My thought process went along these lines: Firefighters and police officers put their lives on the line on a daily basis for a pittance of what overpaid celebrities are paid.  Teachers give their professional lives to improve the lives of children and for the most part are considered over the hill at 40 (Yeah Mayor Bloomberg, I’m talking to you and your ridiculous policies) and truly made to sing for their suppers.

Public servants, the real heroes in the career world,  are treated as just that- servants, while actors are paid millions of dollars to play dress up and pretend to be other people.  For this, celebrities are not only deified, but sometimes even awarded gold statuettes.

My professional trajectory was such though, that I was involved in the back end of numerous awards ceremonies in one way or another for a long time- either as a celebrity makeup artist, after party event producer, or while on assignment writing about celebrity style.

But who are we kidding? No one really watches the Oscars to find out who won for best [insert your favorite arcane category here], we’re really watching to see who’s wearing what, who’s dating who and who’s really bad at concealing their disappointment.

I learned a lot while watching the Oscars last night, some lessons even worthy of translating into real life lessons.

1. Good Things Come To Those Who Wait (and/or have excellent family credentials): I was thrilled to see Jeff Bridges take home the award for best actor last night.  It made me feel all warm and fuzzy when he repeatedly looked heavenward and acknowledged his parents (though not brother Beau) and made me wonder if he’d have had the success he did/does if not for the Bridges surname.  Don’t get me wrong, the Dude totally abides, one just wonders to what extent his pedigree has helped him on his professional journey.
2. Gracious is Good: Though German actor Christoph Waltz was pretty much considered a shoo-in for best supporting actor for his role in Inglourious Basterds, he was modest and inclusive in his thank yous.  After every award won, his speech reflected not only his delight in winning, but also true gratitude for director Quentin Tarrantino and the entire film cast.  Elegant and appreciative.
3. You’ve Come A Long Way Baby (though not far enough): Director Katherine Bigelow took home the statuette for best director for The Hurt Locker, a first time win for a female director. Yay! The band even played a schmaltzy rendition of female power anthem ‘I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)’ Thrilling. Unless you consider the fact that this country has not yet had a woman president.  We shouldn’t notice these distinctions- we should be at a point where we take it for granted.

There are loads more, but I was too distracted by the evening gowns to further comment.

Rachel, who always wanted Sandra Bullock to play me in my life story, but will probably have to rethink that bit of casting now that she’s an Oscar winner.

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Yes Hugh Jackman dazzled and delighted.  Sure Kate Winslet wore the dress that Michelle Obama should have worn to the inaugural balls.  But what was missing was the giddiness, the fun (and Jack Nicholson of course).

The evening started off with Hugh Jackman addressing a room full of couture clad multi-zillion dollar earning actors and referencing the lack of grandeur due to the recession.  The musical opening number was clever and entertaining- (who knew Anne Hathaway could sing?) and meant to look cobbled together.  But seriously, with a recession in place wouldn’t it have been a great idea to employ some of the great unwashed instead of condescending to them by skipping the only entertaining segment of the show?

Sure there was the requisite Broadway salute complete with top hat clad Beyonce and Jackman lip syncing our favorites (pity Yo Yo Ma wasn’t there to string sync) along with the cast of High School Musical, but the mood of the evening just wasn’t there.

Along those lines, New York City Fashion week was a bit of a dud this year with high fashion taking a more lowbrow approach and beer and McDonalds replacing the usual elegant fare.  Goody Bags were tragic too with tiny sample sizes replacing the usual trunk full of swag.  In light of all that’s wrong with our economy why don’t these events evolve to become more relevant or at the very least more inclusive of all but the highest earners?

For instance with the fashion industry in such a slump, the minds behind Fashion Week could have opted for Fashion Weekend -  3 days of fun, fashion and frivolity.  The culmination of what would have likely at least been a more concentrated and upbeat series of events could have been the announcement of a Fashion Week scholarship set up at NYC design school Fashion Institute of Technology.

Imagine a real world version of  Project Runway with designers mentoring young wannabes and attention being drawn to New York’s fashion industry on a weekly basis, instead of a bloated and lacquered twice a yearly event.

While celebrating excess  can seem like the norm in a comfortable economy, in times of crisis it’s more prudent to evolve.

Rachel