Awards, in general, make me sick. I'll just stick to "acting" for now, though

For me, a great actor makes me forget *they* are playing the part. I don't see Johhny Depp or Lon Chaney, Jr.in their movies. Sure, Lon was usually plastered in makeup, but you know what I mean

On the flip side, I see Julia Roberts playing Julia Roberts playing another role, Denzel Washington playing Denzel Washigton playing another role. I see Robert Redford playing Robert Redford playing another role. And many, many (too many for my tastes) These actors use the same laugh in every movie, the same way of crying in every movie, the same mannerisms, the same accent, no matter who they may be playing.

On MeTV, there is a commercial for "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Guruu0IQPN4." Valerie Harper (who plays Rhoda) ha a very thick Bronx, New York accent. She says to this guy (her sometimes husband), "I'm from Minneapolis." to which he replies, "Yea. I could tell by your accent." This is poking fun at the issue, but Illustrates nicely what I am talking about

What are your thoughts? Has acting lost its touch?

[EDIT]

Forgot about the "awards" part

Why do these poor (in my opinion) actors get so many awards?

Awards ceremonies are almost always run by big industry bodies, and the main goal is to help their industry. There's little objective about them.

It's amazing what a small cartel of actors you see in big movies. This must be for economic reasons. I don't know about you, but if I'm flicking through the cable guide, I will usually pause if there's a name I recognize. If it's someone I've liked in something else, I'm more likely to hit record. I bet there's a "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_law" of actors in movies, with a really "long tail".

If you can break into the circle, it's quite an achievement I think. Russell Brand basically blagged his way in, but Ed Norton liked his audition and he got picked up for an Apatow movie that Norton's wife was co-producing. Apatow and co., now that's a nice group to know. Also he'd met Adam Sandler when he was interviewing for MTV. Gotta have those contacts. Only a couple of people a year make it onto the A-list I think. They must guard their power closely.

I agree that a good actor can play any role and make us believe the role, that is why they are hired to do what they do. However, while actors like Robert Redford and Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts are just more recognizable as who they are in real life, they are still great actors. I say this because I have seen bad acting and there is no way anyone can say that the three I mentioned are bad actors. A good actor does not need to make me believe they are someone else, they just need to make me believe the emotions they are portraying.

The problem is that most actors fit a mold, because Hollywood wants to copy any success that occurs, so they put the same types of actors in every role. If I paid more attention to actors and actresses then I could give some name pairings where they are quite interchangeable in their roles. I just know I keep confusing one actor for another.

Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all time and I enjoy every movie he is in. Sure, it's always Cary Grant, but I like seeing Cary Grant in the situations that he is in. Dustin Hoffman becomes a different person in each role he takes on, but I still enjoy watching him do what he does.

So, Acting has not lost it's touch, it's Casting that has lost it's touch.