I remember way back when Roberto Benigni won Best Actor for his role in Life is Beautiful and he went nuts and climbed on top of the seats, jumping over people to get to the stage. And I remember how happy I was when the Lord of the Rings trilogy finally got some Oscar love and Return of the King won Best Picture. I remember when Angelina Jolie won her award and kissed her brother. I didn’t think anything of it and didn’t understand all the hoopla that followed the next day. Lots of people kiss their relatives on the mouth. I don’t, but lots of people do and it’s not incestuous. I especially like seeing the “In Memoriam” bit each year because they show everybody, not just the people the average Joe on the street knows.
Yes, the Oscars provide a good three hours of entertainment and escape from the daily grind. This year I’ve only seen two nominated films and neither is nominated for the top prize. I saw Bridesmaids, for which Melissa McCarthy is nominated Best Supporting Actress and Kristen Wiig is nominated for Screenplay. And I saw The Muppets, which is nominated for Original Song. I do have thoughts on a few other contenders. I’ve been wanting to see The Artist since I first read about it last fall. A silent, black and white movie? Right up my alley. I was raised on black and white. I’m also pulling for Gary Oldman because I’ve always liked him. And finally, when they announced the making of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I thought, ‘what’s the point? There’s a Swedish version. Why do Americans have to be too stupid to read subtitles?’ But it’s been getting rave reviews so I’ll probably give it a watch when I get back to the States and re-subscribe to Netflix.
So if you’re planning to tune in this weekend. Think of me and give a little woot if Gary Oldman wins.