h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the last few years I've become more and more convinced that the Oscars have dwindled into a satin cesspool of evening gowns, invented purely to make us, the general public, feel like pooh about ourselves. It seems that if you're pretty enough or handsome enough or blonde enough (and I have every right to make this statement being a blonde myself) or if your mommy and daddy are in the business you can win what used to be one of the most important awards ever. And sometimes it seems that people have received the award more out of pity than because of an outstanding performance.

Oh, I don't know if it's fair to say that about the Oscars. I'd say that same thing about almost all award shows.

They wonder why the ratings keep dropping

I always feel bad if I am too tired to do something more interesting so I end up watching them

The main staions used to not run other great shows against them. Now they do ,especially with cable around. Maybe they should move them to cable so they have more freedom to speak.

Since when did the Oscars actually mean anything?

Do a bit of googling and tell me how many movies/actors/whatever in any given year actually deserved all the adulation compared to other movies of the same year?

I mean, Ghandhi won best costume design. It was a guy in a sheet. Not all that challenging I'm thinking...

You must have missed all the other actors Blues. I seem to remember there were quite a few of them

I used to enjoy the BAFTAS because you got *some fairly normal looking people there. And then when the Brits started winning Oscars you'd get them sticking out like a sore thumb (who's that English woman who dresses a bit dark and often plays in period dramas?).

But now that the Brits are the darlings in the US they've gone all posh and it's getting harder to tell them apart.

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Helena Bonham Carter? She's only getting different parts now cos she's Tim Burton's missus!

She's the one

I haven't seen her in anything for ages.

I think she's not long had a baby, so might not have been working too much.

Last thing I remember her in was the dire Planet of The Apes remake

Look for her in Tim Burton movies - she was in Planet of the Apes, she was in Charlie and she's the lead female voice in the Corpse Bride.

And yes, my point about Ghandhi was largely fascetious, tho' making an historical film requires a great deal of costume research, not design, I'd argue. For example, compare it to JPG's stuff for the Fifth Element.

"you can win what used to be one of the most important awards ever."

Since when was an Oscar "important"? What's actually happened is that the public has become more savvy about spin and hype, and no longer falls for it the way we used to. Hence something that is almost entirely spin and hype is fooling fewer and fewer people all the time. It always was a satin cesspool (like that phrase ), we just were too starstruck to notice...

SoRB

Yeah, take away the fashion part of the Oscars and what is there to care about? I just watch it if I have nothing else to do and need to kill a few brain cells. And perhaps to watch the cleavage *ahem* The only Oscar moment I enjoyed was watching Anna Paquin recieve her statuette, that was brilliant.

Helena Bonham Carter is in the latest Wallace and Grommit - The curse of the were-rabbit.

I watch "the hundred greatest..." or "TVs top 50..." or indeed any award show if Im interested in the content.

"50 greatest reggae albums" 'avin it.

The oscars, I could care less but Id really have to try, I dont need to know what the favourite film was of the motion picture makers guild is this year I already know what my favourite film of the year was thanks.

Its just a big opportunity for a party and some free publicity from fawning star struck reporters who want to stand at the side of the red carpet asking banal questions. "are you hoping to win" "no Im hoping your leg will be bitten of by an alligator you ***wit"

Some people say oh but its great to see all the dresses. Not for me Im a hetrosexual man women minus the dresses...that would be good. Or they say but we can talk about who should have won. you know what I can have a conversation without discussing which script reciting monkey recited his script best.

boy do I need a

I think I agree with what was said in Extras. If someone plays a disabled person they are virtually guaranteed a nomination or a win. In fact I'm fairly convinced that if we could piddle together some money and make a film we could cleverly contrive affairs to guarantee a win for our star. Someone disabled (heart wrenchingly) playing a deaf mute perhaps?...it's a bit like the days when the TV talent contests (Opportunity Knocks?) would be won by a young kid on crutches even though they had less talent than the other older acts.

What the Oscars ARE good for is the embarassing acceptance speeches. Gwyneth Paltrow. Halle Berry. If I ever see either of these gals I'm gonna tell them I rate their acceptance speeches a double buttock clencher. In fact I'll glady accept any of my own embarassment or humiliation in life and take it on the chin but to be that embarassed for someone else is painful.

I've just watched Beautiful Mind. Let me guess...Russell Crowe plays someone 'autisticish' and schizophrenic. Nomination?

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Dwindled?

When was it ever anything else?


az

The thing I like best about the Oscars is the "Oh f**k he's died and we never gave him one" award.

RF

The thing I like best about this thread is the idea that the public have become more savvy about hype and spin.

It's kept me laughing, anyway.

Do something about a disabled person during World War II, with a bit of social commentary. The Oscars will roll in. I would say it does take some skills to portray a mentally disabled person realistically though.