Another Barrier Broken at the Oscars

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Once again, the motion picture academy decides to bestow its Oscar on yet another depressing film that almost no one saw, and starring nobody you've ever heard of.  This time it was "The Hurt Locker", the story of a group of American soldiers who defuse bombs during the Iraq war.  It won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

 

Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first woman to win an Oscar for directing "Hurt Locker".  Not to begrudge her accomplishment, but would anyone have heard of her if she wasn't once married to James Cameron, who was nominated in the same category for "Avatar"?  By the way, the biggest grossing movie of all time nabbed three technical awards.

 

Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her role in "The Blind Side", one of those movies where a rich white person saves a black person from a terrible fate.  Bullock's also the recipient of a Razzie for her role in the future DVD clearance bin classic "All About Steve".  So she's had quite a weekend.

 

Mo'Nique won for Best Supporting Actress in the pretentiously-titled "Precious:  Based On The Novel 'Push' by Sapphire".  Is there going to be a point where an African-American who wins an Oscar is no longer such a big deal?

 

Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart", playing a broken-down country singer.

 

Christoph Walz' role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" netted him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The three-and-a-half hour Academy Award telecast was hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, who appeared with nominee Meryl Streep in the film "It's Complicated".  Their routine wasn't easy to understand, either, as several jokes fell flat.

Other observations:

•  What happened to the phrase "And the Oscar goes to . . . "?  No one used it this year.
•  Finding new ways to test the patience of the audience during an already-long show, the Academy brought back testimonials to the nominated actors and actresses.  They should have taken a cue from Tom Hanks, who simply announced that "Hurt Locker" had won best picture without bothering to read the rest of the nominees. 

Is a Cure For The Health Care Debate In Sight?

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The debate over health care has been with us forever.  Well, it may not be forever.  But it sure seems like it.

President Barack Obama, who's apparently ready to move on just like the rest of us, has told Congress that he wants the $950 million health care package he's been stumping for on his desk to sign before the end of this month.

The President must have come to that conclusion after hosting a much-ballyhooed summit, consisting of congressional leaders from both parties.  It was a mind-numbing snooze-fest, seemingly made for C-SPAN, that was full of the usual partisan talking points and not much else.  But then again, laws aren't usually made in front of the TV cameras.

Having failed to do much of anything with a super-majority, Senate Democrats must now pass Obama's plan by themselves through a process called reconcilliation--which simply means it's a majority vote, and they just happen to have the numbers.  The Republicans might object, but they've used it in the past to push through tax cuts (twice) for George W. Bush when he was president.

The GOP won't be of much help in the upcoming voting.  They say they want a do-over because they believe Obama's version of health care is too much of a bitter pill for the American People to swallow.  What's their alternative?  It seems they want no bill at all or, if there must be one, it would be written in such a way that it would favor the health care providers.

If you want to know how desperate the situation is for people who can't afford health care, look at Minnesota.  Governor Tim Pawlenty has vetoed a bill that would continue General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for poor and indigent individuals past April 1, citing its expense with the state facing a $994 million deficit.  The Minnesota Senate overrode the veto, but the House did not.  Negotiations are ongoing for some kind of compromise.

If GAMC is not renewed, its 30,000-odd participants would be moved to Minnesota Care, which some people view as an inadequate solution.  What happens when these people get sick?  They go to the hospital emergency room, where by law doctors have to treat them.  And who pays for this?  Minnesota taxpayers.

There are similar stories like this all over the country.  While the debate goes on in Washington, people are getting sicker (and in some cases dying) because the cost of health care is getting beyond their reach.  It's time to stop talking and start acting on a healthier America.  Because something this important shouldn't wait forever.

Vancouver 2010: And So It Ends

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The Winter Olympic Games concluded with a men's hockey game that belongs right up there with the 1980 "Miracle On Ice".  Sidney Crosby's overtime goal gave Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States, fulfilling their destiny of winning a gold medal before the home folks.  The way the game was played, this might do for hockey what the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants did for pro football--put it on the map in a big way in the United States and around the world.

Otherwise, these Olympics have been very good for the United States.  They won 37 medals (including nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze), more than anyone else in Winter Games history.  Not only that, but they struck gold in unlikely places.  Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane finished 1-2 in the men's Nordic combined (that's large hill ski jumping and cross country skiing)--the first American medals ever in that sport, while Steve Holcomb piloted the U.S. four-man bobsled team to its first gold since 1948.

The American alpine ski team, which had been loading up on medals during the first week, fizzled in the second week due to injuries and controversy.  Lindsey Vonn disqualified in her last two races, including her crash in the Giant Slalom that looked much worse than it was in the snow and fog (she broke a pinky).  But teammate Julia Mancuso had more reason to be upset, because her run immediately following Vonn's was halted halfway down the hill by officials, causing her to replay her run as the weather got worse and finished out of the running.

Host country Canada may not have "owned the podium" like they said they would, but they did lay claim to a record haul of gold not seen in those parts since the 1890s.  They finished third in the medals (Germany was second) with 14 gold, seven silver and five bronze for a total of 26.  The golds came in men's and women's hockey, men's curling and ice dancing.

The women's hockey team, upon winning the gold over the United States, had a private celebration on center ice at Canada Hockey Place.  Thanks to You Tube, we could see the players quaffing champagne and beer.  So why does the song "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha come to mind?

For those of you who hit the remote whenever NBC put its prime time showcase on figure skating, the winners were Kim Yu-Na of South Korea in the 'ladies' category, and Evan Lysacek of the United States in the men's.

As the Games closed with the dousing of the flames at Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium (which looks eerily like the Metrodome), the memories of bad weather, trucked-in snow and the death of a Georgian luger still linger.  But Canada should be proud of the way they hosted these Olympics in spite of everthing.  All they really did was to set the bar higher for the next Winter Olympics host, Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

Beauty,eh?

Vancouver 2010: Oh No, Canada

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From the Maritime provinces to the metropolises of Toronto and Montreal, to the prairies of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and to the shores of the Olympic city of Vancouver, everyone's wondering the same thing:  What happened to all those medals we were supposed to get?

Canada spent $118 million training its athletes to "Own The Podium", an effort to grab as many medals during these Winter Olympics as they possibly can.  The net result?  Eleven total medals as of Tuesday night, including six gold, placing fifth overall.

So who's really owning the podium thus far?  It's none other than the United States with 26 medals, including seven gold.  Most of that is due to the performances of Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn on the ski slopes.

There will still be plenty of opportunities for the Canadians to win gold before the competition ends Sunday.  They have an excellent chance in men's and women's curling, and the women's hockey team plays the U.S. in the gold medal final Thursday.

But the men's hockey team has become a source of concern across Canada.  You would think that, with Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Martin Brodeur and all the NHL talent the country has to offer, they'd be a shoo-in for gold.  But Team Canada needed a shootout to defeat Switzerland.  And they lost to the Americans 5-3.  Now they're in danger of not medaling at all.

(Since the U.S.'s victory occurred one day shy of the thirtieth anniversary of the "Miracle On Ice", when a bunch of college kids took down the mighty Soviet Union in a historic match at Lake Placid, some people have been comparing that game to the one on Sunday.  Please don't.  In this case, it was "our pros" beating "their pros".)

(MSNBC, normally the home of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, televised the U.S.-Canada game to record numbers for the news and opinion channel.  NBC broke from taped bobsledding during its prime time coverage to present the last 30 seconds of the game.  We were surprised that they showed it at all.)

Team Canada can still win the gold and calm a nation's anxieties.  They cruised past Germany 8-2 Tuesday night at Canada Hockey Place (known as General Motors Place when the NHL Canucks are playing).  But the road become much tougher when they face Russia (and Alexander Ovechkin) Wednesday night.

By not playing to its stereotype of being reserved, Canadians have been learning a valuable lesson in hosting these Winter Olympics:  Never promise more than you can deliver.  To do otherwise would be downright . . . American.

Tiger Woods Declawed

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In an address to the world that any disgraced politician would envy, Tiger Woods apologized to just about anyone who listened Friday:  his wife Elin, his family, fans, parents and the PGA Tour.  He sounded sincere in telling us how sorry he was for cavorting with an assortment of women, and for behaving like a jerk on and off the golf course.  After listening to that, Woods should be damn lucky he's still married to Elin, who--tellingly--wasn't in the same room during his mea culpa.

The timing of Woods' announcement was dictated by his rehab schedule, where he is reportedly being treated for sex addiction, and not because he wanted to stick it to one of his former sponsors.  Accenture, which dropped Woods in December when the news about him got to be too much for them, is putting its name to a match play golf tournament in Arizona this weekend.

Coverage of the Tiger Woods Show was seen on all networks, broadcast and cable.  Only reporters from wire services were permitted in, asking no questions.  This tight control of the message was greeted with derision by most of the other media.  Doesn't this sound like Michael Jackson to you?

Among the other things Woods told the assembled family and friends:  He blasted the tabloid media for stalking his family.  And what really happened to sour the relationship between him and his wife should remain between them.  No argument there.

Oh yes, about the golf.  Woods says he might return to playing someday, but didn't say when.  If he does, it'll be a long time, if ever.  Forget the Masters or the U.S. Open.  The most important thing in his life right now is to get his life together, and that has no timetable.

If Tiger Woods really, truly wants to become a better man, then whatever he's doing now is the first step in a long process.  We wish him the best.

Vancouver 2010: What You See Is What You Get

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Every Olympics, it seems, people complain about NBC's handling (or mishandling) of the events it covers, and when it chooses to show them.

The Winter Games in Vancouver offers a better opportunity for NBC to show more events live than it did for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, simply because the time difference is much less daunting.  However, to recoup their considerable investment in the eyes of advertisers who want to appeal to 18-49 women, they hold the best events that might appeal to that demographic in prime time.  That's why you won't see much live streaming of events on your computer, because NBC needs every eyeball they can get.

Take Wednesday night, for example.  Lindsey Vonn's gold medal run in the women's downhill was held for broadcast until midway through the prime time show, sandwiched between live coverage of men's snowboarding and speed skating. (Although we could have done without witnessing that private moment between Vonn and her coach/husband after she had won the gold.  It was uncomfortable to watch.)

Those sports not considered quite as desirable to the young and distaff by advertisers are relegated either to late afternoons and weekends (for biathlon and cross-country skiing), or to cable networks not normally associated with sports (that would be ice hockey and curling).

And then there are the often-ridiculed profiles of athletes who have Beaten The Odds, or whose motivation comes from a relative who's dying of a fatal disease.  Those have been around since the days of "ABC's Wide World of Sports".  Come to think of it, the evolution of Olympics TV coverage stems from that show alone.

It must be working.  Thus far, the Winter Olympics have been enjoying the biggest increase in viewers since the Salt Lake City Games of 2002, the last time they were held on this continent.  They've even edged out "American Idol", the Fox show that took them to the cleaners in 2006.

Get used to this, folks.  No matter who wins the American broadcast rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, embargoed coverage and targeted marketing will be the patterns we're stuck with.

Vancouver 2010: What Could Go Wrong?

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The Winter Olympics in Vancouver got off to a tragic start with the death of Nadar Komaritashvili, a Georgian athlete who crashed on the luge course during a practice run prior to the Games.  As a result, the men's competition started where the women were supposed to, and the women started theirs where the juniors would have been, in order to cut down the speed on a track that some have called dangerous.

But that was only the beginning.  There was a malfunctioning torch at the Opening Ceremonies, Zamboni problems at the speed skating oval, and Alpine skiing events were postponed because of either too little snow or too much--which allowed American skiier Lindsey Vonn to give her celebrated shin a chance to heal.

Other than that, the big story so far is that Canadians have finally won Olympic gold on their own soil, even if it is in events deemed more suitable for ESPN's X Games.  Alex Bilodeau in men's moguls and Moelle Ricker in women's snowboardcross made history for the Maple Leaf.  Jenn Heil in women's moguls would have been the first, had she not lost to American Hannah Kearney.

The most significan accomplishment for the United States thus far is that Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated male athlete ever at the Winter Games with six medals.  He won a silver in the men's 1500-meter short track speed skating event.  Bode Miller won the bronze in the men's downhill.

All that stuff about Canadians "owning the podium" has yet to pan out, with Germany leading the medal count as of Tuesday night.

NBC's coverage benefits from the Games being in the same hemisphere as its audience, which was not the case in Beijing two years ago.  They're even showing some of the major events live in prime time.  Or is it "plausibly live"?  However, not everyone is so fortunate.  A quick check of the website for KING, NBC's Seattle affiliate, tells us that the West Coast is getting the Olympics coverage on tape delay even though it's in their own time zone.

In the past, we've been hearing from viewers in Detroit, Buffalo and International Falls talk about how much better the Olympics coverage is on Canadian television than on NBC.  Since CTV, not CBC, is covering these Games, we've yet to hear if it's still true.

The forecast for Vancouver and environs is for improving conditions, which would be enough to make every event remain on schedule, cramped though it may be.  Everyone involved--the athletes, organizers and TV networks--is keeping their fingers crossed that everything else goes off without a hitch.