For a guy who spent roughly twenty years behaving like a much more talented version of Lindsay Lohan, Robert Downey Jr. has done a remarkable job lately of keeping the talent while losing the douchebaggery. Latest example of this comes in Downey’s reaction to his Best Supporting Actor nomination for the role of Lincoln Osiris in Tropic Thunder. The link makes much (a bit too much) of the contrast between the inauguration of America’s first black president and Downey’s Oscar nomination for playing a role in blackface, but Downey keeps things in perspective, including the true significance of the Oscars in the general scheme of things:

It’s about time narcissistic, accolade-seeking idiotic actors were formally recognized…. It’s been a long, hard road for us.”

As for the relative importance of Obama’s inauguration and his own nomination, Downey was perfectly clear on the difference: “One is hugely significant and the other is a bit of a surprise within the inner sanctum of the entertainment business.”