Thursday, January 26, 2023
The Oscars are approaching, which once was a stellar event purported to choose the “best” actor, film, direction, and so on. (How could a film win, but not the film’s director?) The show had huge ratings.
Today, it’s completely self-absorbed. “Stars” are interviewed on a red carpet obsequiously, but most of them are just vaguely familiar. They all get gift bags worth thousands of dollars. The “winners” tend to make political statements always of the far left or tearfully thank 40 people. Backstage, where they take pictures of the “winners” holding the Oscar, most of them are wondering if they’ll ever work again, because actors are hugely insecure (being praised for playing someone whom they are not). The Motion Picture Academy will bend over backwards to manifest its support for diversity and inclusion, but it’s hard to make up for years of not caring. And, by the way, in this age of equality and non-binary fluidity, why are their still separate best actor and best actress awards?
Anachronism: “A thing belonging to a period of time other than that in which it exists, especially if it is conspicuously old-fashioned.”