The Most Anti-democracy Event of the Year

You know, I'm usually a politics guy, and I really don't write about anything else, but there has been something going on over the past few years that just irks me: The Oscars. The problem? The movies that win are always stupid! It's not just me who thinks this. I'm actually in the majority. The movies that the Oscars nominate are always rejected by the general public. You see, the Oscars rely on a select few insiders to choose who wins. The people also vote. We vote with our money. Yet when the Oscars are presented, Hollywood seems like it goes out of its way to show their disagreement. For example, the five movies that were nominated for best picture this year were ranked 19, 41, 54, 55, and 81 respectively, in box office gross. Meanwhile, the movie that the people chose as the best movie, Spiderman-3, was totally rejected. There Will Be Blood, which was the favorite to win last time I checked, made less than a tenth of what Spiderman-3. Juno, the highest grossing of the Best Picture nominees, is being heralded as the "fan favorite," despite the fact that five movies made over twice what it made. The Oscars, once a great awards show, are quickly becoming irrelevant as they grow more and more out of step with the mainstream American movie-goer. Over the past few years, I haven't watched the Oscars and I don't plan to this year. Who wants to watch a bunch of elitists pat themselves on the back while wearing million-dollar clothes? Not me.

I'm Back

Hey, I haven't blogged much recently. In fact I haven't blogged in the last three months. I've been kind of busy, but I hope to begin blogging on a regular basis again. The primaries are all but over in both parties. McCain has had it all wrapped up since Super Tuesday. Huckabee hasn't conceded defeat yet, but it's only a matter of time. Obama's probably going to win the Democratic side. His lead isn't that large, but he has all of the momentum. Hillary needs to win Ohio or Texas just to stay in it, and both if she wants to pull even with him. I'm torn over who I'm rooting for in this little scrap. Clinton is the worst candidate in the field. If there was anyone that I'd be rooting against it would be her. However, part of me wants Hillary to win the nomination because she would be easier for McCain to beat in November. Obama, with his eloquence and cult-like following, looks like an unstoppable freight train right now. On that note let us turn to the general election. Despite my feeling on the matter, the election will be close in either direction. Based on recent polls, McCain is running slightly ahead of Hillary, and slightly behind Obama. However, he's only 4 points behind, and the Wilder Effect usually makes a 3-5 point difference. (In case you don't know what the Wilder Effect is, it is a hypothesis used to explain the statistical anomolies between polling data and actual vote totals. Many people say that they will vote for a black candidate because they don't want to sound racist, but then change their mind when they go into the voting booth. This effect gives a 3-5 point edge to a minority candidate in polls, that may not be there on election day.) I don't think that this election will be as close as 2000, but perhaps like the 2004 election. One candidate will probably win by a percentage point or two.