2016 Oscar Recap
by
Kam Williams
Spotlight
Upsets The Revenant for Best Picture
Chris
Rock Pokes Fun at Both the Boycott and the Academy
On
a night when the Academy Awards were overshadowed by the absence of
black nominees, Spotlight
upset The Revenant for the big prize,
although Mad Max netted the most trophies (6) overall. But from his
opening monologue clear through his the close of the evening's
festivities, master of ceremonies Chris Rock kept the pedal to the
metal, reminding viewers at every opportunity of the conspicuous
absence of African-Americans honorees.
He
began by welcoming the audience to the "White People's Choice
Awards" before launching into a 10-minute stand-up routine in
which he was careful to level barbs at both sides of the controversy.
For example, he chided the members of the Academy for being racists,
suggesting, " If they nominated hosts, I wouldn't even get this
job."
On
the other hand, he was just as tough on the supporters of the
protest, insinuating that they ought to lighten up since things were
far worse back in the Fifties and Sixties when their grandmothers
might have been lynched. Rock reserved his most caustic comments for
Jada Pinkett Smith, saying "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like
me boycotting Rihanna's panties," the crude implication being
that Jada is untalented and about as likely to be nominated as he is
to have sex with the attractive pop diva.
Next,
he took a swipe at Jada's husband, Will Smith, prefacing his remarks
by announcing, "I'm not hating." After conceding that Will
had been snubbed for Concussion, Rock pointed out that it was
equally unfair that he'd been paid $20 million for his poor
performance in Wild Wild West.
The
profusion of race-based humor had its share of awkward moments, like
when Chris announced that the "In Memoriam" package would
be devoted to "black people shot by cops on their way to the
movies." Just as awkward was when he introduced
actress-turned-black conservative Stacey Dash, as the Director of the
Academy's newly-created Minority Outreach Program. Stacey came on
stage to say she couldn't wait to help her people out, before wishing
everybody "Happy Black History Month!" The joke fell flat
and was met with total silence.
Another
headscratcher involved Chris' introducing the Oscars'
African-American orchestra conductor "just so he can get laid at
the Governor's Ball." As the curtain came down on the
festivities, Rock finally seemed to take sides by defiantly bidding
farewell with "Black lives matter!" to the tune of Public
Enemy's anti-establishment anthem "Fight the Power" which
played for the duration of the closing credits.
Complete
List of Oscar Winners
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant
Lead Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Lead Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Charles Randolph and Adam McKay
Original Screenplay: Spotlight, Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
Original Score: Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Original Song: "Writings on the Wall," Spectre
Best Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul
Documentary Feature: Amy
Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
Visual Effects: Ex Machina
Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Cinematography: The Revenant
Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Live Action Short Film: Stutterer
Documentary Short Film: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Animated Short Film: Bear Story
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Debbie Reynolds
To
see Stacey Dash's awkward moment at the Oscars, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9XvWFU0F3Q
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