I have always loved the Academy Awards and yet in recent years I’ve come to accept lesser award shows (like the Golden Globes) as being entertaining for what they are. However in the last few telecasts I think the Academy Awards have missed the boat when it comes to the place the Oscars play in the hearts of those of us who adore films and pop culture.
         First, Seth MacFarlane…really? Yes, his movie Ted was a surprise hit and the producers of the Academy Awards are desperate to increase ratings, but Seth MacFarlane seems like a stretch. Speaking in very general terms MacFarlane’s humor is mucho heterosexual male oriented which is fine (live and let live I say) but he is hosting the Oscars which traditional isn’t a big event for the before mentioned audience. Now if the Academy had hired Tina Fey and Amy Poehler like the Globes did I would be beyond excited, but they didn’t and now I fear the ceremony will be just one long reference to passing gas. True, MacFarlane could surprise us skeptics but since I despise Family Guy I sort of doubt it.
           Overall, hosting is a thankless job which both host and audience can only hope the event will be more giggles than gaffs.
            Anne Hathaway is my next bone of contention, but not in the way you might suspect. Although she attracts a lot of haters, I don’t count myself as one. I do concede that she can definitely grate and if you are inclined to despise everything Hathaway she gives you material in which to indulge your wrath. Heavens she has really stunk up this award season with unnecessary coyness and false modesty. She was great in Les Miserables and is the front runner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress so all of this faux humbleness and surprise at winning is too much. Yes, it is an honor but tone it down a notch. This also ties into another point I want to make later in reference to the work of actors.
             On Hathaway’s plus side, she did make an effort to be entertaining when she co-hosted the Oscars a few years ago with James Franco (who gave the audience a dictionary definition of phoning in a performance). She can be funny such as in the Christmas themed Funny or Die video she made with Samuel L. Jackson and she rose to prominence after starring in Disney’s The Princess Diaries (2001). Cinematically Hathaway has already proven two things. One, you can start out as a Disney princess and still carve out a prestigious career in roles that are not very princess based. Two, you can be a Disney kid star and not totally lose it once you become a legal adult.
                 Hathaway takes her job as an actress very seriously which is great, but often with so many award shows celebrating the accomplishments of the same people over and over again, that element of sentimentality becomes a hard pill to swallow. I know that acting, for those performers who do take it seriously, can be difficult and demanding. I also know that once you achieve a certain level of fame part of your job isn’t just acting in a role, but also being hounded by the paparazzi. In fact I would argue that the over compensation that some actors get for acting jobs is more about paying them to advertise their wares on talk shows and living a life with diminished privacy…but I’m getting ahead of myself. The thing that has bothered me about the last few Oscar telecasts is the whole quasi-therapeutic/feel good bits where actors who are presenting the Best Acting trophies take a moment to tell the nominees (I don’t recall if they do this for those nominated in the Best Supporting categories) about how great they are often by using terms such as “brave†and “brilliant.â€Â Honestly, it gets so bad that I have to turn the channel to the Food Network just in case my head explodes.
  
           It would be one thing if these nominated actors had cured cancer or actually saved the world from a collision with a meteorite, but that’s not the case is it? If actors are attending the various award ceremonies they are already living a glamorous lifestyle of which few humans on the planet could identify. I mean seriously, in one season actors get more acknowledgement for their career than the astronauts who landed on the moon get (or got) in their lifetime.  Really, how brave or brilliant is a role in comparison to the everyday activities of most of humanity? I mean teachers, as an example, do amazing things all the time for little pay; where the hell are their designer gowns and Wolfgang Puck cooked dinner?
                     In summary, I’m hoping that Hollywood takes it down a notch.
Westerfield © 2013
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Comments: 17
And you are so right, Lisa... "Seth MacFarlane…really?" ~ Lisa Westerfield
I couldn't believe what he was saying on live television. In fact, there were quite a few people who had some things to say about that host. He was just awful. I hope they do better next year with their pick of a Host. He made me turn it off completely. Too much of his mouth was more than I could bear.
The gowns were beautiful though!
Anyway, I never actually watch the show. Like many things it's better to just watch highlights later to skip the boring parts.
: )
As far as the Academy goes, they are the utmost experts of back scratches and they prove over and over that back-rubs and false ovations for mediocre work still wins popularity and gain awards.
I loved your estimation of the way things go because I know first hand how it goes. I have several friends involved in this from acting to technical help and we sit back, munch on popcorn and mixed drinks and laugh every year over this debacle.
I agree with your position that others should be lauded more in their work: cancer researchers, teachers, innovators and creators but actors and entertainers elevate themselves higher than they have earned or deserved. They do earn my respect for their talent but the degree to which they change our lives and/or the world is negligible through their work. If they contribute portions of their profits, that tips the scale but that is just money thrown to others who do the actual work, right?
End of rant.
Was my estimation far off the mark? I'm curious. I think hosting is a thankless job but MacFarlane is a more horrible choice than most - besides I don't think people watch or don't watch based on the host. People watch if they feel they have an investment in a favorite movie winning Best Picture or seeing an actor/actress they have always like take home the coveted stature.
I understand that everyone wants a piece of the pie when it comes to these award shows, but really there are too many of them. It tends to take away from the most Mac Daddy of award shows - plus it just emphasizes the luxury of being a working entertainer versus doing some sh*t job or even a noble job for a lot less money. Past telecasts have gone over the top with the praise. Sure, good acting should be rewarded and in fact if you are top of your game you get to take home the Oscar, but that alone doesn't make you a great human being. : )
Heh, I'm not a fan of celebrity chefs because most often those recipes are uninspiring and pander to folks who are accomplished home cooks. So yea, don't change the channel.
Hosting can be a thankless job or a great boost to the hosts popularity. I bring to mind, most recently,Billy Crystal who gave a stunning performance as an entertainer and host and not just once but several times.. I would have enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris as host for this show but he chose another award show if I recall properly. It was almost more entertaining to watch the host than the acceptances when the hosts were on their game, right?
I think there is fair percentage of viewers who watch for the host and other segment who watch for the stars and awards and then a smaller more critical group who watch the package and judge it.
I know that I've watched award shows purely out of my desire to see the host perform. I note Neil Patrick Harris for one and I've forgotten the award show he hosted but his performance was memorable and quite full of multi-talented segments.
Oh, and this is something I feel strongly about. I grew up in the movie and entertainment milieu and I believe most people tragically minimize the hard word talentled entertainers endure. They are away from their families for months on end while on location, they have set calls as early as 3 am on average, long days waiting for their scenes which may be mere minutes but they can't leave the set and more. Trust me. Much more. It's hard work and it isn't glamorous except in the mags and on tv. It is difficult and it just looks glamorous and easy and full of big bucks but that isn't the reality most of the time.
In the end, people with talent are the brunt of everyone's envy, jealousy, admiration and more. It's easy to hate them. It looks like they dress up, pretend and make millions but they pay huge personal prices for that fame and income.
It's not fun to have to conceal yourself and your identity just to go out to dinner and I could go on but I think you get my point. I grew up in that environment and it's not all pretty or easy or about money. It affects people on a personal level and it's real. They give their all with their talent and they lose much more than they give to us many times over. I admire them. Yes, I think the laud and praise is sometimes over the top but I understand why it is so.
If the hosting is done right it can bolster a career like it did with Billy Crystal who was on top of his game in the 90s. I think Neil Patrick would be perfect, although he is more associated with TV. He is amazing and I think Hugh Jackman should host again. (MacFarlane wasn't as bad as I feared, but his humor doesn't mesh well with mine.)
Donna, I want to write more, but I'm going to have to sign off for now. I'll return, because I thought you made some interesting points. : )
And yeah, I think the hosting by Billy Crystal and Neil Patrick were out of the ballpark. Hugh Jackman is a multi-talented man, easy on the eyes and avoids controversy so he's well accepted. MacFarlane in my opinion bombed. He didn't have the pizazz or panache of some of the other entertaining hosts we've been pleased to view. And I didn't enjoy his sexist jokes at all.
Love you kiddo.
When I heard Seth was hosting I thought, okay, so they definitely aren't worried about the Oscars being classy. Because no way is something hosted by him going to have any taste whatsoever. I mean he's funny, sure. But for the Oscars? Yikes.
As for Anne Hathaway...My eyes tell me she's lovely. And she's a great actress. But even when she was Catwoman I don't see her as sexy. She's lovely, but I can't buy her as a sex symbol. So I guess it's good she takes parts like Les Miserables. But I did see that Funny or Die video and she just killed it. It was so funny.
I'm hoping Anne wins, and although I know Daniel-Day Lewis will win, I'd like to see Bradley Cooper take it. I hope Jennifer Lawrence wins soley so I can hear the no doubt hilarious acceptance speech. Also, did you think it odd that Safe and Sound from the Hunger Games movie was not nominated for Best Song? It was for a Golden Globe, but not an Oscar. I thought it was worth a nomination.
The best part of award season to me is watching Fashion Police after the awards shows have aired. I get a kick out of that show.
Amen to the importance of what the actors do in comparison to real heroes like teachers.
I agree that Hathaway has a sexy problem. I think she is a decent actress, but not heart throb material. I think she will win. I'm with you on Jennifer Lawrence - this has been quite a year for her! I think Daniel-Day will take it home, but I'm okay with Bradley Cooper too.
I love Fashion Police too. Joan Rivers seems to have toned it down from when she was one the show a few years ago and was then fired. I think the rest of them balance her out.
I think we are all okay with Hollywood honoring its own, but describing people as "brave" and whatever else because they were in a film is a turn off. : )
My wife never misses the show and cancels all other events, births, wedding and even death, to sit on the couch and offer her opinion. I am dragged into this world kicking and screaming. I do so appreciate multi-millionaires crying over the opportunity to earn yet more millions.
Please don't get me wrong, I love movies and I am a fan of certain actors, it's just hard for me to weep at their successes and failures, swoon over their backless gowns or laugh at the wardrobe malfunctions.
It is a grand night for all us celebrity wanabes to ritualize this most important of professions.
Oh yes, my money is on Argo.
I think Argo will win! I did love Dark Zero Thirty though!
Enjoy the show, Jamie will be there from the Red Carpet through to the bitter end, and then the follow up on Monday's news.
Thank the Lord the award season is over tomorrow.