Academy Awards Thoughts

I resolve to post on this blog with greater frequency. That is my promise to my readers (if there are any). I was planning on writing about this whole steroids mess that seems to be back in the baseball headlines but instead will turn this entry's focus to last night's Academy Awards broadcast. Now look--I love movies. I go almost once a week to the movies and you can imagine that for me, the Oscars are one of the highlights of the year because I, along with other movie fans, get to see which films and people associated with them take home the top prizes. I have to say that last night's show was not good at all. First let me say that none of my criticisms in this blog entry are directed at the host, Hugh Jackman. He is an immensely talented individual who did a great job last night. The problem was that he didn't seem to be used as much as other hosts and some of the skits which were well-intended came across as too long or just too awkward. Jackman is still one of my favorite entertainers because he is so diverse in his abilities: he can act, sing and dance. Here were the main problems with last night's show: 1) when the acting awards were given out you had previous award recipients speak about this year's nominees, the result being that we saw absolutely no film clips for the nominees and were forced to watch mini-inaugural addresses for each nominee; 2) the big production numbers went on for way too long and were too hectic and fast-paced to be truly enjoyable; 3) the nightclub setting didn't quite work and as a result you had certain guests sitting close to the stage while the rest of the audience seemed to be a mile away (nothing like having even more elitism during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression); and 4) the show seeemed to last.....way....too...long. Yes, I know there are many awards to give out but let's keep the show moving! I will say that I predicted 17 of the categories correctly and only got 7 wrong, so that was a highlight for me. I will keep watching the Academy Awards but they need to improve!

Nothing Like a Little Stimulation

It's Sunday night.  Like many Americans, I like to spend my Sunday nights relaxing and tonight is no exception.  I write this while I am relaxing on my couch watching the Grammy Awards.  However, my thoughts, like those of many citizens, are on the economy and the fact that we are experiencing an economic downturn unlike any in recent years.  Much of the recent talk with regard to the economy has focused on the stimulus package that Congress is debating.  One thing that is very clear to me is that Congress needs to pass a stimulus package.  History has shown that in times of great economic trouble an active government is necessary to get the country moving again (think F.D.R. and the New Deal).  Much of what is contained in the current stimulus plan (both the House and Senate versions) is directly related to job creation and putting people back to work.  However, what I am opposed to is spending in any stimulus plan that is "pork" spending.  This is not a time to advance an agenda--this is a time to get the economy back on track.  I commend President Obama for meeting with Republicans and am dismayed that getting some type of stimulus plan passed seems to be so difficult.  The Republican opposition to the stimulus plan was largely based on the belief that there were not enough tax cuts in the plan.  However, this is the basic flaw with Republican economic policies.  Tax cuts alone are not the answer.  If tax cuts worked, we wouldn't be in this economic mess.  What is needed is a combination of tax cuts combined with spending to foster job creation.  Let's pass some type of stimulus and get this country moving again.  

How Could This Movie Be Snubbed?

If you are a major movie fan like me you are inevitably annoyed at what films get nominated for Academy Awards and which ones do not. Now I must admit to my readers (hopefully there are more than four) that I have not seen several of the heavily nominated movies. I don't really have an interest in Benjamin Button and I am hoping to see The Wrestler this weekend. However, I did recently see Gran Torino and must tell you that I loved that film. Why did I feel so strongly about the movie? Well, let's see: 1) the storyline was powerful--to see Clint Eastwood's character change from a racist individual to someone who shows compassion towards those he once disliked is extremely gripping (and I won't say any more, at the risk of leaking spoilers); 2) the acting is phenomenal; and 3) the film caused the audience to have many emotions--happiness, sadness, anger being some of them. Yes I know that Clint Eastwood has won at the Academy Awards before but I hope that the Oscar nominating process did not snub him this time around because he has already experienced the joy of winning in the past.