The first Xer Oscars

Part of it had to do with Jon Stewart’s presence as the host. He’s not the first Xer to have hosted the Oscars -- that was Chris Rock last year -- but going with Stewart this year showed that the decision to go younger wasn’t an anomaly. Not that Stewart and his particularly Xer brand of humor was a success. Oh, he was his usual self-deprecating and bullshit-puncturing self, sure -- that was the problem. Hollywood isn’t quite ready to have its hypocrisy pointed out to them, as Andy Dehnart at MSNBC noted:

Exposing hypocrisy while being self-depreciating is what Stewart does best; in fact, it's basically all he does. Those who believe "The Daily Show" is actually "fake news" don't understand either satire or the exceptionally smart, informative humor that the show invokes on a daily basis. Stewart and "The Daily Show's" team emphasize and demonstrate the importance and gravity of the day's news by making fun of it.

But that sort of contradictory, somewhat nuanced humor didn't work well for the Oscars' audience. The theater audience's lack of laughter was judgmental and was odds with viewers who were laughing because this was the funny Jon Stewart we know from cable.

Hollywood culture hasn’t quite caught up with Xers yet, though it’s happening. Most of the acting nominees were Xers -- as were all the winners -- and they are the face that the industry presents to audiences. As Xers begin to take up other positions of power, as producers and directors and studio execs, is when the culture of Hollywood will start to shift in earnest. George Clooney joked in his acceptance speech for his Best Supporting Actor Oscar that this meant he wasn’t gonna win director -- it was a funny moment, but actually a pretty profound one, too: The time hasn’t yet come for Xers to dominate the behind-the-camera categories, and didn’t Peter Jackson just win that one? I have no doubt, though, that Clooney will find himself nominated as a director again in a few years.

But for all that Xers are perceived (wrongly) as unconcerned with serious matters, watch for the slow takeover of Hollywood by a new generation to bring with it a new dedication to craft, to storytelling to film as thoughtful art instead of simply mindless entertainment. Back when the Oscar nominees were announced, Erik Lundegaard had this to say at MSNBC:

Most of the actors considered best actor candidates (Jeff Daniels, Cillian Murphy) as well as the eventual nominees (Philip Seymour Hoffman, David Strathairn, Joaquin Phoenix, Terrence Howard and Heath Ledger) usually play supporting roles. They’re supporting actors.

Not quite. The difference is this: they’re actors, not “movie stars.” They’re artists more interested in portraying real characters for the benefit of audiences who want real story instead of performers who basically play themselves for the enjoyment of audiences who just want to see their favorite faces onscreen.

That has, I’m sure, always tended to be the case with actors who get nominated for Oscars, no matter what generation they’re from. But the sudden storming of the Oscars by a young vanguard says something about a new sense that change is in the air, and that it’s actively desired.