As much as we like to see politicians give straightforward answers, there are moments when the best course is to decline to comment, or to take the conversation in another direction.
When Bill Clinton was asked, "Boxers or briefs?," he should have waited for the laughter to die down before gently scolding the young woman for the inappropriateness of the question.
When Oprah Winfrey asked President Obama, "What grade would you give yourself for your first year?," I'm not sure there was an answer he could have given that wouldn't have stirred up criticism.
If Obama had said, "A-plus," even his wife would have told him he was delusional. If he had given himself anything lower than a B, Rush Limbaugh and Fox News would have called for immediate impeachment hearings. I can hear Rush now: "By giving himself a C-minus, the president is virtually admitting he's trying to destroy America!"
So Obama told Oprah he'd give himself a "good, solid B-plus" -- and the hounds immediately started barking, saying the president should give himself a "D" for "delusional."
Of course, if Obama had said something like, "Let's leave it up to the American people to decide what grade I should receive," or, "Look, I can't get caught up in grading my own performance, other than to say I believe I deserve an A for effort and I hope to merit an A for accomplishments in the years to come," he would have been criticized for refusing to answer directly.
A Golden opportunity
Pop quiz! See if you can figure out what the following movies have in common:
"Men in Black"
That dreadful remake of "Sabrina"
"Legally Blonde"
"Patch Adams"
"Analyze This"
"Nell"
They were all Golden Globes nominees for best picture.
Granted, the Globes has two best picture categories, so you're going to see nominees such as "There's Something About Mary" and "City Slickers."
But "Patch Adams"? Really?
Not to mention Arnold Schwarzenegger once received a best actor nomination for his work in "Junior." I'm not kidding.
There was a time when the Golden Globes were a pop culture punchline. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association once gave its Best New Star of the Year award to Pia Zadora for her "performance" in "Butterfly," one of the worst movies ever made. (Zadora's wealthy husband had wined and dined the voting members.)
The HFPA was exposed as a clique of fewer than 100 entertainment writers, some of whom didn't even work full time as journalists. You'd see some weeping starlet onstage, trembling while thanking "The Hollywood Foreign Press Association" as if they were the United Nations, when in reality all she needed was about 25 votes from the same junketeers she dreaded talking to when she was promoting the film three months earlier.
Now, though, the Globes are firmly established as the second-biggest stop on the movie/TV awards circuit. You win a Golden Globe, you're the front-runner for an Oscar. The Globes are a prime-time network event, as star-studded as the Academy Awards.
(Once again this year, we're almost certain to see stories about how viewership for the Globes and the Oscars is down. Yes. So is viewership for just about every other mainstream television event on the grid. That's because there are approximately 40 million cable channels out there, not to mention DVRs, TiVo, Hulu, YouTube, and about two dozen other factors that ensure no TV event of any kind will ever reach the numbers of the "Titanic" year at the Oscars, or the finale of "M*A*S*H.")
The nominations for the 67th annual Golden Globes were announced Tuesday, and I have to say kudos to the HFPA. We knew films such as "Up in the Air" and actors such as Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Daniel Day-Lewis were sure to get nods, but it's great to see nominations for "(500) Days of Summer" and Tobey Maguire's work in "Brothers."
That said, a few snubs:
Motion Picture: "Brothers," "Adventureland." Actors: Natalie Portman, "Brothers," Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker," Abbie Cornish, "Bright Star," Sharlto Copley, "District 9," Zooey Deschanel, "(500) Days of Summer."
TV: "Lost," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Breaking Bad," "The Good Wife," Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Jeff Garlin ("Curb Your Enthusiasm").
Perhaps we should have the Golden Moons to recognize those snubbed by the Golden Globes.
On second thought, the world doesn't need another awards show.
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