Best Oscars in recent memory + Apple’s marketing genius + snowball fights are fun
Last night’s Oscars were one of the best I can remember. From a quick sample today, I think this may NOT be the prevailing opinion, but I suspect it’s only because nobody else paid enough attention during the show, which was captivating from start to finish. Ellen’s brave opening monologue was hilarious from her quip “where would Hollywood be without Jews, Blacks and Gays?” to her recognition of diversity at the awards, including Steve Carell as one example. One of her best lines of the night was comparing Jennifer Hudson to Al Gore. America didn’t vote for Hudson on American Idle and America did vote for Gore, but that didn’t stop them both from being nominated for Oscars (and later won). She called nominees out relentlessly, but also knew her audience well enough to hit home runs when it mattered. The end of her opening monologue bringing out the Soweto Gospel Choir was a bold move (don’t know if it was her idea or not), and one that also fit in well with the diversity theme. During the show, the shadow dancers were awesome, the special effects choir was mind-boggling and the musical clown skit with Will Farrell was hysterical. While many people I asked didn’t see the commercials thanks to Tivo and DVR, they missed out on an incredibly creative campaign from Apple for the iPhone. I’ve embedded the video below. Finally, to end the night, my friends and I went outside for a monster snowball fight that drew in neighbors as well as passing cars and trucks. All in all, that’s gotta be one of the most fun Academy Awards shows of all time.
When the Levees Broke – Spike Lee HBO Joint
I caught one act of When the Levees Broke on HBO last weekend. Despite visiting New Orleans in the
past year and driving through the decimated Ninth Ward, the film’s content and the way it was presented still amazed me. My reaction was one of anger and tremendous disappointment towards our country and government. The federal response has been disgusting and FEMA, part of that response, has shown complete incompetence. The response from corporations involved – mostly insurance co’s and local industry (oil) – has been one of apathy. It’s interesting that these same industies are typically connected with Republican groups. Coincidence? I doubt it. After discussing it with several government loyalists, I have still yet to hear a strong argument to the contrary. If ever there was a clear signal that the leadership of our country is in disarray, this event should be it. New Orleans is one of America’s truly special cities and this makes the situation even more tragic. I’m currently researching Katrina relief organizations and determining what help I can provide.
“The Human Behavior Experiments” documentary on Sundance
A few nights ago, I caught a fascinating documentary on the
Sundance Channel entitled The
Human Behavior Experiments that revisits the question of why human beings
commit unethical acts under particular social conditions. It reviews Stanley
Milgram’s famous experiments on obedience to authority in the 1960s as well as
Stanford’s prisoner-guard study in the 1970s and Columbia’s work on group think. The
film is definitely worth the two hour investment for anyone interested in
psychology.
