The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[greyhorse]

I'm sure Will regrets what he did this morning and this too shall pass.  Would be curious to see if there's going to be any outreach on his part to Chris to apologize.  Or if the feud will go on.

Reports are out there that the LAPD was notified of an incident of "one man slapping another" (ha) but that the victim is not choosing to press charges.

Wow, Will Smith truly is a huge celebrity and one of the big names of Hollywood.  He walks up to the stage where he's not supposed to be (since he wasn't receiving an award or presenting at that time), assaults the person who rightfully is there by slapping him hard, and then calmly walks back to his seat.  And the producers don't escort him out of there immediately?  If you were an audience member that went up to hug Chris Rock, you'd be hauled off by security.  Yet nothing of the sort.  There's a video clip from somebody in the audience during one of the commercial breaks that you see a producer talking to Will.  But he was still allowed to stay.

Imagine if you're at a football game and you run out on the field.  You're tackled immediately.  And this is if you're just having fun being on the field.  Not even trying to (stupidly) take down Aaron Rodgers.  You're arrested and you spend a night in jail.

Double standards.  But that's celebrity for you...

[Peace 47]

8 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

On a completely different and superficial note, I almost always love Sophie Hunter's (Benedict Cumberbatch's wife) fashion choices.  They are almost always a little different and look very comfortable.  Last night was no exception

Agreed!  I also thought he looked better than he has in quite awhile, too.  He looked “refreshed.”  Don’t know if that is some good minor professional work in the facial area, or if he just maybe put on a little tiny bit of weight in the face, but whatever it was, it sure agreed with him.  
 

Liza being in a wheelchair:  I’m sorry that a song-and-dance artist such as herself has seen her mobility become that compromised, but I do think stars being seen out and about in wheelchairs is a good message for disability representation.  (Like, I was reading last week that the Queen doesn’t want to be photographed in a wheelchair these days, and it’s like, there really should be no shame in that).

What did make me slightly uncomfortable was that she did not seem mentally astute enough to take on the task of presenting.  She seemed totally flummoxed by the cue cards in her hands.  I do get the point that some posters made upthread that we should just let her enjoy those accolades for the 50th anniversary of Cabaret while she is still alive, but I do think there is a fine line to tread when someone isn’t well enough to competently take on such a high-profile task.  I don’t know if she is suffering side effects from medication, the effects of her long-term drug abuse, the effects of her recent serious illness or some kind of onset of early stage dementia, but I did find it sad.  She’s only 76.  Lady Gaga handled the whole thing beautifully, though.  She is a gem.

 

[RealHousewife]

Just now, Peace 47 said:

Liza being in a wheelchair:  I’m sorry that a song-and-dance artist such as herself has seen her mobility become that compromised, but I do think stars being seen out and about in wheelchairs is a good message for disability representation.  (Like, I was reading last week that the Queen doesn’t want to be photographed in a wheelchair these days, and it’s like, there really should be no shame in that).

I thought the same. 

[kib]

12 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I wonder if there's some general Hollywood resentment/dislike towards Chris Rock that we haven't heard about and that's why the crowd didn't turn on Will.

There might be some folks that are still butt hurt over something Rock may have said when he hosted the event in 2005 and 2016.  The town is big on grudges.

Edited March 28, 2022 by kib

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, dmeets said:

 I don't, however, think he should have been allowed to accept his award on stage last night nor give an acceptance speech except perhaps a quick apology (as opposed to the "I'm a MAN who's been blessed by GOD to protect his FAMILY" diatribe, or whatever babbling he was spewing). I agree these are not morality awards, but the behavior in question was conducted at that very ceremony just minutes earlier. Not anything that needed to be investigated: you misbehaved egregiously at the party, time to go home now.

This.

9 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I'm sure Will regrets what he did this morning and this too shall pass.  Would be curious to see if there's going to be any outreach on his part to Chris to apologize.  Or if the feud will go on.

He should apologize to him.  But I for one really don't need to hear from Will about what he did.  It would just be more of I had to protect what was mine and all that bullshit.  

Jaden Smith has made his thoughts on this public.

https://people.com/movies/oscars-2022-jaden-smith-tweets-thats-how-we-do-it-dad-will-smith-oscar-win-chris-rock-smack/

Edited March 28, 2022 by bluegirl147

[Thumper]

31 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

On a completely different and superficial note, I almost always love Sophie Hunter's (Benedict Cumberbatch's wife) fashion choices.  They are almost always a little different and look very comfortable.  Last night was no exception

 

 

I loved her dress, too.

[Adiba]

I didn’t know about Jada’s alopecia, just thought she was going for a certain look. Does she have acute onset, or traction alopecia? Certain hairstyles, treatments, weaves, etc. can cause hair loss. Menopause and peri menopause can cause hair loss, too. Chris Rock’s joke wasn’t funny, but it wasn’t as egregious as making fun of someone who lost hair because of chemotherapy. Bald jokes have been made forever and are hacky, too. 
At any rate, Will’s over-the-top reaction was puzzling, to say the least. And violence is not the answer to a perceived insult. He should have been escorted out of the building, imo, and someone else could have picked up his Oscar for him. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

No, it was a complete disservice to We Don't Talk About Bruno. What makes that song such a fun ear worm is how they build a bunch of different verses, unique to each character, and then layer them all together at the end to a really complex climax. Instead they just repeated the chorus over and over again. Slap-gate definitely distracted from my disappointment in the performance. It could have been such a fun number!

I was so disappointed in We Don't Talk About Bruno. That rendition was just.... no. I was looking forward to showing my (Encanto obsessed) 7 year old the clip this morning, but then when I watched it, I was like "well, never mind."

[Cheezwiz]

5 hours ago, mojoween said:

And Questlove’s speech was probably half-heard because everyone in the TV audience was reading social media when he was giving it.

Yeah, it really bugged me that his much-deserved win (and genuine, touching speech) was totally overshadowed by what went on immediately beforehand. So unnecessary and ruined what should have been a celebratory moment for so many people.

[SusanM]

11 minutes ago, Adiba said:

He should have been escorted out of the building, imo, and someone else could have picked up his Oscar for him. 

I completely agree with you that this is the way it should have been handled but I can see why it wasn't.  This was a live show and I can't fault the powers that be for not having a contingency plan in place for how to deal with a situation like this.  I'm betting from now on they will!

[BetterButter]

TV Ratings: Oscars Rebound From Historic Lows

Quote

The audience for ABC's broadcast grows significantly vs. 2021 but still trails previous years by a sizable margin.

 

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

ETA: And this may be petty, but I'm so glad there were no awards for Being the Ricardos. Hell, even that clip of Simmons as Williams Frawley was awful. Simmons is a great actor, but that didn't even sound close to how the real Frawley sounded.

Same! I also take petty pleasure that Paul Thomas Anderson and that stupid Licorice Pizza got nothing as well.

[blackwing]

44 minutes ago, dmeets said:

The Academy gave a statement saying they do not condone violence. By letting him sit front and center the rest of the night, laughing uproariously every time someone alluded to the incident, and giving him what felt like five minutes to justify his actions and words, the Academy did indeed condone it.

I completely agree.  He should have been escorted from the building immediately and then someone could have simply said "Unfortunately, Will Smith is unable to accept his award in person.  We accept this award on his behalf."  Or if Jada hadn't left with him, she could have accepted.  Or Denzel.  Or ironically, Chris Rock could have accepted for him. 

I have to wonder why he wasn't kicked out.  Is it because people initially thought it was a planned gag?  Is it because he was the expected winner?  Is it because it was black on black violence?  I wonder if there would have been more uproar if Alec Baldwin had slapped Chris Rock.  Or if a black guy had slapped a white guy.

I actually thought he was drunk.  But apparently he wasn't.  He was just "love makes you do crazy things".

39 minutes ago, Peace 47 said:

Liza being in a wheelchair:  I’m sorry that a song-and-dance artist such as herself has seen her mobility become that compromised, but I do think stars being seen out and about in wheelchairs is a good message for disability representation.  (Like, I was reading last week that the Queen doesn’t want to be photographed in a wheelchair these days, and it’s like, there really should be no shame in that).

What did make me slightly uncomfortable was that she did not seem mentally astute enough to take on the task of presenting.  She seemed totally flummoxed by the cue cards in her hands.  I do get the point that some posters made upthread that we should just let her enjoy those accolades for the 50th anniversary of Cabaret while she is still alive, but I do think there is a fine line to tread when someone isn’t well enough to competently take on such a high-profile task.  I don’t know if she is suffering side effects from medication, the effects of her long-term drug abuse, the effects of her recent serious illness or some kind of onset of early stage dementia, but I did find it sad.  She’s only 76.  Lady Gaga handled the whole thing beautifully, though.  She is a gem.

 

I thought it was great that she was there, but it was sad knowing she is only 76 and seeing how out of it she seemed.  It seemed like she didn't even know where she was.  She seemed like she was drunk in an Elizabeth Taylor Golden Globes "GLAAAADIATOR" kind of way.  And I agree about Lady Gaga, she clearly loves and respects Liza and I really liked the way she leaned in and said "I've got you" to her.

 

[superdeluxe]

1 hour ago, RealHousewife said:

We've all made our opinions about yesterday's fiasco. One thing I didn't discuss last night was Will losing his Oscar. The Academy hasn't even looked into taking awards back from pedophiles/rapists. Not sure why some folks think the Academy only awards the most upstanding of people. 

 

1 hour ago, PepSinger said:

Yeah, that to me is fucking hilarious. Rapists and child molesters have Oscars. Do y'all really think they're going to take back an Oscar from a man who committed assault under the guise of defending his wife?

Also, the award is for ACTING, not best human. 

 

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

Yes, and punishing one of the few black actors who've won the award would be the pinnacle of "Oscars so white" behavior. 

All of this.  This talk about taking away Will Smith’s Oscar is ridiculous considering all of the rapists who have Oscars sitting in their homes right now.  Did anyone call for their Oscars to be taken away?  No.  And all of these loud calls to take away his Oscar is because Will is Black and they didn’t want him to win in the first place.

Okay, they take his Oscar away and then what?  Give it to Andrew Garfield or Benedict Cumberbatch?  Knowing how thirsty they are, they would probably take it, too.  What would that say about them?

[kib]

As far as broaching the idea that Smith's award should be withheld and previous winners who have a checkered past should relinquish their awards, it might be useful to examine the Baseball Hall of Fame.

There are literally dozens of perfectly horrible and disgusting humans whose plaques are on the wall celebrating their performance on the field. (A notable exception being Pete Rose whose gambling issues now seem a little tame now that every sports league has a business partnership deal with online wagering)

Point being, like the Hall of Fame, the Oscars are presented for achievement and  performance on the screen.  In both cases you're asking for a well considered policy, separating the art from the artist for example, from folks in their respective businesses that aren't particularly known to be deep thinkers.

If you don't like their moral stance I would suggest taking the pragmatic approach to showing your displeasure.  If you don't approve of the policies of the Baseball Hall of Fame, don't visit. If you don't approve of the policies of the academy, don't watch the show or visit their new museum. Might not seem much but the only way they'll change is when it starts to hit them in the wallet.

[SusanM]

13 minutes ago, superdeluxe said:

This talk about taking away Will Smith’s Oscar is ridiculous considering all of the rapists who have Oscars sitting in their homes right now.  Did anyone call for their Oscars to be taken away?  No.  

I agree it's ridiculous but I can see the difference here is that what Will Smith did he did at the ceremony itself. 

There has to be some consequence to getting up on stage and hitting one of the presenters, no matter what the provocation.  But I don't think that consequence should be losing his Academy Award. 

Perhaps booting him out of the academy itself (I am assuming he is a voting member but may be wrong),  never having his name put into consideration in the future or from attending any ceremony going forward but taking away his award, no.  

Edited March 28, 2022 by SusannahM

[KatWay]

6 minutes ago, superdeluxe said:

Okay, they take his Oscar away and then what?  Give it to Andrew Garfield or Benedict Cumberbatch?  Knowing how thirsty they are, they would probably take it, too.  What would that say about them?

okay, a) nobody is taking Will's Oscar, he wasn't even asked to leave the premises. The Academy doesn't care about this. And b) neither of those actors would take his Oscar as some sort of runner up thing, and I don't get why you'd assume they would. Who on Earth would want to win that way even if it was at all a plausible scenario? This is Will Smith, a huge celebrity of worldwide fame and a black man at that, no other actor would touch that Oscar with a ten foot pole.

[Teriacky]

I haven’t read through all of the posts, but here are three thoughts:

1. Does anyone remember that Will Smith played Muhammed Ali? If he had punched Chris Rock he probably would have done serious damage. 
 

2. Al Pacino looks frightening. What happened? Robert De Niro is only 4 or so years younger than Pacino (and Coppola) yet he looked YEARS younger. 
 

3. Liza Minnelli seems confused and frail. Lady GaGa seems so patient.She really deals well with the older (failing) performers beautifully. 

 

[Sarahsmile416]

I read this piece and thought it was put brilliantly. MMV, of course, but I love what is said here.  

https://apple.news/AtPrbRZKtR0a2fX7GsSTqPg

[Crs97]

I find myself really wanting to know if I’m fact Chris knew Jada’s condition, though it doesn’t suddenly make me think Will was justified.

[Scout Finch]

2 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I find myself really wanting to know if I’m fact Chris knew Jada’s condition, though it doesn’t suddenly make me think Will was justified.

Judging by the copious amount of comments I've read, about 95% of us did not know she had alopecia until last night. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Chris didn't either. Lots of well-known women have shaved their heads without it being medical-related. While it wasn't that funny of a joke, I didn't take it as anything other than, hey, are you preparing for a role? Like when actors gain a bunch of weight or do other extreme things for a role they're playing.

[millennium]

1 hour ago, greyhorse said:

I'm sure Will regrets what he did this morning and this too shall pass.

I'm not very sure Will regrets anything -- except maybe that he didn't punch Chris Rock harder.   His disgusting behavior is being propped up on Twitter, he's getting the biggest PR of his life, the law is looking the other way, the Academy is talking out of both sides of its mouth and too many people are bending over backwards to give him a pass. 

Remember when cringey Oscar scene meant Sally Fields gushing, "You really, really like me?"  For for most of my life, the Oscars were regarded as the apogee of elegance, grace and talent in America.   Now we have the Best Actor committing a street crime on stage, bellowing "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth," while the victim utters "Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me."

Decorum is officially dead.

 

[Ohiopirate02]

9 minutes ago, Scout Finch said:

Judging by the copious amount of comments I've read, about 95% of us did not know she had alopecia until last night. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Chris didn't either. Lots of well-known women have shaved their heads without it being medical-related. While it wasn't that funny of a joke, I didn't take it as anything other than, hey, are you preparing for a role? Like when actors gain a bunch of weight or do other extreme things for a role they're playing.

Chris may not have known about Jada's condition, but he does have two black daughters.  Daughters who once told him they dreamed of having good hair.  This spurred Chris to investigate what that meant and he produced a documentary titled "Good Hair" where he explored the topic and what it means to black women.  He knew that comment would get under Jada's skin, maybe not how much it hurt her but he said it to hurt her.  

[SnarkAttack]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Same! I also take petty pleasure that Paul Thomas Anderson and that stupid Licorice Pizza got nothing as well.

Licorice Pizza was confusing, but Bradley Cooper was great!

1 hour ago, Teriacky said:

I haven’t read through all of the posts, but here are three thoughts:

1. Does anyone remember that Will Smith played Muhammed Ali? If he had punched Chris Rock he probably would have done serious damage. 
 

2. Al Pacino looks frightening. What happened? Robert De Niro is only 4 or so years younger than Pacino (and Coppola) yet he looked YEARS younger. 
 

3. Liza Minnelli seems confused and frail. Lady GaGa seems so patient.She really deals well with the older (failing) performers beautifully. 

 

Yes!  My first thought was Will had training to play Ali so that could have been very bad news for Rock. Plus, Will is quite a bit bigger than Rock.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

I thought the same. 

People being seen out and about in wheelchairs is fine, though I can't imagine who hasn't seen people in them anywhere they go. It is NOT fine if the person is mentally compromised, which Liza clearly was, for whatever reason, and I really disliked her being brought out in that way. Yes Lady Gaga was good with her but Liza shouldn't have been there at all.

Speaking of  disabilities, I have read now that people are saying that Will was right for "standing up" for Jada, as they are tired of people making fun of those with disabilities, who does that anyway, but alopecia is not a disability! I didn't know that she had it, I thought she liked the cropped hair look, many women do that, and it is an unfortunate condition that no one would want, but to equate it with a real disability is really ignorant. I am one of those who think Will's Oscar should be revoked. People have mentioned those with Oscars who have engaged in egregious activities in their lives, but there is a difference between that and someone who assaults another on stage, and screams obscenities at them, during the event. That should not be tolerated in any way, though it is exactly what happened. I also keep thinking about what people would think if Will had hit and screamed at a female comedian.  If it was a white man hitting a black man for the same offense, people would be screaming racism. Violence and related behavior is never okay and Will should not be excused or defended for it.

[susannah]

10 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Chris may not have known about Jada's condition, but he does have two black daughters.  Daughters who once told him they dreamed of having good hair.  This spurred Chris to investigate what that meant and he produced a documentary titled "Good Hair" where he explored the topic and what it means to black women.  He knew that comment would get under Jada's skin, maybe not how much it hurt her but he said it to hurt her.  

Are you saying that having alopecia is worse for a black woman than one of a different race, because no one else would care about having hair? Sorry, but I am getting tired of the constant refrain that everything in life is soo much worse for black people, no matter what it is.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Smith just showed the world a perfect manifestation of cancel culture.  The irony of his actions is off the charts, too.

All night long was an afro-urban culture celebrated.  It was no coincidence whatsoever that so many on stage were of african heritage.  Overdue?  No argument from me.  Unfortunately for the message creators, one of their own chose to demonstrate a too-common aggression.  All the intended good will evaporated in that moment.  Violence, in this well constructed milieu, overwhelmed everything.

"You can/will not talk about "x"! is the cry of the cancelers.  Never mind the reduction of the Arts this necessarily engenders.  Comedians have been particularly hard hit.  Sticks and stones and names will hurt me.    

Many claim violence is "speech."  Some insist that it is a valid form of speech.  Smith sure did in this context.

His criminal act was very minor in these turbulent times.  No question.  However, as a cultural marker, it holds tremendous power and value - not unlike the movie genre itself once did.   

[Ohiopirate02]

1 minute ago, susannah said:

Are you saying that having alopecia is worse for a black woman than one of a different race, because no one else would care about having hair? Sorry, but I am getting tired of the constant refrain that everything in life is soo much worse for black people, no matter what it is.

What I am saying is Chris Rock knows about the thorny issues that surround black hair.  Unless he's completely forgotten the documentary he did, he knows the many reasons why a black woman would either choose or be forced to shave her head that actually have nothing to do with alopecia or a movie role.  It's been years since I watched Good Hair, but I still remember his reaction to learning about relaxer and the damage relaxer can cause.  All in the name of having "good hair" with good hair meaning white hair.  

[ruby24]

The Academy is holding a meeting to talk about the Will Smith incident.

I think they ought to at least revoke his membership. Not the award, because it was voted on and everything.

But they should do SOMETHING since they failed to act in the moment. And they knew exactly what the right thing to do was, since all these sources are out there today saying they "seriously considered" removing him from the building but couldn't get the Academy decision makers together in time to decide (uh-huh).

Revoking his membership is the least they can do. The consequences of that are pretty lame anyway- he won't get screeners or get to vote anymore. Boo-hoo. He can still be nominated. 

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

We've all made our opinions about yesterday's fiasco. One thing I didn't discuss last night was Will losing his Oscar. The Academy hasn't even looked into taking awards back from pedophiles/rapists. Not sure why some folks think the Academy only awards the most upstanding of people. 

How would they do it anyway?  It wasn't a committee of 10 people who voted, who could get together and decide to take it away, it was thousands of people.  He should have been asked to leave or have his membership revoked or not invited back next year to present the Best Actress award (a common thing for them to do).

3 hours ago, ctlady said:

There is way too much triggering in this day and age.  Remember the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts?  3/4 of Hollywood would be running to their safe space corners.

 

They still do celebrity roasts.  The difference is that when a celebrity is roasted, they know what they are getting into and agree to attend.  I do agree with you, though, that I'm sorry this is taking so much attention away from the other winners.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Shannon L.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

The whole Will Smith debacle was a whiplash of confusion for the average person. First he laughs at the joke, then he goes straight to 100 and goes up to the stage to punch Rock. Then he cries during his speech and calls himself an "ambassador of love" and a "vessel of god" and "love makes you do crazy things" then he's seen gettin' jiggy with it with not a care in the world at the after-party. Like, regardless of if he thought he was justified or not in what he did, at least act a little embarrassed at the after-party and maybe try to keep a low profile, but no, dude's got no shame. I'm guessing his PR person didn't attend the after-party to keep a tab on him and give him some pointers and Denzel wasn't in the mood to give him more pointers on how to behave.

[dmeets]

Just now, MVFrostsMyPie said:

The whole Will Smith debacle was a whiplash of confusion for the average person. First he laughs at the joke, then he goes straight to 100 and goes up to the stage to punch Rock. Then he cries during his speech and calls himself an "ambassador of love" and a "vessel of god" and "love makes you do crazy things" then he's seen gettin' jiggy with it with not a care in the world at the after-party. Like, regardless of if he thought he was justified or not in what he did, at least act a little embarrassed at the after-party and maybe try to keep a low profile, but no, dude's got no shame. I'm guessing his PR person didn't attend the after-party to keep a tab on him and give him some pointers and Denzel wasn't in the mood to give him more pointers on how to behave.

Once he hears his music playing all bets are off. There's nothing Will Smith likes more than hearing Will Smith.

[SusanM]

4 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Even if Chris Rock knew about Jada's condition, and said the joke specifically with the purpose to "humiliate her," that still is no excuse for Will to storm the stage and use violence to assault someone and it is disgusting that people here and elsewhere are thinking he is somehow justified.

I have heard people defend his right to be angry I haven't heard anyone defend him actually going on stage and hitting someone.  What I have heard is that just because Will Smith overreacted that doesn't give Chris Rock a pass on being a jerk.  I'd thought insult comedy died with Don Rickles.  Clearly I was wrong.

[Cotypubby]

6 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

You don't have to agree with them, and people have a right to their opinion.

Thinking that physical violence is an appropriate response to someone telling a mild joke about you is wrong. Full stop.

[millennium]

45 minutes ago, Crs97 said:

I find myself really wanting to know if I’m fact Chris knew Jada’s condition, though it doesn’t suddenly make me think Will was justified.

Is male pattern baldness a condition, too?   I'm not making light, just wondering where the line is drawn between "condition" and caprice of nature.

Many "conditions" are mocked every day on TV, in movies, sitcoms and elsewhere but these slights go unaddressed and certainly unavenged.     What makes Mrs. Smith's condition so extraordinary that it warrants a man being assaulted?   The only distinction I can see is that Will Smith decided it.

[Cotypubby]

3 minutes ago, SusannahM said:

I have heard people defend his right to be angry I haven't heard anyone defend him actually going on stage and hitting someone.  What I have heard is that just because Will Smith overreacted that doesn't give Chris Rock a pass on being a jerk.  I'd thought insult comedy died with Don Rickles.  Clearly I was wrong.

Then you haven't been looking hard enough. I have seen many people (not the majority, but a lot) say that Will did nothing wrong and that he should be cheered for what he did.

[The Mighty Peanut]

This is what gets me.

 

He played it off like he was in a rage black out, fugue state. He clearly wasn't. He laughed. He realized Jada is pissed. He walked to the stage. And in his rage blindness this man who played Mohammed Ali and knows how to punch, slaps Chris Rock, which will play differently than giving him a black eye. I don't think it was 100% a publicity stunt, but that he felt his manhood (NOT Jada's feelings) was threatened and he took a calculated risk.

Jada just rolled her eyes, she didn't fall to pieces. It would have sufficed to roll his eyes too and tell Jada that after the show he was going to rip CR a new one. Or let Jada do it herself. Whatever happened in that moment was not chivalry.

Edited March 28, 2022 by The Mighty Peanut

[SusanM]

2 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Then you haven't been looking hard enough. I have seen many people (not the majority, but a lot) say that Will did nothing wrong and that he should be cheered for what he did.

I've heard a few people say some pretty horribly racist things about what happened that I won't repeat here.  None of these people are expressing views held by the majority of people.  I hope.

[PepSinger]

1 minute ago, SusannahM said:

14 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

Even if Chris Rock knew about Jada's condition, and said the joke specifically with the purpose to "humiliate her," that still is no excuse for Will to storm the stage and use violence to assault someone and it is disgusting that people here and elsewhere are thinking he is somehow justified.

I have heard people defend his right to be angry I haven't heard anyone defend him actually going on stage and hitting someone.  What I have heard is that just because Will Smith overreacted that doesn't give Chris Rock a pass on being a jerk.  I'd thought insult comedy died with Don Rickles.  Clearly I was wrong.

Thank you. I don't understand why this entire situation needs to be viewed in absolutes. Chris Rock was wrong for his shitty, misogynoir joke. I don't fucking care if he didn't write it; he's Chris Rock. If he didn't want to tell that shitty joke, no one would have forced him to say it. Will Smith was wrong for slapping a man on live TV and didn't even have decency to apologize to him in his speech. He should've been removed. I'll tell you one thing, though, I am tired of people thinking it's okay to insult Black women. I am also tired of people coming in hot on Will Smith, going so far as to advocate for him to lose his award, and I find myself asking where was this heat for Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and others who've committed violent crimes against children? I have seen takes on the inter webs  -- particularly Twitter -- that prove to me that some are using this event to air racist takes, and it's really sad.

1 minute ago, Cotypubby said:

Thinking that physical violence is an appropriate response to someone telling a mild joke about you is wrong. Full stop.

It was mild *to you*. You were not the one embarrassed on live TV.

[blackwing]

Lupita Nyong'o was seated just behind Will.  Her look as he is mouthing off to Chris about not saying his wife's name is everything.

[kittykat]

I've read think pieces on this and I'm of the opinion that nobody wins.  Chris Rock was...well...Chris Rock but it was NOT a good joke and there is no excuse for violence on Will's part.  And the worst kind of people are already making it about two black people but no matter what race or gender the behavior is inexcusable.  I'm more annoyed about a woman being insulted and the MAN making it all about himself but that's a can of worms I'm going to keep closed (yes I realize that by mentioning this that it's already opened).

The votes were cast and Will won fair and square and should not have his Oscar revoked.  This is the same clubhouse that protected Weinstein and Cosby, gave Roman Polanski a standing ovation, make women beg for equal pay and representation so I'm not expecting the right kind of response from the Hollywood elite.

The absolutely most frustrating thing is that a film that celebrated deaf culture won Best Picture, a celebration of black culture won Best Documentary, the third woman wins Best Director, Ariana, Riz, Troy even Jessica all got their moments taken away because of this bullshit.

Edited March 28, 2022 by kittykat

[ProudMary]

Excerpt from Variety's article: 

“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” a spokesperson for the organization said. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”

It appears that Smith may face some type of disciplinary action or sanction, though it’s unlikely he will be made to forfeit his prize. In its official= standards of conduct, the Academy states it is “categorically opposed to any form of abuse.”

Link: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/oscars-will-smith-chris-rock-slap-formal-review-discipline-1235217214/

Edited March 28, 2022 by ProudMary
Re-Formatted to remove quote box.

[dmeets]

1 minute ago, kittykat said:

The votes were cast and Will won fair and square and should not have his Oscar revoked.  This is the same clubhouse that protected Weinstein and Cosby, gave Roman Polanski a standing ovation, make women beg for equal pay and representation so I'm not expecting the right kind of response from the Hollywood elite.

That reminds me. Of Amy's jabs last night (or was it Wanda? Shoot, I forgot now), the line about hiring three women to host since it's cheaper than hiring a man cut particularly deep. And Tiffany Haddish's expression was everything.

[Guest]

Will initially laughing at Chris' joke and then (seemingly) only getting angry after he saw Jada's reaction reminds me of this moment from Lost:

[Sarahsmile416]

4 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

Thank you. I don't understand why this entire situation needs to be viewed in absolutes. Chris Rock was wrong for his shitty, misogynoir joke. I don't fucking care if he didn't write it; he's Chris Rock. If he didn't want to tell that shitty joke, no one would have forced him to say it. Will Smith was wrong for slapping a man on live TV and didn't even have decency to apologize to him in his speech. He should've been removed. I'll tell you one thing, though, I am tired of people thinking it's okay to insult Black women. I am also tired of people coming in hot on Will Smith, going so far as to advocate for him to lose his award, and I find myself asking where was this heat for Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and others who've committed violent crimes against children? I have seen takes on the inter webs  -- particularly Twitter -- that prove to me that some are using this event to air racist takes, and it's really sad.

It was mild *to you*. You were not the one embarrassed on live TV.

Yes.  Exactly this.  I’m sorry but neither man is a victim here…they both acted badly.  Will Smith needs to learn to use his words and Chris Rock needs to learn the right fucking words.  

[Guest]

48 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Chris may not have known about Jada's condition, but he does have two black daughters.  Daughters who once told him they dreamed of having good hair.  This spurred Chris to investigate what that meant and he produced a documentary titled "Good Hair" where he explored the topic and what it means to black women.  He knew that comment would get under Jada's skin, maybe not how much it hurt her but he said it to hurt her.  

This keeps sticking with me. Of course, there were an abundance of “who thought that was a good idea” moments. As a whole the show wasn’t vetted to ensure that blatantly inappropriate (and just not funny) jokes weren’t included. Rightfully, no expected it to go that far but the organization seriously failed on nearly all fronts. 

35 minutes ago, susannah said:

Sorry, but I am getting tired of the constant refrain that everything in life is soo much worse for black people, no matter what it is.

Generally speaking, isn’t it though? There is entire layer that Black people have to deal with in every situation that others just don’t. I have no problem saying that Black women have it worse dealing with hair generally.  Both because the texture has unique challenges and because of overt and systemic racism. That’s not to minimize the difficulties of anyone dealing with hair loss. 

[kittykat]

5 minutes ago, dmeets said:

That reminds me. Of Amy's jabs last night (or was it Wanda? Shoot, I forgot now), the line about hiring three women to host since it's cheaper than hiring a man cut particularly deep. And Tiffany Haddish's expression was everything.

Ugh I know.  Pretty sure every woman had the same "It's (not) funny because it's true." Face.  We've all made THAT face before.

[RealHousewife]

10 minutes ago, PepSinger said:

Thank you. I don't understand why this entire situation needs to be viewed in absolutes. Chris Rock was wrong for his shitty, misogynoir joke. I don't fucking care if he didn't write it; he's Chris Rock. If he didn't want to tell that shitty joke, no one would have forced him to say it. Will Smith was wrong for slapping a man on live TV and didn't even have decency to apologize to him in his speech. He should've been removed. I'll tell you one thing, though, I am tired of people thinking it's okay to insult Black women. I am also tired of people coming in hot on Will Smith, going so far as to advocate for him to lose his award, and I find myself asking where was this heat for Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, and others who've committed violent crimes against children? I have seen takes on the inter webs  -- particularly Twitter -- that prove to me that some are using this event to air racist takes, and it's really sad.

It was mild *to you*. You were not the one embarrassed on live TV.

👏

[kib]

57 minutes ago, SnarkAttack said:

Licorice Pizza was confusing, but Bradley Cooper was great!

Yes!  My first thought was Will had training to play Ali so that could have been very bad news for Rock. Plus, Will is quite a bit bigger than Rock.

Ali was made more than 20 years ago so it's not like Smith is in anything close to ring shape, but I suspect there's still some muscle memory from training that would kick in.

[Sarah 103]

Beyonce opening the show was a mistake. Anyone who tuned in just to her would turn off after that. They should have kept people waiting. I don’t understand the monochromatic look. I get having the dancers dressed like tennis balls, but not having everything the same color. Was there a projection that was supposed to happen?

Comparing this year to the past two years, the Oscars are better without a host. Regina feeling up the guys was tacky and wrong. If the genders were reversed there would be outrage. Maybe they had bad material to work with, but the hosts weren’t funny at all.

It felt strange that the speeches were not the political but the hosts kept doing random political shout-outs that weren’t funny.

Was there a teleprompter issue? Multiple people had teleprompter problems.

If they want something between the awards, stuff like the James Bond tribute or the Godfather tribute were great.  I liked those. I do wish there had been more clips from the first “Godfather.”

Also, the best Bond theme is “Goldfinger.” “Live and Let Die” and “Nobody Does It Better” are right up there.

The Oscars mistake with the “fan vote” was going through Twitter as opposed to a website, because the percentage of the US population with a Twitter account is small. It was guaranteed to skew the results. I like the idea of fan generated top five lists, but maybe do a webform that requires an email address like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I can’t believe this was Branagh’s first win. I’m glad “West Side Story” and “Encanto” had the wins they did.

I did not like the focus on the singers during “In Memorium.” It made it hard for me to read some of the names and who they were.

What happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock is going to go down in Oscar history in the “live TV anything can happen.” It’s up with here with the streaker, one-armed pushups, getting the wrong envelope when announcing best picture, and very few other iconic/shocking moments.