An Oscars News Sandwich

Finding the task of creating a News Sandwich out of foreign policy news entirely too daunting this morning, I decided to write an Oscars News Sandwich instead. Perhaps it will help create the momentum I’ll need to tackle the foreign policy — or even Apple — news that is so worrisome.

Good:

This gown, worn by actress Amy Adams, and designed by Gucci. I love the color, the fabric, the clean lines, the fact that it actually fits her body instead of looking like it has an agenda of its own.*

Bad:

Here’s Brad Pitt who is, as Perez Hilton says, “Seriously chow[ing] down on free pizza at the 2014 Oscars!”

Am I just old fashioned, or is seriously chowing down on pizza something that is beneath the dignity of the Oscars?

Good:

This acceptance speech from Matthew McConaughey. (Sorry, but I could not find a video of acceptable quality that I could embed here on my blog. I also enjoy the fact that Time, to whom I am linking here, found the speech “confounding.”)

While I don’t share McConaughey’s belief in God, I loved that he was so matter-of-fact in stating (1) the importance of his mother teaching him self-respect, (2) that the people he most hoped to make proud were his wife and three kids, and (3) that his “hero,” the one who he is always “chasing,” is an idealized version of himself (as he imagines himself in ten years). Although he’s religious, McConaughey seems to understand to a significant extent what Ayn Rand described as the virtue of Pride. It’s not surprising that in a recent interview with GQ, he embraced the word “selfish”:

“I’m a fan of the word selfish. Self. Ish,” he repeats, drawing it out. “When I say I have gotten a lot more self-ish, I mean I am less concerned with what people think of me. I’m not worried about how I’m perceived. Selfish has always gotten a bad rap. You should do for you. I wanted new experiences.”

It is good to see someone embrace the term “selfish”—and even better to see him go on to win an Oscar.

*If you happen to run across this dress, contact me for shipping instructions 🙂
*Photo credit: Getty/Steve Granitz/WireImage via sheknows.com.