Jim was wrong

The 2023 Academy Awards weren’t particularly exciting for me. 

I hated the quirky movie that was destined to sweep and it did.

(“Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.”) 

I was resigned that my least favorite nominee for Best Picture was going to win, so I saved all my finger crossing for the Best Actor award, handed out near the end of the broadcast.

All five of the gentlemen nominated were first timers: all deserving of the gold.

Every single predictor of the Oscars said the award was Austin  Butler’s to lose. 

He was astonishing as “Elvis “ but I had my heart set on someone else. 

For Brendan Fraser  in his unforgettable performance  as “The Whale.”

All experts said Butler was one hundred percent going to win, except my husband, who is never wrong when it comes to his gut feelings.

As the show progressed, none of my favorites were getting any love from the Academy, but Jim  kept assuring me.   

“Don’t believe anything you’ve read about Austin  Butler.. Brendan is going to win “

I was so nervous all night.. I can’t explain why I had so much invested in something as frivolous as an award show.. but Jim never wavered with his prediction.

Even after hearing the line, “and the Oscar goes to..” while movie fans all over the globe shouted to their screens, “Austin Butler!”   , my husband correctly guessed that the next name viewers would hear would be Brendan Fraser’s.

He was right, of course, and as we left the parking lot of the wonderful Thai restaurant where we had just celebrated our anniversary dinner, I ask him, “ are you BRENDAN sure that Kamala’s got this?” 

And he assured me he was. 

It was more than his instincts here. 

It was late breaking polls and Allan Lichtman and witnessing  Trump’s rapid mental decline over the last few weeks, and watching her incredible wisdom and leadership before our very eyes.

Jim was wrong.

The predictions were wrong.

The world was very very wronged.

There are no consequences when the Academy of Motion  Pictures gets it wrong or if voting doesn’t go the way you wanted it to.

Today, the consequences are global, terrifying, and inevitable. 

The tears have not stopped flowing.

They are not happy tears like they were two and a half years ago, shed during an upset at an awards show.

These are the tears of the terrified.