The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

If the victim presses charges, they most likely are.

True.  But a lot of times, like in this case, they don't call the police or decline to press charges which is why everyone who is saying that he'd absolutely be arrested is something I disagree with.  Many times it's just broken up and people go on their way.

[chocolatine]

I'm absolutely disgusted with Will Smith and will never watch any of his movies again. I've thought for a long time that Jada and the two kids they have together are the height of obnoxiousness with their cringey "red table talks," being friends with the Kardashians, and whatnot, but until today I thought that Will himself is a good, genuinely talented, person.

I'm old enough to remember how many jokes were told about Demi Moore's buzzcut for GI Jane, so Chris Rock's joke, while not particularly funny or clever, didn't seem that disrespectful to me. Will was completely out of line to go up and punch him, and then cry and make himself look like the victim in his acceptance speech.

I haven't seen CODA yet, but it will be the next movie I watch. Troy Kotsur's acceptance speech was so moving, and I loved how, when the team was accepting the best film award, there were two sign language interpreters, one facing the audience/cameras and the other facing the stage. Hollywood (and the rest of the world) still has a long way to go in terms of inclusion, but this was a great gesture.

Finally, did I miss it, or did the writer/director of Drive My Car forget to acknowledge Haruki Murakami? The film is based on one of his short stories. I think Murakami is one of the best, most innovative writers of our time, so was disappointed that he didn't get a shoutout.

[Cheezwiz]

I'm still processing what I saw earlier this evening. I was so shocked when it initially happened that I wondered if it was a bit they had cooked up. But as soon as I saw Rock's rattled reaction, and saw Smith yelling expletives from his seat, I knew it was real. Thing is, a lot of my American friends didn't see it at all on their broadcasts, and had no idea that anything had gone down. It was bizarre. The joke was lame and tasteless, but in no way was a physical attack justified.

Smith's self-serving speech disgusted me - apologizing to everyone except the person he assaulted. And trying to spin his actions as being a "protector and defender". How awkward and embarrassing for the Williams family. Especially considering that Richard Williams, the man Smith portrayed, was someone who had survived numerous unprovoked attacks himself.

I'm also pissed that Questlove's  much deserved win and touching speech for Best Documentary was overshadowed by this nonsense.

Also one of the absolute worst In Memoriam segments I've ever seen. Dear Academy: NO ONE WANTS TO WATCH LIVE PERFORMERS. WE WANT TO SEE FULL SCREEN IMAGES AND BE ABLE TO READ THE NAMES!!! Jeepers!

 

 

[susannah]

1 hour ago, Dani said:

I am so tired of this attitude that resorting to violence on behalf to someone else is love. Most of the time “sticking up for your wife” is just an excuse for being an asshole. Will could have actually stuck up for his wife by using his fame and the publicity to point out how shitty that specific joke was.

Thank you! Or he could have let his wife handle it on her own, even. Or he could have ignored it and ranted until he died, at home!

[susannah]

40 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

True.  But a lot of times, like in this case, they don't call the police or decline to press charges which is why everyone who is saying that he'd absolutely be arrested is something I disagree with.  Many times it's just broken up and people go on their way.

Yes, of course, unless the victim presses charges, the police can't do anything, in a minor scuffle. Obviously in a more serious situation, that's not necessary.

[Simon Boccanegra]

2 hours ago, Racj82 said:

I'm sorry that people will feel that this overshadowing the show too much but people in general don't care about these movies. Even more than usual. None of these has a audience except for Dune and Encanto. Even West Side Story mostly flopped. The show would of mostly been forgotten otherwise except for cinephiles.

We're in a streaming age now. Five of the Best Picture nominees debuted on a streaming service either instead of or in addition to wide release in theaters. The other five were all available to stream as part of a subscription (Netflix, Disney, HBO, etc.) or watch at home via rental weeks or months before the telecast.

So, you can't look at box-office numbers alone and generalize about no one caring about the movies. Don't Look Up was the second-most-streamed movie in the history of Netflix. Not everyone loved it, of course, but it got watched a lot. 

Also, maybe some people watch the ceremony to see their favorite stars, then they see clips or hear what someone says and they think, "That looks interesting." Many years ago, if the movie wasn't still playing near them, their only hope would have been catching it on television years later.  

2 hours ago, Danielg342 said:

I hope this isn't "too soon", but...

The Academy Awards have been trying to figure out for years how to punch things up a bit. I don't think what happened tonight with Will Smith and Chris Rock was what they had in mind.

I have no doubt that in future years they'll use it in marketing somehow, even if obliquely so as not to be accused of bad taste. Maybe a shot of Will and Jada seated together while the announcer says "The Academy Awards...where anything can happen!"

The Oscars finally has its "Stephen and Irene' moment. 

27 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I'm absolutely disgusted with Will Smith and will never watch any of his movies again. I've thought for a long time that Jada and the two kids they have together are the height of obnoxiousness with their cringey "red table talks," being friends with the Kardashians, and whatnot [...]

When the story below broke about ten years ago, I was done with them. 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-will-and-jada-pinkett-smiths-scientology-school

But I did see King Richard as pre-Oscars due diligence, even though biopics are usually a chore for me to get through. It's a decent movie. Will typically doesn't choose projects I have an interest in, so he's easy for me to avoid. Jada does so even less often. I swear, I don't think I've seen her in a movie since Scream 2. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Simon Boccanegra

[aradia22]

Quote

I hope they show up next year and the Academy gets Ricky Gervais. 

Not transphobe Ricky Gervais. Honestly all the boys club "cancel culture" comedians can pack up their things and go. 

Quote

That doesn’t mean Chris knew but he certainly does know that hair is a sensitive issue particularly in black culture. 

The man made a WHOLE MOVIE about it

[Simon Boccanegra]

An excellent take on The Incident and the whole bloated ceremony from Daniel Fienberg:

I don’t know how else to put this: If a comedian — one as brilliant as Rock at his peak or as hacky as Rock was Sunday night before the G.I. Jane joke — makes fun of you, you yell back at them. You ask Chris Rock when he was last funny. You make fun of the size of his genitals. Maybe you swear at him, because you’re angry and protecting your wife. You don’t stand up and commit assault on national TV, and it’s tempting to wonder what would have happened to anybody who had done the same thing and wasn’t 15 minutes away from winning an Oscar. I’m fairly sure a civilian taking a swing at Chris Rock for no reason would have been arrested. I’m not sure what happens if Javier Bardem, who was never winning Sunday night, had come up and slugged Rock, but I’m guessing he’d have been escorted out of the building at a minimum.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/academy-awards-show-review-1235120455/

[Bill1978]

After watching Flee over the weekend I really am gutted it went home empty handed. Although the script the ladies were given for the introduction to Best Animated Feature pretty much confirmed that it was never going to win that award since it seems the Academy views animation only worthy of telling stories that children can enjoy.

[Demian]

I've disliked Will Smith ever since I learned he was a homophobic piece of shit during the filming of Six Degrees of Separation, but his behavior this evening is fucking beyond the pale.

Fuck him, fuck his wife, and fuck their psychologically damaged kids.  (Thanks, Scientology!)

[aradia22]

Can someone confirm whether this actually happened???

[Simon Boccanegra]

3 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

Can someone confirm whether this actually happened???

Yes. That's accurate for the entrance music of both.

Kaluuya was presenting in tandem with H.E,R., but that doesn't make it any more sensible a choice.

[Macbeth1966]

6 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

In this case I'll allow it. Lets Liza get up on stage and feel the love from the audience while she's still with us.

Also - as they were doing anniversaries - this is the 50th anniversary of Cabaret and Liza had won an oscar for best actress.

They probably mentioned it, but I missed it.

[Avabelle]

I still can’t believe the academy’s lack of acknowledgement over last nights assault. Poor joke or not, Rock was a comedian hired to roast the guests. The academy either needs to protect their presenters or stop hiring comedians to roast if the audience are going to be allowed to physically attack them with zero consequences. 

[Macbeth1966]

5 hours ago, RealHousewife said:

Nice people have horrible days. Violence is out of character for Will. I'm not going to judge him by one day when he's been well-liked for decades. 

I never said I knew Jada personally. lol You can look up what Jada's said about alopecia. 

I get condemning violence, wanting Will escorted out, concern for Chris Rock's safety. I still think the joke was tacky, cruel and not funny and like Will despite his behavior. 

I know my opinion for not being on the Will hate train is unpopular. To each his own. 

It's not a hate train.

If someone shows you who they are - you believe them.  If he has no problem going up and punching some, live on tv, in front of millions of people - what is he doing when he is not on camera.

Also - he's a scientologist - part of that crazy cult.

Did apologize to the man he assaulted.? NO!  Strike 3.

Why would anyone give him the benefit of a doubt after this?

[Macbeth1966]

6 hours ago, bosawks said:

Will shouldn’t be nervous about tomorrow he should be scared shitless about Chris’ next HBO special.

I just heard this morning Chris has a show in Boston this week.  One of the hosts of a radio show I listen to (Toucher and Rich) - already had plans on seeing him.

I am sure we will get a full report after the show.

[Blergh]

OK, while I most certainly do not think Mr. Rock's joke about Ms. Pickett-Smith deserved a physical assault from Mr. Smith (and why was he allowed to get ON STAGE during that?) and believe that, at most, Mr. Smith should have just VERBALLY made his objections known, I can't help but think that Mr. Rock will consider this one of the highlights of his life/career.

 

I mean if Mr. Smith had been a total unknown and/or it had happened off-camera, I can imagine that Mr. Rock wouldn't have hesitated to  have called security then the cops and pressed charges against a random assaulter.

However, the fact that it happened live in front of a worldwide audience of about a billion folks likely will be one wind up being one of the most iconic of all Oscar moments ranking with (if not above) the man who streaked the stage starkers behind David Niven while the latter was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor to present an award in 1974!

 

And all the above is NOT remotely any kind of praise or justification but an explanation  about  the sad fact of contemporary life re priorities of publicity and notoriety over right and wrong. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Blergh

[millennium]

Wil Smith just powered up every internet racist out there, with comment sections of various online news sites now overflowing with hate-filled schadenfreude about the Academy's efforts at diversity and inclusion.

Way to go, Mr. Smith.

It all makes me so angry.   Had it been some rando, he would have been rushed by security, dragged out of there and prosecuted.  Instead, not only does Wil Smith go scot-free, they hand him one of the biggest awards in America minutes later.

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by millennium

[Simon Boccanegra]

36 minutes ago, Blergh said:

However, the fact that it happened live in front of a worldwide audience of about a billion folks likely will be one wind up being one of the most iconic of all Oscar moments ranking with (if not above) the man who streaked the stage starkers behind David Niven while the latter was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor to present an award in 1974!

Oh, yeah. It instantly went into the pantheon with the Niven streaker, Sacheen Littlefeather, Vanessa Redgrave excoriating "Zionist hoodlums" (and getting upbraided shortly after by Paddy Chayefsky), Snow White duetting with Rob Lowe, Benigni walking on the seats, Halle hyperventilating, the Best Picture blunder of 2017...

Whatever one's take on the behavior of the people involved, it's assured of being in every "Oscar history" article. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Simon Boccanegra

[Macbeth1966]

7 hours ago, dmeets said:

I’m still flabbergasted that he used the speech to explain that as a family man, just like Richard Williams, he’ll do anything to protect his family, costars, and the Williams family. That is what he said, right? And then he yukks it up the rest of the night. Fucking hell.

they clapped for him, but I hope some of the folks in that room rip him a new one in post interviews. It’ll be too little too late but I need to know some of them realize what he did was appalling.

The radio show I am listening to is replaying his speech.  When he mentioned that he is a family man I hear a couple of shot outs of support - but I hear a lot more grumbling noises from the audience.

And as people pointed out earlier- many people in the audience probably didn't really get what went down, until he made this speech.  Because Chris Rock remained completely professional. 

Stand-up comics are the toughest performers in the industry as they get heckled all the time.  You work late nights and you are dealing with a lot of drunks.  And I am hearing reports that a lot of comedians are really pissed that Will did this - as it opens up the possibility someone in the audience will go on stage and punch them.

[millennium]

54 minutes ago, Macbeth1966 said:

Did apologize to the man he assaulted.? NO!  Strike 3.

Why would anyone give him the benefit of a doubt after this?

I read that Chris Rock went over and apologized to him.

As long as somebody believes Wil Smith can make money for them, they will be happy to take him seriously.

[FancyRhubarb]

1 hour ago, Macbeth1966 said:

If someone shows you who they are - you believe them.  If he has no problem going up and punching some, live on tv, in front of millions of people - what is he doing when he is not on camera.

If you're going to assault someone for insulting your wife  you do it at the Vanity Fair after party where everyone is so hammered that it's barely noticed and gets reported the next day but people forget it in a week. Not during the ceremony, Will. He's ruined the memory of him winning an Oscar (which he didn't really deserve but that's not unusual because it rarely goes to the deserving person), put a dent in his 'nice guy' image that he really cares about and like Millenium said, given fodder to racist assholes everywhere. 

[mojoween]

“The person who was slapped declined to press charges” was definitely not on my Oscars bingo card.

I’m still unclear why the Oscars needs a host, because they don’t have very much to do, but Wanda, Amy and Regina all did very well.  Amy’s “what’s that” to Wanda and Regina mentioning Black Twitter was funny as was their reaction  to it.

One thing that went over my head was when Wanda was pretending to be Richard Williams, and Regina and Amy were supposed to be Venus and Serena.  Why was Regina dressed like that?  How did Venus and Serena get to whatever Regina was and Spider-Man?

Will’s absolute nonsense makes me feel badly for Questlove, Venus and Serena.  The ladies especially did not need that shit associated with them.  And Questlove’s speech was probably half-heard because everyone in the TV audience was reading social media when he was giving it.

[greekmom]

Will Smith should lose his Oscar for Best Actor.  That was a dick move.

But as long as he's making money, no one gives a shit.

Chris made a joke about Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz and they just laughed it off. 

Kudos to Chris Rock for taking the slap and still being professional.

Will Smith is a pussy.

Edited March 28, 2022 by greekmom

[millennium]

Did that alien in Independence Day make a joke about Wil Smith's wife?

[JudyObscure]

8 hours ago, ichbin said:

 Was it temporary?  Her scalp seems to be covered by hair stubble all over.

It's usually temporary.  My niece had it when she was six and didn't make a big fuss about it. It's just like the massive hair loss many of us had after Covid. I was shocked to see it fall out in the shower but still grateful I hadn't died. People hear "Jada has a disease that causes hair loss" and picture something like cancer but no, it's upsetting but it's not life threatening.

8 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Jada seems like a strong woman who doesn't need her husband to assault someone to protect her honor. I would be furious with Will if I were her. 

Will laughed at the joke, then looked over at Jada who was not smiling and giving him a "Are you going to stand for this!" look, after which he obediently went into classic, defending my woman action. I think the whole Smith family is overrated and entitled.

The only thing  worse than physical assault was justifying it later with, "It came from love."  That's what wife beaters say. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

Why do they always fuck up the In Memoriam segment?

60 years of Bond and they leave out one of the greatest movie stunts of all time? Rick Sylvester's ski jump freefall is amazing, even for today.

Not surprised that Dune won all the tech awards.  The movie is visually and aurally stunning.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Tachi Rocinante

[Bliss]

Can't help but wonder if Will Smith had punched/slapped Amy Schumer - would THAT have been glossed over too? No charges laid?

Will was laughing at Chris Rock's joke about Jada at first... until he saw Jada's eye-rolling reaction (or it dawned on him that his wife had been insulted) and THEN decided to defend her.

Best of the moment was Denzel's advice to Will, although the devil has probably already visited Will.

[Simon Boccanegra]

This is my favorite "In Memoriam" segment from the Oscars, at least of the ones I can remember.  Yes, they used a song with lyrics, but the presentation is beautifully understated and haunting.  

 

[wonderwoman]

6 hours ago, Dani said:

That doesn’t mean Chris knew but he certainly does know that hair is a sensitive issue particularly in black culture. 

well in 2009 he did produce and narrate a documentary on the topic — ‘good hair.’ but poking at sensitive issues is the very basis of comedy — and the man is a comedian — so… 

[Ohiopirate02]

4 hours ago, Cheezwiz said:

I'm still processing what I saw earlier this evening. I was so shocked when it initially happened that I wondered if it was a bit they had cooked up. But as soon as I saw Rock's rattled reaction, and saw Smith yelling expletives from his seat, I knew it was real. Thing is, a lot of my American friends didn't see it at all on their broadcasts, and had no idea that anything had gone down. It was bizarre. The joke was lame and tasteless, but in no way was a physical attack justified.

Smith's self-serving speech disgusted me - apologizing to everyone except the person he assaulted. And trying to spin his actions as being a "protector and defender". How awkward and embarrassing for the Williams family. Especially considering that Richard Williams, the man Smith portrayed, was someone who had survived numerous unprovoked attacks himself.

Also, Richard Williams never physically assaulted any of the numerous tennis players, officials, press, etc. that had to have said far worse to both Venus and Serena over the years.  He may have wanted to, and it would have been warranted, but Richard knew violence is never the answer.

[tv echo]

Watch the top moments from the 2022 Oscars in 4 minutes
NBC News   Mar 28, 2022

FYI:
Oscars 2022 winners list: Will Smith, Jessica Chastain, CODA win big at wildest Academy Awards in years
By Joey Nolfi      March 28, 2022
https://ew.com/awards/oscars/2022-oscars-winners-list/

You can watch the winners' acceptance speeches and other clips from last night's Oscars by going to ABC's YouTube videos page.

Edited March 28, 2022 by tv echo

[wonderwoman]

21 minutes ago, Simon Boccanegra said:

This is my favorite "In Memoriam" segment from the Oscars, at least of the ones I can remember.  Yes, they used a song with lyrics, but the presentation is beautifully understated and haunting. 

exactly — perfect song, focus on those who’ve passed — it ain’t rocket science!

Edited March 28, 2022 by wonderwoman

[scarynikki12]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

One thing that went over my head was when Wanda was pretending to be Richard Williams, and Regina and Amy were supposed to be Venus and Serena.  Why was Regina dressed like that?  How did Venus and Serena get to whatever Regina was and Spider-Man?

Regina said that she always wanted to dress like a crazy white lady so she was Venus as Tammy Faye. I forget what Amy said about being Spider-Man.

[scarynikki12]

Even before Will smacked Chris social media was lit up talking about the winners, angry that 8 awards had been given out during the red carpet, wishing the honorary wins for Sam Jackson et al were in the main show, etc., so ABC can shut it with their belief that no one watches the show. The number of people watching the show is as high as it's ever been we just don't live in a Nielson ratings world anymore. Just focus on putting on a good show because people are watching. 

[DkNNy79]

44 minutes ago, Bliss said:

Best of the moment was Denzel's advice to Will, although the devil has probably already visited Will.

What did Denzel say?  I heard the joke this morning.   Yeah it wasn't really funny but not sure why it caused Will to go cuckoo violent crazy over.  Jada has had very short hair before and she looks good that way.  Really all that joke warranted was an eye roll.  If he really was upset he should've talked to Chris AFTER the show.  All the swearing made Will look like an A**hole.

Also, in his speech he mentioned I know in the industry we're just supposed to take abuse and accept it.  Really, that joke is "abuse" in his eyes?

[Milburn Stone]

Simon quoted the reviewer in The Hollywood Reporter:

I don’t know how else to put this: If a comedian — one as brilliant as Rock at his peak or as hacky as Rock was Sunday night before the G.I. Jane joke — makes fun of you, you yell back at them. You ask Chris Rock when he was last funny. You make fun of the size of his genitals. Maybe you swear at him, because you’re angry and protecting your wife. You don’t stand up and commit assault on national TV...

Now it's me, Milburn, talking. While this is better than some of the coverage I've seen in Hollywood media--Deadline makes it out to be as much Chris Rock's fault as Will Smith's!--it outrages me to see passages like the above, saying it would have been OK for Will Smith to yell back, swear, and insult! No it wouldn't! What would be OK is to act with reserved decorum, and let Chris Rock take the fall for an off-limits joke if the audience thought it was. Imagine if instead of doing what he did, Will Smith looked to Jada with love and concern and took her hand. I'd almost go so far as to say that any normal person would have done exactly that.

[SG429]

14 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

What would be OK is to act with reserved decorum, and let Chris Rock take the fall for an off-limits joke if the audience thought it was. Imagine if instead of doing what he did, Will Smith looked to Jada with love and concern and took her hand. I'd almost go so far as to say that any normal person would have done exactly that.

Or to just sit there, stone-faced, and endure the 8 second roast before the comedian moves on to the next "target," as others have done in the past.

[Peace 47]

As far as public sentiment goes, I saw this morning that the top posts about Will’s assault on Chris were all overwhelmingly pro-Will on Tumblr, which seems to track with that one post upthread that I’ve lost track of (noting that there was the same pro-Will sentiment on their neighborhood app) and what you are saying about some media coverage, @Milburn Stone.  I think Will may come out of this just fine as a result because all these patriarchal/ toxic masculinity undercurrents to what happened are deeply, deeply ingrained in American culture. I see people painting it as Will “protecting” Jada from an ableist verbal attack.  It’s astounding the number of people that think physical assault is justified for that.

I had no idea that Jada had alopecia, even though this knowledge seems to have been out there for quite awhile.  I know there was a comment upthread about how some posters have suffered with non-life threatening hair loss conditions and it didn’t crush them.  I think that’s great, but I know that for some people, it does devastate them completely, just because it is such a prominent physical characteristic tied to identity.  So I don’t blame Jada for being humorless about it, looking angry, etc.  She’s entitled to her feelings.

I just can’t imagine what went through Will’s head to leave his seat, get onstage, attack Chris Rock and then continue shouting verbal insults.  Like, this is the biggest night of Will’s entire life.  He’s been desperate for an Oscar to burnish his image for decades.  His image is everything to him:  he works so hard (even on his YouTube channel) to present the image of the talented, positive, friendly movie star.  He and his wife have been the subject of repeated comments and side-eyes for years on things from their marriage to the struggles of their kids, to attacks from other celebs, etc., so he had to have heard it all by now.  And to just lose it like that 15 minutes before his every dream comes true:  how does that happen?  It’s confounding.

 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

Who thinks that Will Smith and Chris Rock will co-present the award for Best Actress next year? (Also surprised no one has made a joke about Smith/Ali yet.)

[Lois Sandborne]

11 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

I really think Will Smith should be banned from working again.

Well that would sure be a new one on Hollywood.

[Peace 47]

2 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Who thinks that Will Smith and Chris Rock will co-present the award for Best Actress next year? (Also surprised no one has made a joke about Smith/Ali yet.)

Probably, but for PR purposes, they’ll surely do something together sooner to show that this can all be “laughed off.”  Like someone said upthread, Chris will almost certainly be on SNL next week, barring an immovable work commitment.  And I’d bet $100 that Lorne Michaels is working the phones to try to get Will and Diddy on for a cold open.  That would get SNL a hit of the buzz that they are always chasing.

[galaxygirl76]

20 minutes ago, SG429 said:

Or to just sit there, stone-faced, and endure the 8 second roast before the comedian moves on to the next "target," as others have done in the past.

If people with notoriously short fuses(hey Russell) can sit there and act like a professional(because they are there to represent their movie and image), Will could have too.

[Simon Boccanegra]

41 minutes ago, DkNNy79 said:

Yeah it wasn't really funny but not sure why it caused Will to go cuckoo violent crazy over. 

I suspect he would not have if someone else had made the same joke, but the Smiths have had beef with Chris Rock for years. Jada Pinkett-Smith was a target of his Oscar humor in 2016 as well. That was the year Pinkett-Smith said she was boycotting the ceremony because the nominees were not diverse enough (and her husband had been snubbed for his leading role in Concussion). Rock said, "Jada got mad, said she’s not coming. Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”

Then he said Will not being nominated for Concussion was an outrage on par with Will getting $20 million for Wild Wild West (the 1999 debacle).

Edited March 28, 2022 by Simon Boccanegra

[blackwing]

I get that the joke about Jada Pinkett was in poor taste considering she suffers from alopecia... but since when was it written that all jokes at the Oscars had to be tasteful?  What about David Letterman's infamous "Uma, Oprah" exchange?  What about Seth MacFarlane and the (taped and planned) "We Saw Your Boobs"? 

Even within the same few minutes, Chris Rock insulted Penelope and Javier with a really sexist joke, implying it was ok for her to win Best Actress and him lose Best Actor, but if he wins Best Actor and she loses Best Actress, then look out, because woman gonna get bitchy because, you know, all women are beeyotches who can't handle when their man is better than them, right?

I just can't fathom why Will Smith, who got his start in comedy himself, couldn't just let it go.  This should have been a night where people remember him for winning Best Actor, instead, no one will remember anything but him physically assaulting another actor, and another black actor at that.  His speech and his tears were particularly empty considering that he never actually even apologised to Chris Rock.

Kudos to Denzel for pulling Will aside and talking to him after the incident.  Denzel proves once again why he is one of Hollywood's class acts.  The Academy should take away Will's Oscar and give it to Denzel.

In other news, I was a bit disappointed that all the acting awards went as expected.  I guess they wanted to make up for last year when Viola and Chadwick were largely predicted to win, and both were surprise losses.  I like Jessica Chastain but I was really hoping for Penelope Cruz to pull off the win.

Thrilled for Kenneth Branagh, can't believe this was his first win.  I didn't want Belfast to get shut out and I'm happy it got some recognition.

I like everything about the "No Time to Die" song except Billie Eilish's vocals.  The piano and music are haunting and amazing.  Her singing was boring.  And Rami Malek introducing the song, walking towards the camera, seemed so stiff and awkward.

I know they were trying to cut out time by not having presenters introduce each movie as in the past, but I would have loved to have seen Caitriona Balfe and Jamie Dornan introducing "Belfast".  Instead, they caved in to the backlash and aired clips of the awards that were awarded pre=telecast.

Wesley Snipes... is he ok?  Dude looked awfully thin and gaunt.

I know Liza Minnelli had encephalitis not too long ago, so it was good to see her, even if she seemed a bit out of it.  I'm not a particularly big fan of Gaga so when they said she was presenting Best Picture I was like "huh? why couldn't they have gotten Kevin Costner to do BP" but then there was the surprise appearance with Liza.  I thought Gaga was great, she was so supportive and patient and made it clear that the spotlight should be on Liza.

14 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Oh no, it's the one of two guys who say their name in every song that they do.

Get off the stage, you're not an actor!

I missed the opening.  I know you're talking about DJ Khaled, but when I read this, I immediately thought of  🎵 JAY-suhn... de-ROO-low 🎵

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by blackwing

[bluegirl147]

12 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I just can't fathom why Will Smith, who got his start in comedy himself, couldn't just let it go.  This should have been a night where people remember him for winning Best Actor, instead, no one will remember anything but him physically assaulting another actor, and another black actor at that.  His speech and his tears were particularly empty considering that he never actually even apologised to Chris Rock.

Are we to believe he has never been this quick to anger before?  And it was like he had to be told he did something wrong.  I honestly don't think he thought he did. That joke is not the worst thing someone has said about Jada.  Was this the first time Will had a clear shot to do something about it?  If you had told me someone was going to slap someone at the Oscars and there last name was Smith I would have bet money on Jada.

[Bookworm 1979]

If we're going to use the excuse, "But Jada has a disease that makes her hair fall out!" to make Will Smith's violence okay, then I wish the people defending him would be as outspoken about the disrespect and the crap that disabled people have to live with every single day. But they won't talk about them because the majority of disabled people aren't rich, powerful celebrities.

[GHScorpiosRule]

This is the 50th anniversary of The Godfather. Not Godfather II, or that horrible III.

I was perfectly okay with the scenes from Godfather II, because we saw how ice cold Michael had become and a yummilicious 22 year-old Robert DeNiro. We should have seen MORE from The Godfather, dammit.

And too much of Daniel Craig's Bond! Not a fan (I know-that's so unpopular), but there should have been MORE Connery, More Moore, and definitely MORE of Brosnan's Bond! (Whaaaat?)

Even this morning, I'm still pissed at the in Memoriam, and that tag that we can go to their site to see the full segment. No thanks. They could have aired them all, if they'd cut out Bill Murray and whoever it was that was talking about Sidney Poitier, and instead just played scenes from the movies. I remember being pleasantly surprised when they added SriDevi a few years ago, when she died. And then Shashi and Rishi Kapoor (Yes, they were uncle/nephew). I thought, oh, so Bollywood actors are no longer exempt or considered the red-headed step children? But then they don't even mention Dilip Kumar, who was such a talent, or even Lata Mangeshkar (even though she was a singer). But BAFTA at least did include them.

As others have stated up thread, the less said about Will Smith, the better.

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 William Frawley was awful. Simmons is a great actor, but that didn't even sound close to how the real Frawley sounded.

Edited March 28, 2022 by GHScorpiosRule

[Racj82]

8 hours ago, Dani said:

I am so tired of this attitude that resorting to violence on behalf to someone else is love. Most of the time “sticking up for your wife” is just an excuse for being an asshole. Will could have actually stuck up for his wife by using his fame and the publicity to point out how shitty that specific joke was. 

Well, it was common enough that social media went there in seconds. That doesn’t mean Chris knew but he certainly does know that hair is a sensitive issue particularly in black culture. 

She shaved her head as far as Rock knew. Nothing sensitive about that on the surface. He didn't say anything about a weave, called her head nappy or something like that. He didn't even make fun of how it looked. He said she looked like GI Jane. It's not even insulting in any context.

[SusanM]

1 minute ago, Racj82 said:

He said she looked like GI Jane. It's not even insulting in any context.

It was insulting,  He wouldn't have said it if he had not meant it to be taken as such.