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Letter from Boston

The Academy Awards

By MASAKO YAMADA


アカデミー賞

今年のアカデミー賞は、発表前からどの作品が受賞するか決まっていたようなものですが、やはり一大イベントだけあって、大いに盛り上がりました。雅子さんのルームメートたちは、授賞式をテレビで見ながら、どの映画がどの賞を取るか予想して楽しみました。

I walked into my apartment after an evening of piano practice and discovered my three roommates in the kitchen, crowded around the TV in excitement. They were watching the Academy Awards ceremony. My roommates have been waiting for this day ever since the nominations for the awards were announced: They bet on whom they thought would win the various prizes.

I've heard that the Nagano Winter Olympics failed to generate much interest in the States TV viewership this year was the lowest since 1968 — but that cannot be said of the Academy Awards. I think the Academy Awards generate so much excitement because they involve movies that everybody loves. Movies, of course, feature movie stars. Movie stars are rich, beautiful and famous. And regardless of the extreme pressure and competition, they make their work look oh-so-wonderful and easy.

I'm an armchair fan of the Academy Awards. Regardless of whether winners or not I agree with the choice of, or even nominees, I like being transported by the larger-than-life hubbub. Before the movies are nominated, the media buzz with predictions of which movies will be named. After the movies are nominated, the media buzz with predictions of which movies will win. During the Awards ceremony the media buzz! After the ceremony, the media buzz with theories on why certain movies won certain awards. Most interestingly, they buzz with analyses of the sizzling couture dresses worn by the female participants. I try to keep abreast of it all.

The big name of the night was "Titanic," of course. My roommate Raj won five dollars from my roommate Alex betting that "Titanic" would win over 10 awards. Alex had some keen insight on the rest of the awards — they had each filled out a score sheet that was included in the New York Times before the show and checked off the winners as they were announced — but he didn't predict the movie's grand sweep. Raj ecstatically swung around his stuffed Oscar doll every time a "Titanic" winner was announced. I even brought out my singing/dancing stuffed Macarena Monkey doll because it reacts to clapping. I liked "Titanic" a lot, so I didn't disagree with the outcome. If anything, I was sorry that none of the actors in the movie won an award. Rumors that the star of the movie — Leonardo DiCaprio, who received no nomination — wouldn't show up at the awards were confirmed on Oscar night. Post-ceremony gossip has not explained why he didn't come, however.

The dark horse of the Academy Awards — and Boston's favorite — was "Good Will Hunting." As everybody here already knows, the two lead actors, who co-wrote the script, are locals who have been best buddies since childhood. The combination of charismatic, baby-faced (and Harvard-educated) Matt Damon, and rugged, dark (and yet sensitive) Ben Affleck is, indeed, compelling. I'm sure their close friendship — and the fact that they took their mothers as their dates to the ceremony has touched the hearts of many fans. The rumor that they are dating best buddies Winona Ryder and Gwyneth Paltrow must certainly add to their trendiness.

One of the things I like most about the Academy Awards is the fashion spreads that come out in the magazines after the show is over. They showcase the dresses that women wore to the event. Many of the magazines add comments on the dresses. Often, these magazines announce winners and losers in the fashion category. I have to admit that it's somewhat cruel to judge the appearance of (female) participants so blatantly but that doesn't prevent me from adding comments: "Ugh, that dress makes her look like a mermaid," or "The cut of the dress really highlights her figure." It's a lot of fun.

It's great that the Cannes and Sundance film festivals celebrate low-budget, limited-market, artsy and original movies. But there's nothing like the Oscars to celebrate the glamour, glitter and glitz of Hollywood.


Shukan ST: April 10, 1998

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