Oscar Nominations Are in, but Does It Really Matter?

We are quite possibly living in a post-Hollywood world. Sure that may sound like hyperbole, considering the massive amount of cash Hollywood makes off of its blockbuster films. But when you look at the changes that are in the wind, we might be looking at the beginning of the end.

Last year's massive intake was predicated largely on big-budget films that depended on a huge outpouring of support from audiences around the world. Not to mention the higher ticket price of 3D and Imax theaters. But how long will that last? Among the big victors, there were many defeats, including movies that turned a profit too small to justify their costs.

When looking at the larger entertainment landscape, we see an ever-growing universe of options. Who needs to go to a loud, stuffy, crowded theater, when every film ever made is at your fingertips? You can buy or rent a movie right from your TV, via a plethora of services: Apple, Amazon, Sony, Google, and your local cable provider.

Thanks to Amazon and Netflix's juggernaut streaming services, you don't even need to watch regular TV.

But forget about them! You can watch independently-made content from YouTube, Facebook, podcasts, blogs, and more!

TV ratings are dismally low (unless you're the President). Even the NFL is hurting. It's not too crazy to say that in a decade or so, traditional Hollywood just won't exist.

$250 million budgets for movies, with hopes of making back 1 or 2 billion, is not a sustainable business model. Trust me when I say the superhero fad will decline, eventually. Marvel will run out of characters to exploit. And the tired old husk of the movie industry will have nothing left to fall back on.

Which leads me to the Academy Awards. Even when Hollywood was the toast of the entertainment industry, the Oscars were pointless. It's just a night where the elite of the elite get together to stroke each other off- if you excuse the terminology. Rich egomaniacs hand out statues of little men to fellow egomaniacs, and the rest of us are told we should care.

They even televise the event, because while we're not good enough to be there, we should all devote our time to watching it.

It's ironic that the Oscar award is gold-plated tin. It's not even valuable enough to be made of pure gold (which would cost a fortune, given its size); it's merely meant to resemble something of worth.

Even in practical terms, the Academy Awards are pointless. The biggest movies of the year are summarily overlooked. Was Captain America: Civil War, which earned over a billion dollars worldwide, nominated for anything? Did Chris Evans get a nod for his strident portrayal of this beloved American hero? Of course not.

What about Finding Dory, the second biggest movie of the year? Surely Ellen DeGeneres, reprising her role as beloved- oh wait, no nominations. It wasn't even nominated for Best Animated Feature, something Disney often dominates.

No, that honor was given to Disney's Moana and Zootopia, films that satisfied Hollywood's empty minority and social justice requirements.

What movies usually get nominated? It's a running joke that the films nominated for major categories are critically acclaimed, but are financial poison. They may be artistically crafted films, such as La La Land or powerful dramas, like Hell or High Water, but these aren't the movies that are attracting audiences. You know, the people that are supporting the industry.

While I'm sure many of the films and actors nominated are fine pictures (I myself enjoyed Hell or High Water considerably), the notion that we should care what "Hollywood insiders" think of them is ludicrous.

It's an industry award, where people within an industry give out medals to other people in their industry. Yet we've been duped to think we should care.  Are you excited when they give out the Meat Industry Award? You eat meat, don't you? (Vegans need not apply). Then you should care!

Or how about the numerous awards given to teachers each year? Surely they are more important than the self-absorbed elitists of Hollywood. They're responsible for educating generations of Americans. Why aren't we devoting an entire Sunday to them?

The nominations are in; you can scour the list to see if any of your favorite actors or movies were listed. You can chat with your friends about how your favorite movie was snubbed- as if it mattered.

But there's another reason to reject this bloated and pointless event: politics.

I guarantee this year's ceremony will be rife with toxic and anti-American sentiments aimed at our new President. Remember, this is the industry that ranted like spoiled children on the night of the election. Some even tweeted out "I want to quit life." Do you think they will be quiet on their most ego-drenched night of the year?

Expect to see reenactments from the Golden Globes, but this time it will be more than just Meryl embarrassing herself.

Last week comedian Aziz Ansari unloaded on Trump supporters during his opening monologue for Saturday Night Live. The luckiest little man in show business helped divide the country even more with his assertion that Trump voters were racist.

The problem is, there’s a new group… I’m talking about this tiny slice of people that have gotten way too fired up about this Trump thing for the wrong reasons. I’m talking about those people where as soon as Trump won, they were like, ‘We don’t have to pretend like we’re not racist anymore! (via Milo)

As if this privileged child of wealthy doctors has the right to call anyone racist in America. But this is the hypocrisy of show business; because of their wealth and fame, these celebrities feel they have a right to tell us what to think and believe.

At a time when their industry is crumbling, when the glitz and glamor of Hollywood are being usurped by Let's Play videos on YouTube, you'd think they'd be a little bit more careful about alienating their audience.

But Hollywood is under a delusion, much like Hillary Clinton was. They think they can pander to the ever-shrinking liberal populace while denigrating everyone else. They think they can abuse millions of Americans, calling us racist, sexist, xenophobic, ignorant, backwards, etc. and get away with it.

They assume the vast majority of their listeners are elitist liberals like themselves. I have news for them: you are in the minority.

Hollywood is dying, that's plain enough to see. The massive box office returns of an ever-shrinking number of genres are the glut before the slaughter. It is Rome's excess before the rise of the Dark Ages.  And as these liberal elites continue to gorge themselves on their ego and fame, they neglect to see the axe hovering over their necks.

It is the axe of democratized entertainment. It is the axe of thousands of independent artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers providing ample alternatives to their tyrannical, hostile, and ultimately un-American swill.

Will they learn before the axe drops? Will they adapt and learn to encourage those they've alienated? Perhaps.

But I'm thinking, more likely, the heads are going to roll.

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