"The Good, the Bad and Michael Moore"

With 24-hour coverage of the war with Iraq ruling the television this weekend, I felt I needed some distraction to take my mind off how much I hate our country right now. The NCAA Tournament did its part, but once most of my teams were eliminated, I quickly lost interest. But one night was approaching that could let me forget our collective troubles and allow me to whine for hours over petty, unimportant arguments. Thank God for the Academy Awards.

Unless you're living under a rock, the 75th annual Academy Awards took place Sunday night, containing moments of joy, upsets, embarrassments, surprises and disappointments. Unfortunately, the current state of world affairs has dimmed this year's festivities, scrapping the traditional red carpet entrances and causing some celebrities to back out. Actually, Roman Polanski had his own reasons, but I'll let them slide.

OK, enough babble. Let's discuss the important stuff; namely, who won, who lost and Michael Moore.

I must start off by saying that 2002 was the best movie year since 1999. As opposed to the previous two years, the races this year involved talented actors, amazing actresses, deserving directors and bona fide "Best Picture" nominations.

Well, maybe I shouldn't say that. I have yet to see either "The Hours" or "The Pianist," which were both recipients of high-profile awards and nominations. But out of the movies I did see this year, "Gangs of New York" was unquestionably the best one.

Yes, I did see "Chicago," and as I was watching it in the theater, I became more convinced that it did not deserve the Oscar hype that its been receiving since its release.

"Chicago" was a better-than-average movie. It was big; it was flashy; there were bright lights, great songs, beautiful girls and dazzling choreography. But did I care? Did it matter whether Roxie was found guilty? Do I need to see this movie ever again?

No.

"Chicago" is a musical. Its primary concern is to offer catchy tunes and fun dance numbers. On that level, it was a complete success. But unlike "Moulin Rogue," which was a musical with heart (a rare exception), "Chicago" was fun for 113 minutes and then was forgotten.

"Gangs of New York," on the other hand, had heart. It had a great script, great acting (at least from Daniel Day-Lewis), startling camera movement, a gripping story and the epic scope of a movie that deserves "Best Picture." The fact that both Day-Lewis and director Martin Scorcese were passed over for their respective awards was, in my mind, the biggest upset of the night.

Actually, no - the biggest upset of the night was Michael Moore, whose documentary "Bowling for Columbine" won in the "Best Documentary" category. Unfortunately, Moore used his acceptance speech as an excuse to (very loudly) voice his opinions on the war with Iraq. After gaining scattered applause for his criticism of the war, Moore proceeded to point and yell directly into the camera, screaming "Shame on you, President Bush! Shame on you!" before being booed off the stage.

I am a firm believer in free speech, and anyone has the right to say whatever he or she wants. In fact, I agreed with nearly every word Moore said. But the Academy Awards was not the appropriate forum for Moore to criticize the president. Countless celebrities were on hand to honor each other and their shared achievements in the art of film. Moore should save his rant for the next time he's a guest on CNN's "Crossfire."

On the other hand, the best moment of the night came when Adrien Brody won his "Best Actor" award. Unexpectedly beating out tough competition like Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson, a shocked Brody came onstage and lived out the dream of nearly every man in the room: he gave Halle Berry a long, sloppy kiss, then cut off the orchestra to extend his acceptance speech.

During a time when our country is being plunged into a war that makes no sense, I was glad the Oscars were aired. It gave me something to think about that didn't involve our soldiers being killed over oil, or a president who can't speak in bursts of more than four syllables at a time. Even if the most deserving movies were not awarded, at least it's still possible for us to sit back, relax and be distracted by things that don't really matter.