May 5, 2021 --

LPR did not watch the Academy Awards -- mainly because he has a problem with cable reception and has to check with Optimum.  But even had his tv been working, LPR would not have had a clue about the nominees for awards.  First, where did one go to watch a movie the year of Covid-19 (or Wuhan flu).  All the movie theaters LPR would have gone to see a movie were shut down the past year. (The last movie LPR saw was The Joker, which won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar, although LPR could not understand the acclaim Phoenix got for his performance,   (The main reason LPR wanted to see the movie was for the scene filmed of Bronx steps as shortcut down a steep hill.)

Did it have something to do with the actor's weight loss to play the role?  True,  the scenes in The Joker of urban unrest might have served as precursor for the summer of violence in cities like Portland and Minneapolis.    Anyway, the names of the nominated films, for this year's Oscars were new to LPR up to the Oscars telecast.   Nomadland?  What was that about -- desert nomads? That's what LPR thought at first.

Even before the program, LPR thought: why Oscars this year?  TV ratings -- which reportedly dropped to record lows -- suggest that millions of Americans thought the same thing.  Really.  Just who was it that went to see a movie this year?