A Day Late and a Dollar Short: An Oscars Post-Mortem

Nipple with a Z

I didn't get to the movies last year nearly as much as I wanted and usually do. A lot of that had to do with Mom's declining health and passing. Much of it had to do with the fact that there was very little to get excited about, this year. The only Best Picture nominee I saw was Gravity, and while it was the best movie Uncle P saw all year, that's not saying much. And honestly, I had little interest in seeing the other nominees. That's not saying they weren't excellent films, but I don't always want a life-lesson when I see a movie. I just want to be transported from reality for 90 to 120 minutes, forgetting about the problems of the real world for just a little while. Of course, the really great movies, IMHO, are the ones that can do both. Pan's Labyrinth springs to mind. I'm sure that 12 Years a Slave is a very good film. I just don't want to spend two hours watching another person suffer.

Of course, most people watching the Oscars feel the same way. It isn't about who or what wins or why. It's about the accompanying sideshow. Who wore or said or did what? What outrageous thing happened that's trending on Twitter. Travolta said what? Did Ellen just call Liza a tranny? Are Liza's nips really that huge? Did you see Kim Novak's face? Ellen ordered pizza? How wacky! 

And in what is both the funniest and saddest moment of this year's Overblown Ego-fest, Scientologist and alleged masseur molester John Travolta forever cemented his 'Oscars Fail' when he introduced Broadway star Idina Menzel as "Adele Dazeem." 

Is it any wonder poor Ms Menzel botched her performance of a song every little girl (and some big girls and boys) knows by heart after listening to the Frozen soundtrack for the 12,367th time? No pressure there, eh? Pink, however, managed to not only show up in a gorgeous red-sequined gown that was deliberately reminiscent of Dorothy's ruby slippers, but then fearlessly took on an iconic song which she managed to own! Brava!

Then there's the obsession with the celebrities' fashions. First, why didn't Lorna Luft tell her sister to wear a bra? Everyone else looked nice, I suppose. I wondered if Cate Blanchet's dress was designed by Tesla, though I thought Idina Menzel, Lupita Nyong'o and Camila Alves looked particularly stunning. Jared Leto's hair bothered some folks I know. I was just pleased that he finally acknowledged all the people living with and who have died from AIDS, unlike co-star Matthew McConaughey, who rambled on like the weirdo he appears to be. No one was surprised by Gravity grabbing all the technical awards, or by Frozen winning both awards for which it was nominated (I must admit. "Let It Go" has become a personal anthem, of late). 

Mostly, as for the past too many years, there wasn't a single surprise or upset. I didn't do a predictions post this year, but I should have. We all would have won our office pools had I done so. When the Oscars are that predictable, it's time to stop watching. 

Though there were a few things I liked:

Maybe I'm just too old and jaded to care anymore. As a life-long movie lover, that makes me kind of sad...

More, anon.

Prospero

Retail Therapy

I'll start by assuming (a dangerous thing, I know) that my North American readers have not been living under rocks for the past month or so and know all about the Ellen Degeneres/J.C. Penney/One Million Moms thing. For those of you out of the know - U.S. retailer J.C Penney recently launched a new pricing policy. They hired out comedienne and America's favorite talk show host Ellen Degeneres to be their spokesperson. One Million Moms (a splinter group of SPLC listed hate group, American Family Association) announced a boycott of Penney's and demanded that the retailer fire Ellen, because she was gay. Thankfully, Penny's did not concede to the group's demands and stood by their choice to have Ellen represent them.

Anyway...

I know I posted about my car eating up much of my tax refund this year and I was rather depressed by that. But rather than wallow in the fact that I was out more than half of that refund, I used just under half of what remained today to indulge in some retail therapy. And what better place to do so, than J.C. Penney? They've always had a rather exceptional 'Big and Tall' department and since I qualify as both, I decided to spend my money at a retailer who not only offered fashionable clothing in my size, but also supported LGBT rights. Penney's new pricing policy allowed me to purchase 2 pairs of jeans, 4 shirts*, a belt and a pair of much-needed sunglasses for less than $200.00.

The cost of both gasoline and food may be on the rise, but I have to tout JCP for keeping the cost of fashionable, quality clothing affordable. If only as a political statement, spend your 'Pink Dollars' in a store that isn't afraid to be inclusive.

*BTW - 2 of those shirts were by well-known designers.

I urge you to keep supporting companies that support the LGBTQ community and keep raising your voices against the bigots and the haters. As they say, "The squeaky wheel gets the oil." Keep squeaking, loudly and proudly. 

More, anon.
Prospero