OSCARS 2013

the permanent venue of Oscars is now called Dolby Theatre after Kodak filed for bankrupcy and lost their sponsor-naming rights

Oscars are like Superbowls for the gays. I think we’ve established that here. And it is also Superbowls for geeks and movie communities at large. They are the benchmark where your achievements are acknowledged and recognized among the best practicioners in the field, although some people like Woody Allen does not believe in Oscars, because he believes that arts has no best or worst. He believes that if we rely on others to tell us what’s good about us, then we will never have good judgments of ourselves. That’s why he rarely attends this award ceremony.

The cast of Avengers. Story is, when they reached backstage after presenting, Downey Jr joked, “Avengers, disassemble!”

But for common people, Academy Awards, as it’s properly called, is a show where the beauty and the entertainments come together. There are clips of movies we have seen so that we remember how it made us feel, there are clips of movies we haven’t seen so that we can anticipate the excitement we will enjoy. There are also music and musical performances staged in a unique and intriguing ways that would not be able to be showcased on any other stage. And then, there are hunks, studs, beauties, and dreams and fantasies only Hollywood can contain.

This year’s Oscars was not any different. It came with the same excitement, the same anticipation since the days the nominees were announced. And the business of catching up with movies nominated so that each of us can provide our own critics and comments among our peers as if we were part of that dream life that only happens in the land of Hollywood.

all he did was emulate the whole Ted movie, since he is the director of it. If you enjoyed the bro-power of Ted, you should not find his hosting style offensive

Aside from the most offensive jokes and remarks the host of the year, Seth McFarlaine, delivered, there were moments that we could remember for a while, just like the theme of the night which were tributes and commemoration, from the numbers of musicals mentioned and revered, to the musical number of The Way We Were sung by its original perfomer, Barbra, to the presenters of past that had nothing to do with current or recent movies but still up to mind to evoke their memorable performance that made us laugh, smile, cry and feel.

Dame!

One moment that made my heart skip a beat was the part when Meryl Streep presented for Best Actor in A Leading Role, and Daniel Day Lewis’s name was called. There stood on the same stage, two gods of acting, who both started their careers with Oscars wins, going back decades ago, probably even before current movie adherents were born. It was like the acting Mt Olympus. Did Ang Lee feel that too that he thanked the movie god after receiving his Best Directing Oscar on that very same stage?

Two movie gods on movie Olympus.
What a night..

Daniel won his Oscar for playing Abraham Lincoln, and the award was presented by Meryl who had won her Best Actress Oscar for playing Margaret Thatcher the year before. Such an irony, because an American lady won the award for playing a British Minister and then a British guy won the same category award for playing an American President. It can be a beginning sign that as the citizen of the world we just have to unite and feel as one. Just like Quentin who rejected being called an American filmmaker after winning his Best Original Screenplay, because he is not both but he is an American and a filmmaker, who makes films for the world and as part of the world, not just one specific country.

Another thing was that during these shows, the stars sometimes forget that they are honored to be there because of their performances, their deliverance and how they made us feel. Indeed, it is Hollywood, and they have to keep delivering those dreams and fantasies by playing beauty. They dress nice, they dress sexy, and they dress attractively, although sometimes they just dress outrightly worng. Like Jennifer Lawrence who delivered heartfelt performace but dressed way beyond her age. Or Kristen Stewart who could never look anymore bored than she usually is. Or Adele who tried to impress with much-studded dress that made her looked very upsized, McDonalds-style. Did you want fries with that, Adele?

She’s americanized, she’s super-sized. McDonald’s style.

And last but not least, something that I could learn from award shows like this, when you want to have your products remembered for a long time, you name it right. In a simple way, in a serious light and something everyone can understand. Or you go completely the opposite without being cheesy. Silver Linings Playbook, for example. Or as brief as Argo. Amour is good. Something everyone can relate to. As long as you don’t call it Armour is Love, the way Indonesians call their movies Love Is Cinta. It was so cheesy you could die from lactation.

Not a gay ever lives their life without dreaming of accepting an award and delivering an emotional speech..

Hollywood is all glamour. And Oscars is the pinnacle of it. The parties they have aftershow, and the stories you get when you’re actually there, or even in front of your screens with peers and friends will always be the moments you will carry your whole life.

Success knows no age

Oscars was not only about honoring the best in their field, but it is also a story of how dreams can come true. Those people never tired to try and work so hard to get there. Just like Christopher Plummer who won his first Oscar at age 83 last year, Oscars is a great reminder that once you’re committed to your dreams, there is no stopping you.

Life of fantasy? Or life of reality?

Heroes are remembered, but legends never die – Babe Ruth