Boring montages aside, the Oscars are usually a celebrated ceremony, providing entertainment for movie buffs and fashion critics alike. This year, however, there was a subtle, but certainly noticeable, difference about the award show. Hank Stuever discusses the “Dark Victory at the Oscars,” noting the wins for rather, well, disheartening films. For example, No Country for Old Men, a movie filled with violence and focusing around vice, took home the coveted award for Best Motion Picture.

Stuever also details how the ceremony as a whole was a bit more somber then usual. In addition to other wins for depressing movies, even the dress was especially reserved. Many of the actresses sported basic black, and others wore orange ribbons in recognition of US torture. He accredits this partially to the increasingly gloomy American outlook, from the never-ending war in Iraq to the omnipresent threat of global warming.

In the end though, I do not completely agree with Hank’s pessimistic take on the Oscars. While rather depressing films did win, Oscar rarely chooses the cliché, happy-ending film, even though these are usually much more popular with audiences. In fact, if there is anything that the Academy should be worried about, it is the extremely low ratings. I think these numbers prove that Americans are not just disillusioned by politics, but also about the length of the writers strike, perhaps more so.

When the television station PBS is mentioned, Mister Rodgers Neighborhood or Sesame Street usually comes to mind, in addition to those telephone marathons where parents were encouraged to make a donation in exchange for their children’s education and a stuffed Elmo. Needless to say, these are at least the memories of my childhood, and I was subsequently rather disheartened when I read Charles McGrath’s article in the New York Times about PBS’s slow but certain death.

McGrath argues that cable television is now more than capable of doing what PBS does, and that it can even do it better. It is an unfortunate fact that the programming on PBS is waning because the cable networks are able to afford better shows. With the addition of funding cuts from the Bush Administration, it’s becoming hard for PBS to draw any crowds at all.

And yet, I still think that there is a place for the Public Broadcasting System within the American television landscape. For one, the article fails to discuss those among us who still cannot afford cable, which is a reality for many people. While most of the college age group is not enthralled by the programming of PBS, this is not exactly its target audience in the first place. PBS provides excellent educational programming for younger children. It is hard to justify ridding the television of any educational programming, even for those who can afford classier cable versions. Additionally, PBS also appeals to the older generation (i.e. Antiques Roadshow) whose members often cannot afford the increasingly expensive medications, much less cable. Then again though, I think people of all age groups enjoy Antiques Roadshow, but I will not mention any names.

To be sure, I think that everyone is simply sick of hearing about steroid use in baseball, me included. I have always hated Roger Clemens for something I can only describe as "sliminess;" however, other than the verification of his evilness, the charges of steroid use do no good for anyone. With the constant media attention on steroids, it is hard for new people to engage in the sport as they watch the current fans become more and more disillusioned. I of course recognize that this is an important issue that needs to be reported, but my complaint is that it often overshadows the baseball stories about baseball. It is only so popular because baseball is popular in the first place. I hope that sports journalists learn how to write about baseball again, especially in time for the season to start.

So I say congratulations to USA Today for coming out with the top ten intriguing story lines for next season, even if the first part of the article was about steroid use. The article discusses what has been going on in the off-season other than simply the trials. A little over a month to opening day—get excited, baseball fan or not!

This week the Politico created a list of its “Top 50 Politicos” to watch, including journalists, lobbyists, operatives, congressional staffers, and the all-inclusive “players.” Though I know that all 50 are certainly well-deserving, it was rather satisfying to see that the list included over ten people in their early thirties or younger.

I know that young people, myself included, often protest that they do receive nearly enough recognition for the work that they do in the political arena. While sometimes this complaint is overused, it is always rewarding to see credit given where it is due. In this case, I think that it is particularly gratifying because these politicos were not on the list simply due to their young age. Rather, their achievements seem to rival their older counterparts, and it is clear that they would be considered on the path towards success for any age.

For example, the list includes people from Susan Davis, a 28-year-old reporter for the Wall Street Journal, to Carrie Giddins, the 33-year-old communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party.  In fact, not to toot our own horn—for lack of a better expression—but it is very much worth congratulating Campus Progress’s Erica Williams for her appearance on the list. Erica most recently created the video “Why the Conservatives Won’t Capture the Youth Vote,” which has had enormous success on You Tube and the web circuit. Fantastic work Erica!

During yesterday’s Super Bowl, among the funny but never-ending car and beer advertisements, there was a bright spot in a commercial that had a point beyond selling a product. Coca-Cola put out a commercial in which James Carville and Bill Frist, politically at odds with one another, enjoy Washington together—while sharing a Coke, of course.

If Coke can get it right, I am starting to wonder why the government cannot. Without going on a really cliché and naïve rant about how I wish everyone would just get along, I do think that more compromise should be happening in Washington. I know George Bush stinks—for lack of a better word—but there very well may be another Republican in the White House next year. If, for example, the troops are ever going to leave Iraq, someone must be willing to give an inch.

In the end, I suppose that Coca-Cola’s number one motivation was not trying to advocate bipartisanship in Congress with this advertisement. Rather, it was doing something creative to get people to remember that Coca-Cola had a great commercial. Nevertheless, they certainly succeeded. Not that I don’t drink enough Diet Coke as it is, but I think this ad convinced me to drink even more, and they sold me without using half naked woman or animals.

It finally came up at the very end, when someone from the audience asked the panel what they thought should be done about the lack of care about politics among students. Yes, there are many bureaucratic obstacles impeding youth voting and it is certainly true that more youths would vote if it was a really simple process. Sending in an absentee ballot is rather annoying, and it would be better if it were something as minimally time-consuming as voting right on campus. However, I think that when students really want to vote, more often than not they reserve a few minutes of their day to do so.

The real problem is that even if it was as undemanding as walking outside, there would still be those students who simply did not care. I am not pretending to know what the root of this problem is, but there are certainly many ideas floating about. Many, including several of the panelists, point to youth disillusionment about politics—that students believe politicians are dominated by rich lobbyists and do not really care about their needs—and thus they do not vote. Try as candidates might to reach out to students, there will always be those students and adults alike who will remain cynical about the political process.

Unfortunately, I do not think that I have discovered a solution to the problem of voter apathy in the time that it has taken me to write this blog post, other than giving out free beer with votes. I do know that I commend efforts by the Roosevelt Institution to put on events such as this panel. While they may not be able to solve every issue, such as voter apathy, in the end, at least they are trying to take action to get Americans to exercise their most underappreciated right.