The Irvine Index
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday March 13, 2010
AND THE Oscar for supporting man goes to (slight pause as I fumble with the envelope): Greg Combet, for his role as "Mr Fix-it" in The Great Insulation Debacle, directed by Peter Garrett and produced by GFC Productions.Old-fashioned Hollywood glamour has nothing on the drama unfolding over the government's home insulation scheme. Every day presents some exciting new twist or turn. The whodunit sequence reached its climax when Kevin Rudd finally fingered Garrett as the man responsible, handing his energy efficiency portfolio to Combet.This week, Mr Fix-it announced the government would pay to revisit 50,000 homes that have been insulated to remove the foil altogether or install electrical safety switches to prevent the risk of electrocution. It was John Maynard Keynes, the champion of government stimulus, who once wrote that it would be just as effective to pay people to bury dollar bills in bottles and then pay them to dig them up. So from an economic point of view, that's fine.Continuing the Oscar roll call ... . best supporting female goes to Penny Wong for her role in ETS: A Love Story in which she plays Penny, a woman forced to endure great hardship and frustration in hope of securing a solution to the most everlasting challenge of our times.Leading woman Oscar, of course, goes to Julia Gillard, for multiple roles: Myschool: A Revolution, NationalCurriculum: Part One and Workchoices Girls.And now the moment you've all been waiting for.This year's leading man Oscar goes to Kevin Rudd, for his dramatic Insiders interview titled I'm Sorry for Just About Everything, Including The Weather, in which he plays a contrite, but oh-so delicately tempered leader, who fears one monumental stuff-up might mar his entire career. Bravo.12Oscar nominations for Jack Nicholson - the most nominations of any actor.16Oscar nominations for Meryl Streep - the most nominations of any actress.11The highest number of Oscars ever awarded to a film. Three films have achieved this: Ben Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.850Price fetched at auction for the worst-ever Oscar gown - that worn by Icelandic singer Bjork in 2001. It resembled a dead swan slung around her neck.1939Year Hattie McDaniel became the first black performer to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind.2Years that Kathryn Bigelow - the first woman to win an Oscar for directing - was married to James Cameron.29Percentage of married women of working age who in 1966 had a job or were looking for one.50Percentage of single women of working age who in 1966 had a job or were looking for one.58Percentage of working-age women today with a job or looking. The Bureau of Statistics dropped the distinction in 1978.$41.2 millionCost of the "Insulation Workers' Adjustment Package" to help retain jobs in the insulation sector after the government's bungled scheme.105House fires linked to the home insulation scheme.4Deaths linked to the scheme.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald
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