-Oscar’s Worst

In trying to wrap my mind around the monumental disappointment I felt and continue to feel in the fact that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences actually awarded their highest honor to a giant cliché—obviously driven by political leanings and “gay cowboy movie” backlash—I finally came to realize and accept that, in the 23 years that I have been an avid follower of Mr. Oscar, this was not the first time that Oscar has let me down. Art is, after all, totally subjective, and while I feel mostly Oscar voters are right in their selections for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Actor, there have been some moments that have caused me to scream in horror, as I did last night.

So, in order to move beyond my sorrow, I decided to re-live Oscar’s worst moments since 1982, putting last night’s debacle in perspective.

    Oscar’s 12 Worst Mistakes Since 1982:
    #12: Unforgiven winning over The Crying Game (1992) for Best Picture
    #11: Out of Africa winning over The Color Purple (1985) for Best Picture
    #10: Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love winning over Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998) for Best Actress
    #9: Nicole Kidman in The Hours winning over Salma Hayek in Frida (2002) for Best Actress
    #8: Cher in Moonstruck winning over Holly Hunter in Broadcast News (1987) for Best Actress
    #7: Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs winning over Susan Sarandon for Thelma & Louise (1991) for Best Actress
    #6: Crash winning over Brokeback Mountain (2005) for Best Picture
    #5: Roberto Begnini in Life is Beautiful winning over Ian McKellan in Gods & Monsters (1998) for Best Actor
    #4: Shakespeare in Love winning over Saving Private Ryan (1998) for Best Picture
    #3: Forrest Gump winning over The Shawshank Redemption (1994) for Best Picture
    #2: Meryl Streep in Sophie’s Choice winning over Jessica Lange in Frances (1982) for Best Actress
    And the #1 Worst Mistake since 1982 and perhaps all time:
    Titanic winning over both L.A. Confidential and As Good As It Gets (1997) for Best Picture