Oscar Dust-Up

First of all, wow, time flies by. I didn't realize the last post I had up here was about my computer's issues with its USB port. As a note to that post, while I haven't had those ports fixed, I am stupid enough to have not realized that I have four USB ports on my laptop; the two on the right side are screwed, but there are two bright, shiny, new ones on the left side, and I'm using those to my delight. Moving on.

You may or may not know who Melissa Leo is. In the last few years, she's moved up the ranks of the film, TV, and stage actor from being a "Hey, I just saw her in something last month, didn't I?" performer to a "Ah, she's in this, too, huh?" performer, if that makes any sense. Her first big splash in Hollywood was as a regular on Homicide: Life on the Streets, but these days, she's in the middle of an Oscar campaign, hoping to take home the prize for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Fighter. I'm not a huge fan of the film--and the more I hear people say, "But those people are EVEN crazier in real life," the more I want to shout at them that the movies aren't real life--but Leo's performance is at least energetic enough to gain merit. I also think that her co-star and fellow nominee Amy Adams was better, but Leo's been the frontrunner in a packed category.

In the last few days, though, she might have shifted the category because of an odd choice she made: to create "For Your Consideration" ads...for herself. Yes, Melissa Leo bought ad space in the industry magazines advertising herself. What's odd about the ads isn't just that she bought them (which is not common), it's that the ads aren't really for her work in The Fighter. The typical ad features her, dressed fashionably, posing for the photographer, with the word "Consider" emblazoned on the top of the photo. No mention of the movie, the nomination, nothing. Leo's said that she's doing this because she wants to keep her presence in the race, something she feels isn't being done well enough by the studio's promotional materials. Being fair, the posters for the film do not list her name above the title; what's more, she claims that her being a 50-year old woman does her no favors in an industry obsessed with good-looking young women.

There's no question that it can be hard for actresses of a certain age, and that Leo's time in high-profile roles may not be for more than a few years (with or without this snafu), but I don't think it explains why she'd waste her resources on this strange campaign. Now, mind you, I'm not one of the traditionalists who thinks that she doesn't deserve to win because of this; some Academy voters have sticks wedged way up their asses, and have said they won't vote for her. If I had a ballot, I wouldn't either, but not because of this. I'd pick Adams or Hailee Steinfeld, for her work in True Grit, over Leo. I'd vote for the work, not the campaign. Obviously, being one of the millions of people in this country who, you know, doesn't vote for the Oscars, I'm looking at things differently. But please, voters, vote for the work. We don't care--and many don't know--about this so-called controversy. I think it's a baffling thing to do--and somewhat self-absorbed--but it's not a reason to make me dislike her performance. This is one of those times when people in Hollywood need to remember that they may make movies, but they're people. Some people need a big reality check.