“Who needs the Oscars, anyway, other than the chosen few nominees and the hangers-on who love them?,” writes Newsweek‘s Marc Peyser in a 1.31 posting. Not to mention the Hollywood websites who depend on Oscar-season advertising…right, Marc?

“The fact is, the Oscar telecast (scheduled for 2.24, assuming some sort of miracle) is the worst three hours and 27 minutes on television, and it has held that distinction for years and years and years,” Peyser writes.
Not fully true. There have been exceptions. and more than a few. The moment, for instance, when The Pianist teammates Ronald Harwood and Roman Polanski won the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director Oscar delivered as much emotional voltage as any legendary sports moment. And what about when Dreamgirls‘ Eddie Murphy lost out to Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin last year for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar? There were cries and shrieks coast-to-coast when that happened. I could mention other highlights. You just need the right perverse attitude to enjoy them.
“Go ahead, try to think of something, anything, memorable from a telecast in the last, say, five years.” (Read the last paragraph, Marc!) “The witty host’s monologue? The moving acceptance speeches? The outfits? Sure, you can remember that such staples existed, along with a cute joke or moving moment or two. But considering the length of the show, those tidbits don’t convert to a very high on-base percentage. And considering the anticipation and hype that precede the show every year, this is one pretty awful excuse for A-list entertainment.”