The Oscars - Surviving the Night with Leonardo Dicaprio

Leonardo Dicaprio at The Oscars 2014

It was fun watching the Oscars last night but truth be told, I don't think I've ever seen the show all the way through in my lifetime without dozing off at least once.  The one thing that does keep me entertained is using empathy throughout the show and saying "what if?"  Not "what if" for me as a comedian and entertainer but "what if" for every actor, director, producer, agent, manager, etc. sitting in the audience who was trying to imagine how the night would end.

The "what if" last night was most personified in the face of a reserved Leonardo Dicaprio who acted his guts out in the The Wolf of Wall Street.  Leonardo Dicaprio and Jonah Hill knew they had done a heck of a job telling the wild and indulgent life story of New York Stockbroker Jordan Belfort.  I'd seen Jonah in an interview on Ellen just days earlier beaming about his ability to do such a convincing Long Island accent that people were asking where his immediate relatives live.

My thoughts turned to how many times Leonardo Dicaprio has attended the Oscars only to sit in the front rows and go home empty-handed.  How many hours did he prepare for the night? What is it like to sit in that Oscar audience and appear pleasant when the day and night seem to go on forever?  Does the heart sink like a heavy ship when names are read?  Even though you seem to be "on top of the world" do you feel like a loser?  Does depression follow or does the loss motivate?

When the dance numbers and commercials run, I am consumed by getting into the minds of all that is human.  That is the truest element of a Hollywood award ceremony for me.

http://humorousspeakersbureau.com Sally Edwards is the president of The Humorous Speakers Bureau marketing corporate comedians and funny keynote motivational speakers.
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