2012 Oscar Presictions

[Chris Knipp]

I will grant you, for the sake of discussion, and peace, that this ain't a rant from you, just a....condemnation, criticism, debunking, a calumny, a criticism; not a eulogy but a dyslogy.

A lot of people agree with you. Los Angeles Times columnist Patrick Goldstein wrote “Winfrey has done good work in the world, but that’s not enough to merit an Oscar.” However, this is a humanitarian award that is given out every year, and it's not even a part of the main ceremony.

What do you get the woman who has everything? The Motion Picture Academy anounced Wednesday that Oprah Winfrey will receive this year's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Oscar for her charitable work. Winfrey was nominated for her acting work in The Color Purple, but never won a competitive award from the academy. James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith will also get honorary awards for lifetime achievement. The statues will be handed out [at] a separate event from the Oscars telecast in February.
Read it at The Hollywood Reporter

--The Daily Beast.

Since you have granted in your last post that she has done a lot of good for a lot of people, why not give her this award? I'm just asking.

The past recipients of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award since they began giving it out are [from Wikipedia]:

29th: Y. Frank Freeman
30th: Samuel Goldwyn
32nd: Bob Hope
33rd: Sol Lesser
34th: George Seaton
35th: Steve Broidy
38th: Edmond L. DePatie
39th: George Bagnall
40th: Gregory Peck
41st: Martha Raye
42nd: George Jessel
43rd: Frank Sinatra
45th: Rosalind Russell
46th: Lew Wasserman
47th: Arthur B. Krim
48th: Jules C. Stein
50th: Charlton Heston
51st: Leo Jaffe
52nd: Robert Benjamin †
54th: Danny Kaye
55th: Walter Mirisch
56th: M.J. Frankovich
57th: David L. Wolper
58th: Charles "Buddy" Rogers
62nd: Howard W. Koch
65th: Audrey Hepburn † / Elizabeth Taylor
66th: Paul Newman
67th: Quincy Jones
74th: Arthur Hiller
77th: Roger Mayer
79th: Sherry Lansing
81st: Jerry Lewis[3]
84th: Oprah Winfrey

Is her name really so out of place in that list? Why? Because she's one of the only women? Because she's a billionarire? Surely being a billionaire doesn't disqualify one from being a humanitarian. Dough is the currency of doing good. As you can see, a number of the recipients are industry insiders, non-performers, or performers not primarily known for their film work. What do you have to be to get this award? Mother Teresa? Would you not say if it was given to the Dalai Lama that he didn't deserve it? That he didn't need it? What we can say is that this award is given out by the insiders to the insiders, because "Unlike the Academy Award of Merit, the nomination and voting for this award are restricted to members of the Board of Governors of AMPAS."

You did just say:

she does a lot of good things for a lot of people

Well then? Isn't that a humanitarian?

Another line:

When she built her schools in Africa EVERY PERSON on the planet had to know about it.

That applies pretty well to Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa's humility was fake; Oprah doesn't pretend to have it. Now that's a moral question: does a doer of good works have to be in every way an admirable person? Or can the works speak for themselves? Haven't there been saints who did some pretty bad stuff at some point in their lives? Haven't some saints been pretty weird individuals? Is Oprah a worse role model than Bob Hope? Frank Sinatra?

You also said: .

Yeah, you've done a lot of good charity work. Bravo. Kudos. All the best to you for such goodwill toward your fellow man.
Just go away and be content you "changed the world" by giving away cars and interviewing the cast of Jersey Shore when Snooki got punched out.
Thanks for that.
You saved the Earth.
But Oscars are for people with talent in the FILM BUSINESS.

I think you're being a little mean, here,, but as I said, you're far from alone. Plenty of people right in Hollywood think Oprah does not need this statuette. But your last line ("Oscars are for people with talent in the FILM BUSINESS." Not this one. It's not for movie accomplishment. As for how her huminarian activity stacks up to others on the list for this award, I think she might do pretty well.