This year, seeing that the Eastman House was going through renovations on the Dryden Theate
r the Princess and I ended up in Buffalo for the Shea’s Oscar party. The people attending were very nice and we actually ended up sitting with two fellow Rochestarian Oscar Party attendees. The rest, well, let’s just say we’re hoping for the Eastman House Oscar party next year.
Anyway, as it usually is with most popular items, I have a love/hate relationship with the Oscars. One side of me congratulates the Film industry on making an annual self-gratiating award show a cultural phenomenon. People actually give a damn on who wins these awards, which are bestowed upon members of their profession by themselves. This masturbatory event also serves to increase revenues for not only the winners but the nominees.
The other side of me says, are these awards actually given out based upon the quality of work, or is it a politically biased agenda that endows these honors to those that garner the proper favor to the powers-that-be.
That aside I’ll look at the recent winners of the major awards. This years Oscar nominee field benefited from a weaker field than prior years.
Anne Hathaway, one of the few child stars who became a young actress with no crash and burn tendencies, won the Best Supporting Actress award. Ms. Hathaway, while a fine actress, was
able to take advantage of the fact that this year’s field wasn’t as talented as prior years’ winners. Her legacy will hopefully live on as long as prior winners Hattie McDaniel, Miyoshi Umeki, Goldie Hawn, Lee Grant, Mary Stenburgen, Brenda Fricker, Whoopi Goldberg, Mira Sorvino, Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Hudson, and Mo’Nique’s have.
in the category of Best Actress, everyone’s latest darling, Jennifer Lawrence, won for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook. As a best actress winner she joins such great thespians as Halle Berry, Marion Cotillar
d, Marlee Matlin, and Cher. Her win helps make up for the travesty of Gabourey Sidibe being passed over for best actress prior. Thus assuring the fact that the Academy does take a look at true talent and not merely marketability in their choices.
Similar to the Best Supporting Actress category, the Best Actor field wasn’t as crowded with such acting talent as prior years. Remarkable actors such as Forest Whitaker, Jamie Foxx, Roberto Benigni, Art Carney, and Jon Voight were conspicuously absent this time. Thus allowing Daniel Day Lewis another win in the best actor category to fill up his shelf with three statuettes.
Best Supporting Actor was a challenge. This year
‘s field was filled with all prior Oscar winners in the category. Again, the winner, Christoph Waltz didn’t have to contend with the likes of Red Buttons, Burl Ives, Joel Grey, Timothy Hutton, or Cuba Gooding Jr. allowing him to grab another trophy.
And, finally, Best picture winner, Argo, was extremely fortunate to join such unforgettably memorable best picture winners such as How Green Was My Valley, Marty, Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Chariots of 
Fire, The English Patient, American Beauty, Chicago, and The Hurt Locker. Argo will be a picture we’ll want to watch over and over again like the aforementioned winners.
So, another year, another round of Oscar winners. It was fun, and it was enlightening as usual. Now, I have to run so I can catch up on the pictures I haven’t seen yet!
P.S.
The less I say about best song and soundtracks the better off I’ll be.
“We could have ate it all….”
