THB #2: The Academy Museum

My honest first reaction when I walked into The Academy Museum was, “I bet it will be really cool when they finish it.”

The Money Pit, War of the Worlds,The Unfinished Look

It’s challenging to be objective about The Academy Museum. Not because the whole project has been a boondoggle. (I can put that aside.) It’s because I have had the privilege of being up close and personal with much of what the museum offers throughout my strange and winding career. So it isn’t reasonable for me to have the same reaction as someone who has never seen a big, gorgeous movie backdrop or been up close with amazing memorabilia or held actual Oscars in their hands (that will be $15… and it’s not really anyone’s Oscar.) Stipulated.

That said… where the hell did all that money go?

It’s a 5-story building, much of which looks unfinished. All there is there is on the top floor (5!) is a large empty space called the Tea Room, blocked off public bathrooms, and the Strei…sand bridge to the deck. The observation de…