The Annual Academy Awards - General Discussion

[Shannon L.]

Wow, that was probably the best Oscars I've seen in a long time.  Most of Jimmy's jokes landed and very few of them were groan worthy or embarrassing, very little forced "funny" banter between the announcers, very few political comments, and pure, unadulterated joy on multiple levels.  There's always a moment or two that produces happy tears, but there were so many last night that it made the show more than exciting or fun--it made it emotional.  I really enjoyed it.

As for the winners, I wasn't crazy about EEAAO, but I did like it a little better the second time I saw it and even I could recognize the excellent acting and technical work, so I'm really happy for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan and have no problems with it winning BP.  I had such a hard time taking Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water seriously as BP nominees, that I'd forget about them when I was listing my favorites of the 7 that I saw.  I'd say "Elvis, EEAAO, Banshees....oh, wait, I forgot about Top Gun and Maverick."  Nominations for technical awards, absolutely, but not BP, imo.  I haven't seen AQOTWF and Women Talking.

As for the acting:  Brendan was a sentimental favorite of mine, so I wanted him to win even though I haven't seen The Whale, but I'd have been just as happy with Austin* or Colin winning as well.  For supporting actress, I really liked the 4 from the movies I'd seen, so I didn't mind who won that category. 

If they had originally wanted a co-presenter with Harrison Ford, I wonder why they didn't ask Kate Capshaw after Glenn Close had to drop out?  She was in Temple of Doom, too. 

*As for the Austin/Taron/Rami issue, I have friends in the industry and there was very much a feeling of "Been there, done that, just last year" when it came to nominating Taron.  I was thrilled that Rami won since he was the best part of the movie whether he sang or not.  Yes, I'm more impressed that Taron and Austin (which I wasn't aware of!) did their own singing, but that doesn't take away my feelings about Rami's win.  I'm just pissed at Hollywood's attitude when it came to Taron.  Oh well. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Shannon L.

[blackwing]

6 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Julianne Moore too, in Still Alice (2015). It seems that the only wins for that movie throughout the circuit that year was for Julianne Moore.

And Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine".

[slowpoked]

6 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

If they had originally wanted a co-presenter with Harrison Ford, I wonder why they didn't ask Kate Capshaw after Glenn Close had to drop out?  She was in Temple of Doom, too. 

Or Michelle Pfeiffer! What Lies Beneath reunion!

6 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

*As for the Austin/Taron/Rami issue, I have friends in the industry and there was very much a feeling of "Been there, done that, just last year" when it came to nominating Taron.  I was thrilled that Rami won since he was the best part of the movie whether he sang or not.  Yes, I'm more impressed that Taron and Austin (which I wasn't aware of!) did their own singing, but that doesn't take away my feelings about Rami's win.  I'm just pissed at Hollywood's attitude when it came to Taron.  Oh well. 

From what I read and heard - I think the Taron thing was more of him turning off voters because he was quite, for lack of a better term, shameless, in terms of campaigning. You have to want it but not be too obvious about it. It's a weird world in Hollywood.

 

2 minutes ago, blackwing said:

And Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine".

Blue Jasmine had two other Oscar noms though - writing for Woody and Supporting for Sally.

[blackwing]

3 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Blue Jasmine had two other Oscar noms though - writing for Woody and Supporting for Sally.

Ah sorry, I misunderstood, I thought we were naming movies where the actor/actress won the lead acting Oscar but the movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture.

[slowpoked]

7 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Ah sorry, I misunderstood, I thought we were naming movies where the actor/actress won the lead acting Oscar but the movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture.

Ah, maybe I'm the one who misunderstood. I thought we were talking about movies where the only nom was the Lead Actor/Actress and nothing else, and the Lead Actor/Actress eventually winning.

[ProudMary]

46 minutes ago, blackwing said:

The way the whole segment was done was terrible.  Why fuzz out one half of the screen and then have it come into focus and then fuzz out the previously in-focus half?  Terrible.  If the Academy didn't think they rated their own screen then just put both on at the same time. 

I'm glad you mentioned this, as it stuck out to me as a very bad choice. Perhaps my brain works differently than others, but I found myself looking first at the blurred image, trying to read that name, realizing a beat later that it was the other photo I should be reading and almost missing the clear one! I agree that if the choice was to have two people on screen at the same time, just have both of them clear and properly represented.

I do think all awards shows should just have instrumental music played during the In Memoriam segment and not have a well-known musical guest give a performance. It takes away from the people we're supposed to be remembering and puts the focus on the performer.

As others have mentioned, TCM has it down to a science. Follow their lead.

[ProudMary]

28 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

If they had originally wanted a co-presenter with Harrison Ford, I wonder why they didn't ask Kate Capshaw after Glenn Close had to drop out?  She was in Temple of Doom, 

Perhaps the producers considered that option, but I think it would have been weird, with her husband sitting in the audience waiting to see if his own film might somehow pull a major upset. 

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

There is a much larger "in memoriam" gallery available at Oscars.org. It's obviously impossible to capture everyone that passed away in a 3-ish minute segment but it felt like this year's focused REALLY heavily on behind the scenes talent. 

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/in-memoriam

 

Eeep, even this one dropped the ball - you have Naomi Judd and Loretta Lynn in there but not Christine McVie?!

[Bill1978]

10 hours ago, wallflower75 said:

This is probably going to be UO: the only Baz film I love is Strictly Ballroom  because everything else is so frenetic I can’t watch it without getting a massive headache.

I love Baz's Red Curtain Trilogy - everything he has done after that not so much. But I totally understand the criticism of feeling frenetic. One of my big issues with his Red Curtain Trilogy is that the editing at the start is hectic and then 30 minutes later we are back to typical style of calm editing.

I adore Strictly Ballroom but it always bugs me that the start is represented as a mockumentary style film and by the end Baz forgot the start is a mockumentary.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I feel totally the opposite.  Ashley Graham had no understanding of what he was saying and was pretty ignorant of these actors and the show.

Here are some exchanges I witnessed.

Hugh Grant:  It's a vanity fair.
Ashley:  Right, where you're really going to let loose after!

(LOL.)

Pedro Pascal:  I'm really excited to see Rihanna perform.
Ashley:  She's not performing.
Pedro:  She's not?
Ashley:  I mean, it'd be a nice surprise!

(Surprise?  Has she ever watched the Oscars?)

I agree, she was awful.  She really has no business being at the Oscars, let alone being one of the hosts of the pre-show.  Why was she chosen?  The cynic in me says that she was picked because she is a plus-size model and "representation".  Or why couldn't someone have been feeding her questions in an earpiece?

1 hour ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

There is a much larger "in memoriam" gallery available at Oscars.org. It's obviously impossible to capture everyone that passed away in a 3-ish minute segment but it felt like this year's focused REALLY heavily on behind the scenes talent. 

https://aframe.oscars.org/news/in-memoriam

I personally don't care who they showcase on the broadcast, I just want people to stop clapping. 😡

After looking at the complete list, I feel like they could have cut out the Disney and Warner Brothers commercials to include more people (only listing the ones that we haven't already talked about):

• Pat Carroll (voice of Ursula, I mean, they had an actual Little Mermaid  remake commercial!)
• Coolio ("Gangsters Paradise" is still a very popular song)
• Clarence Gilyard Jr. ("Die Hard")
• Gilbert Gottfried (Iago)
• Philip Baker Hall (a "that guy")
• Estelle Harris (Mrs. Potato Head)
• Sacheen Littlefeather (Brando)
• Tony Sirico (Sopranos but other stuff too)
• Fred Ward (a "that guy")

[slowpoked]

18 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Sacheen Littlefeather (Brando)

Oof. This is a huge omission, don't you think? After all that happened, and with the Academy just recently acknowledging their mistake, and BARELY missing out on making peace with Sacheen shortly before she died, she is probably owed that 1 second spot in the live In Memoriam.

 

[Artsda]

Jimmy did good and I liked his jokes. Even at Academy with how badly they messed up last year. 

 

 

[aradia22]

Quote

This is probably going to be UO: the only Baz film I love is Strictly Ballroom  because everything else is so frenetic I can’t watch it without getting a massive headache.

Moulin Rouge has frenetic moments but I think the bulk of the love story is actually quite restrained. From what I can remember, Australia was actually rather boring. I've been waiting on Gatsby. I want it to be on Netflix or Amazon Prime so I can watch it on my TV rather than my laptop. Anyway, not lamenting Baz not getting an Oscar (or nomination) for directing. He's fine. 

Quote

 I found out that the small old white man that they were clutching hands over appears to be her longtime partner, Jean Todt, some kind of French auto racing executive.  Did she acknowledge him in her acceptance speech?  I don't think she did, did she?

Maybe she counts him under "family" but otherwise, no, she didn't acknowledge him in the speech or the backstage thank-you cam, even though he was hovering around backstage at that point. They've been engaged since 2005 which is WILD to me. That's a whole person who can drive and vote. 

Quote

Cate Blanchett was instantly on her feet for Michelle and won far more precursor awards than you did.

Actually Cate's reaction was also quite flat when the other actresses in the category were instantly excited for Michelle. Even Andrea. 

[slowpoked]

19 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

Actually Cate's reaction was also quite flat when the other actresses in the category were instantly excited for Michelle. Even Andrea. 

Both Cate and Michelle W., had quite a muted reaction. Ana and Andrea were more animated.

Unless it's a total bitch face like Danielle's and Angela's, I don't really read too much into the other nominees reactions. Awards season are very exhausting ,culminating into this night. Maybe Cate had already seen the writing on the wall, and just maybe, allowed herself to be a wee bit disappointed that she lost for what others were saying was the best performance of her career. All throughout the campaign, Cate has been nothing but gracious towards Michelle, and vice-versa, so I didn't put too much into how she reacted (or not reacted) last night. 

[KaveDweller]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

I agree, she was awful.  She really has no business being at the Oscars, let alone being one of the hosts of the pre-show.  Why was she chosen?  The cynic in me says that she was picked because she is a plus-size model and "representation".  Or why couldn't someone have been feeding her questions in an earpiece?

She's plus-sized?

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

Both Cate and Michelle W., had quite a muted reaction. Ana and Andrea were more animated.

Unless it's a total bitch face like Danielle's and Angela's, I don't really read too much into the other nominees reactions. Awards season are very exhausting ,culminating into this night. Maybe Cate had already seen the writing on the wall, and just maybe, allowed herself to be a wee bit disappointed that she lost for what others were saying was the best performance of her career. All throughout the campaign, Cate has been nothing but gracious towards Michelle, and vice-versa, so I didn't put too much into how she reacted (or not reacted) last night. 

I think some actors are just better at putting on good face. Or maybe when they weren't expecting to win, it is easier to be excited for the winner instead of feeling disappointment.  I thought Cate looked really happy for Michelle and not disappointed at all. I didn't notice Michelle Williams. They are all obviously good actors, but they are also human and on world wide TV.

I also noticed Austin Butler looked excited for Brandon Fraser (so we aren't just talking about the women's reactions).

I did notice that Austin Butler 

[blackwing]

23 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

She's plus-sized?

Yes.  She is always referred to in the media as a "plus-sized model".  She was the first plus-sized model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Graham_(model)

 

[ProudMary]

I love this moment. It was SO special.

 

[KaveDweller]

36 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Yes.  She is always referred to in the media as a "plus-sized model".  She was the first plus-sized model to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Graham_(model)

 

I thought she looked fantastic. Google brings up some pictures of her looking heavier, but I thought she looked pretty thing last night. Either she's lost weight or the dress was flattering.

[KittyQ]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

I think some actors are just better at putting on good face.

Isn't this the time to draw on their acting expertise? There's a reasonably good chance that you aren't going to win, so be prepared for that. While most people find it hard to disguise their emotions, if your job is to portray feelings you don't actually have at the moment, you'd expect that acting at least minimally happy for someone else's win would be easy. 

[KaveDweller]

9 minutes ago, KittyQ said:

Isn't this the time to draw on their acting expertise? There's a reasonably good chance that you aren't going to win, so be prepared for that. While most people find it hard to disguise their emotions, if your job is to portray feelings you don't actually have at the moment, you'd expect that acting at least minimally happy for someone else's win would be easy. 

Yeah, I tend to agree. If you can't pretend to be happy when you lose, can you really say you deserve to win "best actor/actress"? It makes me think the people who can't do it must have assumed they would win and weren't prepared.

But obviously, they are only human.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I did notice Angela's reaction, but that's it.  I care about it for a minute then I move on.  They're humans with real emotions and they're not on the job!  I think it's too far to demand they show graciousness at all times.  I am fine with the real reaction as opposed to the fake polite one.  That's why I'm in the camp that was fine with what Hugh Grant said to Ashley Graham because he answered the questions honestly, not fakely.  Did he have Tons of Fun shooting a 4 second cameo for

Spoiler

Glass Onion?

  Not really!  Why would he?  He's Hugh Grant.  

There were so many social media reactions of people saying "NEXT TIME STAY HOME HUGH GRANT".  Seriously?  Only fakely polite ingratiating personalities are allowed at the Oscars?  That is so weird!

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Vermicious Knid]

Halle Berry and Halle Bailey were in the same place at the same time. How close did we come to the multiverse imploding?

I hope 'The Actor' from the EW article was tearing his hair out after the ceremony.  On a more shallow note I haven't seen any of the Red Carpet coverage or best looks lists that showed the wonderful dress worn by the Best Documentary Short winner Kartiki Gonsalves. Her co-winner's sari is also very nice. 

[ProudMary]

As much as I enjoyed the moment, I did wonder if that was actually Jenny the Donkey on stage.

No, That Wasn't Really Jenny the Donkey on the Oscars Stage

 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, KittyQ said:

Isn't this the time to draw on their acting expertise?

I don't think they should have to be on the job in that moment rather than just experiencing it as it happens.  I think it's nice when someone's reaction - whether instinctual or what they decide to do after few seconds of processing - is happiness for a fellow artist whose performance they, too, enjoyed or polite applause that you win some and you lose some, but I don't think it's awful if it's Damn, still? disappointment. 

The infamous VMA scene of Kanye interrupting Taylor's moment on stage to say Beyoncé should have won instead was some deep-fried bullshit, and the kind of disruptive, disrespectful this award didn't go the way I think it should have behavior that should be pilloried.  Angela Bassett sitting there quietly in her feelings wasn't that, at all.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Bastet

[slowpoked]

24 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

I hope 'The Actor' from the EW article was tearing his hair out after the ceremony. 

🤣

Well, to be fair to him, he did pick EEAAO and the Daniels to win BP and Director. He also picked Michelle Yeoh. But he struck out on the rest (Austin, Brendan and Kerry). 

[NUguy514]

7 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

Yes, I'm more impressed that Taron and Austin (which I wasn't aware of!) did their own singing

Point of clarity: Taron did indeed do all of his own singing in Rocketman; Austin did some, but not all, of his own singing in Elvis.

7 hours ago, slowpoked said:

From what I read and heard - I think the Taron thing was more of him turning off voters because he was quite, for lack of a better term, shameless, in terms of campaigning. You have to want it but not be too obvious about it. It's a weird world in Hollywood.

I did not hear that about Taron, although I wouldn't be surprised in the least; however, Austin Butler had one of the thirstiest campaigns in recent memory.  He nearly put Lady Gaga last year to shame.  At least he can now drop the Elvis voice, bless his heart.

[yowsah1]

11 hours ago, FilmTVGeek80 said:

I don’t think JLC’s famous parents had much, or anything at all, to do with her win.

Many Oscar voters are probably young enough that they don't even know who JLC's parents are.

7 hours ago, slowpoked said:

Eeep, even this one dropped the ball - you have Naomi Judd and Loretta Lynn in there but not Christine McVie?!

Judd and Lynn were members of the Academy and have worked in movies (Judd was an actress for a while, although obviously not as successful in that field as her daughter Ashley).  McVie was not a member of the Academy and has never (to my knowledge) worked in movies, hence she was not featured.

Edited March 14, 2023 by yowsah1

[superdeluxe]

15 hours ago, blackwing said:

I liked Cocaine Bear when he was with Elizabeth Banks.  But the bit in the aisle with Jimmy Kimmel and Malala was just stupid.  The only thing that would have saved it is if the head came off at the end of the show and Cocaine Bear was revealed to be Matt Damon, eating an apple.

I saw the clip on Twitter because I changed the channel after what they did to Angela Bassett.  I don’t know what bit they were doing but I waiting on a Matt Damon reveal.  When it didn’t happen, I was like, well, that was stupid. Maybe they didn’t go with a Matt Damon reveal because everyone was expecting it.

11 hours ago, cmahorror said:

Angela Bassett is an amazing actress and should have won 30 years ago but not for Wakanda Forever. She had a few great scenes but that should not equal an Academy Award (I'm looking at you Judy Dench). It was not a snub and her reaction, especially after losing the SAG Award, was the exact opposite of gracious. Maybe I shouldn't but I expect better from a woman I have always admired.  Yes, you can be disappointed but do not blame Jamie Lee Curtis for that. Cate Blanchett was instantly on her feet for Michelle and won far more precursor awards than you did. It wasn't your award to lose and anyone who told you otherwise was lying to you. It was neck and neck and neck throughout the awards season and I guarantee you that Jamie Lee Curtis would have been the first one to give you a standing ovation if you had won.

She doesn’t have to stand up if she doesn’t want to.  She had her children there so she still thought she had a chance.  It’s okay to be disappointed.  She doesn’t have to jump and pretend to be happy.  Are you going to say something about the look on her husband’s face?  I read one of the director contenders rolled his eyes when he lost.  Sometimes the disappointment comes through and you just can’t pretend.

You’re lucky she didn’t get up and leave like I would’ve.  But she got some love from Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors from the stage because they knew what was going on, and she held Austin Butler’s hand when his category came up.

8 hours ago, slowpoked said:

From what I read and heard - I think the Taron thing was more of him turning off voters because he was quite, for lack of a better term, shameless, in terms of campaigning. You have to want it but not be too obvious about it. It's a weird world in Hollywood.

Yet it worked for Jamie Lee Curtis.  She was campaigning like crazy.

Quote

Blue Jasmine had two other Oscar noms though - writing for Woody and Supporting for Sally.

I remember reading she was very upset when she lost.  Apparently, she ran to the ladies room and cried.

Edited March 14, 2023 by superdeluxe

[sugarbaker design]

7 hours ago, superdeluxe said:

I remember reading she was very upset when she lost.  Apparently, she ran to the ladies room and cried.

Sorry, I just don't believe that.  Lupita was a lock that year, there is no way that SH would be crying over that loss.

[Milburn Stone]

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I did notice Angela's reaction, but that's it.  I care about it for a minute then I move on.  They're humans with real emotions and they're not on the job!

Agree. This makes me think of the remark I've heard many actors make, to the effect of "I only know who I am when I'm playing a part." Maybe Angela is one of those actors, and has a hard time playing the part of Gracious Angela Bassett, because she doesn't know who that is. 

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm in the camp that was fine with what Hugh Grant said to Ashley Graham because he answered the questions honestly, not fakely. 

There's a clear point in the interview in which it goes south. The Oxford-educated Hugh Grant with a degree in English literature describes the Oscar proceedings as "vanity fair," a centuries-old trope referring to a "playground of the idle and undeserving rich." (To quote Wikipedia.) Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair was called Vanity Fair in reference to this trope. (And certainly, the magazine by the same name chose this title in 1913 ironically, with this in mind.) When Ashley Graham showed her ignorance of the term (and literature in general) and believed Grant must be referring to the Vanity Fair afterparty, that was just too much for him. You could see him react with shock to her stupidity, silently thinking, "Oh my God, you are exactly what I'm talking about." A part of me is on his side.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Milburn Stone

[KatWay]

7 hours ago, superdeluxe said:

You’re lucky she didn’t get up and leave like I would’ve. 

Yet it worked for Jamie Lee Curtis.  She was campaigning like crazy.

A nominee getting up and leaving over losing award would be rightfully shamed, that's not seriously the standard you're setting...Angela Bassett is a great actress but winning for a Marvel film is a stretch for anyone. Her being nominated was more about her long-standing reputation as a good actress and the Chadwick connection than the actual role IMO. The Academy snobs usually don't even spare comic book films a passing glance outside technical categories, unless they've got the whole "dark and gritty" marketing going on.

also campaigning worked for JLC and not for Austin Butler because she did it well - I'd argue her campaigning benefitted the entire film - she managed to come across quite well, charming and light-hearted, aside from the nepotism remarks. Austin's campaigning seemed extremely self-serious with the accent hoopla etc, it kind of became a bit, which never helps when you want to win these awards.

Colin Farrell should have won tbh.

[Ms Blue Jay]

49 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

There's a clear point in the interview in which it goes south. The Oxford-educated Hugh Grant with a degree in English literature describes the Oscar proceedings as "vanity fair," a centuries-old trope referring to a "playground of the idle and undeserving rich." (To quote Wikipedia.) Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair was called Vanity Fair in reference to this trope. (And certainly, the magazine by the same name chose this title in 1913 ironically, with this in mind.) When Ashley Graham showed her ignorance of the term (and literature in general) and believed Grant must be referring to the Vanity Fair afterparty, that was just too much for him. You could see him react with shock to her stupidity, silently thinking, "Oh my God, you are exactly what I'm talking about." A part of me is on his side.

Yes, I talked about this on the previous page of this thread.

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, superdeluxe said:

You’re lucky she didn’t get up and leave like I would’ve.

lol, that's what Eddie Murphy did when he lost Supporting Actor for Dreamgirls. And unlike Angela, Eddie won everything that year, including SAG. He did lose BAFTA though (wasn't even nominated actually), which Alan Arkin won and who eventually won the Oscar. Pity SAG wasn't two days before voting that year.

But yeah, everyone considered Eddie a lock that year and when he didn't win, which happened early in the night, as Supporting categories tend to be, he said, "fuck this shit" and peaced out.

[Milburn Stone]

24 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yes, I talked about this on the previous page of this thread.

I try to keep up!😅

[truthaboutluv]

33 minutes ago, KatWay said:

Austin's campaigning seemed extremely self-serious with the accent hoopla etc, it kind of became a bit, which never helps when you want to win these awards.

IMO, Austin's campaigning was no different than many people. No, what happened is that very quickly, some jumped on a narrative about him, used said narrative to criticize him and it took on a life of its own. Yes, I'm talking about the voice thing. Honestly, I think at one point it just became a corny ass talking point that everyone jumped on. The easy and cheap joke bandwagon. 

And like that wasn't annoying enough, his ex-girlfriend's crazy ass stans were on a campaign online to make it seem like she was responsible for all his success with the film and like he owed her something, all because she said once when they were dating, when she heard him sing an Elvis song, "babe, you would make a great Elvis in a film." This according to many of them was her being responsible for his success and him owing her something.

Never mind that Denzel freaking Washington put his name and reputation to call up Baz Lurhmann and say, "give this kid a shot because I worked with him and he's a hard worker and dedicated." No, it was Vanessa "people are going to die anyway, so who cares about COVID" Hudgens that was solely responsible for his success. And publications like Buzzfeed, Popsugar, even People, jumped on this narrative as well, even though we know they all knew better. But anything for some clicks. 

The fact is, and some pundit said it early in the award season race that Austin had the challenge of being this "young, pretty boy heartthrob in his first major breakout role." Hollywood typically does not reward Oscars to actors with that narrative. For all the thirstiness people claim Austin had, I thought it was extremely classy of him to avoid invoking Lisa Marie's name after she passed away. Because yes, don't play, some would have totally jumped on that to add to their narrative. Especially considering when and how Lisa Marie passed - only two days after supporting him at the Globes. 

The bottom line for me is that thanks to the internet and social media, we all know this shit isn't purely based on performances and that ALL of these people are campaigning. Don't get it twisted, they all are. It's just that some get more support than others and so their campaigning and thirst is heartwarming or acceptable versus someone else.

Like I'm sorry but Michelle Yeoh shared an article on her social media days before voting closed that essentially said, "Oh Cate Blanchett was magnificent and probably did give the best performance of her career but you know, she has two Oscars already and Michelle's winning will make history as the first Asian woman and she's been in the industry for so long and this is likely her best and only chance to win."

So in other words, you should vote for her for every reason other than she gave the best performance. And Michelle shared this and some rightly called out how this could be viewed as rude towards Cate who had been nothing but gracious to Michelle all award season. Like so what she already had two - she freaking earned it. But that was okay because people loved Michelle and all things Everything Everywhere.  

Edited March 14, 2023 by truthaboutluv

[slowpoked]

9 hours ago, yowsah1 said:

Judd and Lynn were members of the Academy and have worked in movies (Judd was an actress for a while, although obviously not as successful in that field as her daughter Ashley).  McVie was not a member of the Academy and has never (to my knowledge) worked in movies, hence she was not featured.

Ah thanks for that. That makes sense. Even Loretta didn't make the live In Memoriam - I know she's not a huge movie star or presence like Dolly is, but she was a titan in country music.

[MicheleinPhilly]

26 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

Like I'm sorry but Michelle Yeoh shared an article on her social media days before voting closed that essentially said, "Oh Cate Blanchett was magnificent and probably did give the best performance of her career but you know, she has two Oscars already and Michelle's winning will make history as the first Asian woman and she's been in the industry for so long and this is likely her best and only chance to win."

She did??? I'm happy for Michelle but that strikes me as a little bit gross particularly given, as you mentioned, that Cate was extremely gracious to her throughout the entire season. But who knows what I would do if I was nominated for an Oscar. 🤷‍♀️

But what's really interesting to me is that there is all of this talk about "thirsty" campaigning in this thread and this is the first mention I've seen of this. I think. I'm old. I could have read it 2 days ago and forgotten already. 👵

[slowpoked]

2 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

She did??? I'm happy for Michelle but that strikes me as a little bit gross particularly given, as you mentioned, that Cate was extremely gracious to her throughout the entire season. But who knows what I would do if I was nominated for an Oscar. 🤷‍♀️

Yes, she did. It was a Vogue article she shared on her IG. She deleted it shortly afterwards. Probably because it could possibly be construed as campaign violations as well - mentioning other nominees' name.

I wonder if Cate got ahold of that news and that's why she wasn't as animated as when MY won. Or Cate might just be simply tired and looking forward to the end of the awards season.

I love Michelle as well and thrilled for her win. I've been fan for a long time. But even she did some quite shady stuff during this season - the beating up comment at GGs and then this Vogue article.

Then again, all of this "thirsty" campaigning - Gaga, Taron, Austin, Melissa Leo, etc. - is a byproduct of the system itself. Hollywood highly encourages it by making the Oscars a political event. I remember even Michelle Yeoh commenting on this when she was briefly considered to be submitted in the Supporting Actress categories for CRA in the 2019 awards season - her reaction was "There is a campaign?!"

As long as this is the system they have to play in, there will always be thirsty campaigns. It's just a matter of what level they hit at the thirsty-o-campaign meter, and what's considered palatable to the voters.

Edited March 14, 2023 by slowpoked

[MicheleinPhilly]

1 hour ago, slowpoked said:

Or Cate might just be simply tired and looking forward to the end of the awards season.

Then again, all of this "thirsty" campaigning - Gaga, Taron, Austin, Melissa Leo, etc. - is a byproduct of the system itself. 

We were actually discussing last night how Cate has been jetting all over the world non-stop since the film debuted at Venice in September. If I had that schedule, I would look like a bag lady by the end of it. 

Thank you for reminding me of "CONSIDER". Always good for a much-needed laugh. 😊

[Bookish Jen]

On 3/13/2023 at 12:44 PM, CaliforniaLove said:

My biggest takeaway was, my god Hugh Grant is a PRICK. 

My friend and I were texting during the walk on the champagne carpet and during the ceremony, and we were both wondering what happened to the charming Hug Grant of the 90s. Now he's old and crotchedy.

[truthaboutluv]

24 minutes ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

We were actually discussing last night how Cate has been jetting all over the world non-stop since the film debuted at Venice in September. If I had that schedule, I would look like a bag lady by the end of it. 

Many of them looked done for by Oscar night. Austin honestly looked a little gaunt on Sunday night, like he'd dropped weight in the last few months. He was expected to be at the Costume Guild and Independent Spirit Awards but didn't show up to either and the word was that he was just physically spent and his team figured it was best to just rest up for Oscar night. Because at that point, Oscar voting was done anyway. There was really no more campaigning that could make a difference. 

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

Thank you for reminding me of "CONSIDER". Always good for a much-needed laugh. 😊

One of my favorite shameless, thirsty campaigns in recent memory.

These campaigns are just so much more pronounced now because of social media. I can still remember Jaime Foxx "channeling" Ray Charles any chance he got during that awards season. Not very subtle.

And for all the crap that Anne Hathaway got during her Les Miserables awards run, I would raise Eddie Redmayne and his equally shameless-masquerading-as-earnest campaigning for Theory of Everything. Golly gee, he put Anne to shame during that awards season.

Edited March 14, 2023 by slowpoked

[NUguy514]

Here is the article that Michelle Yeoh tweeted.  Personally, I see absolutely nothing wrong with what's in it because almost every word is true.  In fact, the only thing that isn't true is that Yeoh was not the only non-white actress nominated since Ana de Armas is Latina.  And she did delete her tweet very quickly. 

And make no mistake: Cate Blanchett was campaigning HARD for this Oscar, too.  She tried to downplay the importance of awards and all of that as she was accepting those awards (so easy to do that when you're holding the trophy), but she was everywhere and wanted it.  Just like Yeoh and Bassett and Curtis and Butler and Fraser and Quan, etc.  99% of actors love validation.

23 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

And for all the crap that Anne Hathaway got during her Les Miserables awards run, I would raise Eddie Redmayne and his equally shameless-masquerading-as-earnest campaigning for Theory of Everything. Golly gee, he put Anne to shame during that awards season.

Oh god, Redmayne and his bullshit.  I can't.  And I can't believe it worked.  There is something to be said for likability, or perceived likability.  I still can't believe Michael Keaton didn't win, but he was apparently not very well liked – kind of the inverse of Jamie Lee Curtis.  Redmayne came across as so earnest and likable (and he probably is a nice guy, to be fair) that that probably helped him win over a veteran who gave a MUCH better performance.  In my opinion.  I guess.

[LegalParrot81]

The first "campaign" for an Oscar happened in year two of their existence.  Mary Pickford invited the judges to her mansion, Pickfair, for tea (actors didn't vote in those days), plus she was a founding member of the academy and guess what, she won.  Campaigning has always been a thing, some are just better at it that others.  😉

This is a pretty interesting article.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/academy-awards-oscar-campaigning-history/

Edited March 14, 2023 by LegalParrot81

[superdeluxe]

5 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Sorry, I just don't believe that.  Lupita was a lock that year, there is no way that SH would be crying over that loss.

So?  Doesn’t matter who was locked or whatever.  You still can be upset if you lose.

4 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

lol, that's what Eddie Murphy did when he lost Supporting Actor for Dreamgirls. And unlike Angela, Eddie won everything that year, including SAG. He did lose BAFTA though (wasn't even nominated actually), which Alan Arkin won and who eventually won the Oscar. Pity SAG wasn't two days before voting that year.

But yeah, everyone considered Eddie a lock that year and when he didn't win, which happened early in the night, as Supporting categories tend to be, he said, "fuck this shit" and peaced out.

And folks were mad about that.  They were like, “How dare he leave!  It’s disrespectful!”  His category was done.  He lost.  He had no reason to be there anymore.  Go ahead and leave.  I wasn’t upset.  I understood.

4 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Like I'm sorry but Michelle Yeoh shared an article on her social media days before voting closed that essentially said, "Oh Cate Blanchett was magnificent and probably did give the best performance of her career but you know, she has two Oscars already and Michelle's winning will make history as the first Asian woman and she's been in the industry for so long and this is likely her best and only chance to win."

So in other words, you should vote for her for every reason other than she gave the best performance. And Michelle shared this and some rightly called out how this could be viewed as rude towards Cate who had been nothing but gracious to Michelle all award season. Like so what she already had two - she freaking earned it. But that was okay because people loved Michelle and all things Everything Everywhere.  

I don’t like Michelle Yeoh.  I get these feelings about people and I don’t have a good one about her.

[MicheleinPhilly]

9 minutes ago, LegalParrot81 said:

The first "campaign" for an Oscar happened in year two of their existence.  Mary Pickford invited the judges to her mansion, Pickfair, for tea (actors didn't vote in those days), plus she was a founding member of the academy and guess what, she won.  Campaigning has always been a thing, some are just better at it that others.  😉

This is a pretty interesting article.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/academy-awards-oscar-campaigning-history/

Quote

Still, there is such a thing as too much campaigning. In keeping with the larger-than-life ceremony, some campaigns have a place of honor, or infamy, in the annals of Oscar history. Chill Wills’ efforts to take the Supporting Actor statuette in 1961 for his work in The Alamo remains one of the crassest bits of campaigning in Academy history. The actor secured the services of publicist W.S. “Bow Wow” Wojciechowicz, who proceeded to run perhaps the tackiest campaign ever by orchestrating a tremendously ill-advised ad on The Hollywood Reporter which included a picture of The Alamo‘s cast with the words, “We of the Alamo cast are praying harder — than the real Texans prayed for their lives in the Alamo — for Chill Wills to win the Oscar as the Best Supporting Actor.”

🤯 Holy shit, talk about tacky.

[KatWay]

like other users said, everyone's campaiging. Some more than others, but if you're nominated, you're probably campaigning one way or the other. It's not just yourself you're promoting, it's also the film, so studios will often push for it too, films make more money after they're awarded.

the trick is to seem eager but not too eager, and what works for one person might not work for another, because a lot depends on their pre-existing image etc. A Frances McDormand campaigns completely differently than a Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm sure there's entire PR teams behind the scenes figuring out the best strategies and it's STILL a crapshoot - media narratives (especially in the age of social media) can take on a life of their own, personal business often mixes into it. It's all subjective after all.

and sorry but suggesting that everyone who doesn't win should leave just makes me imagine an almost empty room by the end of the show lol, that's a funny image. A lone clap by the janitor for the winning film. Kinda goes against the whole justification for this award show circuits, to celebrate film as an art form - no, fuck films, celebrate ME or I'm outta here! lol

[MicheleinPhilly]

1 minute ago, KatWay said:

and sorry but suggesting that everyone who doesn't win should leave just makes me imagine an almost empty room by the end of the show lol, that's a funny image. A lone clap by the janitor for the winning film. Kinda goes against the whole justification for this award show circuits, to celebrate film as an art form - no, fuck films, celebrate ME or I'm outta here! lol

Now all I can think of is Mr. Johnson from Abbott Elementary: 

"That film was trash." 

[thuganomics85]

In other news, some viewers might have been on to something/have their wishes full-filled: screenplay co-presenters Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are possibly getting ready to star in a film together after-all.  I guess this was a good rehearsal for it!

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

🤯 Holy shit, talk about tacky.

For sure! I imagine if we really dig into it, we will find some wildly racist campaigns back in the day as well, when it was still mainstream and accepted.