It should come as no surprise to any visitor to this site that I'm as dedicated a film maven as has ever walked the earth--but my secret shame is that I hate-Hate-HATE the annual spring kangaroo court also known as "The Academy Awards". A celebration of all things safe and middlebrow ('cept for the years they did the right thing and honoured "Silence Of The Lambs" and "Unforgiven"), The Oscars make Oprah's Book Club look like The Hellfire Club. That being said, I never miss 'em, usually because some film pioneer I've long admired is inevitably is handed a token award when he/she is either 1) one foot in the grave (Ray Harryhausen), or 2) dead (Stanley Kubrick). That, and, I usually recognize the production illustrators from my faded back issues of Starlog...
At least the ceremony itself will be entertaining this year, as someone at the AMPAS has had the good sense to hire first-timer Jon Stewart to guide the festivities. I thought Chris Rock was pretty good last year--after multiple Whoopis who wouldn't be?--and I realize that my fantasy of having Letterman return is about as likely as that fourth Indiana Jones sequel.
Sez Stewart: "As a performer, I’m truly honored to be hosting the show...although, as an avid watcher of the Oscars, I can’t help but be a little disappointed with the choice. It appears to be another sad attempt to smoke out Billy Crystal."
I'm sure Tucker Carlson won't be watching, no matter how many nominations "Brokeback Mountain" gets!
