Tag: LA

  • Award Shows Aren’t Relevant

    I watched the Oscars last night, and I had a good time. I tried to Live Tweet about it, but half way through the show, I had to get the kid ready for bed, and I never got back to making snarky comments. (But I did get in on Huge Grant being a total dick while being interviewed at the pre-show.) Yet, having watched the whole show, I have to admit that the Oscars is a dull watch.

    I only tune in for nostalgia reasons. There was a time in my life, 90’s and midway through the 2000’s, where I went to the movies nearly every week. I used to work at a video store which allowed me to catch up on older films, and make friends with other cinephiles that lead inevitably to conversations/debates about movies. By the end of the year, I would have seen every movie nominated for Best Picture. It was a period of time that I was consuming great movies with some of my best friends. So, when Oscar time rolled around my friends and I were well informed with our picks, which we happily argued over endlessly.

    When I watch the Oscar’s, I want that feeling to return. It never does, but I hope. It would help if I got back into the habit of watching movies religiously. Maybe when the kid heads off to college, I’ll get some free time again.

    Even as I was watching last night, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole production wasn’t relevant anymore. The point of an award show is to get people interested in the consuming what is being awarded, and to see a bunch of celebrities in one room. But doesn’t social media, the demonic god that it is, do that now? I think the dropping tv ratings confirm that most people aren’t interested anymore. If it weren’t for my Quixotic quest for nostalgia, I don’t think I’d watch either. Just check out the highlights on Twitter.

    Now if the Oscars wanted to clean up the show, just cut to the parts that people are there to see; wildly successful celebrities failing to get something they want, and humble-brag acceptance speeches. Sure, leave the song performances, but cut the rest. I could get it down to two hours.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Dr. Solomon Hughes, Tottenham End of Season, Stan Getz, and The Car

    (Get in loser, we’re going listen to me talk about stuff)

    I have been watching Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on HBO. It’s good, a little uneven in parts, but it is catnip for Gen X males like me who lived through this stuff, and are now finding out what “really happened.” It’s embellished, and I knew that going in to it, but it is fun. Yet, the greatest accomplishment of this series is Dr. Solomon Hughes who plays Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hughes is just “killing it” (as a friend of mine said) as the legendary NBA superstar. His portrayal of Abdul-Jabbar is nuanced, intelligent, subtle, and brimming with an intensity that is compelling to watch. Dr. Hughes is doing the most difficult acting trick there is; playing someone intelligent and also indicating the unspoken thought process that his character goes through. And this is Dr. Solomon Hughes first professional acting job. You read that right, it’s his first acting gig! As of last night, Dr. Hughes didn’t have a Wikipedia page, which made it very difficult to find out who he is. As of today, that has been rectified. If nothing else, just watch Winning Time to see this performance.

    The Premiere League is coming to an end this month, so I don’t know what I will be talking about when it comes to sports this Summer. (Cubs, yes, but that’s always a slog.) (The World Cup isn’t until November, remember?) So, basically, Tottenham has to win all of their games from now to the end of the season, and stupid-old-late-to-the-party Arsenal needs to lose at least none match. If Tottenham finishes fifth on the table, Kane is out of here. The future of the team is riding on these last matches. That’s it, I’m done. Totally not being overly dramatic.

    I have a new apparition for Stan Getz. I have been listening to him a lot, and I don’t know why I skipped him for all of these years. In the same sense, I don’t know why I ignored Roxy Music either.

    We got our car back from the shop today. Back in the middle of April, someone backed into it in the middle of the night while parked on the street. I missed the car, and I can’t believe that I am saying that. I missed sitting and doing the alt parking stuff. I am changing, to a different person that I didn’t know that I would like.