Oscars: Cause you can't

Most people greet the Academy Awards with none of the festivities or hype that such televised events as the Super Bowl and even the Grammy’s receive. People dismiss the Academy as a snobby lot of old critics who notoriously omit the “best” movies of the year.

Well the annual snob-fest is back again this year, a little later than usual, planned for an evening of red carpet glamour and hopefully less laundry list speeches of “thank-you’s” on March 7. However, it appears the Academy has responded to public opinion by expanding the number of best picture nominations from 5 to 10 this year in order to reach a “wider” audience (no that does not mean you Santa Claus, or you Rosie O’ Donnell).

With the change, Oscar long-shots such as sci-fi District 9, Pixar film Up, and even that one cheesy football movie with Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side made the cut. This is great for the ratings and all, but what chance do these films have of winning? The answer is most likely none at all.

But wait; hold on, there is still hope for all you action blockbuster junkies. The Smurfs in Avatar not only landed a nomination, but, get this, are the favorites to take home the Best Picture of the year award. If that isn’t enough to earn a recording on your DVR, then there are still other reasons to watch; one is Steve Martin and two is Alec Baldwin, the two hosts this year.

Yes, Steve Martin takes some digging back in time to appreciate (don’t watch the Pink Panther movies, ever) and Alec is better known for being a complete jerk than being an actor, but together they just might be able to pull out a laugh or two. At the very least, we should see Alec have a screaming, suicide-threatening breakdown (if you’ve been keeping up with your celeb periodicals).

I had to put this near the end so as not to scare anyone away, but there are actually good movies on display this year that you probably have never even heard of. A little movie about a bomb squad in Iraq is widely believed to be the best movie to come out of the war yet. The Hurt Locker doesn’t have the box office power of Avatar (brought in 2% of the amount Avatar boasts), but it definitely has the feel of a movie which can win best picture, where Avatar has the feel of a movie that can fill up popcorn bowls.

To sum it up, the Academy Awards are worth a visit this year. Whether you are interested in wardrobe malfunctions, movie stars, or just those little golden man statues they hand out, there is something for (almost) everyone in the most prominent awards ceremony on television today.