I’m headed to Los Angeles this weekend — for work, of course. But my hotel is located right next door to the Grammy Awards venue.
I know, right?
Another red carpet, another round of celebrity self-congratulations. And as the Academy Awards draw ever nearer, I have to say — this year’s awards season seems even more shallow than usual. The nominees, the producers, the directors, and even the Oscar voters, I dare say, have abandoned even the appearance of giving out the statutes based on quality.
You just gotta be popular.
Producers always run elaborate pre-Oscar marketing campaigns for movies and their stars, but this year, even the actors are purchasing full-page ads in industry publications ‘for your consideration.’
Case in point: Melissa Leo, Best Supporting Actress nominee for her gritty performance in “The Fighter,” (which has already garnered her three other trophies).
Chillax, Melissa. You’ve been considered. And shee-shee pics like these may swing opinion in the other direction.
The popularity of the leading actors in The King’s Speech is also one of the main reasons it has of late pulled ahead of The Social Network in the awards race — not because Speech is a better film. (It’s not.) This became especially clear during the SAG Awards telecast.
When the casts of both movies appeared on stage during the show, the good feelings that washed over the cast of The King’s Speech were palpable…. whereas the young entourage from The Social Network was prickly, awkward and off-putting.
Heck, I wanted TSN to win, and I didn’t like their attitude that night much either. But I would hope — if I had the opportunity to vote for any of the awards — that I could separate my personal feelings about any of the nominees from their work in the films.
If the Oscars are going to mean anything now and in the future, the voting community has to man up, act like adults and vote based on the quality of the filmmaking…not just ‘who’s their buddy.’
But then again, maybe none of them are that good of actors.
We celebrate Limerick Day every May 12th in honor of Edward Lear, the English writer who is credited with making the art form popular.
Spirit stick
Do you remember the very first DVD you ever owned?
I do.
I had just bought a combo VHS/DVD player — back when they were still pretty pricey — and a friend gave me the campy cheerleader cult classic Bring it On. (It wasn’t a classic back then; just campy.)
It also wasn’t a musical, but it is now, and not on Broadway. My west coast friends have the bragging rights to this one.
It’s gotta be good, right?
Tweets from audience members, both celebrity and ‘regular folk,’ have been very enthusiastic. The critics appear to have their doubts.
But it’s early yet. There’s lots of time to polish. Bring it On: The Musical is on a national tour, although no Broadway dates appear to be scheduled.
Yet.
I’m sexy, I’m cute,
I’m popular to boot.
I’m wanted, I’m hot,
I’m everything you’re not,
I’m pretty, I’m cool,
I dominate this school,
Who am I? Just guess,
Guys wanna touch my chest,
We cheer and we lead,
We act like we’re on speed,
Hate us ’cause we’re beautiful,
Well we don’t like you either,
We’re cheerleaders,
We are cheerleaders.
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Tagged Ahmanson Theatre, Andy Blankenbuehler, audience, Avenue Q, bragging rights, Bring It On movie, Bring It On: The Musical, Broadway, Broadway stars, campy movie, celebrities, cheerleader movie, choreographer, commentary, composer, cult classic, DVD, DVD player, entertainment, family, Great White Way, Humor, In the Heights, Jeff Whitty, life, Lin Manuel Miranda, Los Angeles, Movies, national tour, Next to Normal, technology, Tom Kitt, Tony Award, tweets, Twitter, VHS, west coast, writer