Hollywood's Big Night Out

I couldn't care less about the fashions, the style, the “star-power,” the gloating that comes along with the Academy Awards each year. Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate good fashion for myself, but by and large, I think women always look great. I honestly agree with one of my Facebook buddies who stated that the men look great in monochromatic fashion.

My teen daughter loves watching the E channel’s Fashion Police. You know, it’s that show where veteran comedian Joan Rivers cuts down what the women wear when attending events like the Oscars. It seems that Ms. Rivers and her panel have a blast pointing out the red carpet fashion faux pas of the stars. I confess that I learn quite a bit when watching this program.

Still, to me, Oscar night is not about the red carpet. It’s about an industry that honors excellence in what it takes to make a movie. As we all know, it takes a cast of thousands to make a movie. Everyone from the film editors, costume designers, visual effects artists, sound mixers and up to the actors and directors receive recognition on this night. A separate ceremony is held before the Oscar telecast honoring the hundreds behind the scenes including the very technical people who help to make the movies’ magic.

These award shows prove how an industry protects itself with its own mantra that not everyone can quite do what Hollywood can do. So, I don’t think about the fashions and who is dating actor George Clooney. I sit back and appreciate the hard work from talented men and women who produce fantastic movies.

But as technology has evolved, the game has changed. Certainly anyone with a high definition camera can go out and produce their own productions with their own actors, writers, producers and directors. They can then distribute their productions on YouTube or Vimeo, thus giving budding producers world-wide exposure and perhaps one day, end up at the Oscars. That’s also a good thing because it’s tough for talented video producers to break into the business. The downside is that many people can produce videos thus cluttering up the Internet with more material which equals more competition. What a Catch-22 for those with stars in their eyes.

The 84th Academy Awards telecast was entertaining with Billy Crystal as host. Mr. Crystal strikes the right balance with his impeccable comic timing, singing and dancing. I expected many statues to go to Martin Scorcese’s Hugo because Hollywood loves to honor its veterans. Indeed there are always a few surprises throughout the evening and it’s those moments in which I look forward to weeks in advance. Then there are the warm parts of the telecast including actor Christopher Plummer’s win for the awesome film Beginners. The 82-year-old Plummer is the oldest to win an Oscar in the history of the awards show.

I was rooting for the Cinematography award for director Terrence Malick’s gorgeous film, The Tree of Life. In my opinion, The Tree of Life features actor Brad Pitt’s best performance to date. It wasn’t a surprise to me that The Artist won for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Picture honors. The movie is a real treat.

So, I couldn't care less about fashion. It’s all about the movies, right? Well, I cannot resist. I have to take a few Joan Rivers-like jabs. Actress Angelina Jolie looked great except for the strange tattoos. And what was on actress Emma Stone’s shoulders?