Nothing is more American than Hollywood, right? But even that industry has been so globalized that Sunday’s Oscars might have been handed out in Sydney, London or Mumbai. The only acting winner born in the USA was best actor Sean Penn. Best picture “Slumdog Millionaire” was produced by a British company, co-financed by a French distributor, released by a company owned by Aussie Rupert Murdoch, and filmed with a largely Indian cast and crew. Supporting actor winners were Penelope Cruz (Spain) and the late Heath Ledger (Australia). Even the show’s engaging host was foreign-born, Aussie Hugh Jackman, apparently a first (if you count Bob Hope as American). Michael Medved blogged: “While the movie industry relies on the international market for more and more of its revenues, the televised Oscar broadcast won’t get healthy again until it reconnects with the American mainstream.”
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19 Comments
Weak discussion idea.
Bollywood is doing well!
I was very impressed with what Sean Penn had to say when he accepted his award. I was proud of him for speaking out about such an important subject.
Last year every acting award went to a foreigner, so technically the least American show would have been last year. And yes Bob Hope was a Brit so jackmans not even the first Foreign host
yawn…..
Didn’t watch the Oscars. Don’t care to watch the Oscars.
Nothing wrong with Aussies winning if they deserved to win.
Think I’ll go watch ‘Crocodile Dundee.’
Didn’t watch the Oscars. The beautiful people need to stick to making movies and not open their mouths on their own personal crusades.
It is an ill time when those thought to be beautiful words seem to have more weight then the skinny, old men do. The weight of one’s words should be weight not how easy the face is to look at. It is imaginary, a movie a show it is not real life. People go to see a movie because they like an actor or the topic not the nationality of the actor or where it is shot.
“george
Posted February 23, 2009 at 3:11 pm | Permalink
…The beautiful people need to stick to making movies and not open their mouths on their own personal crusades.”
Why? Is opening their mouths on personal crusades the sole territory of less-than-beautiful people?
I didn’t watch. I really don’t want to know about actors or actresses; what I love in movies has always been the storytelling, and getting involved with the actors lives distracts from the characters and the story.
As far as movies from other cultures, every culture has some terrific stories to tell and I enoy them all. I got started decades ago with those old, subtitled B&W French murder mysteries and just went on from there. America doesn’t have a monopoly on good stories, so it’s no wonder that many of the awards go to films from other places. I haven’t seen “Slumdog Millionaire” yet, but I’m looking forward to it soon.
We have about 5% of the worlds population in America.
If the quality of the stories are the same and the volume of movies produced the same, then we will eventually be winning only 5% of the awards.
In other news….
I am casting for my production of “Whitetrash Thousandaire”.
I will begin filming this summer in a as of yet undisclosed Sedgwick or Reno County trailer park.
If any of you are interested in a role let me know. I think some of you would be great as “locals”.
I guess the liberals of Hollywood didn’t get the lib tape:
Buy American!!!
brian_nuevo
Posted February 23, 2009 at 4:45 pm | Permalink
In other news….
I am casting for my production of “Whitetrash Thousandaire”.
I will begin filming this summer in a as of yet undisclosed Sedgwick or Reno County trailer park.
If any of you are interested in a role let me know. I think some of you would be great as “locals”.
—
lol
RENO (County) 911!
brian_nuevo
Posted February 23, 2009 at 4:45 pm | Permalink
In other news….
I am casting for my production of “Whitetrash Thousandaire”.
I will begin filming this summer in a as of yet undisclosed Sedgwick or Reno County trailer park.
Now that is not realist, it needs to be “Whitetrash I get fourteen dollars more a paycheckaire”. Why with 14 dollars more a paycheck I can go to the mov…. No I can’t do that! Well with 14 dollars I can…. No not that either! Well with 14 dollars I can get… Nope not that! Damn I thought this was suppose to make a difference….
they can get a couple sixers of old mill
wahhh friggin wahhh.
The show was beautifully done. But I have not respected the Oscars since “Annie Hall” beat out “Star Wars” for best picture.
Brian,
“We have about 5% of the worlds population in America.
If the quality of the stories are the same and the volume of movies produced the same, then we will eventually be winning only 5% of the awards.”
Well, seing as how the films are voted on by American movie people, I rather doubt that it’ll come quite to that. Other cultures’ stories are not always that accessible to average American audiences; f’rinstance, Russian movies often require an overdose of prozac to get over them, as the whole of Russian culture seems based on major depression, what with their winters and all, and middle-eastern films don’t have enough explicit sex for most western viewers. There’ll always be a place for Hollywood, but it’s nice to know that there are other good movies in the world too.
From Wikipedia….The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)[1] to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent film award ceremonies in the world. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.============================================
I didn’t see the word “American” anywhere in this paragraph; most of the early Hollywood filmmakers came here from other countries.