Beyond the slap: five other talking points from Oscars
HOLLYWOOD: With due respect to a historic best picture win for “CODA,” only one talking point dominated Sunday’s Oscars — Will Smith striking Chris Rock. That moment seems certain to launch endless memes, but here are five other talking points from the ceremony:
Hosts return
The first Oscars with hosts since 2018 had a trio of women helming the show — Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall — who wasted no time compensating for recent humorless years.
Leonardo DiCaprio has “done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends,” said Schumer, joking about his penchant for younger women.
‘Time is due’
Oscars producers had promised to highlight not just this year’s nominated films, but classic movies of the past.
These included a segment on the 50th anniversary of “The Godfather” which brought Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro to the stage.
“The time is due that I do, because it was his participation and his decisions at the end that made it possible,” said Coppola. Uma Thurman and John Travolta performed their distinctive dance from “Pulp Fiction,” before Samuel L Jackson withdrew the best actor envelope from the film’s mysterious glowing briefcase.
But others — such as a video montage of James Bond films, bizarrely introduced by sporting stars Shaun White, Tony Hawk, and Kelly Slater — fell flat.
Snyder’s Army
Another innovation intended to lure back viewers to the Oscars was two prizes voted on by the public via Twitter, including a “fan favorite” film.
If producers had hoped last year’s smash hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home” would win, they were left disappointed.
Branagh finally wins
His childhood-inspired “Belfast” did not win best picture, but Kenneth Branagh finally won his first Oscar in eight nominations — across a record seven categories. Branagh won best original screenplay for his deeply personal black-and-white drama about the outbreak of violence in 1960s Northern Ireland, which forced him and his family to flee.
Liza Minnelli
One of the night’s more touching moments came at its finale, as Lady Gaga accompanied Liza Minnelli, in a wheelchair, to announce the best picture winner.
Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2022