There was a time when I looked forward to the Oscars broadcast every year. I went to Oscar parties every year and watch the entire show with a group of friends, and we'd debate over our personal favorite films from the previous year and make our individual predictions. The only annual party I looked forward to more than an Oscar party was a Super Bowl party.
However, over the last 10 years or so, I've grown more and more disinterested in the Oscars with each passing year. I'm not sure when or why it started, but when I found out late last week that tonight was the Oscars telecast, all I thought was, "Huh. I wonder what else will be on TV that night."
(Incidentally, I found out the NBA All Star Game was tonight too, and I can't figure out which program I'm less interested in.)
I think there are several possible reasons my lack of interest in the Oscars. First, I don't go to nearly as many movies as I used to back in college. I haven't seen more than one or two films that had been nominated for Best Picture per year for the last decade, and I haven't seen a single film nominated this year, though it's worth noting that I do want to see Moneyball and Midnight in Paris. I remember the year that Titanic had won for Best Picture, I had seen all five films nominated prior to the Oscars, so I sorta knew what I was talking about back then. That's not the case anymore.
Second, I don't really get the point of rooting for any one film or actor to win. I don't have any stake or connection to anyone who's nominated. I sure did love Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight, but it really didn't matter to me whether he won. I thought Jeremy Renner was equally awesome in films like The Town and The Hurt Locker, but I think it's silly to get worked up over rooting for one actor to win.
Third, let's be honest for a moment here. The entire show - and this is true of all awards shows really - is one big ass-kissing event. I really cannot stomach the red carpet pre-show where the paparazzi schmooze with actors. People like Joan Rivers drive me crazy with how she sucks up to celebrities, and I grit my teeth anytime an actor is asked which designer's clothes they're wearing. Then all the awards speeches involve thanking the Academy, a faceless group of people who I don't care which films they vote for one way or the other.
When I was in college, one of my buddies who was interested in film directing at the time told me something that Woody Allen had once suggested. Allen came up with the idea that instead of awarding a single film or performance as the best of a given year, just release a list of the ten best films of the year as many critics do. The same could be done for all the major performances of a particular year as well. It's a much better way to recognize which films contributed to the artistic medium than subjectively award one film as being the single best of all.
I know I sound like a sourpuss rambling about the Oscars and other awards shows, and I suppose that's a fair reaction. I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of watching the Oscars if someone still watches the show and gets something out of it. I just don't see the value in the production of the show anymore.
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