Posts Tagged ‘Oscar fever’
3 items.
First things first. I want to take a second to wish everyone out there a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Being of Irish decent, I’m required by law to make mention of it. I don’t wanna disrespect my heritage, or anything. Of course, with that whole drinkin’ and fightin’ thing hard-wired into my genetic makeup, I don’t have to go too far out of my way to do that.
With that said, I am finally back from New York and it feels good to be in the saddle again. Like they say, it’s good to get away, but it’s good to come back. I was getting a little burnt out drawing my characters, so it was good to get a break. But when I got home, I was itching to start up again!
New York was fun, but nothing like I thought it would be. I think because we’re all so saturated with media and movies that originate in The Big Apple, we think we have a sense of how things are. And if you’re like me and watch movies like Taxi Driver or Annie Hall, New York can look like a pretty scary place.
Much to my relief, New York was NOT the crime-infested hell hole I once believed it to be. Neighborhoods are very close nit and there is always something to look at. I felt very safe and comfortable walking around on the streets. I guess that’s because YOU’RE NEVER ALONE!
When they say it’s “The City That Never Sleeps”, they aren’t kidding. There are people milling about CONSTANTLY. You’re always bumping into people and getting spun into a tizzy whenever you try to make way. New York is the kind of city where if you aren’t moving, you’ll get run over.
Of course we (my wife Cami and I) made it to all the tourist destinations. We saw The Statue of Liberty, which is not as large as you think it is. We weren’t allowed to go up inside it (pending war, and whatnot), so basically we spent $10 just to ride a ferry and get a closer look. Ellis Island was also on the itinerary, but it sucked – just an empty building.
We also went to The Empire State Building, which was pretty cool. I’m a big fan of that 1930’s, art-deco style so I was right at home in that place. The outdoor observation deck is a trip. I’ve never stood atop a structure that tall with open access to the elements. Again, Hollywood is the great deceiver because it’s not as wide open as Sleepless in Seattle would make you believe. There’s probably just enough room to stand three in a row behind you.
Other highlights included going to The Today Show and freezing to death like morons in Rockefeller Plaza waiting for a glimpse of Matt Lauer and Katie Couric. Katie is WAY more wrinkled in real life, by the way. I guess we were on TV for a nanosecond when they do those panning shots of the crowd. We told our parents when they would be there, so they taped the program. We still haven’t seen it yet. We were there on Monday the 11th, in case anyone was curious.
Other highlights were the NBC Studio tour where I got to see the infamous Studio 8H – the home of Saturday Night Live. Times Square was a rush and we also saw two Broadway productions – The Producers and Say Good Night, Gracie. The latter starring Frank Gorshin as George Burns performing a one man play about the late entertainer’s life. If you recall, Gorshin played The Riddler on the old Batman TV series.
I don’t know how, but by some quark of fate, we got seats front row center for Frank’s play. These theaters are pretty small, so that’s a little too close for my taste. It was especially too close when Frank as George Burns straddles a chair and talks to the audience. And here I sit, a perfect crotch-height, EXTREMELY uncomfortable with the whole affair.
Of course, I DID get a chance to see a movie while I was in town. I finally got off my duff and we went to see Chicago at the old Zeigfield Theater in Midtown. This was the place where they used to perform The Zeigfield Follies back in the 1920’s – everything from show tunes, to comedians in black face, to flappers, this place was host to it. What better venue to see a movie set shortly after that era like Chicago?
Watching the movie, I was vaguely impressed with the technicality of the whole thing. All the numbers hit their marks and the movie on the whole is very entertaining. But leaving the theater, all that was left in my head was the annoying, brassy music and the wah-wah vocal style of the songs.
Here’s my thing about Chicago: It doesn’t SAY anything. It’s just a big piece of American cheese, flash and glitter. It’s all production value and little else. And THIS is the front-runner for the Best Picture Oscar? Please.
If I were to give out the Oscar today, I’d give it to Gangs of New York. Epic in scale, acting in spaded (Leonardo DiCaprio excluded) – it had something to say about how things were versus what they’ve become. It was tactile. You could sense it, almost smell it. Far more rewarding to a cinematic eye than Chicago. Hell, give it to Lord of the Rings before you give it to Chicago!
It’s kind of a catch twenty-two, but any award you give to Chicago will ring false to me – like they’re compensating for overlooking Moulin Rouge last year. But at the same time, any award you give to Martin Scorsese will seem like a gold-watch for all his prior works. As good as Gangs is, it’s hard to top something like Goodfellas.
I guess we’ll have to wait until this Sunday to see how things turn out.
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What is this strange disease that has taken grip on our protagonist? It’s OSCAR FEVER and it is intensifying! If you want to see how Tom makes it through the other side, you’ll need to be here on Friday!
Every year I get sucked into the same trap. At some point in February, they roll out the Oscar nominations and every year I roll my eyes because they didn’t nominate actor “x” or picture “y”. But then, as the ceremony date rolls near, I get all giddy like a crack-addled monkey making my predictions and spouting off my theories on who should win and why.
I think a lot of it has to do with certain media outlets that craft their coverage so cannily, I cannot help but to fall beneath their sway. Entertainment Weekly is a prime example of this. They handicap the odds of the big nominees. Reading that stuff makes you feel like you actually understand the backwards cluster of Hollywood politics – like you’re a friggin’ “insider”, or something.
In the end, it’s all just fodder for small talk – a way to make you appear more in the loop than others. At least until next year.
Talking about my excitement for the Oscars seems especially moot at this point in history. I’m sure if you watch the news or, y’know… occasionally pick up a newspaper, you’re well aware of the state of the world right now. Talking about some stupid award being given to some overpaid actor may seem downright shallow and close-minded by comparison.
But let me put this in perspective for you.
I watch the national news every day and every day I read a newspaper. At night, I flip between the different cable news outlets. I like to think myself as a member of the world community and choose not to shut myself off from it. True, part of my daily information consumption is entertainment “news”, but I readily digest the stuff that matters. I would suggest everyone do the same.
But that being said, I’m not going to weigh down the site with speculation about the impending war – what it means, what it will do to our relationships with other countries or how it has emasculated the U.N. to the point of ineffectiveness.
It’s my understanding that this site was created as a diversion from such things. I want to entertain you, so why bog you down with these things that don’t relate?
It’s just… well, war is pretty serious stuff. I don’t want you to think I’m ignoring it. But if you’re coming here to add a little levity to your day — even for a few minutes — then I wanted you to know I’m committed to providing that.
For all those who serve or knows someone who does, may this conflict be over quickly and with a minimal amount of casualties — on both sides.
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So here it is. The last strip before we head into the triple digits. I’d like to think that it was all part of some grand design that I was able to synchronize the coming of my 100th strip with the aftermath of the largest night in Hollywood, but just like everything else, it’d dumb luck.
I’m not planning to make a big deal out of my 100th strip. There’s already been enough hullabaloo going on around here anyway. Instead, I plan on quietly observing the occasion by staring blankly at a wall and wondering how am I so fortunate to have an audience that is interested and supportive of what I do so that there could even be a 100th strip. Wow.
By now the war with Iraq has gone into full-swing and it’s starting to affect things at home. One of the more interesting developments in the entertainment world is that Oscars producer Gil Cates has decided to scrap the pre-show and red carpet treatment before the show.
I’ve heard some people complain that this is giving in to terrorism because they are essentially handicapping a large portion of why people watch the Oscars in the first place. They say the Oscars are an “American institution” and they are diluting it. Would they do something like this to the Super Bowl?
To which I say, “Phooey.”
The Oscars are little else than an industry circle jerk where very few of the deserving pictures actually walk away with any recognition. It’s an event based less and less on the strength of individual artistic achievements and more and more about who’s wearing what and how hard a publicist campaigns for that little gold statue.
Certainly among award ceremonies, the Oscars are the zenith of the genre. But you’d be a damn fool not to admit that, at the end of the day, what the Oscars boil down to is mindless entertainment – the results of which bear very little in terms of what movies will be made in the future versus the steady stream of dreck we’re shoveled each year.
I say good for Gil Cates for showing a little backbone and instilling a little class into the ceremonies. Yeah, it would be nice to see what people are wearing or to watch the show without this ominous cloud looming overhead. But to keep on like nothing’s happening? That’s like taking everything the rest of the world hates about America, packing it into a tight, little ball and smearing it across the face of our detractors not to mention those who are fighting this war so far away right now. It’s like saying “See all the glamor! See all this drama! See what you DON’T get to be a part of?! Nyyahhh!!”
I’m not too sure if I’m even going to watch the Oscars with much interest. If I didn’t need material for the strip, I probably wouldn’t watch them at all. As things are now, I am simply not interested in watching a bunch of overpaid actors spout off on a global crisis that is, quite frankly, beyond their sphere of influence. Whether they support it or admonish it, no one can really take you seriously because you make about 100 times more money in a fiscal quarter than most of us will see in a life time. Sit down.
I’m not against actors having opinions, but don’t be so trite and predictable to assume that we’re tuning in to the Oscars to hear your version of things. Write a friggin’ newsletter if you really feel the need to speak out. Don’t use a venue like this to hog the spotlight.
Hey, I’d love to give my opinion about the state of the world to one of the largest global television audiences, but no one invited me. Don’t abuse your station in life. Don’t wear out your welcome. Make the funny faces and wear the prosthetic noses. That’s what we pay you for.
[/end rant]
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