What is Oscar buzz? Where does it come from? Who is to decide who gets it and who doesn’t? Every summer there is inevitably a summer blockbuster movie that garners Oscar buzz even though it is far from the typical Oscar fare. People thought Christopher Nolan would get nominated for Best Director, or that Wall-E would get nominated for Best Picture. But these nominations didn’t happen. Oh yes, some of the blockbusters manage to get a token nomination. Heath Ledger had Oscar buzz even before he passed away and The Dark Knight came out in theaters. But these incidences are few and far between.
So far, none of the Summer movies this year have generated any false hope Oscar buzz. Well maybe Up, but it’s pretty much a given that it won’t be nominated for Best Picture, but will win Best Animated Feature. I mean, how could Wolverine not be generating Best Picture buzz? It’s a travesty! I kid, I kid. But let’s face it, Oscar buzz comes out of nowhere. It’s like this made up thing that the studios create to collect even more buzz for their movie. But they don’t really care about the nomination itself, they just want the buzz to boost ticket sales.
Well screw them!
I say we should grab the bull by the horns and create some buzz ourselves. The person I elect to generate Oscar buzz for is Leonard Nimoy. Did you hear they’re already talking about nominating him for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Spock in Star Trek? No? That’s because they’re not. I’ve searched the internet high and low and nowhere has anyone even dared mention that he should get nominated for an Oscar. Is it because he’s undeserving? Or is it because the Hollywood media hasn’t told us there was buzz for him?
So what we need to do is start putting this idea out into the world. If you have a blog, do a post about it. If you’re talking about movies with your friends, throw in the possibility of Leonard Nimoy getting an Oscar nomination. If people don’t believe you, you can tell them you heard about it on a big time Hollywood website. I mean, if Hollywood says it’s buzz, it’s buzz, right?
But I’m not just doing this to make some statement against Hollywood or the buzz creating machine. I really do think Leonard Nimoy should get nominated and if we build up enough buzz, the thought may enter the social atmosphere and the minds of those ridiculous Academy voters. Here are some reasons why I think an Oscar nomination is not only deserving, but possible:
Leonard Nimoy IS Star Trek: He may never have had first billing, but Leonard Nimoy is the epitome of Star Trek. The hand salute that he devised himself has become a symbol of the franchise to the point where the entire cast of Star Trek gives the salute at red carpet events, regardless of never playing Spock themselves:
Shouldn’t the man responsible for creating and carrying the franchise trademark all these years get the most Academy recognition when it comes roaring back to life on the big screen? Everyone I talked to is ecstatic about Leonard’s involvement and performance in the latest Star Trek movie. Of anyone they could have brought back, Leonard Nimoy was the man for the job. And who’s favorite line isn’t: “Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say good luck.”
A Short and Sweet Performance: The Academy loves these types of performances! The shortest performance time to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar was for Anthony Quinn for about nine minutes as Paul Gaugin in Lust for Life. Judi Dench won an Academy Award for about ten minutes of screen time as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love. Hell, Anthony Hopkins won Best (NOT SUPPORTING) Actor for his role as Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs with a mere sixteen minutes on screen. And you can’t tell me Leonard Nimoy’s performance wasn’t as good as Alan Arkin’s in Little Miss Sunshine. I mean, did Alan win just because grandpa was a heroin addict and that’s supposedly edgy? Come on! Just like these previous winners, Leonard Nimoy made the most out his limited screen time and gave us all the wise Vulcan we’ve known and loved all these years, but in a way that is relevant and exciting in this new generation.
You may just say that those nominations only happened because these people were highly regarded in Hollywood and in the Academy. So that’s why I present the following point:
Street Credibility: Everyone knows the Academy likes to stick with the same usual suspects. James Spader, anyone? How about anything directed by Clint Eastwood? Well did you know that Leonard Nimoy was nominated for an Emmy every season of the original Star Trek series? The Academy loves him! They just haven’t had enough reason to nominate him for something lately. Now’s their chance!
The Sentimental Nomination: And lastly, I pull out my final card. It’s a bit of a last resort sucker punch, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Was The Departed really Martin Scorsese’s best job directing? Or was it just because the poor man was let down so many times in the past? Let’s face it, Leonard Nimoy is 78 years old. How incredible would it be to give him his first Oscar nomination so far into his career? It’s exactly the type of stories Hollywood loves! I know I’d need a tissue box on Oscar night!
So what do you think? It can totally happen, right? Well I can’t make this buzz strong enough on my own though. I need your help to put the word out there. Start blogging about the possibility and get the word out there, and together we can make this happen.
