France Shoots Itself in the Foot but Clooney and Dujardin Are Still Oscar Favorites

We’ve had the Golden Globe Awards, the Screen Writers Guild Awards and the British BAFTA Awards. Sunday, it will be Hollywood’s turn with the granddaddy of such awards, the Oscars. Tonight it was France’s turn with the Cesar Awards. All these awards are given to actors and actresses, film makers and technical support in the film industry. The film that has received the bulk of awards so far this year is The Artiste, a French film made in black and white and silent. Its director, leading actress and actor and the film itself have swept the Golden Globes, the Screen Writers and the BAFTAs. And a lot of money is on the same thing happening on Sunday at the Oscars. But, the French, being French, decided to give The Artiste best director, best actress, best film, but not best actor, awards, thus denying Jean Dujardin the chance for a perfect sweep. He was beaten by a black French TV comic whose film is another offbeat French story and since this actor is not nominated for any of the other award programs because the film is being run only in France, one could imagine that the French decided to honor him in the only venue available. But, what a silly thing to do. It will make no difference for the Oscars, since the votes are already cast, but it will deny the French film industry the possibility of winning bragging rights for having swept all the major 2011 awards. Silly… Jean Dujardin is not well known outside France, but his personality and, more importantly, his talent have made him a household face, if not name all over the world in the past two months. His Oscar competition is formidable - George Clooney and Gary Oldman among them. George Clooney is Dujardin’s closest clone. They are both long-time stars in their respective universes. They play mostly lighter roles, with a few dramas tossed into the mix from time to time. And either one would be a great Oscar winner. It’s almost too bad they can’t share the statue. But, what makes Clooney and Dujardin soulmates is their smiling, sexy face toward the world. They are the kind of men that women find charming and irresistible. You all know what I mean. Clooney and Dujardin would rush to help a woman whose 7-inch platform heel just toppled her or would clean up a cake that tumbled out of the oven onto the kitchen floor, without a word of recrimination either for the stupidly unusable shoes or the awkward cooking technique. They are the kind of men women love, even on a TV or cinema screen. And, much like Cary Grant of a generation or two ago, these two men don’t take themselves seriously. They don’t flaunt their sex appeal or seem arrogantly above the real world. They just love women and want to make them happy by playing roles that women want to see. So, whatever happens on Sunday at the Oscars, my hopes will be pinned on George Clooney or Jean Dujardin. Let’s have some recognition for the men women love to love on the golden screens of the world.