Oscars: Gold-Plated Boredom | Newsweek The Oscars

Posted By: bethybumble @ 03/14/2008 10:33:11 AM

Comment: Movies and today's group of actors and actresses are so bad that most people don't bother with movies as much as they used to do. Most of them are only in Hollyweird because they are the children of famous people - they don't have any real talent. Broadway theatre takes acting because you only get once chance to get it right. In a movie they can stop and do 57 takes until they get it right. Not to mention all the acting and speech coaches helping them talk, people holding up cards to feed them their lines, hair stylists, make-up artists, people feeding them catered food and professional wardrobe and photographers making them look their absolute best. With all that support, ANYONE could act !! Movies today don't take much acting or intelligence which is evident when they give their acceptance speeches. Some of these people can't talk coherently without a script and embarass themselves when they try. No thanks, I'd rather watch the History channel.

Posted By: Beasely @ 03/02/2008 8:20:09 PM

Comment: Congrats to the posting by eddiewhere on 2/29/2008. If there were an awards show for online comments, then you would have won quite a few including: 1. Longest diatribe that has nothing to do with the subject; 2. Most difficulty in determining when to capitalize words; and 3. Biggest load of horseshit spewed on the web.
We look forward to your acceptance speach which will have nothing to do with this comment...

Posted By: yhninc @ 02/29/2008 9:42:02 AM

Comment: The truth is that very few people in this era of serious economic and social issues have the time or interest in who wins prizes for movie-making. They need to get the show boiled down to the awards we care to watch which could fit neatly into a half hour...

Posted By: yhninc @ 02/29/2008 9:40:51 AM

Comment: The truth is that very few people in this era of serious economic and social issues have the time or interest in who wins prizes for movie-making. They need to get the show boiled down to the awards we care to watch which could fit neatly into a half hour...

Posted By: eddiewhere @ 02/29/2008 2:18:36 AM

Comment: IN THIS ENVIORNMENT OF ECONOMIC FEUDALISM WHERE THE MIDDLE CLASS MUST SUFFER IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE pROFITS OF MULTINATIONAL CORpORATIONS, WHO BENEFIT FROM CHEAp LABOR, THE AMERICAN DREAM HAS BEEN LOST.
MULTINALTIONALS FROM INDIA HAVE BROUGHT THEIR CHEAp WAyS TO AMERICA. WE NOW HAVE AMERIANS GOING TO GET HEART SURGERy IN INDIA BEAUSE IT IS CHEApER. OUR INFORMATION TECHNOLy JOBS HAVE BEEN OUTSOURCED TO INDIA.
CHINA WAITS UNTIL WE INVENT IT AND THEN THEy STEAL IT. WHy REINVENT THE WHEEL.
ARABS FINANCIERS OWN OVER TWELVER pER CENT OF OUR ECONOMy AND IN RECENT MONTTHS HAVE "BAILED" OUT OUR BANKS. IN ADDITION, ARAB INTEREST FROM DUBAI AND KUWAIT HAVE FINANCED OUR pOLITICAL LEADERS ENDEVOURS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE pOLITICAL SpECTRUM.. IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE.

We have been fooled by our own government and there is no way any Republican is going to win this election. THE Middle class has had it with all this Bin LADEN terrorist crap. WE are now scared of our own government more than we are of the terrorist because the decisions this government is making on our behalf is not in our best interests and it is killing us. The government is now dominating our civil liberties. They are giving the states millions for Real ID Cards. This is just the start of government intrusion. Combine this with the misuse of the Patriot Act and the future Plans of insurance comPanies and corporations to have full access to our personal records and we have a real crisis.
Credit Card companies have already started selling and sharing our personal information with the private sector. We really have to wake up and protect our constitution it is all we have to defend ourselves against interests that become too rich and powerful in this country. The government keeps expanding and is being predominantly controlled by special interest and lobbyist. The middle class is being weakened and our civil liberties are being threatened. Real ID Cards will not make "us safer" infacat terrorists can obtain fake ones and move about freely. The American people did not vote on Real ID Cards, we need a vote. Our constitution would have to be ammended in order for Real ID's to become legal. I do not know what has happened in Washington but it is getting out of hand. They know what they are doing is unconstitutional so they are trying to bribe the states by offering them money. I hope every state agrees with me and Prevents the federal govenment from imPosing THIS unconstitutional law. If the states allow the government to do this then they would have set a bad Precedent that could lead to further government violations.
WHy IS THERE A NEED TO WIRE TAp EVERy CITIZEN. ARE yOU KIDDING ME. yOU NEED A WARRANT. THIS IS MADNESS. GOVERNMENT IS USING TERRORISM AS AN EXCUSE TO INTRUDE ON OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES. THIS IS INSANE.

McCain will continue to implementt these misguided REpublian policies. McCain's ONE HUNDRED year agenda is not in AMERICA"s BEST INTEREST.

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Posted By: Sailfast @ 02/27/2008 1:13:24 PM

Comment: Is it any wonder that the movies are failing to arouse interest; that they are dragging the theater and movie distribution industries down with them? Consider the tawdry content available this year, the best film, to my mind, was Juno. Consider that it was also an Independent Film dealing with a subject that many wouldn???t consider fit for public discussion, produced for just over seven million dollars, less than Daniel Day-Lewis???s salary for there will be blood.
Consider also the general lack of good content and plausible reality, in There Will be Blood, Lewis offers a portrayal so far below his stellar capacity it is disgusting, Clooney should have gotten that Oscar, but worse than Lewis???s acting was the film???s script. Does anyone really think that a person in 1900 in Eastern California could actually behave in the manner Plainview did? Now jump forward to the near past, does anyone think that a psychopathic hit man could stalk the streets of a small western town in say Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico; Perhaps Oklahoma or Texas? Not just no, but hell no! Between the Law Enforcement Types and the Armed Private Citizens, there are quite a few of them out there, he???d be shot to doll rags.
Now I???m waiting for some dummy to bludgeon another person to death with a freakin??? bowling pin; and for his public defender to attempt to excuse the crime by saying, ???He saw it in a Movie!??? ???Too Much Blood??? would have been a more fitting title, excepting Juno and too few others; nothing was worth paying money to see. Hollywood needs to rid itself of the old newspaper ethic, ???If it bleeds, it leads!??? We want plausible plots, great acting, much less blood and an end to violence for violence???s sake!

Posted By: edwardnow @ 02/27/2008 6:43:16 AM

Comment: I do not know an adult that thinks movies made in the past 5-10 years are better than those made in the 90's and 80's. Movies ceased to be art and became content. Combine that with the media stalking celeberties just to relish in there downfall and you have a pretty apathetic public. There is nothing to get excited about anymore even though this year probally had the best movies in a decade. The public has found new means of entertaining themselves without relying on the insular world of Hollywood. I would much rather have another documentry like SICKO, or Inconveint Truth be made than the latest hollywood thriller to eat up more of our time and dollars; offering nothing in return but a dulled mind.

Posted By: bluedawn @ 02/26/2008 10:03:34 PM

Comment: I enjoyed this year's Oscar show better than most. I liked the old clips and Stewart was funny. Lots of stars and thakfully short acceptance speeches.

Posted By: T Miller @ 02/26/2008 4:51:36 PM

Comment: Stewart's joke about watching Lawrence of Arabia on an IPhone was very funny.
The Hally Berry / Dame Judi Dench bit? Letterman never looked so good by comparison.

Posted By: jcanar @ 02/26/2008 11:55:06 AM

Comment: the show was great short and simple not people thanking everyone and everyone and crying. john stewart was great. i hope in the future that it will be more like this years, the movies were great as weill as the music.

Posted By: jcanar @ 02/26/2008 11:52:56 AM

Comment: i thought it was nice and simple and about the good movies of the year. i hope its like that every year to come. i don't want to see people crying and thanking everyone and everyone. make it simple, john stewart was great.

Posted By: JP29 @ 02/26/2008 11:45:44 AM

Comment: Tired of all the complaints. The Oscars are like anything else - if you're not a fan, don't watch them. Easy. Also, if you want to get more out of it, you might have to actually watch some of the films. All of the above posts, going on and on about how much they hated the show, are obviously not intelligent enough to a)understand Jon Stewart's sense of humor, or b) go and see movies other than "blockbusters" like Xmen, Spider Man 3, Pirates of the Carribean 87, etc. I think Jon Stewart did a great job. I still love watching the Oscars, and always will.

Posted By: EE7011 @ 02/26/2008 10:46:48 AM

Comment: The ceremony was boring this year. I think Jon Stewart is hilarious, but I don't think hosting the Oscars is for him. All the winners are extremely talented actors and deserved to be recognized by the Academy. I laugh at how seriously some people take fashion. It is not life and death. The men all wear the same thing and the women are always scrutinized beyond belief! I love our society sometimes. Hopefully the show will make some changes for next year. I still enjoy watching movies, none the less.

Posted By: Traveler 14 @ 02/26/2008 10:24:20 AM

Comment: Maybe the Oscar Awards were boring, but at least we didn't have to suffer through a "Kayne West " tribute to his suffering and quest for more than camera time. The Oscar recipients seemed very mindful of the time constraints and the fool Kayne West made of himself at the Grammy Awards.

Posted By: talker987 @ 02/26/2008 10:20:04 AM

Comment: I see this show going to cable like the Miss America pagent. Utter waste of airspace. Let's drop the filler. Go directly to giving out the awards then they'd have time for a complete list of all past hosts and deceased. Why skip anyone? Not necessary. No host needed. The announcer can announce the actors presenting. They can do jokes if they must. Seth Rogan as presenter? Good grief. I agree the lineup was brutally weak. Looks like Hollywood is just as watered down as the rest of society. Right to cable next year. PLEASE!

Posted By: creditlady @ 02/26/2008 8:02:10 AM

Comment: The Ocars were so boring this year. The first 14 minutes was nothing but jibber jabber. Give the stars more time to talk. They are the ones we want to hear from anyway. Maybe the writers were out too long and they haven't got back in the groove yet. I turned it off after 40 minutes. I kept thinking it would get more interesting, but it was not.

Posted By: creditlady @ 02/26/2008 7:57:05 AM

Comment: This years Oscars were the most boring ever! I turned the show off after the first 40 minutes. The first 14 minutes was nothing but jibber-jabber. Cut that out and let the stars talk longer. We would rather hear and see them. Maybe the writers were off too long and haven't gotten back int he groove yet.

Posted By: PatrynXX @ 02/26/2008 4:41:46 AM

Comment: I wouldn't call it boring, but alot of good films were left out. And it didn't have the lead off from the golden globes.

Posted By: kitvc @ 02/26/2008 4:06:56 AM

Comment: Thanks to Marion Cotillard, the Best Actress, who brought a real moment of enthusiasm to the event. She was so surprised she looked like she'd been Tazered. Very unpretentious and sweet.....

Posted By: kitvc @ 02/26/2008 4:04:20 AM

Comment: from kitvc
Thanks to Marion Cotillard, who brought a moment of spontaneous enthusiasm to the event. She was so surprised she looked like she'd been zapped by a cattle prod. Very unpretentious and sweet......

Posted By: theav21 @ 02/25/2008 9:49:04 PM

Comment: It's a shame that the Academy could not honor Brad Renfro in the In Memoriam section, who died of an accidental overdose, however, Heath Ledger, same cause of death, was good enough to close that montage.

Posted By: pastorized @ 02/25/2008 8:37:53 PM

Comment: Let's see, half of Hollywood rails against an unjust war by an idiot of a president, many of the movies up for awards are of foreign origen or foreigh nature, religion is rarely depicted or features the extremes of religious life, yet many of the movies that are up for awards depict grotesque violence and a part of American culture that is foreign to most Americans, and the big shots can't figure out why the public is tuning them out. Hollywood is more out of touch with society than the people they make fun of.

Posted By: lilycraven @ 02/25/2008 7:19:05 PM

Comment: I love the Oscars and I enjoyed this year because I had actually seen No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. If you didn't see those then you were pretty much in the dark the entire show. Maybe movie theaters should do some kind of promotion before the Oscars on the nominated movies......it might get people more excited about the Oscar ceremony.

Posted By: annticki @ 02/25/2008 7:07:33 PM

Comment: I think that the Academy in all the artsy-fartsy attempt to distance themselves for the "other" awards have forgotten that WE are the ones buying the tickets to the films. I didn't know any of the movies nominated and probably won't ever see them.

It had the lowest ratings ever also. Imagine that.

Posted By: ANoblet @ 02/25/2008 6:38:23 PM

Comment: I'm going to go ahead and defend Jon Stewart. I thought he was funny. Perfect, no, but funny. I giggled at his jokes more than I usually laugh at hosts' jokes. That's not to say that he was as funny here as he is on the Daily Show, just that he's about as funny, and probably a little more funny, than any of the hosts have been recently. He also wrote his jokes in 11 days. That's not easy. The ratings had nothing to do with Jon Stewart. They almost never have anything to do with the hosts. 1998 was rated highly because everyone had seen Titanic. No one saw the films this year, so the ratings sucked.

Posted By: Lauren Day @ 02/25/2008 6:36:22 PM

Comment: I love the Oscars and watch every year, but last night's show really WAS a snooze! It's hard to believe that people who are in the entertainment business can't even top a bad episode of "Saturday Night Live."

Jon Stewart, who's known for his cynical, irreverent wit, was so tame and reverent--he was the Paula Abdul of Oscar hosts!

Here's my short list for who they should ask to host next year:

1. Jerry Seinfeld
2. Martin Short
3. Jon Lovitz
4. Craig Ferguson
5. Regis Philbin

That's only if they can't get the king of the Oscars, Billy Crystal, to do the job. Every year I miss him more!

Posted By: D-law316 @ 02/25/2008 6:34:44 PM

Comment: Watching this show was like playing 4 hours of Poker with Hellen Keller.

Posted By: Sanzar @ 02/25/2008 6:27:05 PM

Comment: I watched it for a few brief minutes - too many, in retrospect. Stewart is one of the worst hosts of all time. Based on this year's nominees, I figured the show would be a colossal bore - - and it looks like I was right.

Posted By: mrsquids @ 02/25/2008 5:55:58 PM

Comment: You should TIVO it and replay it those nights when you can't get to sleep. A real snoozefest. Jon Stewart was, of course horrible. Stay in the political arena, where you have an audience! What a waste of time to rehash old winners, not enough material huh? If you want to see who won in previous years use the internet. This show makes me wonder why the writers were brought back.

Posted By: Athelyn @ 02/25/2008 5:40:21 PM

Comment: PLease get back one of the previous commentators. The show was lackluster.

Posted By: Intruder @ 02/25/2008 5:32:07 PM

Comment: Sorry - one last thought. If Hollywood were as socially conscious as it claims to be, think of how many starving people they could have fed for the cost of one dress or costume, how much medicine they could have provided to the third world, or procedures through Dr.s Without Borders, etc.. I guess telling the world how great you are is more important. Shame on them!!!

Posted By: Intruder @ 02/25/2008 5:25:14 PM

Comment: Also, it seemed like there were a number of borderline anorexics there. Also, are we really that interested in the various forms of short films??? Without commercial interruption, the whole thing could be done in about 45 minutes!!!

Posted By: reisbergsgal @ 02/25/2008 5:23:05 PM

Comment: I MISS ELLEN!!! She was soooooo funny! The only time I've ever watched the Oscars with utter delight! She was fabulous-- we need her!

Posted By: Intruder @ 02/25/2008 5:18:19 PM

Comment: Besides the show droning on, I thought the commercials (I'm getting pretty sick of 3 minutes of show and 5 minutes of commercials) were both boring and insulting. Apparently, according to the Coca Cola Company,men's heart health issues are insignificant compared to women's heart health issues. I think too many advertisers are underestimating the intelligence of women while pandering to them. Perhaps, if I were a woman, I would be pretty insulted by that. Anyway, I'm getting sick of commercials, what am I paying for satellite service for???

Posted By: Intruder @ 02/25/2008 5:15:26 PM

Comment: Besides the show droning on, I thought the commercials (I'm getting pretty sick of 3 minutes of show and 5 minutes of commercials) were both boring and insulting. Apparently, men's heart health issues are insignificant compared to women's heart health issues. I think too many advertisers are underestimating the intelligence of women while pandering to them. Perhaps, if I were a woman, I would be pretty insulted by that. Anyway, I'm getting sick of commercials, what am I paying for satellite service for???

Posted By: MissyH @ 02/25/2008 5:10:27 PM

Comment: It's become nothing but a contest to see ewho can be the thinnest or who's got the worst dress and who's dating the oldest fart on the planet...boring stuff for sure. These self back patters need to go home and think about why they chose acting as a career in the first place. None of them truly have a message to get out any more, it's just 'look whose wife/husband, boyfriend/girlfriend I've stolen' and how much sadder can we be this year than the year before b.s...

Posted By: lamm01 @ 02/25/2008 4:25:30 PM

Comment: One of the most boring evenings I spent in a long time. Let's just cut out Jon Stewarts's anemic jokes and let the winners thank people. Better yet, just get rid of him. He sucks big time. Why don't you let a movie fan who really appreciates the art of film making host the show? Also, what' s this with letting mediocre television actors presenting.... Give me a break. No wonder nobody watched..

Posted By: jmack9 @ 02/25/2008 4:22:16 PM

Comment: Of course, I suppose my comments might be taken a bit more seriously if I'd spelled 'Oscars' correct the first time...

Posted By: jmack9 @ 02/25/2008 4:19:18 PM

Comment: The Oscarts amount to a bunch of disgustingly rich and 'beautiful' people preening, simpering and aping for the camera, then applauding for each other. It's bad enough that the salaries these idiots are paid is far and away more than what their contribution to society is worth. The whole idea of an industry so self-congratulatory should turn a normal person's stomach. Save the money spent on tuxes, dresses, coifs, jewelry, nails, settings, arenas, and television time -- and spend it where it's REALLY needed. And lest you think I'm jealous, I do very well without the money, the fame, and the papparazzi.

Posted By: Debbie I. @ 02/25/2008 4:18:17 PM

Comment: I thought it was horrendous. Boring and slow. Where are the real stars of yesteryear instead of these anorexic light weights: Jessica Alba, Keri Russell, Miley cyrus, etc. Those sappy Disney songs were awful;where's rap when you need It? Jon Stewart is a good guy, but most of the jokes were lame, stilted and not up to snuff. It goes on way too long-the Golden Globes get to the point and don't have all this ridiculous padding. I want to see the Memoriam tribute and tribute to the past because those were real stars: Bette Davis, Bogart, Brando, Gable etc.

Posted By: Debbie I. @ 02/25/2008 4:13:09 PM

Comment: I thought it was horrendous. I like Jon Stewart, but most of the jokes stunk and who wants to listen to those sappy Disney songs? Where's rap when you need It? To see those presenters who are complete lightweights for the most part makes me long for the real stars: Bette Davis, Bogart, Gable, Crawford, Brando, etc. Real stars not anorexic nobodies who are creatures of the media. I'm glad Denzel Washington had the prestigious honor to announce Best Picture-he's not a lightweight but Jessica Alba, Keri Russell, Miley Cyrus???!!! You have to be kidding. And can someone please tell Tilda Swinton to get a hair and make-up and dress consultant before she leasves the house next time.

Posted By: erimeli @ 02/25/2008 3:28:54 PM

Comment: I disagree... I actually enjoyed this year's episode and liked that it wasn't too over-the-top. I liked the montages (it was nice to see all of the previous best pictures, actors and actresses), the short acceptance speeches (although it was nice that Stewart brought the one winner back out since she got cut off), and Jon Stewart's performance as host. He could pick it up a little next time, but I definitely hope he's given another shot. The only part I disliked during the show were the musical performances... b-o-r-i-n-g! I completely agree that they could have combined all of the Enchanted numbers into one big performance.

Posted By: Robinann @ 02/25/2008 2:59:47 PM

Comment: I agree as well though I enjoyed the montages. It's nice to see the stars of old and it was nice to remember which movies won Best Picture. In my house there was a lot of "I didn't know that one" when the titles would come up.

Halle Barry's acceptance speech was painful when we had to sit thru it initially; it was torture to see it as a highlight.

Jon Stewart, talented as his is, should not host a Hollywood awards show. Political shows, yes. He's a master. All of Hollywood should band together and make Billy Crystal the official host of the Oscars.

Posted By: Robinann @ 02/25/2008 2:56:38 PM

Comment: This really was a boring show. I really do enjoy the montages; it's nice to see the movie stars of old as we tend to forget who won what.

Halle Barry's acceptance speech a highlight! Good grief, it was paintful to watch when it originally happened but have to sit thru it again-sheesh!

Jon Stewart, though immensly talented, shouldn't host a Hollywood affair. He's great in the political arena but show business seems out of his reach. I think all of Hollywood should band together and make Billy Crystal the official host of the Oscars.

Posted By: dr doug @ 02/25/2008 1:26:17 PM

Comment: I agree. A third of the way through the show I started oding other things as well as watching: reading the paper and amagazine. Then everything that was boring I just tuned out and read instead. Unfortunately this is the same refrain year after year. Let's face it, the Oscars are inherently boring. But also mentioning Halle Barry's acceptance speech as a highlight when it was this overwrought display ( It was appropriate that she went on to make Catwoman)is an area in which we disagree.

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