94th Academy Awards Discussion Thread | WHAT JUST HAPPENED

[Tarintino]

I do think the Will Smith fiasco has had enough attention from media outlets now

[grim22]

18 minutes ago, filmlover said:

I mean, what is there to discipline him for? The most they can do is just not invite him back to produce the show (which, given the poor reviews for the telecast overall, already seems likely).

 

Surprised by a decade-long ban, but there wasn't much else they could do. They can't make someone give their Oscars back and Smith already resigned. You can't just physically and verbally assault someone on live TV (no matter who you are or whatever the circumstances) and not expect there to be consequences.

Has Will Smith actually been at the Oscars between 2011-2021?

 

The decade ban doesn't seem like a huge deal considering he wasn't a permanent Oscars fixture anyway.

[dudalb]

10 minutes ago, Tarintino said:

I do think the Will Smith fiasco has had enough attention from media outlets now

It provided some comic relief from mcuh more serous news.......

[filmlover]

7 minutes ago, grim22 said:

Has Will Smith actually been at the Oscars between 2011-2021?

 

The decade ban doesn't seem like a huge deal considering he wasn't a permanent Oscars fixture anyway.

He presented Best Picture in 2014 (when 12 Years a Slave won).

[CoolioD1]

"you must attend the oscars for the next ten years"  would've been a much harsher sentence. 

[grim22]

 

 

[BestPicturePlutoNash]

12 minutes ago, grim22 said:

 

 

No we won’t. People say this every year yet it’s still highest rated award show and ABC is still signed on until 2028.

[filmlover]

9 minutes ago, grim22 said:

 

 

It definitely feels like these past few ceremonies, and especially this one, have put both AMPAS and ABC in the most distressing positions they've ever been with regards as to how they move forward. What's crazy is that, looking at other awards shows, it's not that difficult to actually fix the telecast because the Emmys, etc. never really abandoned their formulas to try and "modernized" them. Could the Oscars be boring from time to time? Sure...but that's what people liked about it! No forced comedic bits that go on for eternity, no cheesy tributes or musical numbers unless it's an Original Song nominee, no shameless pandering to an audience that clearly isn't interested to begin with and never will be (ala that Twitter award), etc.. They're collapsing under the weight of fundamental issues that are gonna drive them into the ground if they don't try to course correct soon.

 

It's been mentioned in some articles that they should try seeking out producers who have credentials in putting together awards shows, and it's hard to disagree with that notion. These super big names like Soderbergh or Packer (who, while good at that their day jobs, have little to zero experience in handling live events) are clearly just not working out.

[grim22]

15 minutes ago, filmlover said:

 that Twitter award

The Twitter award was definitely meant to be a presentation to Spider-Man. If Spider-Man had won, I guarantee it would not have been a random montage to announce the "award" winner. They kind of dispensed with it like they were embarrassed about it (rightly).

[filmlover]

Just now, grim22 said:

The Twitter award was definitely meant to be a presentation to Spider-Man. If Spider-Man had won, I guarantee it would not have been a random montage to announce the "award" winner. They kind of dispensed with it like they were embarrassed about it (rightly).

That's what they get for overestimating the MCU fanbase's level of devotion to their favorite franchise, and for not setting up guidelines that would've prevented troll picks like Cinderella or a Johnny Depp movie no one has heard of to emerge winners.

[WittyUsername]

I would have to assume that all the publicity from the slap is going to get more eyeballs tuned in to next year’s telecast. Assuming Avatar 2 gets nominated for Best Picture, that could potentially be another thing that will attract more viewers. In any case, I don’t get why people think the Oscars are in danger of dying. 
 

Also, people should be happy that those Twitter “awards” went to Zack Snyder movies. It makes it less likely that the Oscars will try something like this again. 

[Tarintino]

5 hours ago, CoolioD1 said:

"you must attend the oscars for the next ten years"  would've been a much harsher sentence. 

Smith after already winning:

 

[titanic2187]

Last I check, Oscar is still the ceremony with highest rating. Even the TV Oscar , Emmy didn’t have 10m viewers and their nominees aren’t supposed to be impacted by covid like the way of movies. 

[filmlover]

Pulling no punches.

Academy Members React To Will Smith’s Oscars Ban for Chris Rock Slap – The Hollywood Reporter

Quote

 

Academy member: “David Rubin, Dawn Hudson and Will Packer have forever ruined the Academy’s reputation and integrity. The first assault actually came in the golden hour leading up to the live broadcast. The producers and the Academy made that decision. No one else to blame. They promised to make the nominees feel special. Instead they delivered hastily edited acceptance speeches, jammed into a horribly uneven and heartless show, which ran also long. Then the slap happened. I guess that was the knockout punch to us all. The Academy essentially said the stars are the only ones that matter. The stars are the ones who represent the best in entertainment. So the best is Will Smith. What a horrible message to send to generations of emerging filmmakers. They should have banned Will Smith for life and taken his Oscar away but the truth is I think the Academy and the Oscars are lost forever. I can’t imagine either ever recovering, and I’m not entirely sure they should. They don’t deserve to represent us as the best. Lastly, it’s been misreported that the entire room gave Will Smith a standing ovation during his speech. This is not true. My guest and I sat on our hands the entire time. I was disgusted to see a majority of the room applaud like spineless robots at a man who just assaulted another.”

 

Academy member: “I’ve no doubt Will Smith’s 10-year exile and his [potential] loss of employment and reputation is punishment enough for his moment of madness. But it’s a classic case of a “good day to bury bad news” PR move. Both Dawn Hudson and David Rudin’s heads should be on the block for a number of reasons : 1) Their failure to address the incident properly at the time. Smith should have been shown the door, without question. Not to deal with it properly in the moment, but hand the matter to a publicist, gambling on a moment of redemption in his acceptance speech, failed the Academy totally and just took a giant dump on everyone left in the room. It felt like a scene of domestic violence, not an awards show. That is Dawn Hudson and David Rubin’s legacy to the Academy. And now every comedian on the planet is waiting for the next Will Smith to come up on stage any time they don’t like a joke. 2) Their failure to rally the ratings — or even provide a decent show. It seemed totally to hate cinema and took so many questionable decisions which completely trashed its unique status. Everything, down to the VIP areas at the front of the theatre, felt like a trashy race down the plughole. 3) The decision to broadcast only select categories live has needlessly caused a massive existential crisis in the institution, with many categories edited to shreds and treated totally differently from others. The members of those categories affected are rightly furious. With a 3 hour 40 minute run time, that bloodshed proved to be completely pointless and its implementation as a decision was entirely questionable. That needs to be addressed immediately and Dawn Hudson should not be allowed to hang around to choose a successor — she has got things massively wrong for years.

 

 

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

Lots of traumatized folks in the Academy...

 

 

 

Quote

Harry Shearer, actors branch: “If Will Smith, or any other A-list actor, had run onstage and simply pulled down his pants and defecated, I seriously doubt he’d/she’d be back on that stage in 10 years, or ever. (Maybe, after a wrongheaded war, if the stage were radioactive.) A decade-long ban seems oddly parental, as in, he’ll have outgrown his slappin’ phase by then.”

 

 

Quote

Steven Scott, members-at-large branch member: “Since he had already resigned, the Academy’s decision to temporarily — yes, temporarily — remove him means he will suffer no consequences from the Academy for his violent, unprecedented physical and verbal attack on a fellow performer, Chris Rock, for simply not liking his joke. I also am disappointed that Chris Rock and The Academy decided not to press charges for Will’s attack. … What message are we sending — that when we’re assaulted, it’s best to just keep our ‘composure’ and not complain? Before someone tells me that other Hollywood A-listers have done awful things, yet kept their Oscars, none of them did their crimes live, on air, from the Academy home stage on our special night, in front of all the world to see. There is no precedent for Will’s horrific physical and verbal assault, and the punishment should have been unprecedented as well. I am disgusted by my Academy’s appallingly weak, amoral, kowtowing-to-an-A-lister response. Disgusted!”

 

 

Quote

Marketing/public relations branch member: “At this point, it’s too little too late. Will Smith already resigned, and he can be nominated in the future. Chris Rock is selling out his tour. The ones left holding the bag are the Academy members. I am in the film business because of the impact the Oscars had on me growing up. They were the epitome of class, elegance and a celebration of film. The day I became an Academy member was one of my proudest moments of my life. Last year’s ceremony and pre-show were a disgrace. I was so distraught by it that I couldn’t sleep. My guiding light had been destroyed. This year’s slap has put a nail in the coffin of an organization I’m now embarrassed to be a part of. I wish I could say that they will turn the ship around but, unfortunately, their hubris may cause their demise. I know that Will Smith will survive the slap and he will be around here 10 years from now. I’m not sure if I can say the same about the Academy.”

 

 

Fines! Anger management! Take the Oscar away!

 

Alll the responses aren't that dramatic, but the article gives a sense of what the Academy leadership must have been hearing from their members. There was no way the response could possibly please everyone.

 

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[filmlover]

It certainly feels like the last few years have left a lot of people completely disenchanted with the entire process. Hard to believe the ceremonies have gone from "The One Where Parasite Won" to "The One That Exploited Chadwick Boseman's Death" and "The One Where Will Smith Assaulted Chris Rock On Stage" all in the span of less than three years.

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

The Most continues to be done...

 

 

 

[grim22]

 

 

[filmlover]

On 4/9/2022 at 1:57 PM, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

The Most continues to be done...

 

 

 

Indeed.

 

 

Not So Fast Will Smith, Chris Rock and the Academy: There Are More People Who Deserve Apologies (Column) https://t.co/whulO6EoUE

— Variety (@Variety) April 10, 2022

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

55 minutes ago, filmlover said:

Indeed.

 

 

At a certain point, you have to wonder if these awards writers even believe what they're saying, or are just vomiting out the words that will get the most clicks.

 

I have enjoyed all the "______ Must Return Oscar to Restore the Award's Honor (Guest Column)" parody tweets, though.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by BoxOfficeFangrl