Monday 2-25

For the tenth consecutive year, I managed to watch only the opening monologue of the Oscars. Why this remains such a major event--and treated like important news by so many outlets--baffles me.

One reason I can't stand to watch is that I'm fed up with the self-glorification of the entertainment industry. They make such a big deal about how this star has never won or how this director has never been honored. I'm sure they feel very hollow inside as they lounge near their estate's pool--which probably cost more than my entire house.

Another reason not to watch: I'm tired of the politicization of the show. An actor honored for his role in ultra-violent, crime-riddled, profanity-laden motion picture stands up there and criticizes the country for being involved in a war overseas. Or an actress who makes ten-million dollars per picture tells us the government should take better care of its residents. How many people could get all of their medical bills covered by the salary that actress made? But if they were taxed at say ninety-five percent like the ultra rich are in England (where they have universal health care), these stars would immediately move to Monaco or Switzerland.

And let's not forget the moronic attention paid to what these people are wearing. Tens of thousands of dollars wasted on articles of clothing that will be worn once (heaven forbid a star be seen wearing the same thing twice) from designers nobody else can afford to wear. How did we as a society become so shallow?

But the main reason I don't watch the Oscars--I never see any of the movies. My wife is partly to blame for that--she prefers romantic comedies where no real thought is needed to follow the plot and you can predict each "plot twist" because they are the same as the last romantic comedy that hit the screen. The other problem, I just don't enjoy the movie experience. Ticket prices are okay--eight bucks for about two hours of entertainment is acceptable--12-bucks for two dollars worth of popcorn and a dollar's worth of soda?

I'm also not a big fan of theater seating. The stadium-style arrangements now common are an improvement over the old-time theaters--but I'm 6'3" with size 13 feet--so there still isn't enough room for me. Forget the love seats at the end of the rows--give me a rocker-recliner so I can stretch out a bit.

The fifteen minutes of ads (glad I'm paying to watch those) and endless trailers for more movies written for idiots should be shown in the 15-minutes before the posted movie time--rather than starting five minutes after the posted time.