True Beauty Lies in Oscar Stories, Not the Dresses

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Author: Audrey Lamsam

When I was little, I used to think that the Oscars ceremony was all about who wore the prettiest dress, who wore the ugliest possible thing imaginable, who made the cutest couple–superficial things. While Oscar night in Hollywood is still about the glitz and glamour of the stars that appear in the movies nominated, what I have grown to realize and appreciate is not the physical beauty of all those actors and actresses that grace the silver screen, but the art that is appreciated and awarded at the Oscars.

While watching the 81st Academy Awards, I was struck by the intense diversity of the movies that were nominated this year. From the homophobia expressed in Milk to the relationship between two robots not meant to feel emotions in Wall-E, this year’s Oscars variety of nominations definitely did not fail to impress me.

For the Best Picture category, the five movies that were nominated were all beautiful works of art that exposed the true and raw side of life. Though most of the movies that were nominated were not feel-good movies, Slumdog Millionaire being the one exception, each movie had its own unique story to tell, and each story touched the audience in one way or another. Although I was rooting for Slumdog Millionaire all the way, I felt that I would have been satisfied with whichever film won the award for Best Picture because each story was so artfully and creatively put together.

The presentation of the Oscars this year was also noticeably different from previous years. Sets were constantly changing in accordance with the different award categories, made possible on behalf of effective planning by the set design team. I also enjoyed the new way of presenting the nominations for Best Actor and Actress, by having previous winners talk about each individual. It made for a more personal touch.

While Hugh Jackman dazzled the audience with his dashing looks and Broadway quality of singing, and Beyonce made a guest appearance in the Broadway medley during the interlude of the show, I thought that the most entertaining part of the night was the performance by A.R. Rahman and John Legend of the songs, “O Saya,” “Jai Ho,” and “Down to Earth,” respectively. The idea to combine both songs, “Down to Earth” and “Jai Ho” together at the end of the performance was an ingenious musical tactic that completely captivated me. I also loved how this year’s Oscars “Best Song” performance was culturally rich, by combining traditional Indian dance, Japanese taiko drumming, and African gospel singing into one cohesive and undoubtedly powerful song medley.

To me, it was no surprise that Slumdog Millionaire almost swept in all the big categories. However, what was a surprise for me was Sean Penn’s win for Best Actor in Milk instead of Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler. Prior to the Oscars, Rourke had already won a Golden Globe so I thought it was a sure thing that his comeback would carry on into the Academy Awards, but I was wrong. However, both actors delivered such strong roles in their films that I was happy that their talent was acknowledged and appreciated.

However, personally, I felt that the real stars of Oscar Night were the young Indian actors and actresses of Slumdog Millionaire who were given the opportunity to fly from India to America to attend. Their acting in the movie was so pure and heartfelt that I thought that they must be awarded for their strong efforts. Because most of the young actors and actresses casted into the film were really from either the slums or the lower-middle class, seeing them on Hollywood’s biggest night, full of mirth and excitement, was heartwarming.

The 81st Annual Academy Awards was filled with so much energy, laughter, and love that it really made those 3 hours of watching both enjoyable and enlightening. The little girl in me who used to love watching the Red Carpet pre-show has now grown to love the precious art that is honored during the actual show. For Oscar Night is not a night to criticize who wore what and why, but it is a night that celebrates and commemorates the beauty of art in our lives.

Audrey Lamsam is a sophomore double major in AHVA and Economics. She can be reached at alamsam@oxy.edu

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