Don’t worry, this won’t be as long as Ken Levine’s. (Nor probably as funny.)
My main thought is about Sandra Bullock. I haven’t seen The Blind Side. (My mom recommended it, which kinda pushes it down on my Netflix queue.)
Anyway, the general consensus is that she won not so much for this particular performance, but because, well, everybody likes Sandy. I used to think this line of reasoning was odd, because how many people can actually know her? And really, how much influence could this really have?
But I had an experience recently that gave me the answers– a lot, and a lot.
See, I recently had an encounter with a producer of one of my favorite TV shows. I can’t relate the details without risking my identity, but the short version is, he made fun of me. Kind of a dick move, considering I was paying him a compliment.
I shrugged it off, thinking, Well, he’s a dick, but he makes damn fine TV. I’d assumed I would keep watching the show; after all, to the best of my knowledge, James Cameron is a dick, but that doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of Terminator 2.
But when I sat down to watch the show the following week, I couldn’t think of anything except what a dick the producer was. Every time I laughed, I’d pause, realizing that dick wanted me to laugh.
Finally, I switched it off, and haven’t watch the show since.
See, Hollywood is a much smaller town than you realize. If someone like me can meet a showrunner, then it must be a very small town, indeed. And, as much as one would like to think awards shows are all about the work, it’s impossible to separate the art from the artist once you’ve met them.
I guess what I’m saying is, Sandra Bullock is probably a nice person.
10 Responses
I try to flip sour meetings with people-I-respect into inspiration to work harder to do better than them. 😛
There was an article in yesterday’s Globe and Mail (Canadian national paper) about the direction the Oscars (good article):
About Bullock, the author writes:
“Fun fact: When I write a magazine profile, I always gauge how well-liked a primary subject is by how many secondary interviewees phone me back. In only one case in 20 years were 100 per cent of the calls returned, and that was for Bullock.”
Sorry you lost your favorite show…but thing of all the extra time you’ve gained!
ME
I had an opportunity to meet her several years ago.
She’s actually a really nice person. And much shorter than I thought. lol
She put in her chops and has certainly worked hard to get where she is today.
I agree, I worked with an actor he is the lead in a very popular american police series. I worked with him in England before he went to America. I was in a trainee postion and because he knew he could get away with it he said somethings and behaved to me in a way that made me feel like sh*t. I cant see him on screen without wanting to punch his face in.
Check out this speech that Bullock made a few months ago at the Razzie awards. She’s like a different person — so relaxed and engaging. Maybe she was drunk or high at the Oscars.
http://katelynanne.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/all-that-glitters/
I have never been a big fan of Sandra Bullock or her movies. Not that I disliked her, or them, I was just completely indifferent. I had to take my mother to see The Blind Side, and I was very impressed, both by the movie and by Ms. Bullock’s performance. Enjoyed both, too, which is not always the same thing.
Here’s the thing. If James Cameron was not actually a dick to you, personally, then that may be a huge factor in why you don’t mind watching his stuff. Sandra Bullock has been around Hollywood for quite some time now. She’s probably been nice to thousands of people personally. My guess is that it was probably a combination of performance/personality that got her the Oscar.
Love you blog. Love this entry. This is the reason I hope to never meet anyone I idolize.
your* ugh.
I haven’t seen the Blind Side but I understand she was great in it. HEr speech, to say the least, was bizarre. I blogged about it as well.