http://www.johnjazwiecblog.com/2011/02/blogging-while-waiting-for-a-movie-to-download-from-itunes.html

I wrote the following post two years ago. Key excerpts:

Found a movie I wanted to watch before the Oscars.

... good only 14 minutes remaining ...

Tonight marks the start of my favorite time of year for watching television.

It all starts in late February with the Oscars. I think I like the Oscars because it is the ultimate reality TV show. Most of us work at our craft for many years in obscurity. To be recognized is a one-time event. No one can know the know the depths of our valleys until we see our greatest peak. 

... crap now 24 minutes remaining ...

And ...

.. now damn it there are now 29 minutes remaining.

Thanks Apple. You just ruined my lovely mood and blog for today. Instead of developing the next i-Something, could you just please upgrade your server farm? When checkout time is longer on a download, than driving my car to BlockBusted, there is something very wrong.

Well, I have two things to report today. Apple has improved their downloading speed. That's the good news. The bad news is I stopped watching the Oscars this year.

Why? Because it had all the impartiality of a papal conclave. Argo? The movie didn't suck; but it was not Oscar quality. I didn't watch the Oscars this year because I knew the cardinals (insiders) of Hollywood would vote for Argo.

The movie put the insiders of Hollywood in the best light. Argo's hero? Hollywood itself.

Hollywood - sans the 1950's Communism trials - has always worked in tandem with the U.S. government. They have made some of the U.S.'s best propaganda. Heroic World War II films during the war. Top Gun as a heroic Cold War film. Just a few that come to mind.

But at least they were cheesy. But Argo? Just enough quality to be Oscar nominated. And just too tempting for the insiders to vote for.

Here is a thought. How about turning the Oscars into an old school party nomination. Transparent voting. And the winner chosen after a number of rounds of voting. Perhaps Argo would have still won. But at least there would have been some drama. And that would have been worth watching.