I was raised in Los Angeles. In the summer I passed by the MGM studios as I walked to the municipal pool. This was near the ‘Desilu Studios’ in Culver City. My young life was obsessed with the entertainment industry. Like many young men, my dream was to become a professional athlete or an actor.

Raised by a single mother, and as the older brother of two children who were labeled “latch key” kids decades later, television was our primary form of entertainment.

On Saturdays we would take the bus to the matinee at our local theater where we paid 25 cents to see a double feature. Later in my life, as a young man, I worked for an airline at LAX. Bonanza Airlines’ primary route was from LAX to LAS. It was a daily occurrence when some of the most famous celebrities in “tinsel town” traveled on our airline.

The list of movie stars and sports celebrities I encountered is extremely lengthy. A few stood out, including Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, and Jimmy Durante, who were frequent fliers. It should not surprise you that I love everything ‘Hollywood,’ and the Academy Awards is one of the highlights of my year.

Last evening was the 92^nd Academy Award show, and the least impressive in my 73 years.

First; the idea of a “no host” broadcast diminishes the entertainment value. I enjoyed the talents of such greats as Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, and others who added great value to the broadcast.

Second; this is a self-absorbed celebration of accomplishments of the American film industry; and that is what we all expect. Every nation which is involved in the creation of theatrics does the same.

The Academy Awards has a “foreign film” category; as it should. However, this is an intentional and egotistical event which is intended to be a ‘pat on the back’ to the American film industry; a self-promotion of an over-inflated industry which forces the American public to pay exorbitant prices to watch films designed to make millionaires billionaires. The prices working Americans are forced to pay at the box offices have reached an amount considered criminal by myself and others. The last movie I attended at a theater was “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

My point is simple. A movie very few have seen and whose dialogue is 100 percent subtitles; created in South Korea; received the ‘best picture award.’

I have no doubt that “Parasite” is a great film, but it is a film that very few Americans have viewed. Is this the intent of the Academy Awards? As a devotee of the industry for most of my 73 years I found this decision an insult.

Okay, I know that the cinematic industry is driven by profit. A line from a Brad Pitt movie; the man who received best supporting actor last evening; repeated in a film is applicable to all corporations in America and defines American capitalism, stated that, “America is not a country, it is a business” applies.

Finally, let me compare other television broadcasts to my complaints about last night’s Oscars.

I grew up as a typical American boy. I played baseball, basketball, and football. I no longer watch any professional sport other than the NFL; and I have become less interested in the last ‘team sport’ remaining in the last few years.

Throughout the majority of my life I began my day watching broadcast news shows. I have not watched one since November 9, 2016.

The reason for both are similar. The “team” aspect of professional sports no longer exists and is ending in the NFL. Broadcast news has joined professional sports by placing sensationalism ahead of the facts. The fourth estate is nearing extinction.

Last night the Academy Awards played politics and ignored the history and the reason for its existence. This is an American awards show.

Let me make it clear; I do not support Trump and his fascist ideology of “America First.” However, I do believe that foreign films should be celebrated, but to receive the honor of “best film of the year” is unfair to our nation’s cinematic industry, infamous for failing to recognize the contributions of minorities and women for years. Was this a desperate effort to support diversity or a slap in the face to the American film industry? Regardless, I was very disappointed. As it is for me with professional sports, I doubt that I will waste my time watching the Oscars in 2021.

The Truth Lives Here

Op-ed by James Turnage

Image courtesy of MGM Studios

My eight novels, including “Tales from Between the Sheets,” are now available on Amazon; CLICK HERE; the Kindle app is a free download