It seems the second half of the alphabet is harder than the first half…

I’m participating in the A-Z Blogging Challenge, where I post every day in the month of April (except Sundays) and each day is a letter.

My theme for the month is a series of posts about the things that shaped me.

Oscars

Greg in Hollywood (Greg Hernandez), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

As far back as I can remember, the Oscars have been like my Super Bowl. I watch as many of the movies as I can, read lots of articles about this nominee or that one, and sit down on the big night with a big bowl of popcorn and watch every moment.

I don’t care if the speeches are boring, or how ridiculous the song performances are. I think movies are magic, and I love to watch them be celebrated.

When I was in college, one of my film classes spent three weeks in Los Angeles. While we were there, we went to the Kodak Theatre and wandered the aisles, the balconies, the stage. The Oscars weren’t for months, but it was still absolutely thrilling to be there.

It was even more thrilling when we all got to hold an actual Academy Award. I think it was for sound design — but no matter what it’s for, an Oscar is still an amazing achievement. And holy crap that thing is heavy!

The Oscars aren’t perfect; not every movie, performer, crew member that deserves an award gets one, or even gets nominated. But for me, it’s not just about the nominations. It’s about celebrating movies — I wish there was another word to use besides “magic”, but there really isn’t. Movies are magic, whether it’s profound drama or schlocky horror. And it’s the biggest night of the whole year, when everyone comes to acknowledge the hard work in the whole industry.

And it is hard work, even if some of them are (wildly) overpaid. It doesn’t take away from the effort and time of everyone else that works on each film. Because a movie is so much more than just the name on the marquee. Everyone is worth acknowledging, and everyone deserves the time to talk and thank the people that support them. And I’m here for all of it.

And the “In Memoriam.” I cry literally every time.

I just really, really, really, REALLY love movies.