The New York Observer, January 17th, 2006
Ya know, many people have talked loudly and often about how trannies and homos might sweep the movie awards ceremonies this year. Last night, they rather did--Brokeback, Transamerica, Capote--at the Golden Globes.
(And how were the Golden Globes? Dunno; The Transom doesn't watch awards given out by foreigners in Hollywood. Now, if all the nannies out there organized and gave out awards, hell yeah, turn it on. Those dudes selling fruit on the off-ramp? We'd watch that. But not this crap. And; has anyone ever said out loud that Transamerica is a horrible, horrible title? Yes, they have? Okay.)
Anyway.
Maybe everyone's noticing the gay/trannie content in these films, but is missing the point. The other film reeling it in this year is Walk the Line, and, like those other three films, it also takes place in the middle of the American sandwich, as it were; not, at least, in the elitist God-hating cities of the coast, except a few scenes as moments of contrast. (In Capote, Manhattan represents his bitterness and degradation; in Transamerica, the moral blight of the big city couldn't be underlined more boldly.)
Maybe what's doing well this year is movies about "real" America, whether that's a Hollywood lie or not. Maybe it's all best viewed in context of Sharon Waxman's Times article from, we think, June, about Hollywood being willing and oh-so-ready to cater to the post-Mel Christian market. (Plus: "No, really! Hilarious! We filmed in actual Kansas! Yes, we literally got that bitch Catherine Keener out to Kansas with only a staff of two!") And don't forget: If they think there's an audience for midgets, they'll start making movies about midgets. Maybe Hollywood wants America back, and bad.
Is The Transom a johnny-come-lately to this theory? No idea. Probably. The RSS feed conglomeration of those good folks at Defamer and Carpetbagger and TheEnvelope and all that hooplah had to be dismantled recently. Perhaps it was giving up coffee last week--our bad!--but suddenly the full venality of Hollywood awards shows has smacked one in the kisser very hard and we've decided, for now, at least, to let them go on without us. After all, the only awards those people out west should be getting is for Most Retardedly-Run Industry of Retards of All Time.
