This morning I was looking at an article from the Associated Press news feed about the Oscars on Sunday. It says that movie fans are treating it like their own Super Bowl of movies. They have their own version of tailgating at home, with champagne and fancy snacks instead of buffalo wings and beer. Then again, there's got to be at least one guy organizing an Oscar Party with Super Bowl-type snacks, plus beer to boot.
Ironically, fans of NASCAR and the NBA will do the same thing on Sunday, as the NBA All-Star Game and Daytona 500 are also scheduled for that day. Sunday will be more action-packed than Super Bowl XLVI was, because there's important stuff for more than 10 hours, 12 if you count The Walking Dead, 15 if you count Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscar show.
In an attempt to attract younger views, despite the fact the age of the average Oscar voter is close to the average life expectancy, there's been some attempt to treat it like a Super Bowl, or March Madness. We already have several pre-game shows otherwise known as Hollywood's best coming down the Red Carpet. Is it that much different than the two teams in the Super Bowl gathering on the field while 75,000 people wait with baited breath for the game to start? Remember, it used to be that E! had the Red Carpet show. Now there's at least three, including ABC's "pre-game" show.
Keeping that in mind, there must also be examples of people who decide to go to a Super Bowl even if they can't possibly afford tickets. They just want to be part of it somehow. Since that's the case, it's the same for the Academy Awards, especially as it's the first one in a decade that is not from the Kodak Theater, but a facility at the Hollywood and Highland Center that used to be called the Kodak Theater. Thanks loads, digital cameras.
There's bound to be a big group close to the theater, hoping to get a look at George Clooney, Meryl Streep or Christopher Plummer, even if it's from 300 yards away, if that close.
And, through taking a risk that sadly didn't pay off, I'm going to be one of those people. The only upside is that getting a cheap flight and cheap hotel wasn't that tough, and it may help me get really close to flying to Comic-Con for free in July, thanks to Rapid Rewards.
1iota, my usual source for Jimmy Kimmel tickets, had a contest where 100 people would be in a special bleacher section on the Oscar Red Carpet. Sadly, no cameras and phones are allowed, but that's expected. It's a high-class version of a talk show taping. I entered it early, and my request was "pending" for more than a week. However, there were also thousands of other "pending" requests. All but 100, my guess people in their 20s-30s who were locals, were turned down. I was planning to cancel my plane ticket, but found out my hotel reservation could not be cancelled.
So, what the heck? Maybe I'll bump into Jessica Chastain at a Pinkberry's. At least I'll still have time afterwards for a bit of swag-hunting.
My only concern is where am I going to see the main show after the Red Carpet antics are done. I hope there's a friendly hotel where I can snack on happy hour stuff and free wi-fi. That's more than enough.
I'll bring as much Oscar swag as I can get, from the crew passes from 1988 to a hat and Governor's Ball pin. I could bring my ad mock-ups from New York, New York, and hope I meet Scorsese, but that's too delusional. I just hope I can go home with a piece of Oscar, the spirit if not the statue.
No comments:
Post a Comment