Posted on 03/06/2006 9:27:20 AM PST by SirLinksalot
Oscar Blinks
James Hirsen, NewsMax.com
Monday, March 6, 2006
Remember when Hollywood had mystique and glamour and was the wellspring of entertainment? That now seems a relic of another era.
In its place sits a town where self-absorption has taken a lead role and superficial social messages predominate.
When it wasn't embarrassing, the 78th Annual Academy Awards show was generally a bore.
Host Jon Stewart was probably a bit surprised at the tepid response to his jokes, especially the one where he quipped about the awards show being a "place where you can watch all your favorite stars without having to donate any money to the Democratic Party." Stewart also admonished would-be film downloaders to think about the "women here who could barely afford enough gown to cover their breasts."
Many of the stars seemed incapable of laughing at themselves. But when Stewart let loose with a joke that was at the expense of Vice President Dick Cheney, the guffaws flowed freely.
"I do have some sad news to report," Stewart said. "Bjork could not be here. She was trying on her Oscar dress and Dick Cheney shot her."
Stewart got moderate chuckles when he took a shot at the news media. He praised "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Capote," describing them as films about journalism's "relentless pursuit of the truth," adding, "needless to say, both are period pieces."
The big laughs returned, though, with a reference to the war in Iraq. Evoking the memory of the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein, Stewart pointed to a giant Oscar image and said, "Do you think if we all got together and pulled this down, democracy would flourish in Hollywood?"
George Clooney won the first statuette for Best Supporting Actor for "Syriana," letting the world know that he was "proud to be part of this Academy, proud to be part of this community, proud to be out of touch."
Clooney claimed that Hollywood talked about social issues before anyone else. "We are the ones who talked about AIDS when it was just a gay disease," he said.
As expected, Phillip Seymour Hoffman won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of the gay central character in "Capote."
Rachel Weitz maintained the political pattern. She won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing a social activist in "The Constant Gardener."
It seems that a bit of "Brokeback" backlash may have created the surprise winner for Best Picture. After endless buzz about "Brokeback Mountain's" courage and brilliance and after it won virtually all of the pre-Oscar awards, "Crash" scored an upset win over the gay cowboy flick.
A few other observations:
The most bizarre comedy bit: Ben Stiller came on stage wearing a John Kerry sanitary "sperm" outfit.
The bright spot: "March of the Penguins" won for Best Documentary.
The most deserving award: Reese Witherspoon took the Best Actress award for "Walk the Line."
The most ironic award: "Brokeback Mountain" won for Best Score. How utterly appropriate this year that an Oscar was awarded for a hip-hop song about the difficulties experienced by a pimp.
Unfortunately, no one remembered to send a Hollywood shout-out to the troops, whose starring roles outshine all of Oscar's gold.
Well something went wrong because the winners didn't even make the top of the hour news this a.m. on the radio. It took until mid-morning for me to find out who won anything...and that wasn't even the movie of the year. I told my husband that I was sure BBM didn't win because that would have been trumpeted all day long. It's like they want to hide the fact they even had an awards show last night.
Yep...but since you only pretend for a living...don't think we here in "Middle America" don't understand where pretending ends and reality begins. Most of these un-educated humorless morons have pretended for so long, they really believe that they are presidents, soldiers, doctors, et. al. We know who does the real work here in the U.S...and those in Hollyweird are truly "expendable" court jesters. If they stopped making millions and their fortunes disappeared...just how would most of them earn a living. Some of them may need to find out, considering their lame attempts to entertain in recent years.
You are correct about Reese...
From IMDB
http://imdb.com/name/nm0000702/bio
Mini biography
Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was the second child born to Dr. John and Betty Witherspoon. Her father was a military surgeon specializing in the ear, nose and throat. Her mother was a Registered Nurse who would later become a Ph.D in pediatric nursing. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Wiesbaden, Germany where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves. Shortly after, John moved the family back to the States, settling in Nashville, Tennessee.
Reese was introduced to the entertainment industry at a very early age. At age 7, she began modeling. This led to appearances on several local television commercials. At age 11, she placed first in a Ten-State Talent Fair....
And why didn't they show George Clooney after that? Was he stuck in front of the bathroom mirror and missed it?
"I'm John Kerry, and I support this message about this guy named Oscar."
I know.
It just made me burst out into laughter here at the office when I saw that photo of Kerry.
I could just imagine him endorsing yet another program or idea that he knows absolutely nothing about, yet speaking as though he is the subject matter authority.
I'm waiting to hear the numbers as well. Anybody see Lauren Bacall and her very disjointed speech?
Well .. the Hollywood idiots may have been the FIRST TO TALK about a lot of things .. but it was PRESIDENT BUSH WHO DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
What have they done about it .. NOTHING!!
The Ben Stiller schtik was the worst tv moment I've seen in years.
Did anyone "get" his attempt at humor?
I heard today that Stewart did last night's show gratis and the Academy now has until 3 pm today to sign him for next year for $1 million. I don't think they'll rehire him after so may jokes at their expense, and maybe he doesn't care since he has already greatly broadened his appeal.
That's pretty good.
It certainly is "all about them":
http://www.suntimes.com/output/zwecker/cst-ftr-swag27a.html
Don't forget about them being environmentally conscious. What with their 50,000 sq feet houses, limos and private jets.... they are really doing alot to conserve energy.
I wouldn't think the Craft and Trade guys approve very much of what is going on in Hollywood these days.
from www.imdb.com:
Laura Jean Reese Witherspoon was born on March 22, 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She was the second child born to Dr. John and Betty Witherspoon. Her father was a military surgeon specializing in the ear, nose and throat. Her mother was a Registered Nurse who would later become a Ph.D in pediatric nursing. Reese spent the first four years of her life in Wiesbaden, Germany where her father served as a lieutenant colonel in the US Army reserves. Shortly after, John moved the family back to the States, settling in Nashville, Tennessee.
The only interesting actor was the fashion designer what's his name...Mizrahi.
Hitch was right: actors are stupid. And numero uno stupido is Clooney. He's embarrassing. His mummy must have told him he was cute. NOT!
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