On Oscar's Honorary Statues: Who Gets Them, Who Still Waits?
Wednesday, August 3, 2011 at 11:40AM ... mogul OPRAH WINFREY (The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award), actor JAMES EARL JONES (Honorary Oscar) and makeup artist DICK SMITH (Honorary Oscar).
I heard this in the wee hours of the AM this morning but didn't have time to ponder it whilst collapsing from a day spent swooning over Judy Garland (♥♥♥♥) and then Sufjan Stevens at "Celebrate Brooklyn".
Several hours later after a good night's sleep the news makes much more sense to me because last night I thought they'd given Oprah a regular honorary Oscar -- most of the headlines are saying just that -- and I was pissed. For the record, though a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award looks just like an Oscar, it's actually a statue commemorating your humanitarian endeavors rather than your screen work. And few would argue that Oprah isn't deserving once you make that distinction. I think the Jean Hersholt statue shouldn't look the same as a regular Oscar so it gets confusing.
The Color OprahAnd really a regular Honorary Oscar wouldn't have surprised me. The Academy, much like the rest of the world, tends to think that celebrity = deserve. But really fame should have much less to do with who gets Honorary Oscars than that person's contribution to the cinema. And really what has Oprah ever done to warrant a regular Oscar? If you say The Color Purple I'd have to smack you upside the head with a Margaret Avery (The Color Purple) or an Anjelica Huston (Prizzi's Honor) and then if you're still trying to say "The Color Purple" a mandatory viewing of The Kiss of Spider Woman is in order. Brazil's non-nominated Sonia Braga was AMAZING thrice over (multi-part performance) in that film. Can I get an amen?
The makeup artist Dick Smith already has an Oscar for Amadeus (1984) but maybe they felt he needed an honorary since just maybe he was the one on the makeup team that put cotton balls in Marlon Brando's mouth for The Godfather and he also did fine comic work on Death Becomes Her which we love and which Oscar mostly ignored.
Though really, should a previous winner ever get an honorary?
Here's why the repeats are problems. In the past 30 years only 4 actresses have won honoraries and one of them, Sophia Loren, already had a competitive statue. The Academy has screwed over a lot of female screen icons over the years so why double reward someone when so many greats are still denied? Oscar's contempt for women -- remember they rarely let them present Best Picture either -- seems to be getting worse. Since the glorious early 90s when Sophia Loren, Deborah Kerr and Myrna Loy won them in quick succession, only Lauren Bacall has been so honored. ONLY ONE ACTRESS SINCE 1994. In that same time span, 1994 to now, 5 actors have been so honored and one of them (Sidney Poitier) already had an Oscar. We complain about this every year but there's a long list of actressy screen icons who never won an Oscar and whose screen contributions and legacies are undeniable. Chief among them I'd argue are Catherine Deneuve and Mia Farrow. They'll both turn 70 soon -tick-tock, tick-tock.
One of the greatest filmographies in the business. Still challenging herself well into her 60s. Deneuve for the Honorary Gold.
But there are also other past nominees with rich Hollywood histories -- names in bold are still alive -- including (Angela Lansbury, Doris Day, Natalie Wood, Ava Gardner, Irene Dunne, Gena Rowlands, Eleanor Parker) and some with rich filmographies who were never so much as nominated (Maureen O'Hara, Marilyn Monroe) and there's the current working aging crop who they're obviously going to pass on competitively (Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer ...maybe Glenn Close if it doesn't happen this year) and who are more than deserving of these "thank you for your career" prizes.
Come to think of it, if AMPAS was smart about honoraries they could stop voting for competitive prizes as cumulative honors and just reserve those 'you were never THE best of any particular year' people for the honorary statues. You know Meryl Streep is more likely to get an Honorary than any of these women and she already has two!
Congratulations to this year's recipients! Honestly, I'm not throwing shade on them. Don't misunderstand. It's just the Academy has so many blind spots with their honorary prizes we'd like them to see the eye doctor before they lose their sight entirely.
WHO WOULD YOU GIVE AN HONORARY TO?
Reader Comments (61)
I have to ask a technical question that perhaps you (or Nick) may know Nat-I know that Jones, who is now an EGOT (first African-American man to do that, btw), gets the title of Oscar winner, but does Oprah? Is the Jean Hersholt bestow that tile? The awards nerd in me is desperate to know if she's now an Oscar winner and if she just got herself out of what may have been the hardest of her paths to the EGOT.
Also, it needs to be said every year, but come on-doesn't all of America want to see the speeches that Jones & Winfrey are going to give (not to mention the film nerds who want to see Smith's speech?). Bring it back to the ceremony!!!
John T -- i think that ship has sailed -- Oscar understanding that honorary prizes should be on air -- but if they limited it to one Honorary each year I would GLADLY do without one of the montages, you know? (sigh)
as for the EGOT. different people have different rules about what "counts" as can be noted every time we post a triple crown list. I don't generally care about the EGOT because grammys are so so so different in terms of categories than the other three prizes. So i'm only obsessed with the Triple Crown. I think #30ROCK has shifted fan attention over to the EGOT though. I never heard people talk about it so much until that damn story arc and now noone cares about triple crowns *sniffle*
I dunno. I'd have handed Winfrey the Oscar back in '85 (or '86, I guess, when the ceremony was held). Braga's a close second that year, followed by Harada (Ran), Hagerty (Lost in America), then Avery. Huston will have to console herself with the imaginary statue's I'd have given her in '87 (The Dead) and (probably) '90 (for The Grifters, except on days when I pick Dern in Wild at Heart).
Still, that wouldn't justify an honorary Oscar, but I'm obviously cool with the humanitarian recognition.
I agree with you, giving previous winners Honorary Awards is such waste. At least Dick Smith is suitably old unlike Loren who was 56 (!!) when she received hers. What was the point? And Irene Dunne made it to 91 yet they never bothered to give her one. Oh, AMPAS.
the woman who gave us doctor phil and endorsed 'the secret' is getting a humanitarian award?
I have long thought that the Academy made an enormous mistake in not recognizing Marcello Mastroianni with a special Oscar. He was nominated for Best Actor three times, each in a foreign language film. No other actor has achieved this distinction.
Clearly, a lot of politics are involved in these awards. The selections are becoming more and more ridiculous. Never to recognize Claude Chabrol, for instance, is a travesty.
Someone in my twitter feed also suggested Danielle Derrieux for the honorary Oscar. But I know this is never gonna happen, but if Francois Ozon did something cool with her again maybe she'll be up for a real one...
Nathaniel -- Amen.
What about Jeanne Moreau?
I'm going to hold back because I've been too liberal around you with my Streep bashing. My God I wish I hadn't!
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Annette Bening will be a Best Actress: Slum Queen -- Supporting Actress Winner (c) Nick Davis -- her mom role in the new Kristen Wiig comedy screams a Monique level steamroll through awards season.
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Mia Farrow is a pariah for two reasons: Frank Sinatra and Woody Allen
Nathaniel, thank you very much for your post and I completely agree with everything you've said.
I think it's disgusting that AMPAS yet again failed to award woman (it doesn't necessarily has to be an actress) with an Honorary Oscar. Is it normal or simply fair that over the 100 Honorary Oscars recipients in the past 83 years of Academy's existence only nine (!!!) women have been awarded with that award? They are Greta Garbo (1955), Lillian Gish (1971), Mary Pickford (1976), editor Margaret Booth (1978), Barbara Stanwyck (1982), Myrna Loy (1991), Sophia Loren (1991), Deborah Kerr (1994), and Lauren Bacall (2009). That's is less than 10%.
You can't turn the time and it's too late for some greats like Dede Allen or Ava Gardner, but the likes of 3-time Oscar nominee Angela Lansbury, Oscar nominee Debbie Reynolds, Oscar nominee Doris Day, 2-time Oscar nominee Gena Rowlands, and Jeanne Moreau among some few others are still with us and by ignoring them the Academy is not making their great contributions to the world of film any less significant, but it sure is taking creditability from the Academy herself. Shame on them!
As for Winfrey, nothing against her, but she's hardly a film personality and Mia Farrow would've been a far more deserving choice for the Jean Hersholt Award.
I apologize in advance if this is something everyone around here already knows. How are these awards chosen exactly? I know, a too general question. What I mean is if they're like, let's say the Nobel Prizes that have to be sponsored by groups that present their candidates or do AMPAS members vote for random candidates they think are appropriate? If the former, that would explain a lot of things, the one with the most powerful supporters wins; if the second, it would be a bit chaotic process, you could have hundreds of candidates. I guess there's a comittee that manages the whole process so that you don't have an endless list of candidates, but again, do they chose them at random or are they given a list? I thought at least the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award would be chosen by having supporters that present their candidates, and then a comittee'd choose the lucky one, but after a quick Google search I learnt that this award isn't given every year, so I guess I was wrong.
Personally, I don't think James Earl Jones completely deserved this Oscar... he doesn't have the same filmography of, let's say, Max von Sydow (who should be an Honorary Oscar recipient in my opinion!).
About the actresses, what do you think of a Honorary Oscar for Angela Lansbury and/or Gena Rowlands? They both had amazing careers in movies (Rowlands, especially, is one of the greatest talents of independent cinema), and they both came close to win a competetive one... come on, Academy, give them a statue!
Iggy, I hope this helps: http://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/academy-choose-honorary-oscar-winners-29677
An Honorary Oscar HAS to go to Doris Day in my opinion. What she has that the others don't is the box office track record. Has there ever been a woman who was at the top of the box office for so long? It's rarer than all the other statistics people are mentioning. Her only competition must surely be Shirley Temple, and didn't Shirley get her honorary Oscar? I seem to recall that.
As for not broadcasting the award, what I would really like is an hour long special focusing on the talents of the Oscar recipients. It doesn't need to be much more than a glorified Biography special, but I think it would make money on a "lesser" channel like A&E or PBS. Someone needs to pitch this idea. Heck, why not Oprah and OWN?
Seriously, how much does Angela Lansbury need to give us all before someone other than the Tony's recognizes her? The film and television communities just take, take, take!
As iconic (Darth Vader) and ubiquitous (1000 commercials and counting) as Jones is, I really can think of a lot of other people who deserve it more. Jones best performances have probably been onstage in live theater rather than films (of course racism and the limited roles for black actors of both genders is more than partly responsible for that.)
Thank you very much, will. It did help, indeed. I'd still like to know how the first long list is made, but I guess if that depends on AMPAS and transparency... I'd rather not hold my breath.
Yeah, James Earl Jones is great, but I'm not sure he really warrants the Honorary Oscar. As Janice just pointed out, I think he's more respected as a stage actor than a film actor, even if he is most known for being the voices of Darth Vader and Mufasa. I would second Stefano's suggestion to give Max Von Sydow the honor in a heartbeat, and while we're at it, why not fellow Scandinavian and Bergman alumnus Liv Ullmann? She's more than deserving of the award, and she'd be a great choice if they ever decide to give it to a woman again.
Gena Rowlands has been my top pick for a long time and will remain so, although Dede Allen was close (thanks, Oscar), and Catherine Deneuve is a great call. I also think Liv Ullmann ought to be very close to the front of the line.
Mia Farrow will never get this recognition for her acting, but not giving her a Hersholt by now seems pretty outrageous. They're obviously uncomfortable with her.
I don't think Bening, Moore, etc., are "out" for competitive Oscars. Particularly Bening, who repeatedly comes so close, and whose screen persona won't need any adjusting as she ages.
Wasting these honorary Oscars on people who have already won a competitive one is just ridiculous, especially when a non-winner like Doris Day gets passed over every single year!!! What is wrong with the Academy? There is simply no one more deserving of this particular award, and it is downright strange why she didn't get it years ago.
John-Paul
I am in total agreement about Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. Both have Oscar nominations and both are richly deserving.
I predict that I will be deemed heretical (and maybe even xenophobic!) for this comment, but I'm not sure that I agree with some of the international names that are flying around in this conversation. I think honoring greatness is the essence of an Honorary Award, but I also like the idea of recognizing figures whose careers have been wrapped up in the culture of Hollywood and the AMPAS.
I mean this as sensitively as possible as a fan of Catherine Deneuve, but even if some of the films she made caught the eye of the Academy, there's something more satisfying (in my opinion) in seeing someone like Lauren Bacall recognized by her most immediate peers. Without that curatorial decision, it might've been easy for future generations to minimize her significance in the culture of Hollywood.
I suppose I'd like to see the Honorary Award function the same way the BAFTA Fellowship does, which is to recognize filmmakers (and particularly actors and actresses) who've made a meaningful impression on the American film landscape. Widening the scope so much is exciting in theory but I also think it's part of why we're so disappointed all the time.
Hayden -- i'd totally agree with this IF it was the current Oscar practice but they have not pretended to be american only with these awards since filmmakers from Poland, India and France (at least) have won honoraries. so why not FACES of European cinema who made indisputable marks in America like Deneuve, Ullman and Von Sydow?
Nick -- that's a good point on Bening actually and it hadn't even occurred to me (the screen persona). It's probably why her career seems healthy still now, despite the fact that unlike many 50-somethign actresses, she isn't ever trying to look 20 or 30
and her numerous time-offs haven't hurt her standing the way the same deal has obviously dimmed Pfeiffer's star-power.
I don't really mind people who've won the Oscar getting an honorary award as well. I mean I know there are times when actors who are overdue will win simply for the fact that they should have had one a while ago, but for the most part I look at Oscars as being for a specific performance, whether I agree with it or not. The honorary award almost seems like some sort of backhanded compliment when it's given to those who haven't ever received an actual Oscar, but I do think it makes sense to spread the wealth a little. The Deneuve and Farrow suggestions are brilliant, they certainly deserve it, but I'm still trying to stay hopeful in the cases of Moore and Pfeiffer wining the real thing one day.
As far as the Oprah thing goes, I'll admit to loving her in The Color Purple and Beloved, though I prefer Margaret Avery's performance in the former.
I have been waiting for them to give an honorary Oscar to Angela Lansbury for years. Years, I say! She should already have one (Dammit, Patty Duke!) or two (Ethel Barrymore! My greatest foe!). And I still think she should have been nominated for "Death on the Nile." I mean, she was great in that film AND she had to share a room with Bette Davis while filming. That's got to count for something.
I agree with most of your assertions, but suggesting Annette Bening or Glenn Close for an Honorary Oscar, at this point in time, is absurd to me. The former doesn't work regularly, nor is her resume filled with pivotal roles in culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films. I suppose her 4 unsuccessful nominations incline some to view her as "overdue" for recognition, but, truth be told, I've always felt that AMPAS and other award bodies have been exceedingly generous with her (I tend to find her performances either shrill and obvious or unmemorable, though I would nominate her as BSA for 'Bugsy').
Glenn Close, too, is widely proclaimed as "overdue" for an Oscar, but I don't think her contributions to film warrant an Honorary one...three of her five nominations ('The World According to Garp', 'The Big Chill', and 'The Natural') were filler, leaving 'Fatal Attraction' and 'Dangerous Liaisons' as her standout roles. Certainly impressive, but not worthy of an award supposedly for "for a lifetime's worth of indelible screen characters." She’s best on stage and the small screen, IMO.
Oprah>Avery>>>>>>Huston, who is great in many roles but not the one that made her an Oscar winner. Of course that doesn't mean Oprah would be deserving of an honorary award, just the 1985 Supporting Actress statue. For humanitarian work though? Yeah, that makes sense. Jones doesn't bug me as a choice, especially since he's so iconic.
The low number of women who have won is ridiculous, though I must admit Streep easily tops my list of actors who should take it. (Daniel Day-Lewis would be up there too, and he also has two golden boys already.) Bening and Moore were in the mix just last year; I think considering them at this stage would be way too early. Close is a good guess if she misses this year. I'd love to say let's throw in some female directors too, but it's way too early for the Sofia Coppolas and the Jane Campions.
Also, a little rant: While I love the fact that critics drive so much of the awards season these days, it still seems to be a largely male-dominated field. When asked to name their favorite actor of all time, I think men are more likely to give a man top billing. The vast majority of box office hits are also male-centric, and weirdly enough, that seems much truer now than it was a few decades back. Thinking about Best Picture nominees, female fronted films rarely hold multiple slots anymore. Am I wrong? Maybe this was always the case and it just seems more glaringly ridiculous now.
well don´t understand why people like Angela Lansbury or Maureen O´Hara has´nt this oscar, they are legends of the classic Hollywood.Maybe in a future Glen Close or Michelle Pfeiffer get one, but they still working.....
Mike M, have you seen The World According to Garp? Calling her role and performance in that film "filler" is absurd! That's the best performance of her five nominations.
As for people who deserve Honorary Oscars, I'll throw Hal Holbrook, Albert Finney, Jane Alexander, Alan Parker, Marsha Mason, Piper Laurie, and Ann-Margaret into the mix.
1. Okay, if we're pointing out that James Earl Jones FILM work pales in comparison to his television/theatre work, we've gotta say the same about Lansbury. Jones' first film was Dr. Strangelove and he's been part of two generations of children (Mufasa, Darth Vader).
2. I'd actually argue that honorary oscars are a great way to honour totems of foreign language films. Bergman, Ray, Renoir, Wadja.... a terrific group of people to recognize for their career work.
3. I don't want the honorary oscar to be treated as a make-up oscar. I want it to be treated as a career oscar- for those people who's film career is more than the sum of it's parts. So Meryl Streep, if/when she gets hers, will be totally deserving. Certainly moreso than someone like Glenn Close (or egads, Annette Benning).
4. I think Mia Farrow is a BRILLIANT suggestion.
//...and her numerous time-offs haven't hurt her standing the way the same deal has obviously dimmed Pfeiffer's star-power//
@Nathaniel - But Bening was never as "big" a star as Pfieffer was anyway - except for "Bugsy" she was known, primarily in the larger culture as "Mrs Warren Beatty"; whereas Pfieffer was HUGE back in the day.
thefilmjunkie -- i myself have to give up for my sanity. I've done the math. Only one woman in her 50s has ever won Best Actress. They just stop caring about women once they're no longer people they want to have sex with. It's the only explanation as to how so many brilliant brilliant older woman get shoved aside to honor the PYTs year after year while the opposite holds true for me. The statistics bear out this theory of it all being about heterosexual sex drive (older men honored ('Hey, i want to be more like him') and young women ('Hey, I want to have sex with her!'). the statistics are just too disturbing.
Mike M -- i have to agree with Sean here. GARP is the type of performance that would have been nominated in any year. She didn't even need to be a "name" screen performer to get nominated for it (it was her debut film) because it was that showy/attention-grabbing.
eurocheese -- it's really television that's to blame. Before the 50s women were equal to men in terms of box office might. afterwards it kept shifting away from them.
oprah - to be honest - i dont see all the humanitarianism - she built a school for girls in africa.....she's full of herself & thinks she is a profit. feh. i think the oscar people are so desperate to get people to come back to watching - that very well could be a reason for giving her this award. plus she spent so many years publicizing the oscars....a little payback. anyway - when she accepts her award (they won't bury this presentation) - she will def have her phoney British accent to thank everyone and then challenge us to be the best people we can be. thank you oprah!!!!!
This is a longer post (sorry). Max Von Sydow should get it (Honorary Oscar). He's been acting for 60+ years and still going. He's been in some high–profile films and played some strong characters. His dedication to the craft is deserving enough.
As for Glenn Close...? She said she has two pet projects. Albert Nobbs is one, and (I believe) the other is Mary Stuart. If Albert Nobbs does well critically, she may tackle writing more projects for herself. She believes in great writing, so she will undoubtedly select solid material. This could open up a new marketability for her. If women her age cannot find prominent work consistently (except Streep), maybe Close can create her own. I've always wondered why she hasn't tackled writing because she's intelligent AND articulate. Not everybody is both. She's had awards and nominations throughout her career in different venues, and she's not a one–trick pony (actress, producer, director, and now writer). The director thing is small, but it's still her willingness to try something new.
Streep is great, but I always feel like I'm watching Streep and not her character unless she's donning an accent, wig, or other costume piece. Sreep fans, don't hate me for that, because as I said, I do enjoy watching her for the most part.
This site has been bashing Meryl a lot lately.
I say give an honorary Oscar to Angela Lansbury. She's very deserving.
Since they never give them posthumously I'll just comment on the living worthies. That Doris Day doesn't have an honorary is a disgrace. Was she always a GREAT actress, no, that never stopped the academy from rewarding talent free people like Zellweger in competitve categories, but was she always a star you bet and a distintive presence from the very first moment on screen. Give her the damn thing already!!! Gena Rowlands IS always great even in bad films and should be acknowledged, another glaring omission. Angela Lansbury of course, maybe she's too diverse and they think all the Tonys make up for it. Debbie Reynolds should be in the discussion, not only has she frequently been wonderful up to and including "Mother" but who else has tried as hard to preserve Hollywood history, okay she finally had to give up the ghost and sell off her collection but what an effort. And even though she hasn't worked in films in over half a century and more than probably could care less, Deannna Durbin.
Okay I have to include one late star. It always seemed incredible that an amazing actress like Jean Simmons was never rewarded. Never saw her give a bad performance even when the films she was in were clearly beneath her and the other performer not of her caliber.
Nathaniel, that does explain why The Good Wife isn't expected to beat out Mad Men at the Emmys this year (though I love both - it was just no contest this year IMO). I hope it surprises anyway. :) BTW I've seen people tell you to watch Good Wife before - let me chuck my name in there. This season was an incredible showcase, and Season 1 was great too.
A case should be made for a young (in her 60s) American actress that Hollywood isn't likely to return to because she's too open and too honest with her feelings which the business hates from women. Unless a Darren Aronofsky level autuer decides to use her -- she doesn't seem to have a remote chance at a competitive Oscar -- I'm talking about Sigourney Weaver.
Catherine Deneuve and Mia Farrow are BRILLIANT suggestions. A-to-tha-muthafuckin-MEN.
Also great were the suggestions for Angela Lansbury, Doris Day, Gena Rowlands, Maureen O'Hara, Liv & Max, Jeanne Moreau and in about 5 years, Albert Finney will be an ideal candidate as well. But I'm sure they know that very well.
And yeah, I, too, would take Margaret Avery, Angelica Houston and the snubbed Sonia Braga over Oprah in BSA '85 any day. Though Oprah's definitely a very good nominee, I think people tend to go a bit overboard in their praise for that performance.
It's not the performance but the character. The Sophia character arc is the only one that rivals Celie's.
I'm happy for Oprah getting this. She's earned that Hersholt, and for my money, she would have been my Oscar choice for 1985 in supporting actress.
Don't know anything about Dick Smith, but it was probably time for the makeup branch to honor someone with this.
There would have been many people I would have thought of before James Earl Jones for an honorary Oscar, but I won't throw shade at him. He's Darth Vader, for christsakes! Good for him I say.
they're not even airing this. can't get oprah ratings for a dinner that no cameras are at. try again.
I personally don't think this should matter, but word has it that Doris Day has not been given an Honorary Oscar because she won't agree to show up to the ceremony.
I often believe Meryl Streep was handed the middle-age screen glory of BOTH Glenn Close (similar in face shape, prominent noses- I find Close more emotionally affecting) and Jessica Lange (a consummate actress, perhaps too beautiful). That Katharine Hepburn quote on Streep "Tick! Tick! Tick!" (in regards to Kate feeling she could see the gears grinding in Streep's head with each performance) resonates with me more each year. Of course, Meryl Streep is indisputably brilliant - her command of accents, adapting new physicality for a variety of roles, and her ability to acquire new skills to more convincingly play different characters are all unrivaled. However, she never takes me there emotionally. I always find her work to appear over-studied and often distracting within the context of a film narrative (that masturbatory "awkward" sideways bend she does in the otherwise brilliant scene with Jeff Daniels in THE HOURS, for instance). Close and Lange are so great at humanizing their characters (I ALMOST take Close's side in FATAL ATTRACTION). I still love Meryl, but I truly believe she's often out-shined by her female co-stars (MacLaine in POSTCARDS, Hawn in DEATH, Moore and Kidman in THE HOURS). Also, she chewed so much scenery in DOUBT, I'm amazed Hoffman and Amy Adams left the set with all their fingers intact - Cherry Jones should've been offered the chance to reprise her role onscreen. If DIRTY TRICKS ever gets made, I'll remember to be angry that Judith Ivey wasn't given the chance to play Martha Mitchell. FOR THE RECORD: My favorite Streep performance is SOPHIE'S CHOICE, and I would've given Jessica Lange the win that year for FRANCES...
Oh, and Oprah's Honorary Oscar is beyond insulting. Why don't they go ahead and give one to Hilary Swank while they're at it(?)...
The fact that Swank has as many Oscars as Bette Davis is insult enough.
The Streep fans will never understand why she's overrated is because she's soulless in just about everything she does.
What's "beyond insulting" about Oprah getting this award? Oprah has contributed more to charitable causes than any of you will in your lifetimes. Being in 100 films wouldn't have made her charitable work that much more significant. Get over yourself already.
PKH -- i get where you're coming from (i admire her charitable impulses) but it's grossly unfair to suggest any of us COULD measure up to someone with billions of dollars at our disposable in terms of charity. I imagine many of us would be quite the humanitarian if we had billions.
would we win Oscars ;) ?