In fact, after decrying the declaration by movie critics a few years ago (conveniently after Halle Berry won her Oscar), I have come to the conclusion that the Oscars are irrelevant. Not because it is a bloated self-congratulatory kiss-ass fest...but because all of the build up to the show and the fall off afterwards.
My revelation about the Oscars came when the nominees for this year were announced and I noted that half of the films had only been released in New York or LA, and that no one of color was named. Not that this was a big surprise since no Oscar-worthy films featuring people of color were released in 2010 (and yes, that includes "For Colored Girls"). But beyond that fact, I got to thinking about how Academy Award nominations and wins notwithstanding, Oscars do very little, if anything, to advance the film careers of those lucky few who receive them.
Think about it...what did Halle Berry do after she won her Oscar in 2002? And then ask the same question about the careers of Cuba Gooding Jr., Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson and Monique. Halle Berry went on to star in one of the worst films ever made, and then she got knocked up and is now more famous now for her tabloid life than her movie roles. All I have to say about Cuba is "Snow Dogs"... Jamie Foxx decided to become an R&B artist, and I guess that is working out for him. Jennifer Hudson's next major film role was in the "Sex and the City" movie. And it was so unnecessary that I honestly believe that they only cast her because the movie was already very lame and the writers said, "what the hell, let's call that chick from 'Dreamgirls', the one who is not Beyonce." As for Monique, I keep thinking that they did not mean it since she is still hosting a late night talk show on BET, which is only one step slightly above her sitcom role on "The Parkers".
And black actors are not the only ones to get neglected once the statuettes have been distributed:
- Kim Bassinger (best supporting actress) has not been in anything significant since "8 Mile" and her most recent claim to fame is perhaps surviving her marriage to Alec Baldwin
- Helen Hunt (best actress) has been relatively quiet since starring in the awful "What Women Want" with Mel Gibson
- Timothy Hutton (best supporting actor) is on a crappy basic cable re-tread of "The A-Team"
- Renee Zellwegger (best supporting actress) needs to do another Bridget Jones movie
- Heath Ledger (best supporting actor) is dead
- Nicolas Cage (best actor) whose career choices have been so disappointing, it is easy to forget that he ever did anything Oscar-worthy
So what is the point? With all the emphasis on what people wear, I have come to the conclusion that the real purpose of the Oscars is to serve as an advertising vehicle for fashion designers, which is probably cheaper than taking out ads in magazines these days. Thus, the Oscars are a televised version of the Beverly Hills High School prom.
And that explains why most of the real stars skip the ceremony--they have "graduated" to more important pursuits (like George Clooney trying to cure malaria and Leonardo DiCaprio trying to save the planet with Al Gore.) The only people who regularly attend are the actual nominees who are probably contractually obligated to do so and the wannabees who use the constant media scrutiny of their wardrobes to help advance their careers. And I am starting to wonder if the nominations themselves represent a cynical calculation by the Academy to ensure a TV audience (three or four solid performances and a couple of wildcards thrown in to create suspense). That certainly challenges the notion that the Oscars reward talent...
So will I watch? Maybe. Will I have any commentary in the future about the lack of diversity in the nominations? Probably. Are all awards shows as useless? Hmm...I'll have to revisit that after the NAACP Image Awards.
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