Slog - Comments on Oscar Upset http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset For better or worse, I love the Oscars, and could spend the next six hours Slogging about last night's affairs. But I'm on deadline for my goddamned column, so I must restrict my comments to these: 1. I do not like Crash (preachy, klutzy, Altman-lite hooey) but I understand why it won. 2. Yes, Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep were odd and delightful while bestowing an Honorary Oscar upon Robert Altman, and yes, Altman gave a wonderful speech. But all of the aforementioned delights were poisoned by the fact that the Academy was giving AN HONORARY OSCAR TO ROBERT FUCKING... Copyright 2007 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 10:40:44 -0800 Mon, 13 Mar 2006 07:35:13 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by ben compton Holy christ, you weren't kidding about that press release. The only word I can think of for it is stultifying. It'd be interesting to see a breakdown of how movies that this group loves did in the box office of the red states vs. the movies that this group considers "out of touch with mainstream values."

And anyway, are these really "mainstream" values? Maybe living in Seattle has me all out-of-touch with my Kentucky white-trash heritage, but really? Still? "Smoke a bong"-style mocking is really what's getting in your craw? Social conservatives of this rarified nature just bewilder me.

]]> ben compton http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031140 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031140 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 10:52:12 -0800 Comment by Longball Too funny! The two supporting actress nominees and no lead actress is hilarious. And the penguins, total environmentalist propoganda! So their bibles tell them to be anti-gay, but how on earth did they decide to be anti-environment? I understand that God is a homophobe, clearly, but is he also a rampant pollutor, or something? This lady would go to the mat for the right to keep a howitzer in the house too.

]]> Longball http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031158 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031158 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:22:44 -0800 Comment by Fnarf Righties loved "March of the Penguins" because they believe that it confirms their preference for monogamous self-sacrificing parents working together. What they neglect to notice, or celebrate, is that the penguins are only monogamous for a season; every year, after they go with their offspring to the sea, they split up and never see each other again. They pair up with new mates the following year. Also, they will readily team up with a new partner if the old one doesn't make it--even a same-sex partner if need be.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031164 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031164 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:27:59 -0800 Comment by annie The really hilarious thing is that March of the Penguins assiduously avoided saying anything about global warming. I actually remember thinking that was weird, but maybe it was (shudder) shrewd.

]]> annie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031165 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031165 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:28:32 -0800 Comment by ben compton Also, I liked that they were up in arms that "[Stewart]freely admits he voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004." FREELY! Admits it freely! No torture required!! Are you sure he's not gay?? We have to beat people up in Utah to get them to admit they voted for Kerry.

]]> ben compton http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031185 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031185 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:02:45 -0800 Comment by Superfrankenstein "Zellweger portrays Mae, the wife of James J. Braddock, a woman who places keeping
her family together in any hardship above all."

Yeah, that's why she sent her kids away against Russell Crowe's wishes. Christ, they don't even pay attention to the movies they profess to like.

]]> Superfrankenstein http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031187 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031187 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:09:07 -0800 Comment by fritz "The movies garnering the most Oscar nominations included films about feature
sympathetic terrorists, gay cowboys, communist sympathizers, and transexuals...."

Wait, what's a "feature sympathetic terrorist"? Is that, like, French for "handsome terrorist," or something? Shouldn't it be feature-sympathique terroriste then?

]]> fritz http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031197 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031197 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:25:15 -0800 Comment by mainstream "terrorists, gay cowboys, communist sympathizers, and transexuals"

Sounds like the America I live in.

(althought I do want the terrorist impeached)

My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty....

]]> mainstream http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031217 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031217 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 13:29:13 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi I'm surprised they didn't complain about Jon Stewart being Jewish, because, you know, Billy Crystal is such a gentile.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031323 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031323 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:45:54 -0800 Comment by lostboy Fnarf, your post seems to assume that the monogamy being celebrated implies permanence. From my viewpoint, it seems conservatives have no problem people replacing their mates every few years. The affairs just have to be serial, not parallel.

Also not apparently frowned upon: Middle-aged and older men switching to much young women that they professional authority over.

]]> lostboy http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031324 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031324 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:46:54 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi Here are some morally objectionable top-grossing movies:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: It's about the occult, devil worship. How dare Hollywood promote this filth!

War of the Worlds: Hollywood continues to insist that there are other intelligent species in the universe. Why can't they admit that humans are the chosen of God and, therefore, the only sentient life?

King Kong: Bestiality.

Wedding Crashers: Pre-marital sex, gay characters

Hitch: Same

Saw II: Well actually, this is ok. Extreme violence is fine as long as there's no sex.

I think if the members of this group really looked at the top grossing movies, they might not be too happy with Mainstream America. I'm not either, but that's because I'm appalled at Mainstream America's bad taste.

Did anyone else enjoy George Clooney's big "fuck you" to Hollywood's critics?

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031333 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031333 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 17:59:35 -0800 Comment by Rory Those sons of bitches are worse spellers than Dan Savage, and worse punctuators than Josh Feit.

Yowch!

]]> Rory http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031375 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c031375 Mon, 06 Mar 2006 20:41:00 -0800 Comment by Brie Oh shap! Jon Stewart "freely admits" that he voted for John Kerry? I didn't know we were hiding the fact that we might have voted for one of the two candidates available at the polls. Have him shot.

]]> Brie http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c035238 http://slog.thestranger.com/2006/03/oscar_upset#c035238 Mon, 13 Mar 2006 07:35:13 -0800