We hold this truth to be self-evident: Oscar nods trump State of Union
By Beth Teitell
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
If you’re like me (and for your sake, I hope not) you awoke this morning eager for the crucial TV event of the day. Obviously I’m not talking about the State of the Union. We already know President Bush won’t be wearing Versace.
But the Oscar nominations, revealed at dawn (Pacific Time) by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and Mira Sorvino? Now there’s an occasion. My priorities may seem a scosh misplaced, but as one of my friends explained to a third (incredulous) party, ‘‘Hollywood’s more relevant than Washington - and they listen to us.” She pointed to the drubbing a drooping Drew Barrymore took for going braless to the Golden Globes. ‘‘You know the next time she steps out she’ll be wearing support,” she said.
She’s right - but even I have to admit that as delicious as Nomination Tuesday is, it’s not perfect. To be perfectly honest, by the time they’re announcing the categories, you basically already know who’s going to get the ‘‘nod” and who’s going to be snubbed. Dream on, Dame Judi.
And that’s not the worst of it. Once the nominations become public, there’s a lot of work to do. First you have to call all of your friends and dissect the choices. Next, you’ve got to haul yourself to all of the nominated films, so you actually know what you’re talking about when you mouth off. You’ve got to read every fashion and style magazine you can, every week, to ensure you’re up on issues such as: Will anyone wear an American designer? What about a return to old-style Hollywood glamour? What’s the new black?
And then, of course, comes the most arduous task of all: watching the show. The whole thing. And it’s not like the Golden Globes, where they just give you the good stuff. If that’s the chick-lit of awards programs, the Oscars, if not exactly literature, at least have pretensions. Such as: Outstanding Achievement in Sound, or Film Editing, or any award that features a gaggle of middle-aged men you’ve never heard of thanking others you’ve never heard of. ‘‘This is for you, Philbert!”
You know, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe the State of the Union might be tonight’s better choice after all. If only the Democratic response could be given by Jon Stewart.
