Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler, whose song "Al Otro Lado del Río" (To the Other Side of the River) from "The Motorcycle Diaries" won him an Oscar, was not permitted to sing his song at the Academy Awards celebration, even though he sang the song in the movie. Drexler was not a big enough star - the honor of singing his song at the celebration was extended to Antonio Banderas instead. Drexler nevertheless used his acceptance speech to sing his song a cappella, in his own little protest against the Empire of Hollywood:
ACCEPTANCE SPEECHAs The Wall Street Journal reported today:
Clavo mi remo en el agua
Llevo tu remo en el mío
Creo que he visto una luz
al otro lado del río
El día le irá pudiendo
poco a poco al frío
Creo que he visto una luz
al otro lado del río Ciao!
Thank you! Gracias!
That simple act has become an emblem of (Uruguayan) national pride. ...Newspapers praised his a cappella performance as an "act of revenge" and a "bofetada sin mano," an expression that translates literally "a slap without a hand."Henry Segura (performing arts editor of El Pais, the country's largest-circulation newspaper), was quoted:
It's "the most significant thing to happen in Uruguay in many years,".... "It was a triumph of dignity."The little guys of the world win one!
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