Award shows are an odd duck by their very nature. The average man, the layperson, doesn’t get anything tangible out of them other than a somewhat twisted sense of pride, the notion that we were ‘right’ for liking a certain film, television show, play, piece of music, etc., and finding commiseration with the opinions of others. We may not have some fancy degree or have spent X years in school studying movies, but dammit, we knew Million Dollar Baby was the best movie released in 2004 (note: it wasn’t), and feel vindicated that the Academy (with a big A, of course) agreed in our assessment. It’s a confirmation of taste. Comfort comes from the knowledge of a job well done.
