Awards Explained

[Scarlett JoHottie]

Apparently I know a thing or two about film and the Oscars so here's some info.

They are all taken from other posts just made. I thought I'd do a new topic as suggest in a PM.

[Scarlett JoHottie]

VOTING

I don't know a ton about this but Whoopi explained it really well on The View (can't find vid for this).

Apparently in order to be in the Academy (able to vote) one must be nominated OR invited in by another member. Since the awards started in 1928, most nominees were white males, and they would invite their white male friends to join. For a loooooong time it was mostly white men and a few white women added in. Hattie McDaniel was the first(?) black woman to win so in goes her vote and whomever she invited in (if allowed at that time). And so on.... people of colour and women were not the majority of nominees for a long time. It is only recently that more of them are nominated and therefore able to invite other people of colour or female gender to vote.

Still an old white male club. They'll die off soon, hopefully.

[Scarlett JoHottie]

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

I think Glenn Close should win. Her performance was amazing and her look was completely transformed. The only other two movies I have seen are The Help and Bridesmaids. I would love if Melissa McCarthy would win: but oscars awarded for comedic performances? Not likely. The Help was a decent movie but I really don't think anything that special. Viola Davis' performance was good but not oscar-worthy, nor were any of the other actresses nominated for The Help. It is the subject matter that is the driving force behind these nominations. It was good, but I don't think Oscar worthy.

[Scarlett JoHottie]

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

I think that in order to receive an award you need to be doing your job - acting - and doing it well. I have seen Octavia Spencer on chat shows and in interviews and she was hilarious and sassy - just like her character in The Help. So for me, no vote. Jessica Chastain was definitely different but WHY is she nominated? Because her character was one of the only white women to be nice to Minny in the movie? Doesn't sem right to me. I don't think that it is fair to give an award to someone just because the subject matter of the film was controversial.

Think about Monique in Precious; she deserved that award because of her transformation, her embodiment of the character NOT b/c of the challenging subject matter. She was a different person, vile and horrible, and her ACTING was amazing.

[Scarlett JoHottie]

THE POLITICS OF WINNING

The Oscars are not really all dependant on performance or whether someone is worthy or not. So much of it is politcal.

Many times if an actor is really old and about to die, or has just passed, they will receive an award.
Or if they really should have won a previous time they were nominated, they will get it the second tine around, ie: Renee Zellweger should have won for Chicago, but instead got it for Cold Mountain. Angelina Jolie won for Girl, Interuppted but should have recived it for Gia (not mominated for Oscar but won Golden Globe).

The Academy also has their favorites and loves to shower the statues on specific people. ie: Dame Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Shakespear in Love. WTF!!! She barely said a word, her costume did more acting than she did.

Don't even get me started on Shakespear in Love. In 1999 that movie won best picture over The Thin Red Line, Elizabeth, Life is Beautiful and (that other war one - can you tell I did not like). CRAZY!!

[MC Bowzers]

Thanks for the info!!! You really seem to know your stuff!!

[MC Bowzers]

Scarlett JoHottie

THE POLITICS OF WINNING

The Oscars are not really all dependant on performance or whether someone is worthy or not. So much of it is politcal.

Many times if an actor is really old and about to die, or has just passed, they will receive an award.
Or if they really should have won a previous time they were nominated, they will get it the second tine around, ie: Renee Zellweger should have won for Chicago, but instead got it for Cold Mountain. Angelina Jolie won for Girl, Interuppted but should have recived it for Gia (not mominated for Oscar but won Golden Globe).

The Academy also has their favorites and loves to shower the statues on specific people. ie: Dame Judi Dench won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Shakespear in Love. WTF!!! She barely said a word, her costume did more acting than she did.

Don't even get me started on Shakespear in Love. In 1999 that movie won best picture over The Thin Red Line, Elizabeth, Life is Beautiful and (that other war one - can you tell I did not like). CRAZY!!

I agree with you on this one. Shakespeare in Love was a cute movie but nothing Oscar worthy and it took home EVERTHING. Elizabeth was much better. And The Thin Red Line was an amazing movie. Difficult to watch because of the harsh realities of war. It didn't sensationalize war (as did Mr. Spielbergs film), but let the images and the stories speak for themselves. Sometimes the silence was defeaning.

[MC Bowzers]

Scarlett JoHottie

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

I think that in order to receive an award you need to be doing your job - acting - and doing it well. I have seen Octavia Spencer on chat shows and in interviews and she was hilarious and sassy - just like her character in The Help. So for me, no vote. Jessica Chastain was definitely different but WHY is she nominated? Because her character was one of the only white women to be nice to Minny in the movie? Doesn't sem right to me. I don't think that it is fair to give an award to someone just because the subject matter of the film was controversial.

Think about Monique in Precious; she deserved that award because of her transformation, her embodiment of the character NOT b/c of the challenging subject matter. She was a different person, vile and horrible, and her ACTING was amazing.

Well Octavia took it. She seemed very grateful and sweet. Not exactly like her character in The Help so maybe she was doing a lot more acting than you think. Just saying.....