Chris Rock killed it at the Oscars. If my partner in viewing is to be believed, he killed it a little too much. In other words, the controversy over race was expertly addressed early in the Oscars, but remained a prevalent theme that began to detract from the overall experience as the hours wore on. I agree with her in part. The constant references to the lack of color did drone after a while, but this was a necessary argument to have. What concerned me the most was that the whole race argument fell on the shoulders of Jada Pinkett-Smith, who doesn’t deserve to be out in front of this thing.
Joke of the night: (Rock) Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rhianna’s panties. I wasn’t invited! That joke encapsulated the problem right there. She doesn’t have the gravitas to make the argument that she did. Instead she came off as a woman angry about her husband not being recognized for this particular season of film work. I didn’t see his film, so I don’t know if he deserves it or not. I do think the people who won were very deserving of the honor–except for Leo who took that award from someone who earned it this year.
I believe there is a problem with being non-white in hollywood and I believe that problem is systemic and financially driven. The people with the money swear that white leads are needed to make money and that isn’t entirely true anymore. However, that old money tied to old ideas is what keeps Hollywood in our hearts and keeps the majority of people of color in the industry on the outs.
Some Thoughts:
- What I love the most about the walking dead are the complex relationships and love stories that spring forth in this land of after death. The story here–the real story–is how you manage to stay human and sexual and maintain faith in the whole thing moving forward when it is so much easier to give up and become a monster–living or otherwise.