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2001 |
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Yes, the Oscar show can be tacky,
but it's our tacky Oscar show!
By RON MILLER
of TheColumnists.com
EVEN THOUGH I've been watching the Oscars on TV since those days when cars had big fins on them and those long June Cleaver dresses were in style, I still look forward to the annual telecast with great anticipation. Maybe that makes me a video masochist, but I'm not likely to change anytime soon.
But I'm not completely hopeless. Even I have to admit this year looks like one of those where it's going to be real embarrassing to be an Oscar apologist.
Take the matter of the host: Steve Martin. I'm not a big fan. I have a hunch he may be doing a swan dive from a great height. I'm catching the scent of another David Letterman Oscar night on the wind. You remember the Letterman Oscars, of course. He was the host who thought it was hilarious to keep saying "O-prah" and "U-ma." He's the only host who ever had to give back some of his salary to cover fumigation expenses.
Of course, I may be seriously misjudging Steve. I wasn't too hopeful the first time Billy Crystal took over. But now Billy is Mr. Oscar Night, just the way Bob Hope was in my youth. In fact, Billy is so good that it's too bad they have to give away awards during his hosting stints.
I'm also concerned that the Academy is once again trying to tighten the screws down on all the award winners, so that they'll get on and get off without saying much of anything. They're being encouraged to go online to thank all the people who helped them win. That's like telling a columnist to just sum up his column in a short paragraph and the rest of it will be printed in agate type on the obit page.
Another problem is the fact that this wasn't much of a year for great movies. All the movies nominated for best picture are good, but I don't see a truly great one on that list of five. I guess I was most surprised by "Gladiator," which I didn't expect much from--but really got into. I also was quite impressed with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" because it so elegantly transformed a cult genre story into a mainstream form of entertainment by making everyone appreciate a great Chinese film tradition.
In the Best Actor category,
I wouldn't be surprised to see Ed Harris pull an upset. He's
a hard-working actor who's done some mighty impressive work over
the years, so a win for "Pollock" could be the equivalent
of a lifetime achievement award from the Academy. Russell Crowe
started out the year 2000 as the hottest prospect, but may have
hurt his chances of an Oscar for "Gladiator" by giving
too many people the impression he's a heel.
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Many critics believe Tom Hanks doesn't belong among the nominees because his "Cast Away" was a silly movie. Well, it wasn't THAT silly a movie, considering how many millions of people took it seriously. And his performance in it is actually quite good. I much prefer it over his "Forrest Gump" performance, for instance, which won him an Oscar. Would they make him the only three-time Best Actor Oscar winner? Maybe not, but he's still a strong contender to prove nice guys DO finish first.
In the Best Actress category, I think Julia Roberts has a lock on the prize. It's her year--and it may be one of her few chances to have one like this. Her performance in "Erin Brockovich" is solid work. If she wins an Oscar now, she can go back to being a movie star next year and everybody will be happy.
Personally, I loved Joan Allen in "The Contender," a movie I liked a lot better than most people. I'm also one of the few people who saw it, so her chances may not be too good. Juliette Binoche in "Chocolat" is also quite good, but the role doesn't ask as much from her as others she's played.
Laura Linney in "You Can Count on Me" is this year's hot prospect. If she doesn't win, I can guarantee she'll be back. I've been on her team ever since the first "Tales of the City" miniseries and I know she's got an Oscar in the on deck circle.
For supporting actor, the field is pretty tough. I'd kind of like to see good old Jeff Bridges score for his Clinton-esque president in "The Contender," but that's probably not too likely. Willem Dafoe may make the grade for his vampire character from "Shadow of the Vampire" for the same reason that Ed Harris might make it in the Best Actor sweepstakes.
I haven't seen all the supporting actress entries, but I think it may be hard for anybody to beat Judi Dench in "Chocolat" as the wornout old diabetic who o.d.'s on hot chocolate. It's great to see an old pro like Dench start landing all these juicy character parts after years of little acclaim for her great work in British TV shows.
But, frankly, it's the surprises that really make Oscar-watching fun. They don't come often enough these days, but it's great entertainment when they do. I also love on-air snafus, but the Academy and ABC don't have the same affection for them. They do everything they can to take away the spontaneity of the live show. That's why you won't see any Sacheen Littlefeather-types coming up out of the audience in buckskins or any naked streakers running across the stage. I'm sure they've already told Jack Palance he'll be shot at sunrise if he ever drops to the stage to do any pushups like he did a few years back.
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The Academy/ABC brass also are down on live musical numbers and the Best Song category is such a disaster area these days that musical relief is now too infrequent for my tastes. I hark back to the days when Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster teamed up to sing "It's Great NOT To Be Nominated" or Rock Hudson sang a duet with Mae West, which probably blew out all the lights in San Francisco's Castro district. Now we're likely to get overproduced numbers with Madonna or somebody equally inappropriate.
There's even a movement afoot to make the Oscars less tacky. Who needs that? George Bush wants to make the White House a little less tacky and look what he's been giving us so far? Bor-ring! Tacky Oscar shows are good. Let the sober-sided dress designers do inaugural balls. Bring on the Cher-types!
So, yes, I'll be watching the Oscar show--every minute of it, just as I've been watching for the past 45 years or so. No, it's not always so satisfying and the trend definitely seems to be downward, but I need this sort of TV spectacle on a regular basis. If you hear I'm not watching the Oscars someday, you can be pretty certain the reason is I've flatlined at the nursing home.
© 2001 by Ron Miller.
You can comment on this column or contact Ron Miller with an email to: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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