It’s award season, that time when we find out what we should have been watching over the past year. Independent Spirit Film Awards, Costume Designer’s Guild Awards, BAFTA Awards, Critics Choice Awards and, of course, the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars. It’s Oscar season and time to pretend that I know what cinematography actually is; I do know that it does not refer to the geography of the nearest cinema, it should, but it doesn’t. I do like award season, learning about movies and the film industry in general, but if I’m being honest the show is really outdated, prejudiced, and boring. How boring is it? It’s so boring that people protest it, just so they don’t have to watch it;  #OscarsAreSoBoring isn’t as provocative as #OscarsSoWhite, no matter how true it may be.

The Oscars aren’t even my favorite Oscar. Below I have a few entries for the name Oscar that are much more entertaining than the Academy Awards.

Oscar Robertson

NBA Champion and 12X All-Star, who up until 2021 had the most triple-doubles with 181. The fact that he played in the 60’s and 70’s is testament to how great The Big O is. On a personal note, he’s also the NBA player that I first heard about from my uncles and elders, when I was kid talking about the greatness of Magic Johnson. The same way people today argue about the greatness of Michael Jordan and LeBron James, people would argue about The Big O and Magic. We would hear how ‘The Big O’ averaged a triple double and was one the first and greatest big point guards that the game has ever seen. He is also one the first professional athletes that I’ve ever met. It was in Gary, Indiana, at Glenn ‘Big Dog’ Robinson’s basketball camp and he was so cool. He posed for pictures with all of us; this was during the Polaroid era, if you know that time, then you know that he has patience. Which is probably what made him so good at point guard. He was patient enough to see the whole floor, letting the game come to him, and taking advantage of the openings that he saw in the defense. Yes, Oscar ‘The Big O’ Robertson is a much cooler Oscar than the Academy Awards. The man won in Milwaukee!!! Milwaukee!!! 

Oscar the Grouch

Another Oscar that is considerably cooler than the same named award show is none other than the grouchiest of ‘em all: Oscar the Grouch. Sesame Street is still one of my favorite shows, even if it does teach consumerism. It also teaches consumption of letters, numbers, healthy attitudes, and self-expression, as opposed to consumption of things. Each show is brought to you by a letter, and number, like TV show sponsors. That said, Oscar the Grouch is probably the one character on ‘The Street’ who would appreciate this write up. I really dig how he showcases how it’s ok to not be happy all the time; he actually balances much of the in-your-face joy that’s the hallmark of the show with a frank realness and rudeness that has become his calling card. He emotes differently than the other Muppets on the show. And to be clear he is not homeless, his trash can is huge on the inside. He just prefers to live around trash and has a rude way about him. He does love his trash and his personal space, I respect that. It actually brings me joy when I see him and his pet worm, Slimey. It’s a reminder that not all life looks the same, and for me to be mindful of my trash. Oscar the Grouch might even be an environmental humanist because he lets nothing go to waste, and he’ll tell you about yourself, in the worst way possible. We all need that from time to time, I know that I do. The Academy would do well to listen to its critics and grow with today’s culture. 

Oscar Micheaux

Oscar Devereaux Micheaux, that is one hell of a name ain’t it. Oscar Devereaux Micheaux was an author and independent African-American filmmaker who made more than forty films, over a thirty year career. He made silent films as well as ‘talkies,’ all without the backing of major studios. He was like any independent artist and sold directly to his audience; he sold his books door to door, and his movies theater to theater. His movies were considered ‘race films’, as they captured the complexities of African-American and fleshed out Black people more than Hollywood films made at the time. The idea of the ‘Magical Negro’ can be dated back to the early era of film as Black people were in the background, and played second fiddle to their white counterparts in most Hollywood studio productions, Micheaux movies addressed issues such as interracial relationships and skin color among African-Americans in a society that shunned our stories. The idea that he isn’t well known is mind boggling and yet it isn’t at the same time. Why talk about a man who made movies in spite of, when you can talk about Citizen Kane, again, and again, and again. I used to think that the Oscars were nicknamed for him, but they weren’t so we’re told. Still, wouldn’t it be cool, and woke, if the Academy Awards had an independent film category and named it for Mr. Micheuax?

I also dig boxer Oscar De La Hoya, designer Oscar De La Renta and actor Oscar Issac, who’s portraying Moon Knight in an upcoming Disney+ series. That said, I have favorite Oscars’ but the Oscars are not my favorite show, still good luck to all of the nominees; I tried to watch Macbeth, a few times, but I kept falling asleep. I wanted to see King Richard, but it left HBOMax before I had an opportunity to sit and watch it. I liked Encanto, although I feel that the song from the movie that deserved nomination is “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” Let’s talk about how much Scorsese-like sleep, I’m going to get watching the award show instead.

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