We’re thirty minutes out from the big event, and since I’m not into the red carpet thing (four hours is enough Seacrest for one week), I thought I’d take the time to reflect: why are the Oscars such a big deal?

 

The Academy Awards were first handed out in 1929, a simple way of honoring excellence in moviemaking. Since then, they have lasted through a Great Depression, one World War, four U.S. military excursions, and some lean periods for great film.

 

In their televised history, the Awards have always drawn decent viewership, promising another look at glamorous movie stars being glamorous. There’s always the off-chance of an unexpected, emotionally charged moment, like a delighted Roberto Benigni bounding over chairs for his surprise Best Actor win in “La Vita e Bella.” Since most Americans tend to think of themselves as amateur critics, we all can get into lively discussions over the nominations, snubs, and possible dark-horses in the weeks leading up to the event.

 

But in the last ten years, people have started to suffer from awards show overload, as networks stuff the early end of the year with meaningless ceremony after meaningless ceremony. Since the Academy Awards are the capper to the season, they tend to get unfairly knocked for the crap that precedes them. Yes, they could work harder to keep the show under three hours. But of all the meaningless spectacles honoring other meaningless spectacles, its still the best.