Hollywood Insider

So, for a while now, I've been regularly following several of the Blogs and sections of the Entertainment Weekly website (EW.com). One of the sections I follow is called the Hollywood Insider, and it covers various parts of Hollywood - movies, TV, awards, actor/actress deals, etc. A recent article was about the Director's Guild Awards which just took place. While the big news of the evening was Slumdog Millionaire's win (a DGA win is usually a very sure sign of an Oscar win), another important part was the award of Honorary Lifetime Membership to film critic Roger Ebert. Part of the article was so sweet, and the sentiments by Ebert, then later Danny Boyle, were so resonant for me, that I just want to save them. And where's a better place to keep then accessible than this archived blog. So, without any further ado, here it is:

The highlight of the evening, meanwhile, came when DGA president Michael Apted bestowed Roger Ebert with an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the guild. The irony of filmmakers making a critic one of their own was not lost on anyone: The presentation opened with clips of Ebert's positive TV review for Apted's 1994 film Nell...and then his excoriating review for Apted's 2002 film Enough. Then Apted cued up a film of directors Steven Spielberg, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and Patty Jenkins (Ebert named her film Monster the best movie of 2003) talking about why Ebert's criticism has meant so much to cinema. "When he reviews [my films] negatively," joked Eastwood, "I feel he's slipping a little."

When Ebert took to the stage, the crowd immediately took to their feet. It was a bittersweet moment, to be sure; complications from cancer surgery in 2006 left Ebert with a damaged lower jaw and the inability to speak, so after a brief message using the computerized voice that's been speaking for Ebert since, his wife Chaz read an eloquent prepared speech from her husband. "The movies come closer than any other art form in giving us the experience of walking in someone else's shoes," it concluded. "They expand us, they improve us, and sometimes they ennoble us. They also thrill us and make us laugh and cry, and for that gift, and for this honor tonight, I am very grateful." The audience broke into another standing ovation.

When it came time for 2007 DGA winners Joel and Ethan Coen to announce director Danny Boyle's win, it seemed like Ebert's words were still ringing in the ears of the man who had transported audiences into the shoes of a Mumbai slumdog. "For those of you who haven't made a film," said Boyle, "dream kind, and dream hard."

That quote by Ebert really summarizes why I love movies, and why I think they're important. They're not just a couch potato pastime for me, as is clear to anyone who knows me, they're a vital part of connecting to the larger world. And, as far as Boyle's words go, all I can say is... I am dreaming. I really hope Boyle and Slumdog win Oscars because, heck, they sure deserve it.