A quick Oscar wrap-up

Due to travel snafus, your humble blogger was unable to post his traditional pre-Oscar predictions post.  Suffice it to say that I correctly predicted all of the major awards but, as always, screwed up the best documentary short and best foreign language film.  Ten quick points, both positive and normative:  I think it’s telling that ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Due to travel snafus, your humble blogger was unable to post his traditional pre-Oscar predictions post.  Suffice it to say that I correctly predicted all of the major awards but, as always, screwed up the best documentary short and best foreign language film. 

Due to travel snafus, your humble blogger was unable to post his traditional pre-Oscar predictions post.  Suffice it to say that I correctly predicted all of the major awards but, as always, screwed up the best documentary short and best foreign language film. 

Ten quick points, both positive and normative: 

  1. I think it’s telling that one of America’s most competitive industries organized an awards show around an Aussie host, a British best actress winner, a Spanish best supporting actress winner, and a best picture winner based in Mumbai, India and directed by a Scotsman Englishman.  I’m just saying that the most globalized sectors of the economy are usually the most efficient and productive.
  2. There needs to be a word for a cultural trope that manages to attract admiration from both genders and both the gay and straight communities.  Whatever that word is, Hugh Jackman seems to embody it. 
  3. Is it me, or is there an iron law of Oscar shows that decrees that the last third of the show must drag on to the point where it sucks the life out of the show? 
  4. The Academy could save everyone a lot of time and angst by assigning hosting duties next year to Tina Fey and Steve Martin.  They were funnier than any of the comedy clips. 
  5. No nominations for Salma HayekSo what if she did not appear in a motion picture this year? 
  6. Waltz with Bashir did not win Best Foreign Film?  Where’s that damn Israel Lobby when you need it?!
  7. Call me schmaltzy, but I did like the idea of having former Oscar winners praise each nominee.  The nominees really seemed to go for it, too. 
  8. For just one day, I would like to be able to pull off the Mickey Rourke look.
  9. Best Visual effect of the show — Sarah Jessica Parker in her gown, as well as her ability to smile while sitting next to Matthew Broderick. 
  10. Among those who got jobbed by the Oscars this year:  the adult actors in Slumdog Millionaire, especially Dev Patel;  Both WALL*E and The Wrestler should have been nominated for Best Picture, and one of them arguably should have won. 

I think that’s it. 

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.