"Independent" -- with quotes.

That was pathetic (the awards, not the show -- I love me some dirty indie kings and queens). So much for independent spirit.

Transamerica winning Best First Screenplay over Me and You and Everyone We Know is downright REPREHENSIBLE. The voters must have misunderstood the category -- it is not supposed to be awarded to the faux-indie-screenplay which flaunts itself as being INDEPENDENT (as I noted in the former entry concerning Transamerica) and following every INDENDENT CONVENTION (and Hollywood screenwriting device) to a fuckin' homosexual T, but a unique screenplay with true personality and indepedent spirit.

The Squid and the Whale and Me and You and Everyone We Know, two of my top five of 2005 (what can I say? I like unwieldy titles), were both showered with deserved nominations and completely shut out of every award they should have won. That's simply disgusting (and, to make matters worse, Hackgis and Duncan Tucker won instead).

Oscar bitching to be posted in a moment. I simply needed to vent my frustration with these awards. I wish they would choose the winner on nomination night -- because then the various members would not be persuaded by EVERY OTHER AWARD SHOW. They always just pick whatever has the best chance at the Oscars (the only time they vote with their ostesibly "independent" minds is when none of the nominees are up for an Oscar. Oh wait, I forgot -- Transamerica won that award. Eww).

That's how the awards are at the ISAs, though -- I don't know why I try to convince myself otherwise. This hurt -- really badly. I know the Oscars won't make me feel this pain because I have a general indifference to the majority of nominees (and the only ones I am passionate about have no chance -- unless Adams pulls an upset).

Believe it or not, I started to feel physically ill after the show -- and I still have a headache three hours later. So awards shows ARE literally bad for my health.