Here we go again. It is that time of year. The time when a bunch of rich people in Los Angeles decide to give each other gold statues. They clap for themselves. They wear expensive clothes. And the rest of us are supposed to sit at home and cheer. The Oscar nominations are out. The internet is angry. The headlines are full of words like “snub” and “surprise.” It is all so incredibly stupid.

Let’s talk about the big news. Everyone is crying because Paul Mescal did not get a nomination. He was in that gladiator movie. You know, the one with the swords and the sandals. People liked it. He looked tough. He shouted a lot. But the voters didn't pick him. Now, the internet is acting like this is a war crime. It is not a tragedy. It is a marketing failure. That is all the Oscars are. They are not about who is the best actor. They are about who shook the most hands. They are about who went to the most boring dinners.

Paul Mescal will be fine. He is young. He is famous. He has more money than you will ever see in your life. Being “snubbed” is actually good for him. Now he gets to be the victim. People feel sorry for him. That is worth more than a statue. If he won, half the people would hate him anyway. This way, he stays cool. He stays the underdog. The system is broken, but in this case, it did him a favor.

Then there is Chase Infiniti. She was in a movie called 'Babygirl.' Most of you didn't see it. The critics thought she was going to get picked. She didn't. This is listed as a “surprise.” Why is it a surprise? Do you know who votes for these things? It is not a computer. It is not a panel of geniuses. It is a few thousand people who work in movies. Many of them are old. Many of them probably didn't even watch the screener. They just voted for the names they recognized. Or maybe they voted for their friends. Or maybe they just threw a dart at a list. Trying to find logic in this is a waste of time. It is like trying to find meaning in a cat chasing a laser pointer. There is no plan. There is just chaos.

Another big takeaway from the news is that some actors “carried” their films to a nomination. This is a nice way of saying the movie was bad, but the actor was good. Think about how sad that is. Hundreds of people work on a movie. The writers, the director, the lighting guys, the sound guys. They all work for months. And in the end, the movie is a mess. But one famous person makes a weird face or cries on camera really well, so they get a nomination. It is the ultimate act of narcissism. The ship is sinking, but the captain gets a medal because he stood nicely on the deck while it went down.

We treat these actors like they are heroes. They are not heroes. They play pretend. They memorize lines. When a movie is bad, but the actor gets nominated, it just proves that Hollywood doesn't care about the story. They care about the star power. They care about the face on the poster. It is a popularity contest. It is high school with better lighting and more plastic surgery.

Why do we pretend to be shocked? Every year, it is the same thing. A list comes out. People get mad. Writers type furious articles about who got left out. Then the ceremony happens, the ratings go down, and we forget about it a week later. Do you remember who won Best Actor three years ago? Probably not. It doesn't change the price of gas. It doesn't fix the roads. It doesn't make your life better.

The real surprise isn't who got nominated. The real surprise is that we are still doing this. We are still pretending that an award given by a trade group means anything. The Right hates Hollywood because they think it’s too woke. The Left hates the Oscars because they think the voting body is too old and out of touch. And yet, everyone keeps watching. Everyone keeps clicking on the lists.

Paul Mescal is fine. Chase Infiniti is fine. The people who got nominated are also fine. They are all part of a club that you are not in. They are playing a game with made-up rules. So save your anger. Save your tears. The snub isn't real. The surprise isn't real. It is just a show, and frankly, it is a boring one.