Commercial Backlash

That's what a 27-year-old Steven Spielberg blamed when his hit film Jaws only received

four Oscar nods in a 1976 video documenting him watching the Academy's nominations announcement.

Spielberg had allowed a TV crew to film him viewing the press conference, and this prototype

of the now-common reaction video trope shows the director as a cocky, brash kid who confidently

predicts a sweep of the major categories.

Given his current reputation as one of cinema's all-time greatest craftsmen, it's a disconnect

to realize for the first part of his career he was considered akin to his generation's

Michael Bay, a talented director who made crowd pleasers with limited artistic merit.

But despite Jaws' semi-snub at the Oscars, it proved to be one of the most enduring,

influential films of all time.

Adjusted for inflation, it grossed over a billion dollars in its initial theatrical run

and has considered the original Summer Blockbuster.

And it had another lingering side effect, cementing an American's a fear of sharks, which,

based on the raw numbers, is among the least rational of all cultural paranoias.

He just only kills six people worldwide each year, choking on food kills over 3,000.

Meanwhile, shark fishing for meat and medicine kills upwards of 100 million of the predatory

fish.

In 1992, restaurateur Steve Papperno, inspired by his trips to Mexico, opened a taco shop

in the LA neighborhood of Sherman Oaks.

With its emphasis on fresh organic ingredients, the restaurant quickly caught on with the health

conscious Californians who craved Mexican food.

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