Normally, I hate watching the Academy Awards ceremony (or any awards show, for that matter) because I tend to get anxious for no reason. I'll suddenly find myself on the edge of my seat, wondering who's going to win the Oscar for best sound mixing. And no offense to those guys (because movies would be dreadful without sound mixing, of course), but really... I kinda don't care. At least, not enough for me to get that nervous.
Sandra Bullock pictured above, leaving the taping of Oprah's "After Oscar Special" wearing Alternative Apparel's Heather Burnout Tank.
But I was extended an invitation to a friend's house this year for some Oscar viewing, so I decided to chance it. It probably helps to mention that (A) I don't see this particular friend as much as I'd like to, and (B) he has an enormous flat screen digital TV along with a room full of the most comfy bean bag chairs ever made.
As the ceremony eventually came around to the Best Actress award presentation (and I had thankfully kept my anxiety to a minimum), I already knew what was going to happen. The girl from Precious wasn't going to snag it, because she was too new, too young. Maybe you can pull that in the Supporting Actress category, but not here. Of course, I'd be happy if Meryl Streep won, but as far as I'm concerned, they could have just given her all the Oscars and called it a night. There was no doubt: Sandra Bullock for the win.
I had no complaints about her victory - I didn't feel like anyone else had been robbed. But also, I didn't see any of the films the actresses were in, so I didn't have any solid grounds for objections. But the more and more I thought about it, especially during her touching acceptance speech, I began to feel proud. Proud not only for her, but proud for myself, too. And you should have been proud, too.
Here's my thought process:
01. Okay, so kinda silly, but they filmed scenes in The Blind Side only two blocks from my house. I never saw any of the actors - I basically only saw lots of lighting equipment and production assistants - but I felt like I was really a part of it in some way. Silly, I know, but a real and exciting sensation nonetheless.
02. I mean, I felt kinda bad when she thanked people who liked her "when it wasn't fashionable." And I suddenly felt extremely guilty, as if she had heard every time I made fun of her for being "that actress" in movies like Premonition, or The Lake House, or Practical Magic, or... okay, I'll stop right there. But I guess it was a nice refresher that, sure, we're not all always on our A-game. We've all got a moment or two when we're not at our best - but do we want people to just wipe us off and cut us out? Nah. I had already been feeling slightly guilty after hearing what a good sport she was for winning the Razzie for Worst Actress for her performance in All About Steve.
03. Aside from those bad movies, Sandra Bullock has had some great roles in some good films - films that are key for our generation and our (pop) culture. Speed isn't Oscar-worthy, but it was a pretty rad movie. And maybe they didn't need Miss Congeniality 2, but the first one had some pretty good laughs. She charmed us all in movies like While You Were Sleeping and Hope Floats... and if you've never seen Love Potion No. 9, then you are truly missing out. At the end of the day, she's still an all-American girl, and recognizing that really ties us all together, doesn't it?
04. Her Oscar speech was really moving and she gave us yet another dose of something we all tend to forget. Expounding on the theme of the film for which she won, she thanked her mom for teaching her and her sisters that "there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color... no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love." Anywhere from Perez Hilton's vicious tongue to violent wars in the Middle East, we can all be accused of showing anger or hate at times when we should show love to our fellow man, woman or child.
I teared up a few times writing this post, even. Congrats on your win, Sandra! The Blind Side is now in my Netflix queue. (And the next time you're filming near my house, call me, okay?)
As the ceremony eventually came around to the Best Actress award presentation (and I had thankfully kept my anxiety to a minimum), I already knew what was going to happen. The girl from Precious wasn't going to snag it, because she was too new, too young. Maybe you can pull that in the Supporting Actress category, but not here. Of course, I'd be happy if Meryl Streep won, but as far as I'm concerned, they could have just given her all the Oscars and called it a night. There was no doubt: Sandra Bullock for the win.
I had no complaints about her victory - I didn't feel like anyone else had been robbed. But also, I didn't see any of the films the actresses were in, so I didn't have any solid grounds for objections. But the more and more I thought about it, especially during her touching acceptance speech, I began to feel proud. Proud not only for her, but proud for myself, too. And you should have been proud, too.
Here's my thought process:
01. Okay, so kinda silly, but they filmed scenes in The Blind Side only two blocks from my house. I never saw any of the actors - I basically only saw lots of lighting equipment and production assistants - but I felt like I was really a part of it in some way. Silly, I know, but a real and exciting sensation nonetheless.
02. I mean, I felt kinda bad when she thanked people who liked her "when it wasn't fashionable." And I suddenly felt extremely guilty, as if she had heard every time I made fun of her for being "that actress" in movies like Premonition, or The Lake House, or Practical Magic, or... okay, I'll stop right there. But I guess it was a nice refresher that, sure, we're not all always on our A-game. We've all got a moment or two when we're not at our best - but do we want people to just wipe us off and cut us out? Nah. I had already been feeling slightly guilty after hearing what a good sport she was for winning the Razzie for Worst Actress for her performance in All About Steve.
03. Aside from those bad movies, Sandra Bullock has had some great roles in some good films - films that are key for our generation and our (pop) culture. Speed isn't Oscar-worthy, but it was a pretty rad movie. And maybe they didn't need Miss Congeniality 2, but the first one had some pretty good laughs. She charmed us all in movies like While You Were Sleeping and Hope Floats... and if you've never seen Love Potion No. 9, then you are truly missing out. At the end of the day, she's still an all-American girl, and recognizing that really ties us all together, doesn't it?
04. Her Oscar speech was really moving and she gave us yet another dose of something we all tend to forget. Expounding on the theme of the film for which she won, she thanked her mom for teaching her and her sisters that "there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color... no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love." Anywhere from Perez Hilton's vicious tongue to violent wars in the Middle East, we can all be accused of showing anger or hate at times when we should show love to our fellow man, woman or child.
I teared up a few times writing this post, even. Congrats on your win, Sandra! The Blind Side is now in my Netflix queue. (And the next time you're filming near my house, call me, okay?)
love the look! she looks fab.
Posted by: lauren | March 09, 2010 at 01:05 PM
this post is amazing. sandra is the best (although i will agree, did we need mc2?). she is rockin' the burnout.
thanks for the link.
Posted by: lynde | March 10, 2010 at 03:28 AM
Its all about Speed 2: Cruise Control
Posted by: Evan | March 16, 2010 at 08:24 AM