Oscars
Academy President Deems Will Smith Slap Response “Inadequate”
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Janet Yang made the statement at a 2023 Oscars Nominees Luncheon held on Monday. The post Academy President Deems Will Smith Slap Response “Inadequate” appeared first on The Latest Hip-Hop News, Music and Media | Hip-Hop Wired.
Oscar Nominations 2023: Snubs & Surprises
The Oscars wouldn’t be the Oscars if they didn’t have their share of snubs and surprises. And this year was no different. To catch you up, the year’s most nominated film is Everything Everywhere All at Once, with 11 nods, followed by All Quiet on the Western Front and The Banshees of Inisherin with nine each; Elvis with eight, The Fabelmans with seven; and Tar and Top Gun: Maverick, with six each. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever followed with five nods; Avatar: The Way of Water was next up, with four. Top Gun: Maverick did better in the nominations than the first Top Gun, which received just four nods. Also, this sequel rated a best picture nod, something that was denied the 1986 blockbuster that made Tom Cruise a superstar. But the aforementioned sequels to Black Panther and Avatar moved i...
The Weeknd Feels ‘Honored’ to Be Shortlisted in Oscars Best Original Song Race
The Weeknd opened up about “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” his theme song from Avatar: The Way of Water, being shortlisted for the 2022 Oscars race in a new interview on Monday (Jan. 9). “I feel honored to be part of that list. Any kind of recognition for it feels like a blessing,” the R&B crooner told The Hollywood Reporter. Should his Na’vi-inspired ballad make the leap from the best original song shortlist to official nominee, it would mark the second time the artist otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye has earned a nod from the Academy following his nomination for “Earned It” from 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey. “It’d be great,” he added of clinching another nomination. “But I’m just happy that I got to be part of such a historic film.” However, The Weeknd clarified during the ch...
Rihanna Wouldn’t Be the First to Perform at Super Bowl Halftime Show & Oscars in the Same Year: This Star Did It First
As you already know, Rihanna is set to headline the Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12. And she’s likely to perform at the Academy Awards on March 12, assuming “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is nominated for best original song. “Lift Me Up,” which Rihanna co-wrote with Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler and Tems, was one of 15 songs shortlisted in that category last month. The song’s sheer quality, its success (it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100), the film’s potency and Rihanna’s star-power all point to a nomination. “All the Stars,” from the initial Black Panther, was nominated for best original song four years ago. Even if “Lift Me Up” is nominated, there’s no guarantee that Rihanna will perform it on the telecast. Two years ago, the Academy relegated the best origi...
Oscars 2023: Snubs & Surprises in the Music Shortlists
Taylor Swift probably has mixed emotions about the Oscar shortlists, which were announced on Wednesday (Dec. 21). She is shortlisted for best original song for “Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing. For a folk-style ballad that wasn’t a big hit, that’s great. On the other hand, she was not shortlisted for best live action short film for “All Too Well,” which she directed. “All Too Well” won three MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28 — video of the year, best director and best long-form video. Swift has had enough awards show experience to know that you win some and you lose some. But to not be shortlisted for a film that she cares deeply about and has worked hard to promote has to sting. Swift’s pal Selena Gomez also got mixed news in the shortlists. “My Mind & Me,” which she co-wrote f...
Oscars 2023: LCD Soundsystem, Mitski and David Byrne, Taylor Swift on Shortlist for Best Original Song
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed shortlists for 2023 Oscar nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best Documentary Feature. In the original song category, a longlist of 82 initial nominees has been whittled down to 15. They include songs by LCD Soundsystem (“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise); Mitski, David Byrne, and Son Lux (“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once); Taylor Swift (“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing); Rihanna (“Life Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever); Lady Gaga (“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick); and The Weeknd (“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water). The shortlist for Best Original Score includes compositions from Composer of the ...
Kendrick Lamar Talks Short Film ‘We Cry Together’ & Hopes for Best Live Action Short Nomination at 2023 Oscars
He’s already a 14-time Grammy Award winner, and now Kendrick Lamar is hoping to extend his good fortune to the Oscars. Leading up to the 2023 Academy Awards — whose shortlist voting takes place next month, Dec. 12-15 — Lamar spoke with Variety in an interview published Tuesday (Nov. 29) about his short film We Cry Together, in which he stars opposite Taylour Paige. For the rapper, one of the most important things about his short film was to make sure that it felt real. We Cry Together sees Lamar and Paige exploring a relationship that’s equal parts vulnerable and toxic from the confines of a small space. The film, should it secure a nomination, would be up for a spot in the best live action short category at the Academy Awards. “It challenged me to actually live in what I was writing, and ...
Cher Presents Diane Warren With Honorary Oscar at Governors Awards in L.A.
Diane Warren has famously gone 0-13 at the Academy Awards in the best original song category, but on Saturday Nov. 19, she finally won an Oscar, albeit an honorary one, at the 13th Governors Awards put on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The event, which also honored directors Peter Weir and Euzhan Palcy and film and TV star Michael J. Fox, was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. “I’ve waited 34 years to say this: ‘I’d like to thank the Academy’,” Warren said in her acceptance speech. She also joked, “Mom, I finally found a man.” Gazing at the Oscar statue, she added, “I know you wanted him to be a nice Jewish boy, but it’s really hard to tell.” Cher presented Warren with the award and stayed close during Warren’s acceptance speech. Warren ex...
Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Stood in for Marlon Brando at 1973 Oscars, Dead at 75
Sacheen Littlefeather, who endured racist mockery and threats of arrest and violence when she appeared on Marlon Brando’s behalf at the 1973 Oscars and declined his award for Best Actor, has died at the age of 75. According to Variety, Littlefeather passed away Sunday, October 2nd, following a battle with breast cancer. As president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee, Littlefeather stood in for Brando to protest the mistreatment of American Indians in the film industry. Moments before she took the stage, ceremony producer Howard Koch told her that she would be arrested if she talked for longer than 60 seconds. During her speech, she was mocked with tomahawk chops and ululation, and John Wayne reportedly had to be restrained from charging the podium and attack...
Chris Rock Says He Was Asked to Host Next Year’s Oscars But Turned It Down
Chris Rock famously became the talk of the 2022 Oscars after Will Smith slapped him on stage, but the comedian isn’t trying to be the talk of next year’s ceremony. In a recent stand-up set, Rock said the Academy asked him to host the 2023 Oscars, but he turned them down. According to the Arizona Republic, Rock told the crowd at a recent gig in Phoenix that returning to the Oscars would be like returning to the scene of a crime, comparing the offer to asking Nicole Brown Simpson to “go back to the restaurant” she ate at before being murdered. Rock also said he was asked to do a Super Bowl commercial in light of the slap, an offer he also refused. Elsewhere in the set, Rock said being slapped by Smith physically hurt, noting that Smith played Muhammed Ali in a movie. “He’s bigger than me,” R...
Sacheen Littlefeather Says John Wayne Attempted to Attack Her at Oscars
Earlier this week, the Academy issued a formal apology to Sacheen Littlefeather for her treatment at the 1973 Oscars, where she declined Marlon Brando’s award for Best Actor. As president of the National Native American Affirmative Image Committee, Littlefeather endured racist mockery and threats of arrest and violence when she appeared on Brando’s behalf to protest the mistreatment of American Indians in the film industry. In a new interview published to the Academy’s website, Littlefeather detailed how John Wayne attempted to confront her in the aftermath of her speech. “[John Wayne] did not like what I was saying up at the podium,” Littlefeather recalled. “So, he came forth in a rage to physically assault and take me off the stage. And he had to be restrained by six security men in orde...
Academy Apologizes to Sacheen Littlefeather for Mistreatment While Declining Marlon Brando’s Oscar
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather, who endured racist mockery and threats of arrest and violence when she appeared on Marlon Brando’s behalf at the 1973 Oscars and declined his award for Best Actor. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy privately apologized to Littlefeather in June and will read the apology publicly on September 17th, when she’ll be the guest of honor at an event at the Academy Museum. “I was stunned. I never thought I’d live to see the day I would be hearing this, experiencing this,” Littlefeather said. “When I was at the podium in 1973, I stood there alone.” An actor herself, Littlefeather was mocked with tomahawk chops and ululations when she spoke for Brando, who had won Best Actor for his work in&n...
