eduClaytion Went To The Oscars

I never planned this type of running log. It just sort of happened. I managed to get real work done with one eye on the tube. Here are some of the thoughts that spilled out of my brain and onto the screen.

I'm willing to brave the fire for you, dear reader.

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8:06—The Red Carpet is as close a rendering of Dante’s Fourth Circle of hell as you’ll ever find.

8:07—Oh yeah, that’s why I never watch this stuff. How could I forget.

8:??–Beware Christian Bale. Stay out of his lighting and steer clear of his beard. He hides death in there.

8:13—Just when you think Nicole Kidman can’t become any more unlikeable she looks at husband Keith Urban when asked if she gets excited about Oscars anymore and actually says, “I’ve never been nominated since I’ve been married to Keith so…” He must feel great.

8:25—Halle Berry calls herself “slave to fashion,” looks like she has to pee.

8:33—Opening montage. Hilarious!

8:41—I don’t suppose Devil will get any awards, but it was one of my faves last year.

Are those barnacles?

8:59—Supporting actress winner from The Fighter is super annoying and classless. I can hear I’m Gonna Knock You Out playing in my brain. She better never win anything again.

9:00—Just realized that The A-Team got zero Oscar buzz or nominations. Ridiculous.

9:14—Aaron Sorkin wins best adapted screenplay for Social Network. You know that’s right.

??–Apparently Matt McConaughey didn’t get the memo to not tan/bronze. Pasty white is in this year, and I am trendy.

9:53—Oops, forgot I was keeping a running log. My ADD doesn’t play well here.

10:00—How ironic that Cate Blanchett announces award for Costume Design while wearing a Happy Meal box.

10:12—Know what would’ve made this show more interesting? An Inception style stage.

10:16—This short film guy’s really funny! “I should’ve got a haircut,” he says.

Luke Matheny. Short Film. Funny guy.

10:18—Auto tune the movies is funny too.

10:22—Well, we made it this far without an overt political statement, but it still wasn’t that big of a deal. Enjoying the lack of political grandstanding.

10:45—This just in: Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t sing nearly as good as anyone else at the Oscars. Including Chuck (Zachary Levi from Tangled).

10:53—The In Memoriam part is always one of my faves. Bittersweet. But that will be enough Celine Dion for this decade.

10:57—I don’t know what this means, but I’m pretty sure I would look alright if I had Halle Berry’s hairstyle.

11:16—I was right about Natalie Portman winning, but it would be funny if the award went to someone like Angelina Jolie for Salt.

11:19—Ok, Portman is still talking. Blah, blah, blah, go away.

11:20–Congratulations to Nicole Kidman who has made it through the entire evening without taking her clothes off.

11:26—Okay Colin Firth. Great line: “I have a feeling my career has just peaked.” The world loves you for now though.

11:32—Anne Hathaway has more outfits than Rupaul.

11:43—It’s over. King’s Speech wins something else. This concludes the most consecutive, non-sports TV I will watch for the next year.

If it’s any consolation Inception, Social Network, & the rest, the Pittsburgh Steelers know exactly how you feel.

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Takeaway points

It would’ve been nice to hear maybe one overblown Hollywood type thank a fan or regular person. Remember us? We’re the ones who spend money we don’t have to see you perform lines you could never write.

The show was pretty tame, so no classic comedy moments, but I’m happy because we also didn’t have to deal with…

Annoying political rants. I really despise that stuff, the normal Academy fare. The absence of said soapboxing just happens to coincide with the absence of Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Leo, and Matt Damon, great actors all but bothersome as social commentators. Yes, there are some who know what they’re talking about.

Gotta give my mom credit for recalling this classic moment from 1973 when Raquel Welch and Gene Hackman were announcing the winner for Best Actress. Here’s the short clip on YouTube. You can skip ahead to around the 45 second mark to hear what Welch thought of political rants.

Here’s the background on Welch’s “I hope they haven’t got a cause” comment. Maybe she had a point.

Maybe I’m way off.

What do you think? Do you even watch?

What memorable moments do you recall from last night or previous years?

We can connect on Twitter (@ClayMorganPA) where you can also read the rest of my comments from last night.

What If… Interview With Dallas Jenkins

Lots of folks are thinking about movies on this day after the Academy Awards. What better time to share an interview with an industry insider.

Dallas Jenkins has been making movies for over a decade. You can check out his IMDB page. I met Dallas a few years ago in Pittsburgh and can tell you he’s a great guy and gifted filmmaker.

His most recent movie What If… comes out on DVD tomorrow. In this interview Dallas talks about this latest film, faith in Hollywood, and the ever-changing student culture.

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What are the best movies you’ve seen in the past couple of years?

I’m a huge fan of Juno; Jason Reitman is a favorite of mine. I loved District 9 last year, also loved 500 Days of Summer.Social Network was this year’s best film in my opinion.

Describe your latest movie What If…

What If… is basically It’s a Wonderful Life meets The Family Man. The basic storyline is similar to those films, but the twists and turns are different, and of course my film has a strong and explicit message of Christian faith (though not in a preachy way).

Kevin Sorbo plays Ben, who gets a chance to see what his life would look like if he had followed God’s call for his life 15 years ago instead of leaving his college sweetheart and path to be a preacher. John Ratzenberger plays the angel who knocks him into this alternate reality. Ben wakes up Sunday morning with a wife and kids getting ready for church, where he’s the new preacher. How he navigates through all of this and finds the joy of faith and family is the thrust of the story.

How have things been going since the release?

The movie came to theaters in August of 2010 and did okay. Not great, not bad. Got some great response which will hopefully give us some good momentum for the DVD release in March.

If you could take over Hollywood and make 2 or 3 immediate changes to the industry/culture what would they be?

Well, the beauty of Hollywood is that it’s a free market, so no one can really change things on their own! That said, I do wish that the industry wasn’t so tied to routine and trends; they don’t like taking risks. I also wish that they could figure out a way to market to that “in between” crowd, the people who don’t necessarily watch church movies but are also looking for something more faith-based than what the mainstream pumps out. And of course I wish the Hollywood culture was more politically and spiritually diverse. As a conservative and a Christian, I’m a double-whammy minority.

What do we need less or more of in movies?

Christian movies need more reality and darkness, but mainstream movies need more positive depictions of faith, marriage, family, etc…

Are you finding different challenges to communicating with students (especially college) today than a decade or so ago?

I think students are getting more cynical, and since I tend not to be a cynical person, it’s harder for me to communicate. To introduce a hope or faith that’s impactful, you have to first accurately capture the world in which that hope is needed, so it’s important for storytellers to understand their audience.

What is next for Jenkins Productions?

Well, Jenkins Entertainment is now connected to Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, a big church where I’ve accepted a position to head up media, production, and ultimately movies. So we’re going to be developing our first film sometime this year. We’ll have an announcement about it soon. In the meantime, we need What If… to do well.

You can order a copy of What If… by going to http://thewhatifmovie.com/.

Check out a preview of the film at http://jenkins-entertainment.com/.

You can also find Dallas on Twitter @DallasJenkins.