At some point during Sunday's Oscars, the announcer mentioned that Saturday Night Live comedians have been nominated for nine Academy Awards and have won a grand total of zero. That's right. Zero. When my wife heard that she was shocked. "Not even Bill Murray?" Nope, not even Bill Murray. It is truly a testament to his talent that my wife was so offended for him. I had no idea she thought about him one way or another. Don't get me wrong. Mr. Murray is a genius. He should be allowed to come pick up any Oscar any time he sees one to his liking. I, however, wasn't shocked that he didn't have one, because I know that The Academy doesn't respect comedians.
Members of the Motion Picture Academy like comedians. They enjoy having us around. And if you think they don't need us then just try to rewatch last years ceremony hosted by Anne Hathaway and ... I can't remember ... Was it Joaquin Phoenix? Comedy is the lifeblood of the Academy Awards. And without comedians the blood can run dry. (I felt so sorry for every documentary filmmaker who had to wait through Robert Downey Jr.'s low-jinks so they could see whether their whole life had changed or not.)
