Oscars Pan Out As Usual
Everything you thought would happen did happen.
March 6, 2018
New Jersey – For the second year in a row, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 90th Academy Awards, which took place at the Dolby Theater & Highland Center on Sunday.
Kimmel wasted no time in aiming his first jokes against everyone from President Donald Trump to Harvey Weinstein. Kimmel quipped about working together to stop sexual harassment in the workplace so that women can face the issue “all the time in every other place they go.”
Some Hollywood celebrities, such as Sam Rockwell, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, donned “Time’s Up” in support against sexual harassment. After her win for Best Actress, Frances McDormand asked all women in the movie business to stand up for an acknowledgment of their roles in Hollywood filmmaking.
Almost every current trending topic was touched on in one way or another throughout the show. From mentioning of Puerto Rico to support of Dreamers, celebrities like Common urged viewers and fellow stars to stand up for their personal beliefs. The 90th Oscars ran about as typical as past shows with little excitement aside from a crowd of fans cheering for Del Toro from the nosebleeds.
People from all corners of the movie industry mingled on a red carpet that was lackluster in style and personality. Both ABC and E! News’ coverage of the red carpet event seemed to shy away from Ryan Seacrest at times as Seacrest faces allegations of sexual misconduct. Taraji P. Henson is being lauded for her quick interview with Seacrest by stating “the universe has a way of taking care of good people,” adding a sarcastic smirk at the end of the sentence.
Despite the possibility of winning a jet ski for completing the shortest speech possible, the show went nearly 50 minutes over schedule.
The first performance of the night was a riveting performance by Mary J. Blige of her Oscar-nominated song “Mighty River” from the movie “Mudbound.” Blige is also the first person to be nominated for Oscars for Best Supporting Actress and Original Song in the same year. Unfortunately for Blige, she was bested in both categories by “Remember Me” from the film “Coco” and by Allison Janney for her role in “I, Tania.”
“Dunkirk” and “Shape of Water” each ended the night with the most Oscars garnering a total of six each. Although the competition was thick, there was little doubt Del Toro’s “Shape of Water” was the clear-cut favorite for Best Picture. Along with the Best Picture win, “Shape of Water” also won Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Production Design.
The most significant surprise of the night might be Kobe Bryant’s win for Best Animated Short Film. “Dear Basketball” is the visual representation of a poem Bryant posted online in Nov. 2015 on the Players Tribune website. Lebron James Tweeted a congratulatory message to Bryant with the hashtag #WeAreMoreThanShutUpDribble as a shot aimed at Fox News reporter Laura Ingraham.
Bryant adds an Oscar to go along with five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals.
Jordan Peele, best known for his work in the Key and Peele show, won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the hit film “Get Out.” In his speech, Peele referenced the many times he stopped making the film because he thought the film “was impossible.” Peele faced off against “Shape of Water,” “Lady Bird” and “The Big Sick.” With his win, Peele becomes the first black writer to win an Oscar for Best Screenplay.
“Phantom Thread” Costume Designer Mark Bridges eventually won the jet ski by giving a 36-second thank you speech, which he rode away on alongside Oscar winner Helen Mirren.