Pimping Out the Oscar's

Three Six Mafia won an Oscar last night, just in case you missed it. The Academy awarded the group the coveted golden statue for “It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp,” the original song from the motion picture soundtrack “Hustle & Flow,” starring Terrence Howard.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about infusing a little flava into the often uptight Academy Awards, but Three Six Mafia? “It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp?” Are they really fucking serious?

Now, “Hustle & Flow” was a great movie. I know because I was one of the few people who actually saw it in the theatre this summer. Terrence Howard’s portrayal of DJay—the pimp with a heart of gold and a hot hit single—much deserved its’ Oscar-nomination. But the song is an entirely different story. For any of you who may be unfamiliar, here’s a sampling of the lyrics:

You know it’s hard out here for a pimp,
When you tryin’ to get the money for the rent.
With the Cadillac and gas money spent,
You got a whole lotta bitches jumpin’ ship.

Catchy, yes. But Oscar-worthy? Hardly. I mean, I thought it was a stretch for the Academy when Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” won in 2003, and that actually was a great song.

Without taking anything away from Three Six Mafia, this win just seems to be another feeble attempt by the Academy to speak the language of the people. Actually, the entire Oscar show this year was a feeble attempt by the Academy to speak the language of the people. But nothing seemed to flow.

Out of the context of "The Daily Show," host Jon Stewart’s dry humor just did not translate to the Oscar's. His jokes feel flat, he seemed uncomfortable, and whether he realized it or not, he actually spent most of his time mocking the show and the entire Hollywood establishment.

In addition, the list of presenters read more like a guestlist for the MTV Movie Awards After-Party; Jessica Alba, Ben Stiller, Luke and Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell and Jennifer Aniston, just to name a few. While these are all great and often hilarious performers, their body of work just is not relevant to the Academy Awards. So let’s get them the hell out.

I want Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore. The Oscar's are supposed to be the one night in Hollywood where people are actually rewarded and celebrated for thier craft. But it seems the UsWeekly-driven-cult-of-celebrity has corrupted even the highest establishments. Just one more reason I'm glad I live in New York.

Final Word: The Academy Awards were never interesting or funny, but now that they’re trying to be, the whole establishment is a joke. But Three Six Mafia is going to be laughing, all the way to the bank.