Michelle Obama had no place at the Oscars!

A fairly one-sided movie that was made against Iran should not have received this award from the First Lady.

Umair Aziz February 27, 2013
Ben Affleck created magic in the shape of Argo, a movie that deserved an Oscar this year, not because it was political but because it has all the essentials of an excellent movie. Along with a good script, the direction was brilliant, the cinematography was spot on, and above all it showcased a very good display of acting.

The thriller is adapted from the book “The Master of Disguise” by CIA operative Tony Mendez and Joshuah Berman’s article “The Great Escape” . It is the story of the Central Intelligence Agency rescue of six US diplomats from Tehran during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis.

The role of Mendez in this movie is played by Ben Affleck himself.

Yes, the film was excellent, but when the award went to Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov for the best movie this year, I was perplexed.

This is because the announcement of this award came from the White House!

The First Lady Michelle Obama, dressed in a silver, shimmery evening gown by designer Naeem Khan, came out of the diplomatic room of the White House and announced the award from 3,000 miles away from the nucleus of American politics; the president’s office.

This is the first time ever that the first lady did the honours at an Academy Awards function.

In the past Jackie Kennedy, Betty Ford (who was a dancer and actress before marrying President Gerald Ford), and Nancy Reagen (who was an established actress before marrying Ronald Reagan) were associated with Hollywood, but none of these first ladies ever did the honours of presenting awards at the Academy Awards. Additionally, they never made appearances at the Oscars.

As is well known by the world at large, Ahmadinejad’s regime in Iran doesn’t consider the US a well-wisher, nor does the Obama administration have any approbation for Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini or Iranian President Ahmadinejad.

Moreover the nuclear program of Iran and the sanctions imposed on them by the US and UN has already raised the temperature in the relations of both countries.

A fairly one-sided movie that was made against Iran and its policies should not have received this award from the First Lady and that too directly from the White House!

Why must politics seep in to entertainment?

Iran has already slammed the awards as being the most politically motivated Oscars to date. In another statement, the Iranian Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Mohammad Hosseini was quoted saying,
“This anti-Iran movie lacks artistic value,”

Meanwhile the White House stated,
“The Academy Awards approached the first lady about being a part of the ceremony,” said Kristina Schake, a spokeswoman for the First Lady. “As a movie lover, she was honored to present the award and celebrate the artists who inspire us all, especially our young people, with their passion, skill and imagination.”

The movie has already won many awards at the Golden Globe, the 19th Screen Guild Awards and the 66th British Academy Film Awards but the biggest of all, the Oscar, was somewhat decisive and raised many questions about the validity and independence of the awards.

So at the end of the day, the question that puzzles me most is, was this award for ‘best movie’ decided beforehand and was it just a mere coincidence that the announcement of the award for the best movie came from White House- a movie that was anti-Iran- or did it play out exactly as it was planned?

Follow Umair or Twitter @umairaziz27
WRITTEN BY:
Umair Aziz A techie by profession and a blogger by virtue who thinks writing is a tool of sharing thoughts, ideas and information we clutch. He runs his own blog under the name LeReveal. He tweets @umairaziz27
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (24)

Zoon | 11 years ago | Reply i do, for one. Also I would say that about blogs that deal with issues like 'my parents don't love me' which fascinatingly get a lot of encouragement around here :/ @Nadir:
Hardliner | 11 years ago | Reply And just when the blogs on Pakistan-related issues were turning out to be monotonous....... what else could have been better than to drag Oscars in a couch potato's writings???
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