Tinseltown Tradition

After all the hand-wringing about whether such an event should occur while our country is waging a war, and whether the tight security would rob the night of any joy and spontaneity, the 74th Academy Awards was essentially what it is every year: a celebration of movies and pop culture that could only be manufactured in Hollywood.

The glitterati showed up and paraded on the red carpet, greeting their industry friends (and rivals) and waving to the fans who filled the bleachers and the streets along the perimeter of the Kodak Theatre.

True, things will never again be the same for our nation, but on this night, in the heart of the dream factory, it was just like old times.