.3 Weeks: 3.06.03
.4 Weeks: 2.27.03
.5 Weeks: 2.20.03
.6 Weeks: 2.13.03
.The Nominations
.Pre-Nominations
.7 Weeks: 2.06.03
.8 Weeks: 1.30.03
.9 Weeks: 1.23.03
.10 Weeks: 1.16.03
.11 Weeks: 1.9.03
.12 Weeks: 1.2.03
.13 Weeks:12.26.02
.14 Weeks: Part 2
.14 Weeks: Part I
.15 Weeks:12.12.02

..News
..Nominations
..Oscar Race Charts

..Gary Dretzka
..Leonard Klady
..David Poland
..Ray Pride
..Patricia Vidal

..Scoreboard
..Charts

6 Days Away
March 18, 2003

Why isn’t anyone shouting that the Academy Awards ceremony should be rescheduled? Period. Exclamation point.

Sometime on Monday, my glee in writing mischievous lyrics to show tunes about the Oscars suddenly vanished. And it took me about 15 hours to figure out why.

No matter what your politics, no matter whether you think that Bush is a great man or a moron, no matter what you think about celebrities speaking out… there will be blood spilt on foreign soil by and at the hands of our nation.

It is completely unfair, and not accurate, to compare anything about the impending war to the Oscar campaigning. But bear with me for a second… I have spent the last five months embroiled in the daily wars of Oscar campaigning. I have chosen to be a part of it and I have encouraged others to include me. I am no victim. But the degree of sleaze has never been higher. Yet in Hollywood we are so busy selling stuff (crap and quality), that we have lost sight, for the most part, of the idea that these awards meant something special not so long ago… much like our self-image of America as a world leader.

As someone smarter than I once said, all politics are local. And the politics of having the Oscar show go on in the face of war is, ultimately, very local. The Academy needs this money. They are not only self-serving, but also very generous with their money. If their income were to be cut, say in half, the trickle down of reduced support to charities, film festivals, film preservation, and many other good uses of the income from the Oscars would hurt more than rich people with a high profile.

Rescheduling the awards would be an iffy proposition, as the Emmys found after 9/11. A three-week postponement does not mean that there won’t be some major event in the way next month. And the money involved with stopping and re-starting the mammoth machinery of all of this is significant.

That said, the most disgusting outcome of all of this that I can think of is that a war comes, plays out like some reality show (what we used to call “Fox reality shows” before other nets stooped lower than Fox ever dared) and Sunday’s Oscars take place with 5-minute news breaks at the top of each hour.

Where is our decency? Where is our respect? Where is our perspective?

Does anyone really think that canceling the red carpet (E!’s going suffer, the only guarantee this week) and wearing suits instead of tuxedos makes this glitz fest any more honorable in the face of a shooting war?

Think of all the statistics we can chew on as we rationalize this offense away. Baghdad is16 hours ahead of us on the clock, which means that the Oscars will start at 12:30pm, Baghdad time. That makes it unlikely that we will be doing any heavy fighting during the show, since mid-day is not an optimal time to fight in the desert. Did you know that today’s “hi” in Baghdad is 83 degrees, but that it is due to be in the low 70s for the next week. It’s going to rain all weekend… or is that reign? According to some sources, American forces will be in Baghdad doing clean-up within three days of launching the war. So, as long as they go in by Thursday they should be nearly done by Sunday’s broadcast. Did you know that Oscar advertisers who want to withdraw their ads are too late to get their money back? Did you know that Chicago’s odd are off the board at a UK betting concern that accepts Oscar bets.

Are you sick yet?

It doesn’t matter what your politics are. Ostentatious celebrations and war do not belong in the same conversation. The AMPAS people know this. They are grown-up, reasonable, highly intelligent people. But the potential damage of a postponement, leading to more uncertainty, not to mention winners under lock and key for a long time, is horrifying.

But not as horrifying as continuing this “brave face” bullshit.

Steve Martin is the only host in Oscar’s recent history that might be able to pull the job off. But he shouldn’t be forced to be a part of the charade. And don’t even get me started on Susan Sarandon joining the presenter’s list just today. Classic. The Academy doesn’t want to be seen as silencing dissent. Great. But we have passed that bridge. Waiting to see if Ms. Sarandon goes off may be good TV. But it appeals to the basest human instincts, no matter what the validity of her inevitable words.

It is time to say, “No.” The war is now inevitable. The Academy Awards must be moved. Not because they can’t go on. But because it is the right thing to do. And you all must know… it is the right thing to do.

Don’t just criticize the choices that will be made like you would after mistakenly tuning into Married By America! Speak out now. If Hollywood wants to retain its honor, it must, at the very least, be willing to give up its most glorious onanism, if only for a few weeks.

Harvey Weinstein… come out and say it! Would you have stood for an awards ceremony at Madison Square Garden on September 15, 2001? Jim Schamus, David Linde – time to make yet another public accounting of the kind of men you are! Sherry Lansing, Scott Rudin – you made a movie about serious self-reflection. Doesn’t the industry deserve a little of the same? Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Barrie Osborne – New Zealand has always been unwilling to just fall under the thumb of bigger nations… you may be risking your Oscar in 2004, but I believe an honorable stance will be rewarded.

I love movies. I love the movie business, warts and all. I have dedicated my life to this industry (whether they want me there or not). Some things are just not worth the emotional expense. This is one of them.

April 6. Be there.

 

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