March 3, 2010

What are some of the "dumbest" Oscar wins?

Well, as part of today's updates on the Main Page, we have an article detailing what might have been some of Oscar's worst mistakes. The article is found here, so be sure to check it out and let us know your choices!
We also have the next article in the Will Win/Should Win series hitting, so check that out here and be on the lookout for the last few pieces to be coming along before the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Finally, there's an update to the American Idol page with some new commentary, be sure to check here for all the latest!
-Thoughts on the articles and American Idol commentary?

14 comments:

  1. I thought Kate Winslet was brilliant in The Reader.

    Keep in mind Reese Witherspoon won just three years earlier, for a meh performance. Over Felicity Huffman's brilliant Transamerica performance, I might add.

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  2. I didn't think much of Winslet in The Reader, though she was the best part of it, but that's just me...

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  3. I don't think I'll be seeing eye-to-eye with Myles Hughes with a lot when it comes to the Oscars, and that's fine.

    I do not understand people who slam Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line to hold up Felicity Huffman in Transamerica on a pedestal. Neither were that remarkable, and at least Witherspoon didn't go for every Oscar-bait trick in the book like Huffman did. To me, it's no different than those who think Russell Crowe was robbed by Denzel Washington in 2001, despite it being Crowe's most frustratingly mannered work yet. "Stunt" performances don't just fool AMPAS members, I guess. Though I agree with aaron that Kate Winslet is unfairly maligned by John and quite great in The Reader.

    A lot of what Foote writes here has been expressed by himself several times in the past on sites like InContention. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, but I would like to see him write something that ISN'T about how Roberto Benigni was such a horrible choice for Best Actor, since that's such an oft-repeated thing now. How about some injustices in the techs? Those never get enough love. Or maybe category fraud? The debate over whether or not Hans Landa was really a "supporting" character in Inglourious Basterds is one that I see resurfacing, and would be interesting to discuss.

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  4. Sorry Mr.Foote but putting Winslet performance in the reader, in to your nominee list, make your articule unreadable!!!
    I Agree with Aaron and Robert Hamer!

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  5. I know this isn't a performance, and I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing this, but I still think that Slumdog Millionaire was one of the dumbest mistakes Oscar has made ever since I became aware of them. I'm not sure I'll ever get over it...

    And Kate Winslet, though not astonishing in The Reader, still certainly deserved the award. While Meryl probably deserved it more, I'd rather see her win for J&J rather than Doubt.

    Also, this is in reference to everyone at this site, PLEASE EDIT YOUR ARTICLES BEFORE POSTING THEM. Nothing distracts me more when reading an article on a website than if there are missing words, misspellings, grammatical errors, etc.

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  6. Robert, fair points, but it's John's prerogative to write about whatever he fancies, as it is all of ours...

    Joseph, I'm not sure how a difference of opinion makes an article unreadable, but that's just me...

    Adam, unfortunately, when it comes to Slumdog (and I pretty much agree with you), just grin and bear it, as life goes on (as I learned with Crash winning)...

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  7. Regarding the Kate Winslet subject:

    I'm sort of with John on it, not because she isn't talented. I hate that she won her Oscar for one of her more forgettable performances. I'd even take her winning for "Heavenly Crea of her career. I'm not going to remember Kate Winslet 30 years from now for "The Reader."

    I will remember her for "Eternal Sunshine" and "Revolutionary Road" and "Heavenly Creatures"

    That's what tilts me over to John's side a bit.

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  8. Agreed, Winslet in Eternal Sunshine or Revolutionary Road or Little Children, those are the performances of hers that stay with me.

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  9. Totally agree about Heavenly Creatures. Definately my favorite performance of hers.

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  10. On the Will Win/Should Win article. I agree with quite a few of Myles choices. One irks me though, and it's how he thinks Vera should win. Mo'Nique gives one for the ages. Like, Vera has chemistry with Clooney in spades, but like how i felt about the rest of the (in my opinion) pretty overrated Up in the Air, its a smooth, slick performance that goes down easy but doesn't stick. She's given better performances, even just last year. But hey, at least it's not for something terrible like Maggie Gyllenhaal's work in Crazy Heart. That's just me though.

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  11. Fair warning...I went with Vera on my "Should Win" section as well.

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  12. Andrew,

    I do want to emphasize that I don't disapprove of Mo'Nique inevitably winning. She gives a spectacular and haunting performance that's well worthy of a win. At this point, it's mainly a combination of not wanting to agree with all the predictable winners and putting in a good word for an actress I always enjoy. But I definitely don't have a problem with Mo'Nique winning.

    Thanks for reading!

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  13. Foote's article on "dumbest" actor/actress Oscars and previous articles on biggest snubs have convinced me....... that he should not be writing articles about performances.

    Placing Kate Winslet's win on a list as a "dumb" move by the Academy is a joke. While I would've preferred she win for the raw, quiet intensity she brought to Revolutionary Road, the subtlety and painful beauty she brought to The Reader made it an equally worthy performance.

    And just as a general note: will the Academy make some strange choices? Of course.

    Have any of the winners been completely undeserving? No.

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  14. Well, that's your prerogative, though I personally like that John is our most emotional writer. It provides something different, especially as compared to someone like me, who tends to be more zen about things. He's been published more than any of us put together, so he's doing something right. Does he do things differently? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No.

    In the end, it creates conversation, and that's always good...

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