"Where There's Hope There's Oscar"

David Carr
NYT-Weekends Arts
Friday, February 20th, 2009

There is a huge colored picture in the front, which draws a lot of attention to the article. There is a woman jumping on a man’s back and reaching for an Oscar from the man who’s handing them out, but teasing at the same time. Aside from this picture, the article starts with a very strong lede as if the picture is not enough. The lede is about a person looking into their mailbox and seeing bills when magically an invitation pops up for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Then the person realizes it’s a scribbled note from their neighbor inviting her to come to her house to watch the awards on ABC in her widescreen and promises a treat of her special nachos.

Carr mentions The New York Times Oscar Website, which is a daily blogger where people write who they think might win an award. He has “The Carpetbagger‘s 2009 Predictions” where he predicts the winners of the top twelve most important categories with a little explanation as to why he thinks that person will win the award.

Carr ends the article with a question: “And finally, given that many will be watching through less than rose-colored glasses, can Hollywood find a way to acknowledge the ties we are living in without giving in to the gloom?”