Today is the kind of day that reminds me why, back in my “serious acting” days, I said no to the inevitable lure of Hollywood. The slimy game playing, the skewed worldview, the moral and spiritual poverty. The Arts are not about art. We know that. That art still happens is utterly incidental to the business of art. That art still happens, I believe, proves a Creator who put His creative fire in every heart, regenerate and unregenerate alike. But … if you care about the art of art, care about that pursuit, you’ll most likely have your heart broken by the business of art. But, enough about, uh, me … maybe another day.
“The Passion of The Christ” was soundly snubbed at the hands of The Academy during this morning’s Oscar nominations. Mel Gibson’s transcendent masterpiece garnered no nominations in the “biggie” categories”: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Screenplay. It did receive nominations in the more technical categories of Cinematography, Original Score, and Makeup. So I guess all that sobbing and sniffling heard in all those darkened theatres was because of that darned Original Score. Funny. I thought it was from something else .
But those of us who loved this courageous, inspired film shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, what could Hollywood do? Too popular to ignore, too truthful to applaud, “The Passion” must have created a bona fide conundrum for The Academy. I mean, really. These poor, well-meaning people just want to bless themselves, but how could they do that with “The Passion” — and the passions it stirred — standing in their way? Ah, I know. Extend the olive branch of lesser nominations to appease the film’s rabid fans. You know, some nice, piecemeal, technical nods. Who could argue with that? But certainly nothing founded on content. Nothing that could possibly signal a warm embrace, a holistic grasp of the film. Ohhh, nooo. Too big a nod could be dangerous. Too big a nod could break Hollywood’s neck, leave it paralyzed. Because too big a nod is a nod to Truth. For this is Hollywood, after all, our glittering Left Coast Babylon of boobs, braggarts, and blind men.
And truth is for suckers … dudes …