OT>Oscars

[Patti Feinberg]

Not for nothing...but the AMERICAN Academy awarding the Best Director to a man who is wanted by AMERICAN authorities for child endangerment.

Think how Elizabeth Smart's parents must feel (plus literally thousands of others).

I wish mr. Polanski would come back to receive his award; I'm sure there are QUITE a few 'gentlemen' in say Attica or Rikers who would help him celebrate

Thanks for letting me vent...this made me sick.

Patti

[victoriawinters]

Unfortunately, the Academy Awards is not an institution of judgment of moral or criminal acts.  It is an institute which judges artistic merit in film.

Merely, because someone is artistic does not make them automatically morally superior.

Thus, I do believe the award to Roman Polaski is with merit since morality and artistic merit are two separate issues.

[kuanyin]

Well, you may be right that he is just a pedophile, but somehow I have never thought it was that simple. What in the world was going on with her parents that she was going to his house alone? Were they TRYING to set him up? Did he think she was older or did he know her age? She says she forgives him and she never wanted him to be run out of the country, that he didn't deserve such extreme punishment. If he was guilty of all she said, why wasn't he deserving? And yet he did plead guilty and was going to accept his punishment. A friend of his overheard the judge bragging that he was going to throw the book at him and put him away for life, that was the point that he fled the country. He has since tried to work out an arrangement, but in spite of the judge removing himself from the case, the prosecution has remained intractable.

I don't know, maybe I give him a break just because I love his movies. Maybe because I feel so sorry for the tragedies he has endured. I have always thought he was set up somehow, but I may just be rationalizing for him. I won't see Woody Allen movies and I won't buy the ones I've seen and loved (though I admit I've thought about getting "Crimes and Misdemeanors" on eBay, at least he wouldn't get MY dime...). Maybe I'm being a hypocrite, I dunno.

[Julia99]

i don't know all the facts either but somehow with the **now** woman's comments on the matter, I think she must've looked older and he was not intentionally victimizing a minor.  He did not violently hurt her from what i can gather.  He is guilty of very poor judgement and reprehensible taste (i mean why do 40 year olds want 16-18 year olds anyway, they hardly know what to do??) but he is not Ted Bundy.

[Josette]

Since the victim in the case says that he should be judged on the artistic merit and she sees no reason why he shouldn't win for his work, regardless of what he did, so I find it acceptable, but there's still a strange feeling about honoring someone like that.

[Carol]

I was in favor of Roman Polanski winning the Oscar irregardless of his criminal record.  I think his creative genius was pushed to the surface as a result of his horrific childhood and was intensified after his wife & child were murdered by Manson.  The man has somehow survived all this and continued to be a creative member of the film community.

If the victim is having second thoughts as to what actually occured or didn't occur--granted, she was 13 and possibly more "mature" in some ways than others that led him to believe that she was older(it's possible--in the world of gynecology there are a few 13 year olds that look & act like 19 year olds who date men in their 20's with total abandon)--then maybe his case should be looked into on a "rush to judgment" issue.

[TERRY308]

I didn't want him (Roman Polanski) to win anyway...Martin Scoreses should had won it..but thats over and done with.

I believe that Mr. Polanski won this unbeliveable award  for his artistic merit.  After seeing his movie, I would agree with anyone, that yes, he is a genius

Is he a pedophile?...You better believe it.  Thats why he is afraid to come back to the United States.  If he would have done his time, it would have been over with a long time ago. 

[Raineypark]

If this is the only accusation ever lodged against Roman Polanski, I would have to doubt that he fits the clinical profile of a pedophile.  Stupid, wretched, guilty of the sexual abuse of a minor child and deserving of punishment, ABSOLUTELY!!....

But a pedophile doesn't stop after the first one.  That's what makes them so terribly dangerous.

Haven't seen the movie, so no comment there.  Actually, the only nominee I saw was "Chicago" and I wanted my money back. 

rainey

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Hey Raineypark,

When you consider that in their lawsuit against that tabloid magazine for publishing unauthorized (read: unpaid for) photographs of their wedding, perhaps, Ms. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who said in court that $800,000 was NOt a lot of money to her and her seemingly ageless hubby, Michael Douglas (who also called the same amount, a "pittance"), will gladly refund the cost of your tickets to see "Chicago."  But, don't bet on it!

Bob the Bartender, who misses seeing a real actor like Joe "Willie" Namath emoting in "C.C. Rider" with the vivacious Ann Margaret.  A true cinematic masterpiece!     

[Raineypark]

Hey Bob, the price of those two tickets (had the kid with me)...not to mention the obscenely over-priced popcorn and soda...was more than a pittance to me!  I thought that film was a travesty.  They'd have done a better job just hiring all the understudies and gypsies from the Broadway cast, instead of all those high-priced "names".  Poor Bob Fosse...he must be spinning in his grave!

rainey

[ClaudeNorth]

Regarding the incident with Polanski, the girl in question was a model who was posing for a photo shoot that Polanski was conducting.  Polanski did not know that the girl was underage, and the photographs of her in full make-up revealed that she did indeed appear to be 18 or older.  Furthermore, Polanski underwent a psychological evaluation, conducted by the authorities, and it was determined that he was NOT a pedophile.

As for his winning the Oscar, I was thrilled, although not as thrilled as if Almodovar had won.

Regards,

John

[jennifer]

i agree with John and a few others and if we had a crystal
ball to see the real truth about others there would be a lot of CEOs and politicans (besides the ones we know about) that
have done some things they could be jailed for!

jennifer

[Bob_the_Bartender]

Raineypark,

Concerning your comment/complaint on the exorbitant cost of going to the movies, I hear you!  The last time that I saw a film at a movie theater was probably back in 1993, when William Jefferson Clinton became president of these United States.  So, as the 42nd President is wont to say: "I feel your pain."

Bob the Bartender, faithful Sony Beta-Max recorder user.

[Connie]

Bob the Bartender, faithful Sony Beta-Max recorder user.

Really?  And where do you find blank tapes??

-CLC
Another Beta-Max recorder owner   

[jennifer]

Bob the Bartender, faithful Sony Beta-Max recorder user.

Really?  And where do you find blank tapes??

-CLC
Another Beta-Max recorder owner   

i know where do you? i had the whole !986 world series(minus celebration)on beta but my husband tossed it. haven't seen a tape in years!

jennifer