Why Watch the Oscars?

The Oscars are on tonight, and watching the event is tough sledding. I found the red carpet preamble nearly unbearable, with the fawning over fashion divas especially dreadful. The only actress who seemed at ease was, strangely, the incessantly photographed and remarkably untalented Jennifer Aniston.

Sometimes, I talk with friends who can't understand why some actors win Oscars and some don't. The word "fairness" or "merit" come into the conversation. Hollywood acknowledgement is rarely about either concept. Nikki Finke points out in her "Live-Snarking the Oscars" that "Envy and spite will determine the winners....just look for whomever is envied most by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and bet those names probably won't get called onstage tonight."

So why watch the Oscars? Why care? However, earlier this evening, I watched my blu-ray version of Chinatown. Sometimes, the right movies win Oscars for the right reasons.

Sometimes, they don't.