I didn't watch the Oscars

So I've been busy. And busy-ness ain't great for the blog.

But given that Winter Storm Quinn is currently visiting its icy wrath upon New York City from just beyond my windowpane, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give ya a short update on where the heck I've been.

First things first: the Oscars.

You heard me right, folks. I didn't watch the Oscars this year. The 90th Annual Academy Awards are something I did not witness.

And honestly? I'm pretty content about it.

Here's the only reason I could happily say all of this: the real reason I couldn't watch the Oscars this year because I was in Disneyland.

Priorities.

It is an incredibly strange feeling, though, to have not seen the Oscars. Like every film kid, I've tuned in to that big, gilded extravaganza religiously every year. The glitz! The glamour! The... disappointments!

It's totally possible that one reason I'm not upset about missing it is because I'm still recovering from last year's unbelievable Best Picture mix-up. How can I ever trust anyone again after that nationally televised disaster?

Given all this busy-ness, it probably won't surprise you that I didn't see many of the nominees this year, either. And who wants to watch people competing when you don't even know whose side you're on? That's not how this works. To really enjoy the Oscars, you've got to know the movies. You've got to know the stakes.

I guess I fall into the camp of people who think that if you're going to miss a live telecast, it better be because you're doing something more important. Or memorable. Or both. And Disneyland is certainly more important than people giving each other gold statues for reasons you may or may not agree with.

Ah, well. Since there's been 90 years of this shiz, we can pretty safely assume there's gonna be a 91st year and a 92nd year and well, maybe even a few more after that.

It's really refreshing to be sitting here and knowing that life goes on. I'm a film person, so it can be really easy to get caught up in the cut throat race for the gold which is awards season.

It was so nice to take a step back from everything this year and ask myself why I watch the Oscars every year. For me, it's a nice reason to look back at a year of film and to pretend that contemporary Hollywood has anything to do with the romanticized and glamorous Old Hollywood of our collective imagination.

Taking a step back and looking at these motives was just the dose of medicine I needed to realize that there's just so much more to look forward to in life than watching an awards show on TV.

You know what? I don't think it's really enough to get to see all of the stars wearing expensive outfits and making teary-eyed speeches and being played off stage by their powerful orchestra music.

I was kind of saddened by the whole idea. Without the knowledge of all the films that were competing to distract me, the whole thing seemed sort of ... empty.

It's nice to know that there's all sorts of glamorous events out there to dream about, but missing the Oscars also made me think about how much time I spend and energy I exert over events that I'm not really a part of. We live in a time where we have to be present on countless different platforms... why can't I just be present where I'm really at?

And to think... it took Disneyland to help me remember to be present.

Well, you know what? I happen to think that Disneyland is an extremely healthy exercise for someone in their mid-20s (actually, for anyone at any age). Never have I had a better exercise in patience, wonder, humility and imagination that I have waiting in line to meet a princess at Disneyland.

And that's what I always hoped to get a glimpse of in the Oscars. To my mind, movies are supposed to remind us of wonder, to remind us to imagine, to know that there's more out there than just our own story. And the Oscars are supposed to be a celebration of all of that.

The competition isn't the important part. It's about what we should be celebrating.

Disneyland revelations for the win.

So am I saying to plan your Disneyland trip during Oscars weekend next year? Well, yes, I am saying that, but if that's too much to ask, then I guess I'd settle with just saying this: I love TV, but there's so much more than the TV screen. This is your life - go live it!

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