The Academy Awards is my Super Bowl.
I like the Super Bowl, but if I was forced to choose one or the other, I would make it the Oscars. I am a movie fan more than I am a sports fan, and despite the pomp and circumstance I really love watching the Academy Awards.
Why? Who remembers who won the Golden Globes or People’s Choice a couple years ago? No one. But what won the Academy’s Best Picture in 1978. Any sci-fi fan can tell you (hint: it wasn’t the nominated “Star Wars”). People remember. We remember that “Shakespeare in Love” won seven awards (fine) and beat out “Saving Private Ryan” for Best Picture in 1999 (not fine). Crimes against cinematic humanity are part of Oscar’s legacy, and it only matters because we remember. That’s what a legacy is.
I will speak collectively in saying the Sci-Guys were excited to see a handful of sci-fi movies nominated for a variety of awards this year. We expect them in sound and visuals, but to have two in the (expanded 10) best picture line-up was an added bonus.
Earlier in the year people had talked about “Star Trek” as a possibility, but as the paint dried up on the new franchise, so did the Best Pic chance (congrats on Make Up, though)…but I think we were all happily surprised to see “District 9″ as a Best Pic nominee. This was up against the behemoth “Avatar”.
There are many things I wanted to see at this year’s Academy Awards, but the two most important things for were to see 1) James Cameron lose as Best Director and 2) “Avatar” lose as Best Picture.
There is a god somewhere, as those two wishes came true. James Cameron did not get to grace the Oscar stage. He (literally) sat behind his ex-wife and now Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow.
“Up” winning Best Animated Feature and Best Score and “Star Trek” winning Best Make Up are the cake for sci-fi fans, but for me seeing the over-rated Avatar being forced to sit on its hands as the much better movie “The Hurt Locker” took the two most coveted awards was my icing on that cake.
I liked “Avatar” for what it was…a two-and-a-half-hour Disneyland ride…but it was not the Best Picture of 2009. For that alone, my faith in the Oscars is restored by thiiiiiis much. You still owe us for 1978, though…
By Sci-Guy-John
March 8th, 2010 - 8:40 am
I’ll take the superbowl.
The oscars is an auto show.
Sure they pick a best in show, but the whole thing is still there to sell cars.
and just because someone somewhere says that one car is better than another, it has no bearing on what car I want to drive.
March 8th, 2010 - 10:57 am
Auto show or not, it is the only auto show people talk about 30, 40, 50 years later.
March 8th, 2010 - 11:18 am
I think I enjoyed watching this year more than past years… because of the live chat!
It’s like a party that you don’t have to dress up for…
March 8th, 2010 - 2:55 pm
I think we have a new tradition.