(03-21-2003) A few reasons to still watch Oscar - Jam! Showbiz

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The envelope ... please?
A few reasons to still watch Oscar

By KEVIN WILLIAMSON -- Calgary Sun


Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Not that that's ever stopped anyone in Hollywood before, but for once, the outside world is encroaching upon Tinseltown in a way that is, in recent memory, unprecedented.

Should the Oscars go on in wartime? It's a question that's been rattling around for days as organizers try to weigh whether to postpone or nix their show given the U.S./Iraq conflict.

Complicating matters is that celebrities, conscious of their image, don't want to be perceived as self-absorbed and insensitive when U.S. soldiers are in the line of fire in Iraq.

Moreover, ABC has pledged to interrupt the telecast as news events warrant.

Yet at press time, the 75th Academy Awards were still a go for Sunday with the omission of the red carpet. But with the glitz scaled back, stars like Will Smith dropping out and the victory of the musical Chicago all but assured -- can the ceremony offer any modicum of suspense or entertainment?

The answer is a definite ... maybe.

Here, then, are some highlights to expect, if the show really does go on.

A PEACE OF THEIR MINDS: Since a majority of Hollywood -- most famously Sean Penn -- opposes the war, it probably won't be a surprise if some stars get a dig in at George W. Bush. (And unlike some, I'm all for any remarks that veer from the horrendously banal lines presenters recite off cuecards.) That said, it's doubtful anything quite as memorable as Marlon Brando sending a Native American to the podium will occur, especially with the public backlash felt by anti-warriors, the Dixie Chicks. Nor should anyone expect protesters to create any kind of memorable disruption -- they'll be cordoned off blocks from the Kodak Theatre.

WITHOUT HIM: Eminem, who would've supercharged the ceremony, has opted not to perform his nominated song, Lose Yourself, from 8 Mile. That leaves U2 as the act to watch. The Irish supergroup will make its Oscar debut by performing The Hands That Built America from Gangs Of New York. And, one would assume, the politically-minded band might have a word or two to say about the war in Iraq. Then again, Bono, Edge and Co. aren't quite the angry young men they used to be, and may choose to heed Academy wishes that anti-war sentiments not be voiced.

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES: Before the war, the biggest timebomb looming over the ceremony was the very pregnant Ms. Zeta-Jones. The actress is up for a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Chicago and she has insisted that, despite being eight months along in giving birth, she's going to attend -- and perform a song with co-star Queen Latifah.

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE? If any performer is deft and spry enough to juggle his duties as host of an over-produced spectacle and the realities of current events, it's Steve Martin. Don't expect him to dodge the war issue -- like, say, song and dance man Billy Crystal might -- or try to turn the Oscars into a platform for his political platitudes -- as last year's host, Whoopi Goldberg, most certainly would have. For once, we're in good hands.

DEJA WHO? The Oscars have always needed a greater dose of the absurd. And they could conceivably get it if "brothers" Charlie and Donald Kaufman win for the best adapted screenplay award for Adaptation. Donald is, if you didn't know, just a fictional character in the movie, making this the first time a fictional creation has been nominated.

THE POLANSKI FACTOR: Roman Polanski, a nominee for The Pianist, has been living in exile in Paris since he skipped town in 1978 on charges of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. His nomination -- and the sentiment that the Chinatown director has paid his dues -- raised the possibility that he may show up in L.A. Now though -- with prosecutors unwilling to waive their threat to arrest him if he returns, and the war itself -- it's a certainty Polanski will stay in Paris. Should he win, though, anti-war observers may smack their lips in delight at an American awards show honouring a resident of France.


Copyright ? 2003, CANOE, a division of Netgraphe Inc. All rights reserved.


Thank you, Dorian Gray!
 
I'm such a homer for saying this, but oh well...

Hometown newspaper... wahoo!
 
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