Not too long ago, during the run-up to the Oscars, Bill Maher did a monologue on the Academy Awards. One part of the monologue was his list of alternate reasons for Oscars being awarded. According to Bill, these alternate awards have included:
- Make Up For A Snub Award - Awarded to an actor who was passed over at the Oscars for better prior performances.
- Character With Affliction Award - Awarded for playing the role of someone with a physical affliction (blindness, ALS, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s, amputee, etc.).
- Character With A Mental Affliction Award - Awarded for portraying a character with a mental or developmental affliction.
- Famous Character Award - Given to an actor for the person they portrayed as opposed to their performance (Gandhi, Lincoln, Harvey Milk, etc.)
- Grandpa’s Last Christmas Award - Given to an actor who may not be around to be awarded later due to age or illness.
- Tipping The Scales Award - Given to an actor who gained or lost a lot of weight in preparation for their role.
- Making Yourself Un- Beautiful Award - Given to an actor who was made to appear unattractive for a role.
I have to admit I recognized a few of these alternate categories from past Oscars ceremonies. I think I’d add a couple more:
- Making A Statement Award: Oscars for Best Picture awarded to a flim because it covered an Important Topic.
- Don’t Call It A “Most Popular” Award - Films that won one or more Oscars in technical categories (Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, etc.) as an acknowledgment of their box office success and because there was no way they were ever going to win any of the biggest awards.
Anybody have any other alternate reasons they feel an Oscar’s been awarded to add to the list?