The funniest part about watching the backlash over the agenda driven supporters of Brokeback Mountain is that many of them are mirroring the racism of the characters in Crash. Obviously, the message in that film went right over their heads, especially those that go as far as to call it the worst movie of the year. Crash was not only well done but it was a clever examination of the inherent intolerance within most people (something that should resonate with Brokeback supporters.) Maybe it hit too close to home for some? Or perhaps it was just pushing the wrong "in" agenda for 2006. 

With all of the hype surrounding Brokeback Mountain it did seem like a shoo-in for victory but when the dust settled the better film won out and that has those that saw Brokeback more as a furtherance of an agenda than entertainment, scrambling to come up with an explanation. It must be the homophobes! Most of the voters are from Los Angeles so a film based in their hometown won. Ludicrous, perhaps, just maybe the voters without an agenda felt that Crash was a better film. 

Just take the controversy out of Brokeback and look at it if the script had portrayed a love affair between a man and woman and at the end of the day, it doesn't really standout as the best that Hollywood has to offer. But the daring angle of a gay love-story gave it sizzle and made it standout but it really wasn't a better film than a lot of movies that came out last year that weren't even nominated. In fact, the movie that should have been called the best movie of the year Cinderella Man didn't make the cut. Maybe it wasn't pushing an agenda and couldn't even be considered. Maybe it was Russell Crowe backlash? Crowe may be somewhat of a tool, but the man can act! (And hey he played a gay character in the past too!) And Cinderella Man was a great movie. Far better than Brokeback and even Crash. 

Perhaps some people take these silly little popularity contests too seriously. It's as if the most popular kid in school lost an election to a normal kid. The favorite was beaten by the underdog. But the public also voted about the hype this year when the telecast earned the second smallest audience in its history. (Suffering a similar fate to this year's Grammy telecast.) Could it be that the public is sending a loud and clear message to the entertainment community that keeps b*****ing that their profits keep shrinking? They try to blame it on illegal downloading or anything else aside from the fact that they keep putting out product that most people wouldn't waste their money on. But maybe they just need to look back at Oscars past to a film that lost out on the Best Picture honors in 1989 because there is still a lot of truth in the statement "If you build it, he will come". If you make better movies (and music) they will buy. No big mystery there. And don't get me started on all of the shoddy remakes being pumped out of Hollywood. Did we really need a big screen version of the Dukes of Hazard? 

Who cares really? But I do admit it's fun watching the hypesters b***** and moan and toss out conspiracy theories about why their sure thing lost. It couldn't possibly be that the best picture award went to the best picture that was nominated. Nope, it has to be something sinister like homophobia or hometown advantage to explain why the hype failed this year. 

Call me crazy but I go to the movies to be entertained. That's my only agenda. Besides didn't Pauly Shore already make a movie about a gay cowboy? Where is his Oscar?