Awards
Response Against Will Smith’s Oscar Slap Was Inadequate, Says Academy President
Everyone knows about the infamous slap Will Smith landed on Chris Rock’s face during the last Oscars ceremony. The comedian had a very civil reaction to the situation that emerged from a harmless joke that was taken too seriously by Will Smith. However, for obvious reasons, the academy did not have a similar response. That same day Smith was awarded Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, the father of Serena and Venus Williams, who raised the two women to be at the top of their individual games. Now, the actions taken against Smith are being called inadequate.
Statement By Academy President
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences was responsible for holding Will Smith accountable for his shameful and outrageous actions. The infamous slap was televised all over the world live and was delivered in front of the entire academy. Naturally, harsh responses should have followed. However, Smith was merely banned from ever attending the Oscars again for 10 years.
The new president of the academy Janet Yang addressed everyone at the luncheon remembering the awful days and the events that followed:
“As I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” she said. “What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
The Oscars are known for having some controversial elements to them. Before Smith and Rock, there was the infamous mixup for Best Picture between Moonlight and La La Land. Some accuse the academy of purposefully insinuating controversial events to make things a tad bit more entertaining. However, Chris Rock, who got slapped on stage, and Will Smith, who basically committed career suicide in front of millions of people, would not quite agree with the statement. Of all things that could be staged, this would be the most tragic to have ever been proposed if it were so.
“We must act swiftly, compassionately, and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward,” said Yang. “We are committed to maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”
The Incident And The Apology
So what really happened? The comedian Chris Rock was the gracious host of the Oscars ceremony. He was doing his bit talking about various films and actors when he made the now immortal G.I. Jane joke. Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffers from a condition called Alopecia, a condition where the patient happens to lose all their hair. The unscripted joke, of course, did not sit very well with either of the actors. Pinkett Smith was seen scowling a moment later, and that was when Will Smith walked up to the comedian on the stage and slapped him. For a second, everyone thought it was a part of the joke. Unfortunately for Smith and Rock, it wasn’t.
Days later, Smith took to his very popular Instagram page to express his regret:
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” the actor wrote. “I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
While the issue has now been resolved, the response to it is still not considered adequate enough. Now, Smith has seen a shattering loss in the number of supporters he used to entertain. Chris Rock never pressed charges, but in the court of public opinion, Smith has been executed.
The 2023 Oscars are already being called perhaps the best evening celebrating Hollywood in the past decade, with multiple stars making comebacks and finally getting the recognition and rewards they deserve. Two actors from the 1992 film Encino Man were not only nominated but also won the Oscars in their respective categories.
These were none other than Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan, who won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Among other winners were Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis, who won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The Oscars were executive produced by award show masters Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who talked about the show and other details in an interview.
Producers And Oscars
The two got candid about how they expected to deliver the show and if it came to fruition or not. Overall, they felt convinced that they had done a great job even though their expectations may have been too high. The two were also pleased with Jimmy Kimmel’s un-slappable performance as the host of the evening.
“I haven’t read anything yet, so I hope I feel good in a half-hour! But we always say the metric is, “Do we feel that we produced the show that we set out to produce?” Because we set a high bar for ourselves,” said Kirshner. “I really feel that we delivered on what we said we would do — honoring the crafts and showing off the movies that were out there this year — and Jimmy scored, I thought.”
Weiss also mentioned that the vibe of the room was “really cool.” He felt that the buzz around the Oscars and the excitement in the room were pretty amazing. The two mentioned how they hadn’t seen any ratings so far, but they hoped that the ratings would be +7, which is a high number without a doubt. This would mean people watched the show live but will also watch it after recording or saving it on their devices later this week.
They mentioned how creating an interactive and immersive set was one of their biggest priorities:
“… for months we’ve been designing the set to be an immersive experience for the audience,” said Weiss. “So a winner’s name is announced, and as they’re walking up to the stage, pictures from their movie were surrounding the audience.”
It was earlier announced by the Academy that they were looking to sign a multi-year deal with producers as well as the host of the evening. This could mean that Weiss and Kirshner would return next year along with this year’s host, Jimmy Kimmel. However, when posed with the question, the executive producers laughed it off since they didn’t really have an answer. So it remains ambiguous if they will actually return for next year’s Oscars.
The 2023 Oscars were a beauty to behold. Great films were celebrated like never before, and representation was rather at the forefront. Films like Everything Everywhere All at Once took home multiple awards, while foreign films like RRR won awards that they rightfully deserved. This time around, Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars. In his opening monologue, he joked about the infamous slap last year as well as the winner card fumble from the year before that. Thankfully, this time around, no controversy was found, and the award ceremony was not dragged down by inglorious moments. Here’s a list of the major winners of the evening.
Winners
Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner at the 2023 Oscars. Michelle Yeoh took home the award as Best Actress for the film. She was overjoyed and inspirational in her conduct and speech.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she said as she accepted the award. “This is proof that dreams come true. And ladies…never let anybody tell you that you are past your prime.”
A truly inspirational figure, Yeoh has done everything to deserve that award. Other actors from the film, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan, also won awards in their respective categories of best supporting actress and actor.
“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like these only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me,” said Huy Quan as he tearfully accepted his Oscar.
The film also won best picture as well as the award for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Other than that, All Quiet On The Western Front won Best International Foreign Film. Brendan Fraser was the winner of Best Actor for his monumental role in The Whale.
Best Sound went to Top Gun: Maverick and Best Original Song went to the Indian film RRR’s song Naatu Naatu which was also performed live at the Oscars. Overall, it has been a brilliant day of well-deserving candidates winning their awards and becoming etched in history for a long time to come. Here is the complete list of winners at the 2023 Oscars:
Best Picture:
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Tár
The Fabelmans
Top Gun: Maverick
All Quiet on the Western Front
Elvis
Triangle of Sadness
Women Talking
Best Director
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Ruben Östlund — Triangle of Sadness
Martin McDonagh — The Banshees of Inisherin
Todd Field — Tár
Steven Spielberg — The Fabelmans
Best Actor
Brendan Fraser — The Whale—Winner
Paul Mescal — Aftersun
Bill Nighy — Living
Colin Farrell — The Banshees of Inisherin
Austin Butler — Elvis
Best Actress
Michelle Yeoh — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Andrea Riseborough — To Leslie
Michelle Williams — The Fabelmans
Cate Blanchett — Tár
Ana de Armas — Blonde
Best Supporting Actor
Ke Huy Quan — Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Brian Tyree Henry — Causeway
Judd Hirsch — The Fabelmans
Brendan Gleeson — The Banshees of Inisherin
Barry Keoghan — The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Supporting Actress
Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
Hong Chau — The Whale
Stephanie Hsu — Everything Everywhere All at Once
Angela Bassett — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Kerry Condon — The Banshees of Inisherin
Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio—Winner
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
The Sea Beast
Turning Red
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Best Documentary Feature
Navalny—Winner
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
All That Breathes
Fire of Love
A House Made of Splinters
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
An Irish Goodbye—Winner
Le Pupille
The Red Suitcase
Ivalu
Night Ride
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Empire of Light
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Elvis
Tár
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
The Whale—Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
The Batman
Elvis
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever—Winner
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Elvis
Babylon
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Close
The Quiet Girl
Argentina, 1985
EO
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Elephant Whisperers—Winner
Haulout
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Stranger At the Gate
How Do You Measure a Year?
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse—Winner
My Year of Dicks
Ice Merchants
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe I
The Flying Sailor
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
Babylon
Avatar: The Way of Water
Elvis
The Fabelmans
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
All Quiet on the Western Front—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Babylon
The Fabelmans
Everything Everywhere All at Once
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar: The Way of Water—Winner
The Batman
All Quiet on the Western Front
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Top Gun: Maverick
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Fabelmans
Tár
Triangle of Sadness
The Banshees of Inisherin
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Women Talking—Winner
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Top Gun: Maverick
All Quiet on the Western Front
Living
BEST SOUND
Top Gun: Maverick—Winner
Elvis
All Quiet on the Western Front
The Batman
Avatar: The Way of Water
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Naatu Naatu—RRR—Winner
“Hold My Hand” — Top Gun: Maverick
“Applause” — Tell It Like a Woman
“Lift Me Up” — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is a Life” — Everything Everywhere All At Once
BEST FILM EDITING
Everything Everywhere All at Once—Winner
The Banshees of Inisherin
Tár
Elvis
Top Gun: Maverick
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Ruth E. Carter is a 62-year-old veteran American costume designer. She’s had a vast career and a playing field that spans far above and below her recent projects. She has previously worked in over 30 films where she put her best foot forward and showcased her talent.
Straight out of Hampton University, Carter showed brilliance in her field of work. She has previously worked on Malcolm X, Spike Lee’s passion project, as well as Amistad, perhaps a lesser-known Steven Spielberg film. While the legendary costume designer has been nominated for an Oscar a total of four times, she made history at the 2023 Oscars as she became the very first black woman to have two Oscars to her name.
Carter and Black Panther
Ruth Carter has also worked on the original Black Panther film that starred the late Chadwick Boseman. At the time, Carter won the academy award in the same category as Black Panther and became the first African-American to win an award for costume design. And now, for the sequel of the same film, the designer made history by holding the golden lady not just once but twice.
“Nice to see you again,” Carter said as she took the stage. “Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman. She endures, she loves, she overcomes, she is every woman in this film.”
Said Carter, the designer, was also honoring the memory of her late mother, who recently passed away at the age of 101. In her acceptance speech, she also looked up and asked the late Chadwick Boseman to take care of her mother.
She later thanked the academy as well as Kevin Feige and the producers behind Marvel and Black Panther for having great trust in her. She is a true icon and a celebrity to never forget.
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