People used to say "separate the art from the artists" and we did... But their egos did not like that so they put their message into their art and now we just hate both

award seasons used to be awesome and mostly deserved. and now, they are so boring and undeserved. Ricky Gervais, was right, "thank your god, thank your agent and fuck off"

George C Scott dismissed the Oscars as a "two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons" and refused to attend despite being nominated multiple times. This was back in the 60s and 70s.

It's now about Celebs pretending they're better than everyone else instead of the art of cinema.

Video killed the radio star, and social media killed the movie star.

Back in VHS days, my kid sister used to insist - every year - on setting the video to record The Oscars overnight and then she'd watch the whole thing back. Can't say I ever cared about it or understood the fascination, but to her it was as important as a Cup Final. You were SOL if there was a film you wanted to record on another channel. Spoke to her yesterday and, remembering that she used to do that, asked her if she still bothers with that annual ritual. Nope. Anyway, it made me think about how "important" the Oscars used to be, and how desperately _unimportant_ it's become. As The Drinker said, it's got to be due to the internet and social media. Back in the day, you only really saw "movie stars" on the silver screen or - occasionally - on a talk show, and that was it. So there was something a little bit special about seeing these rare breeds all gathered together in one place, unscripted. It was a glimpse into a world that we didn't get to see the other 364 days of the year. Nowadays, of course, anyone who cares about "movie stars" has more than their fill of them; there's no mystique left, and we all know that they're just weird over-privileged humans that live in their bubbles. It's more like a freakshow than the menagerie of rare and exotic beasts that it used to be.

As a Sydney fan what was endearing is she didn’t attack the fans for Madam Webb’s failure. That is so unusual these days it made her seem down to earth… and God forbid, likable.

Joan Crawford in a 1966 British interview, "Everybody knows too much about stars these days...".

What killed award shows was that there were too many of them on TV in the 2000s. Most of these award shows were just there to prop up a dying music industry. The Oscars are the original and the best, sort of a school sports day for Hollywood, but the exclusivity has gone. Watch any Oscars from the 1970s the only celebs there are those nominated for awards and those giving out awards. The rest of the audience are made up of aging Hollywood execs taking their wives out for one day a year. Today celebs turn up at award shows to be seen, their agents insist on it and that is not cool.

Hollywood killed awards shows... and nothing of value was lost.

Like most things Hollywood gets up to these days the Oscars are a total cringe waste of money and time. Pathetic.

The Oscar is basically a fart jar in the form of a little gold coloured statue.

The other aspect other than social media diluting the Star Power of actors is the sheer volume of shows and movies people have access to. When a new movie came out every one used to watch it, it was very likely the only TV Show or movie to come out for months. Now movies can come and go without most people even knowing they exist. A movie can win something like a Oscar and half the audience never heard of it.

No matter what they try from here on ... Too little, too late Hollyweird !

The only good thing to ever come from an Oscar win was when special effects supervisor John Dykstra used the Oscar he recieved for Star Wars to create the flare effects for the intro to the original Battlestar Galactica. He borrowed a laser from a university and shot a beam at his Oscar statue. The laster hitting the gold created huge colorful flares and he filmed it and put it in the movie. His Oscar is now melted on one side. The flares you see during _"There are those who believe..."_ is his Oscar being burned by the laser.

Award 'ceremonies' are always an industry circle jerk. Never forget that.

I mean a bunch of rich people that meet dressed in clothes and accessories that probably worth more then our yearly salary try to tell us what to do.

I was wondering what John Cena was covering. I thought he had that removed.

Congratulations, Drinker, for being featured on the Pierce Morgan program along with Nerdrotic! I love that you guys are getting this mainstream attention. All the hard work that you and others have put in, articulating a cogent critique against wokeness and the lack of creativity in our media, is finally paying off.

Say it with me people!!!! THE DRINKER'S CHOICE AWARDS - coming Jan 2025

“There were some men… beautiful men, with chest hair…”

I can speak to losing interest in a production depending on the actor involved. Celebs access to social media makes them genuine liabilities to production companies

Once upon a time, Robert Clampett poked fun at the Oscars with his classic Looney Tunes clip-show short "What's Cookin', Doc?" As I've aged, I've found that tragically that short has lost some of its humor. Not because anything is wrong with it, but because the original satirical nature of the short towards the Oscars has become real life. It feels like Oscar has become "the booby prize" with it going from something that genuinely represented high value to a joke for being handed out to undeserving people and film work.

Yep, social media outed these people and a lot of us are realizing we actually don’t like the actors we thought we liked. I don’t follow any celebs I like anymore on social media because of couple of them made me realize I don’t actually like them and I don’t want everything I like ruined so best not to even look at their socials.

The Oscars went downhill the moment it got hyper political and that, for me, happened in 2001

I stopped caring about award shows in late 90s. That's also around the time there were worthy winners.

Blockbuster Video (remember them?) used to have the Blockbuster Awards every year. They would put electronic kiosks in the store so customers could vote. Having worked for them back in the day, I can tell you that they should have named them the Blockbuster Employee Awards, because the employees voted FAR more often than the customers did. Awards shows are not a measure of anything worthwhile.

You can see Sydney Sweeney's great...personality...in 'The Voyeurs' and 'Euphoria.'

Speaking of award shows. Just look at SXSW. An arms-pushing music festival. But what’s really interesting is just who owns SXSW. It just happens to be this little company called Penske Media Corporation (PMC). And in addition to SXSW they also own Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Art Forum, Art News, Art in America, Beauty Inc. and Vibe just to name a few of their publications that they’ve amassed over the last 10-15 years. But like SXSW they also own The Golden Globes, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Latin American Music Awards and the ACM Awards. This one company owns them all. Talk about the complete and utter monopolization of media coupled with the ability to create or destroy tastes and styles as they see fit for their quarterly earnings. And we wonder why we can’t get any authentic music, art or film anymore. And this is just one of these creativity destroying major monopolies.

Madame Web has massively shot sweeney into the limelight. 6 weeks ago, barely anyone had even heard of her. Now she's on every other KZfaq video thumbnail lol.

Even the Game Awards has turned into the Oscars.

I show up to a premiere wearing basically nothing and I get arrested. So much for male privelege.

I agree. Their opinions spewed all over the internet and Covid revealed how truly disgusting and gross most of those “actors” are. Also with things like KZfaq I barely even know when a new movie is out, aside from that kid in dune, like everyone is a nobody now.

Question: Does ANYONE remember a film called “The English Patient” ??? We should, because it won EVERYTHING in mid nineties…🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

" ... a sanitized version of a dead format." What a GREAT turn of phrase. Seems to me that could describe a lot of the changes and degradation which the Cultural Revolution has wrought upon our society. Thank you for that. Cheers!

Social media killed the mystery of stardom.

Woody Allen never believed in the Oscars (or the competition of it), which is why he never attends. The only time he attended was in 2002 because of 9/11. Going back to Annie Hall, Woody was performing at a jazz club the night of the Oscars and was unaware that Annie Hall won, until the next morning.

The problem really started decades ago when celebrities saw all the attention they were getting and thought it was their "duty" to use the platform of award shows to raise awareness on some issue or the other. Over time this has snowballed into what we see in social media. Of course, when Brando had Sacheen Littlefeather reject the oscar on Marlon's behalf (the first instance of an actor making a public political statement on an award show - albeit in absentia) it wasn't really a controversial statement at the time. After the incident at Wounded Knee, most Americans were concerned about the government's mistreatment of native Americans. But over the decades it's evolved into this idea that a popular actor is duty bound to use their platform to spout whatever poorly researched or misunderstood political stance that serves no real purpose other than to divide their audience and put on display how stupid they are. I'm amazed their agents don't do more to steer them away from that behavior. The vast majority of an actor's fan base really don't give a crap about that actor's political opinions, and would likely be happier to not know where they stand on the issues of the day. It spoils the illusion and ruins the escapist fun that movies are.

Social media made it more difficult for most folks to separate the art from the artist. "Oh I loved X in Y." *Go to tell them you thought they were great in such-and-such a role, see's them frothing at the mouth because of [Current Thing]. *

Mark Hamill / Luke Skywalker used to be one of my heroes growing up. Now you couldn't get me to have him sign something for me even you paid ME for the autograph

Good point about separating the personal views of the performer from their performance. I enjoy a lot of artists I would never want to talk with in person.

Sydney Sweeney is the undisputed Hollywood queen. 😅

Camelot looks like a High School wrestler.

Exactly… Checkmate: Sidney

it's easier to remember which films won best picture from the 1980's & 1990's than it is to remember who won best picture the last 5 or 6 years. What does that tell you about the Oscars & the current films?

I wonder how Oppenheimer got past all the D E I Oscar nonsense, since there were only two or three poc with limited screen time?

Ryan George has a video called “the first guy to ever win an award.“ It’s Just like Chris Gore said! Ryan George is the same guy who does “pitch meetings.“

I think really the key thing that they've informed us about through social medial is that they _ALL_ buy into their own hype. They basically abandoned the pretense that they feel honored and humbled to have fans... because I guess they just didn't think it was worth the effort to hide it anymore. In their minds, they _should_ have fans, because of course they should! They are "the elites" TM and they know it. It's like they've never just sat down and put it together. "Would anyone root for any main character in a movie with such an over-inflated sense of self-importance as the one I publicly display regularly? And if not, why not?" They don't bother to ask themselves such questions.

Did see thouugh that Wikipedia had up the picture of the one female of the three producers rather than the producer who wrote and directed the movie...

Holy shit I didnt even recognize Mark Hamill as Artur Pym. He sure did a good job tho!

I saw CODA, and it was a great movie. BUT they didnt do any work on the marketing. It was a really good depiction of what it’s like to live with deaf parents.

The Oscars: “Maybe we should do the Oscars like we used to?” Also The Oscars: “Nah, it’ll be fine.”

OK, yes, Sydney Sweeney has great b**bs, but what I find most appealing about her is that she is unabashedly feminine and cute. And I think Dakota Johnson is also very feminine (but in a more low-key way), and I like her very much. I hope both of them move on to great success.

I remember people talking about the Oscars for days, or even weeks after. Now, I had to look up who won anything, because no one was talking about it. No one cares.

Still want the Boothies. Named after the actor John Wilkes Booth.

Its burning down before our eyes and its as glorious as we hoped it would be

I saw CODA, but my girlfriend is an American Sign Language interpreter.

Did Oppenheimer pass their DEI requirements or is that not implemented yet?

The only thing I care about at the Oscars now is Best Animated Feature and it seems like the Oscars are some what taking that seriously now. I just wish Iron Claw got some recognition at the Oscars, that movie was snubbed hard.

Hey Mauler I just wanted to let you know I (and many others) have your back and I cannot stand what Act Man did. Love y'all and thanks for doing God's work

Parasite and Slum Dog Millionaire, forgein films, won Best Picture at The Oscars, an AMERICAN film awards ceremony. How many American films have won best picture in foreign countries' award shows? I can give a caveat for a lot of UK movies because they work directly with American studios and actors, but Parasite is a purely foreign film.

that well done for trying at the end kinda breaks the heart a little

Drinker kinda touches on this but with social media we no longer have to rely on the opinion of just the critics and awards.

I'll say this, I actually like Coda alot. But to the larger point, the film had no reach because it was on Apple+.

Even for its own issues back then, I kind of miss Hollywood’s golden years. Back then, from the 20s to the 90s, or maybe a shorter amount of time, Hollywood was a place of dreams and passion. Where the art, mattered. Above all else. Practical sets, genuine, talented stars, award ceremonies that felt real and meaningful. When you cared about the actor, what their latest role was. You’d ask: “What’s Monroe’s latest movie”? Or, “Cooper, what’s your favorite role”? Or, “What do you think was Karloff’s best work”? You’d care about the actor, and not solely just the character. It was a time when Hollywood had standards, passionate creators and artists. All determined to meet the expectations of the camera and the director. Sadly, Hollywood’s golden years, ended long ago. The red carpets are worn, the city of the stars has lost it’s luster, and the golden streets have become dull.

Yeah I thought Parasite won 2 years ago, it was a lot longer than that. Apparently it was a movie called "CODA". That was the year where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock and frankly, I can't remember anything else about the year except that one clip which was the only clip that I watched. IMO, the best film of that year was Dune. Loved that film. Good illustration though. Oh and, for the record, Everything Everywhere All At Once won last year though I had completely forgotten that that was last year. Great performances by Michelle Yeoh and great comeback stories for Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser. That being said, I'm personally pretty sad that Austin Butler didn't win for Elvis, he really was brilliant in that role.

Imo one of the biggest rip offs in movie awards was snubbing “as good as it gets”. One of my faves of all time. Been bitter about that one for 26 years or so

"Bad take factory" -- I'm going to have to use that.

1:23 I can never unsee the fact that whenever Blue Collar Loser takes a sip if his drink and someone makes a comment, there is always this forced "pre spit take". I must have saw it a dozen or more times through this episode of Open Bar. Dude, you're trying to hard.

I doubt the awards shows were ever "unscripted," at least anytime during the past 40 years. All those shows have writers, just like "Reality" shows. Bruce Valanche was head writer for the Oscars from 2000-2014. And as for social media, there is no reason to think that any celebritiy's feed is "unscripted," or even written by them. Even minor celebs have assistants and social media managers. And every celbrity has taken note what happened to Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, Roseanne Barr, and Gina Carano and many others when they said something that was "out of line," and what happened to their career afterwards.

It's crazy how people are going crazy over Sydney Sweeney but haven't seen Euphoria which she is most known for and nude all the time in.

Considering how often the Oscars get it wrong that show has been irrelevant since 2008 when The Dark Knight was snubbed for best picture, director & screenplay.

Social media killed the mythic and mystical figure of the movie star. Streaming services killed everything else. I barely know the new actors. They are in streaming services now along with the already established ones. And I do not have the "plus" services of entertainment companies. No appeal to me. There so many shows that actors are diluted and you don't get to know any of them.

I must be the only person to think Oppenheimer was boring shit I will never watch again I guess.

I do think another problem is that since 2000 or so, Hollywood studios started to delineate between "Oscar bait" movies and movies people wanted to see. It meant the audience didn't have much rooting interest in the nominees because they hadn't seen most of the movies. Take a look at the line up in 1973: The Godfather, Deliverance, Cabaret, Sounder. These were wildly popular movies and all very different from each other.

I think the only reason viewership increased this year from the previous few years is people where hoping for something along the lines of the Will Smith/Chris Rock debacle.

We all know why Moonlight won, come on now. Let’s not kid ourselves.

I was out of the loop on the Hamill grandkid story. Good christ that was sleazy.

Oscars were always irrelevant. Lots of Oscar snubbed films have gone on to be recognized as legendary while the winners from that same year are long (usually immediately) forgotten. Citizen Kane and It's a Wonderful Life are great examples of their time. THat being said, it's also important to note that there are plenty of STONE COLD CLASSICS and truly great films that won best picture and are still enjoyed by new audiences. Like silence of the Lambs, Forrest Gump (despite more deserving competition that year), Rocky, Godfather, Platoon, In the Heat of the Night, The Sound of Music...

While it's a bit older, I'd say all the talk shows hurt it too. It used to be just Carson and Letterman. Even when that started to blow up, there was a definite hierarchy and those two were still at the top (albeit Arsenio had a nice run). Then Carson retired and the whole thing became a mess. Leno held the Tonight Show together for a while, but let's face it. It's not the big deal it used be. I remember how huge it was when a young comedian was actually brought over to talk to Johnny after doing his/her three minute routine. Most of the time, they just left but if Johnny asked you over, it was a career maker.

I would’ve never guessed that CODA won best picture in 2022. I had to look that up.

Yeah...the boldness and smart approach of Sidney Sweeney to Hollywood is so refreshing. I know, she's got a great body, First We Feast interview showed her as a really grounded and fun person, while her brain was melting with spices and she just rides that wave, playing to her strengths, unfazed by the fact, that some projects do not turn up well, it's still paycheck. She will proudly boob her way through Hollywood, smiling and waving, using the potential mistakes and mishaps as a fuel for her future successes. You know what? I can respect that. At least she's brutally honest about who she is and what she does.

I like searching what films were nominated in previous decades as usually the best (or more interesting) films don’t win and then watching them

it's like in the military when all they higher ups get awards and you stand there and listen to the BS

Non-plussed means surprised.

Narcissist gonna Narc.

Godzilla Minus One was the only good thing at the Oscars, everything else….F*ck em.

You guys did not saw "society of the snow" , hands down the best picture of 2023

I haven't paid attention to awards shows in forever

The Oscars and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was a PR move by Louis B Meyer et al, to bring respectability to the film industry after some scandals (lookin’ at you Roscoe Arbuckle).

How much money did the Oscar's make from views? And how much did they spend on the Oscar's?

The fact that barbie even got nominated.... It's wierd

Which movie did more people see, Moonlight or Moonfall?

There are no more Movie Stars. When the old guard finally kicks the bucket or retires I already know I'm not going to know any Actor's name. In the future it'll all be AI generated anyway, the first step is almost accomplished- no more Movie Stars. If they kept their private life private and stayed off social media they could still have that mysterious persona, but they all need that Social Media Kool-Aid.

I only watched the show for rdj

More people will rewatch The Dark Knight then will ever watch Slumdog Millionaire because most people never heard of it.

Hollywood will probably go through the same thing as games did with the crash in the 80s.

The first third of Moonlight was "Wow, Maharsala Ali is great in this." The second two thirds are, "What's with all this gay sh*t? This kid needed a good role model and father figure!"

the best way to beat the game is to not play it. One can live without social media.

Mark Roffelo in Arkham alyssum? 1:55 and 2:27