Middle Age Hollywood

It was something nobody had ever seen before. The rebel motorcycle man from Long Beach, Jesse James, wearing a suit and sitting at the Academy Awards, was brought to tears. His eyes watered while his wife, Sandra Bullock, accepted the Oscar for Best Actress.

Sunday evening, she was on the red carpet, configuring her hands in the shape of a “W” and throwing it up while cameras flashed.

One night earlier, she made an appearance at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre to accept her Golden Raspberry award for worst actress for her role in the movie “All About Steve.”

“They’ll sit side by side in a nice little shelf somewhere,” she said of her Razzie and Oscar awards. “The Razzie maybe on a different shelf; lower.”

It could be considered in bad taste to physically pick up a worst actor award and throw up signs at a major awards show (except maybe at the Source awards). However, Sandra Bullock enjoyed her time in the spotlight.

Throughout the weekend, she kept it real, which also meant she kept it classy.

Bullock began her movie career with a role in “Hangmen” in 1987. Countless movies and 22 years later, she earned her first Academy Award nomination and won for her performance as Leigh Ann Tuohy in “The Blind Side.”

Her acceptance speech at the Academy Awards was typical Bullock. In it, she exemplified everything an Oscar winner should, showing respect, humility and even humor. She acknowledged each of the other nominees: “Carrie (Mulligan), your grace and your elegance and your beauty and your talent makes me sick,” she said.

As is customary, she thanked the people who were integral in making the film and trusting her in the role. Then, she conveyed a message.

“I would like to thank … the moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from,” she said, referring to what “The Blind Side” meant to her. Bullock went on to deliver a more personal thank you to her own mother.

While Mo’Nique won the award for the best supporting actress earlier in the night, thanked the Academy for awarding her for her “performance and not the politics,” Bullock avoided controversy. Her message, while socially conscious, is something that everyone should agree with. It was a perfect speech from a well-deserved Academy Award winner.

A moment like this is what the Academy Awards is all about. It obviously is not about what movie made the most money (and James Cameron’s bank account does not care about the awards). It is not about advancing a race or gender, no matter how many random shots of African-Americans ABC wants to work into the telecast every time “Precious” wins an award (memo to ABC: Samuel L. Jackson was not in “Precious”).

It is about awarding artists for their contributions to the industry and, through those contributions, their effect on the world. It is the culmination of years of dedication to a craft.

It is in that shining Oscar moment that brilliant stars, great actors, become humanized. At that moment, they are not actors. They are happy, they are overwhelmed and they are emotional.

However, Bullock did not have far to go to become humanized. She always keeps it real. She showed the elegance of a famous actress and the sagacity of the people watching the Oscars at home. Asked in the press room how she wanted to celebrate after accepting her award on stage, Bullock responded like an average person.

“I just want a burger,” she said.

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