Does it matter?

I thought about "live tweeting" the Oscars tonight but felt writing this was a more important use of that time which of course, got me thinking about Leonardo DiCaprio. Tonight there are thousands of tweets talking about Leo should be winning "Best Actor" for his role in The Revenant and how he is "due" this win.

The very astute human would enjoy the irony that the name of the film is defined as a ghost that comes back from the dead to terrorizes the living. For an actor who has been terrorized by the Oscars for 20 years, you can understand the allure of rooting for him. Perhaps you also want him to win because he has been nominated 138 times in various award shows and has won only 34 of those times. 

I am going to let you in on a secret: it doesn't matter. 

This isn't to spoil the fun but to point out that if you enjoyed the Revenant and if Leo wins tonight it will not make the art better, not even a little bit. And if the unthinkable happens and he doesn't win this also will not change what he actually created.

How do I know?

Because the Oscars do two things; they get that actor more work with bigger checks and increase the ticket revenue for the film by an average of 38% which could be upwards of $35 million dollars.

But, does that make the movie better? 

No.

The Oscars, like the Grammys, the CMAs, the MTV movie awards, the People's Choice awards, or any ceremony you could name are merely distractions from the true magic of the art that is produced by those in the above industries. Yes, Leo put on an amazing performance that is worthy of recognition but whether or not he wins matters only to him, not the art he created. 

This is becoming the most important distinction of our time in a hyperconnected world the push and pull of the distractions like "live tweeting" the Oscars vs. the need to sit down and create something worth noticing. Leo was a part of something worth noticing, perhaps we could shift our focus from consuming to creating and in the end that might matter a lot.