There was some back-channel talk about the Academy Awards this past week, in which another ScienceBlogger opined that the Oscars were stupid and that we, as Serious Intellectuals, ought to have better things to talk about than a pop-culture award show. I think that's well over on the "pompous ass" side of things, so here's an Oscar post, just for spite.
Of course, I'm somewhat hampered here by, um, not actually having seen many movies this year. In fact, I've only seen one of the Best Picture nominees, No Country for Old Men. Which you might think argued for the irrelevance of the award, but in fact, I don't think I saw five movies in the theater last year. In fact, I can't think of a third, after No Country for Old Men and The Golden Compass. Was Hot Fuzz last year? I don't remember...
That said, No Country for Old Men was a fine piece of movie-making, and I wouldn't object to it winning awards. I've liked the Coen Brothers for years, and would be happy enough to see them get some Oscars. And Javier Bardem was really creepy, so I'd be fine with him getting an acting award, too.
Beyond that, though, I have no real opinions. The only predictions I can make with any confidence are: 1) the show will run long, and 2) Jon Stewart will be more amusing than the show deserves. Other than that, I know nothing.
So, consider this an open thread. Who will win? Who should win? What was [insert starlet name] thinking when she got dressed? Will there be anything more entertaining than the Go Fug Yourself live-blog of the red carpet shows?
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If you want pompous, does anything appear more pompous than the Nobel Prize ceremony?
"... ScienceBlogger opined that the Oscars were stupid and that we, as Serious Intellectuals, ought to have better things to talk about than a pop-culture award show...."
A quaint and silly sentiment, based on a spurious dichotomy between "high" and "low" art.
It is generally agreed that Cinema became an art form no later than the work of Georges Méliès [8 December 1861 - 21 January 1938]. he also invented Science Fiction movies.
It also took a while for the novel to be accepted as Art (remember the H. G. Wells - Henry James debates). And Science Fiction. And Jazz. And Television. And Rock. And Graphic Novels. And computer games.
More subtle, philosophically, to debate whether an event in sports can rise to the level of Art. I think that you and I (Chad) agree that it can.
As one of the Sciblings who inhabits the back-channel, I'd just like to point out that no "ScienceBlogger opined that the Oscars were stupid and that we, as Serious Intellectuals, ought to have better things to talk about than a pop-culture award show". Orzel is misrepresenting what was said and he knows it.