Kathy Bates

A lot going on this week... as usual. Tonight it's the Academy Awards. Who do you love? As is often the case there are quite a few flicks here that I have not seen, but seeing them listed here gives me ideas for my next movie rental.

I saw Inception, a special effects spectacle and a Matrix-like mind game rolled into one, and see it has been nominated for some awards. The King's Speech is certainly worthy of the accolades it has garnered. Having read the original book that The Social Network was based upon, I nominate that one as the best screenplay adapted from another source. (The book needed some major re-working to get that movie out of it.) And yes, Toy Story 3 is deserving of any recognition it achieves tonight. Best animated film of all time some are saying...

As for films I've not seen but need to check out soon, True Grit and 127 Hours are both on the top of that short list. Personally, I know they love John Wayne in Hollywood and even named an L.A. airport after him, but was he really the best actor the year he won the Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit? He's no Jack Nicholson, nor a Javier Bardem. The original True Grit was O.K. but from what I'm hearing this one's got the mustard. Without having seen the performance, I'm hearing that Jeff Bridges was in Oscar form again, though the competition is looking fierce. Best actor nomination all begin with the letter J this year... Javier, Jeff, Jesse and James... with the exception of Colin Firth. Hence, I predict Firth with be first.

I guess the best part of the Academy Awards is all the television footage and media content it generates. In a culture so slathered with celebrity worship, this is definitely one of the places where stars shine bright. Naturally the critics zero in their scopes for all they're worth. "Worst Dressed", "Worst Speech" and M.I.A.... Whether its the music, the length, the occasional vapid rambling, there's always something to deride.

On the other hand, let's face it, Hollywood has created some truly great celluloid moments, challenging us and inspiring us, and occasionally giving us a nice diversion from all that ails us. So, that being said... let the ceremonies begin.