Let them smile and shut up.

Sadly the time draws near for the Academy Awards. I say "sadly" because we have been bombed over the last fortnight with increasingly detailed information concerning the public and personal lives of the motion picture icons selected as "nominees." I say "sadly" because the hype wore thin a long time ago for me; it is similar to the political campaign which recently ended in November, which took on an odd rock-star persona. No doubt I am alone in this, but it is not significant at all who wins "Best Supporting Actress" this year (or any year) and I just don't care!

I don't feel that pressing issues are denied coverage at the expense of Oscar-mania. It is that I feel the amount of news time and non-news time devoted to the subject tends to convince some of the great unwashed that movie stars are the great and wise of our time. They take on heroic stature. They are incessantly interviewed about their lives, their loves, the roles they portray and the futures of their careers. Stars are consulted regarding their views of modern mores and their political opinions. Sightings of these people at restaurants and celebrations are reported as newsworthy events with the same energy that would be appropriate announcing a cancer cure.

Some stars believe the hype themselves. They make pronouncements on the issues of the day, having been insulated from the real life of real people by money, publicists and adoring fans. They flaunt convention by ignoring mainstream religious values, by living together and bearing children without the benefit of marriage and by changing partners in these enterprises with astounding rapidity. Yet they are celebrated for their glamour and leadership, perhaps feeling that fame somehow also confers wisdom and authority on themselves .

Hold on. Some of this goes way back with celebrities. Gable and Lombard defied convention in the thirties as Brad and Angelina do today. Nothing really new here, but it is the intensity of the worship that is remarkable to me.

Rarely are the characters of these folks intensely examined. They are glossed up by the media machine but seldom are these icons subjected to an honest examination of who they are and never are they held accountable. Few serve in the armed services. Many have had (or still have) substance abuse problems. Legions of stars are popular for their outspoken criticism of our own country but we are never informed of their qualifications to make such judgments. Did they even graduate from high school? Did they study political science? Did they lose a loved one in the World Trade Center? Are they firmly grounded in life itself? Do they form their opinions in the quiet luxury of their Gulfstream, or have they ever flown economy on USAirways?

So I can't do it. I can't watch the Oscars this year, just as I haven't for the last few. One more self-righteous rant during an acceptance speech may put me into an apoplectic fit. Another snotty ad-libbed comment in defiance of the war, or in support of Hamas will topple me into incontinence.

But just as the election ended, this is just about over for awhile.