Well, another Oscar ceremony has come and gone, and what’s to make of it? I wish I knew.

I know that the telecast was not as painful a viewing experience as I had braced myself for. I spent a lot of time before the show making sure my eye-sockets were in peak physical condition because I was planning on doing a lot of eye-rolling at bloated, self-important celebrities who derided the current war with Iraq.

But much to my chagrin, there was very little political boasting and what little there was, I couldn’t disagree with. By the end, I was practically begging someone to say something half-baked. Thank goodness for Michael Moore. If you didn’t see it, his anti-war rant and personal attacks against Bush after winning Best Documentary for Bowling for Columbine were not very well received by the audience. I would expect nothing less.

Truthfully, I felt the show, for the most part, was a tepid affair. Things were pretty much going to plan until about the last fifth of the show unraveled. Adrain Brody winning Best Actor and Roman Polanski winning Best Director both for their work in The Pianist floored me. It’s not often that I emit audible gasps, let a lone multiple gasps, but such was the case tonight.

Perhaps I was more blind-sided from their respective victories because I’ve not yet made it out to the theater to see The Pianist. This must be remedied quickly.

Cami and I have had several discussions about our reluctance to see the movie. We’ve conjured several excuses. Think of all the dozens of films you’ve seen about World War II or the Holocaust. These aren’t pleasant periods in history to visit. Given the current climate where we are experiencing these horrors in real-time, why would we subject ourselves to it as a form of “entertainment”.

Another issue in particular that bothers us is Polanski’s sorted history as a nearly-convicted rapist. The story is to convoluted to go into here, but you should investigate it if you’re not familiar with it.

Sometimes it is difficult to separate art from the artist. Considering the results are often such personal reflections of the creator, if you condemn a man for his actions, how can you not condemn his final product of expression?

That seems black and white, but I don’t feel like supporting the work of a rapist, do you?

But on the other hand, several great artists – those we would call the grand masters – were more often than not, especially horrible people during their living years. How many artists can you think of who abused their wives, were drug addicts or alcoholics. The list is nearly infinite. But if their work was sound and still capable to inspire, we look past these transgressions and even go so far to put the artists on a pedestal. Why do we need to wait for Polanski to be dead and his crimes erased from our collective memory before we can appreciate his work?

Despite the moral quandary we find ourselves in, I cannot resign myself from the fact that I will always support the arts more than the artists. And if a community of his peers felt his film was worthy enough to recognize, then I owe it myself to learn more about it. When that will be, I cannot say.

/switching gears/

Another shocker of the evening was Eminem winning Best Original Song for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile. I thought there was no greater long-shot in the category – especially when you consider the rapper’s notorious history and his unwillingness to perform the song at the ceremony. It was even more shocking to see the Academy actually honor the song that WAS the best, rather than some emotional clap-trap that rang false. I would have looked to U2’s “The Hands That Built America” for that one.

Beyond that, what’s left to say? I know that I wasn’t pleased to see Chicago walk away with Best Picture. It was never anything more than glossy, yet well-executed fluff to me. I think I’ll have to lobotomize that part of my brain that can’t stop replaying “All That Jazz” over and over again.

I was disappointed that Martin Scorsese didn’t walk away with something for Gangs of New York. From the looks of things, it was shut out completely. I could be wrong on that, though. I think the boat has sailed for old Marty. I’m the reasoning behind most Academy voters is, “If he didn’t win for Goodfellas, why should he win for this?” The best he can hope for at this point is Lifetime Achievement.

I was especially pleased to see Conrad Hall be awarded for Best Cinematography for Road to Perdition as well as Chris Cooper winning Best Supporting Actor for Adaptation. Both were richly deserved.

And lastly, I was especially pleased to see that Spirited Away won Best Animated Picture. This is something I can use as leverage to introduce Cami to the wonderful world of anime! Actually, I would have been please just as long as they didn’t give the damn thing to Ice Age or Treasure Planet. Blech!

That’s a lot for now. I’m certain there will be more to reflect on later. If you have any thoughts about last night’s show, feel free to share your thoughts.