As cluster bombs rain down on the innocent population of Ukraine, randomly targeting pregnant women, babies and the elderly, brace yourself for a tidal wave of insincere delight and genuine concern from the entertainment industry.
It’s Oscar time again!
Not to mention the war, nothing should stand in the way of this unbridled orgy of self-promotion on the part of the film industry.
Ignore the threat of World War III led by a deranged president – the show must go on!
Village councils, cultural centers, nightclubs and pubs across the country are hosting fundraising events for Ukraine this weekend. Singers, dancers, musicians and comedians provide their services for free. There are sales and cake stalls.
Everyone wants to do their best to raise funds to help those suffering on the other side of Europe.
Awards ceremonies are another matter.
Cluster bombs are raining down on the innocent population of Ukraine, randomly targeting pregnant women, babies and the elderly – and it’s Oscar time again! Pictured: Rebel Wilson poses for a photo shoot ahead of Sunday’s event.
They exist to reward nice people who don’t see anything inappropriate or even inappropriate in being rewarded simply for doing their job. Finishing chambers, sniffing canapes. A snotty speech about how they are “upset” by the events in Ukraine.
Celebrate while others mourn.
Tomorrow’s Royal Albert Hall BAFTAs follow the predictable format that these ceremonies inevitably follow. Hours of self-congratulations and mind-numbing speeches from grateful winners thanking everyone except the cloakroom attendant.
They will promise to help the suffering, marginalized and sexually volatile around the world.
They carry their hearts on the sleeves of their expensive dresses and beautifully tailored suits, clothes that these lucky ones never even had to buy. Gorgeous new shoes and shiny jewelry for the night.
Awards ceremonies are a great opportunity for designers, jewelers and even catering companies to promote their brands by using the best acting talent to get their names in the spotlight in the hope that we ordinary people will want to get them.
The British ceremony will be hosted by Australian star Rebel Wilson, along with AJ Odudu and Tom Allen. Participants include Benedict Cumberbatch, Kenneth Branagh and Lady Gaga. Prince William wisely chose not to attend and is sending a “supportive” video message.
The British ceremony will be hosted by Australian star Rebel Wilson, along with AJ Odudu (pictured during Wednesday’s BAFTA Menu Preview Dinner) and Tom Allen.
This is a lackluster version of the Oscars, taking place on March 27, repeating the whole process over and over again. The same movies, the same nominees, the same makeup stars. Only the dresses will be different.
Before any gongs are handed out, there will be hours of red carpet posing, camera coaxing, and relentless chatting.
This is business as usual. The organizers clearly believe that “we have overcome covid, let’s continue to have fun.”
Wouldn’t we have more respect for them if someone in the mission leadership had the courage to stand up and say, “Let’s cancel all of this until peace is restored in Ukraine.” These back pats and awards are grotesque.”
But that won’t happen.
Has no one told the film industry that on the other side of Europe, while their ceremonies are televised around the world, millions of people are fighting for their lives, driven from their homes, their farms, schools and places of work.
Children walk hundreds of miles to safety in the snow wearing nothing but clothes on their backs. A photograph of a pregnant Ukrainian woman hit by bomb debris was posted by Russian propagandists on social media with a red “fake news” mark on her bloody face.
This “fake” victim has given birth to a child and is recovering, but the maternity hospital is in ruins.
Under the circumstances, isn’t it rather inappropriate, not to mention unpleasant, to spend hours preening and face painting to walk down the red carpet and pose for a movie promotion?
Prince William (pictured with the Duchess of Cambridge at the 2020 BAFTAs) wisely decided not to attend and is sending a “supportive” video message.
Isn’t there a better, more respectful place than to sip champagne and pretend that all is well in the glossy and somewhat superficial world of entertainment when the nightly news shows us a very different reality?
In the real world, far from the red carpet and Shirley Bassey singing a James Bond medley, people drive across the border to sit on the other side of the canal, waiting in run-down hostels for a visa to join relatives in the UK.
And Poland is not only a cheap location for filming action movies, but also a place where ordinary men and women open their homes to refugees without a second thought.
The war brought out the best in many countries where the standard of living is much lower than ours.
Rural societies where farmers make beds in their simple homes to house women and children who have left their husbands and partners to fight.
JANET STREET PORTER: Academy Awards an occasion for an orgy of food, drink and networking
The British have also shown their best qualities – our hearts are overflowing with emotions, and we have donated millions to disaster relief committees. People are desperate to help and offer hospitality despite our inept and disorganized politicians.
Meanwhile, in the fake world of movie awards, life has to go on as usual.
In today’s film business, more is better. The films are typically three hours long and feature the antics of superheroes battling vicious intruders.
But events in Ukraine have overtaken Hollywood bullshit, and this battle of good versus evil is being waged in Ukraine without a lighting director or costume designer.
The Academy Awards are an occasion for an orgy of food, drink, socializing and pats on the back.
Javier Bardin and Penélope Cruz attended the Oscar Nominees Dinner in Los Angeles earlier this week.
Very little tasty food was eaten – director Thomas Paul Anderson complained that everyone at his table was getting up and spending time chatting and pressing, leaving him alone.
He joked, “I thought I’d come for lunch, so I didn’t eat first.” The conspicuous waste doesn’t bother the Oscar nominees, but this food (or the money paid for it) would come in handy in Ukraine.
Not to be outdone, BAFTA nominees attended a glamorous dinner in London this Friday and Judi Dench, Tess Daly and Vernon Kay performed.
Possibility to borrow more dresses. Posing for more photographers. Eat more canapes. Drink more champagne.
Isn’t it time to cancel these events and send money to disaster relief committees? Pictured: Puffs of smoke over a building in the strategic port city of Mariupol.
Organizing the 94th Academy Awards is far more complex than President Putin’s military strategy.
Food for the Governor’s Ball (which follows the ceremony) will be provided by legendary chef and Beverly Hills favorite Wolfgang Puck, and (in response to criticism that the event was too white) a company called Ghetto Gastro who claims their food is addressed to the race. , identity and empowerment”…
Mr Park will serve Oscar-shaped spiced tuna and smoked salmon cones, washed down with rosé champagne and limited-edition Coppola wines.
There is no food, no water, no electricity in Mariupol. How does it feel to eat a mini pizza when you know that nearby families are sharing sandwiches donated by several aid agencies that managed to break through the blockade?
Oscar nominees can look forward to $100,000 gift sets containing vouchers for liposuction, bottles of olive oil laced with gold, a stay in a luxurious castle, and paperwork for a piece of land in Scotland.
Even attendees at a modest British event can expect a host of freebies, from cosmetics to travel vouchers.
With the threat of a nuclear catastrophe and the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, isn’t it time to cancel these events and send money to the committees to eliminate the consequences?
Anything to avoid the spectacle of a parade of selfish hotties making sure, as far as we know, that they understand the suffering of the people of Ukraine as they sip another glass of Miraval rosé champagne.