What is art?: There’s more to Oscar night

Watching the pre-Oscar celebrity round-up, I was quickly reminded how full of scum Hollywood actually is. As Miley Cyrus assumed a slew of poses for the flashing lights, I realized how much grip the industry’s gravitational pull has around what a celebrity becomes. My faith in the industry began to crumble as I saw a zoom-out of celebrities waiting for interviews in lines and as Ryan Seacrest asked Jessica Alba if she was going to breast-feed her baby. Like many other things of luster, I had given up on Hollywood. \nInside the ceremony, I began to see a different story once I got over the fact that the presenters had a one-in-five chance of being revealed in one of those golden tubes on set. It was then that actress and singer Kristen Chenoweth took the stage for one of two unbearable performances that made me doubt the validity of her art. But somehow, I couldn’t help but think that the other people in the ceremony felt the same way. \n“It’s like pep rallies in high school,” said sophomore Matt Belt. “Everyone who’s legit in there is probably just talking through her song.” \nIt was true, and I could feel that everyone at the ceremony thought Chenoweth was a joke. However, the Oscars were different in a way. It was different because it was a celebration of artists. \nIt was then I began to see the difference between Hollywood and film. Film is the realm of Daniel Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard, who won the awards for actor and actress in a leading role, respectively. Hollywood is the realm of pre-show scrutiny of dresses and minutiae. Film is the realm of recognizing the work of sound editors, art directors, screenwriters, visual designers and supporting actors all as the same quality. \nSome say the Oscars are pretentious and boring. This may be true, but it may be because the Oscars isn’t really a night for the viewers, it’s a night for the artists involved in building a beautiful something together in film. I caught a glimpse of this when seeing all the faces line up for the nomination of Best Actress. When it was revealed that Marion Cotillard was to receive the award for her role as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose,” fellow nominee Ellen Page jolted in excitement for her fellow artist. \nYes, there is something about those Oscar people that makes us weary. But maybe you would be a little weird too if you were inside the craft of making film together.