The 89th Academy Awards will telecast live from L.A.’s Dolby Theatre Sunday, hosted by late night’s Jimmy Kimmel and presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recognizes excellence in cinematic achievements in the film industry as assessed by the Academy’s voting membership. But … and there always is one … there’s the rub.
The Oscars air on ABC, beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT and run to or past three-and-a-half hours. Prior to the Awards, there’ll be lots of glitz and glamour with the red carpet arrivals.
Compared to last year and its lack of diversity, this year it’s the difference of day v. night – with an overload of all sorts of diversity. To avoid another brouhaha, the Academy initiated numerous changes in the make-up of the committees and membership [increasing the youth or younger factor].
2016 was also a big year for indies – several of which made it into the Top Nine.
The Academy welcomes the nominees in 24 categories and presenters with these words: No matter who you are or where you live, movies bring us together. Through indelible, fearless performances you extraordinary actors help make it happen. And the world listens. [Bring to the screen your tired, your poor, your huddled masses and let it infuse them with buttered popcorn, Sno-caps, and ice-cold Coke.]
There’s a new prez and not all of Hollywoodland is pleased with DJT, so expect loud protests and anti-testimonials. Several stars have announced they won’t attend; however, by attending, they could make an impact and be heard worldwide.
The Oscars, live and on tape, are seen by an estimated 35 million worldwide. At press time, President Trump and Pope Francis haven’t been added to the presenter’s list or weighed in on the nominations – some of which must displease both.
The fate of Best Picture is in the hands of the Hollywood caucus. Leading the pack in nominations are “La La Land“ (Lionsgate) received a record-tying 14 (1950’s “All About Eve” – and 1997’s “Titanic“ also achieved this distinction). “Arrival” and “Moonlight” (A24/Plan B) came in second with eight.
Actress in a leading role will be the category where the winner could be anybody’s guess. There’s been so much hype about Emma Stone in “La La Land,” but Isabelle Huppert turned in a memorable performance in “Elle“ (Sony Pictures Classics), and the incredible Natalie Portman turned herself inside out to create a harrowing impersonation of “Jackie”(Fox Searchlight), our former first lady. Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep continued to break records with her 20th nomination (Best Actress, Supporting Actress) for “Florence Foster Jenkins.”
Over in the men’s category, Casey Affleck outshined older brother, rising to star status at the top of the pack with his extraordinary performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester by the Sea“ (Amazon Studios).
Often it’s puzzling how nominators nominate. For instance, when she is billed as a co-star in bold lettering and carries at least, if not more, of the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s Tony and Drama Desk-winning Fences, starring the leads of the 2010 Broadway revival, Tony-nominated Denzel Washington and Viola Divas, how does two-time nominee (“Doubt,” “The Help“) Davis get regulated to the Supporting Actress category? And wasn’t Jeff Bridges an equal star with Ben Foster and Chris Pine in “Hell and High Water“?
Presenters will include: five-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams, Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Oscar winner Warren Beatty, Golden Globe winner Gael Garcia Bernal, Oscar winner Halle Berry, Oscar and Golden Globes winner Faye Dunaway, Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio, GG nominee Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Oscar nominee Felicity Jones, Oscar and Drama Desk winner Shirley MacLaine (seven nominations), David Oyelowo, Oscar and Tony winner Mark Rylance, two-time Oscar nominee Emma Stone, Oscar winner Charlize Theron, and Oscar and SAG winner and Golden Globe nominee Alicia Vikander.
Artists will be “Waitress“ composer [and soon-to-be-star of the musical] Sara Bareilles, performing the In Memoriam tribute. Auli’l Cravalho and Lin-Manuel Miranda will sing the nominated “How Far I’ll Go” from Animated nominee Moana, Rock’s John Legend, who was featured in nominated La La Land will perform “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” Sting sings “The Empty Chair” from “Jim: The James Foley Story” (HBO); and Justin Timberlake will perform “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from “Trolls” (Dreamworks Animation).
Honorary Awards were bestowed to Jackie Chan, the Hong Kong martial artist; Oscar-winning British editor (“Lawrence of Arabia,” many more) who has four nominations; veteran casting director Lynn Stalmaster; and Frederick Wiseman, Emmy-winning documentarian and international theater director.
Oscar certainly hasn’t always been perfect, so you might anticipate an upset. “Citizen Kane,” now considered one of the greatest movies of all time, didn’t catch
on with audiences of its day, but it got a Best Picture nod – only to be outgunned by the Welsh mining drama “How Green Was My Valley“ Best Picture. Star Orson Welles co-wrote the screenplay with the great Herman J. Mankiewicz, but through some maneuver Welles got sold credit and, on winning, didn’t even have the largesse to mention, much less credit Mankiewicz [which may have marked the beginning of his slow downfall].
Could there be a tie as in 1969, when two Best Actress winners were announced: Katharine Hepburn/”The Lion in Winter“ and Barbra Streisand/ “Funny Girl.” With Hepburn absent, Streisand had the stage all to herself for her famous quip, “Hello, Gorgeous!”
Could there have been a more celebrated film and director in 1973 than Francis Ford Coppola and “The Godfather,” which captured Best Picture. However, it was Broadway’s Bob Fosse who grabbed the director gold for the screen adaptation of Best Picture nominee “Cabaret.”
The Academy Award, nicknamed “Oscar,” was first presented in 1929. Tickets were $5, 15 statuettes were awarded in a dinner ceremony that ran 15 minutes. The annual Awards were broadcast on radio in 1930; and first televised in 1953. Bob Hope became the host dejour. The Oscars are now seen live in more than 200 countries and can be streamed online.
Open those darn envelopes, please. Got your ballot? Vote. Let the winner be your winner! Nomination highlights:
Best picture
Arrival, Fences, Hackshaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Lion,
Manchester by the Sea,and Moonlight
Actor in a leading role
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea; Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge; Ryan Gosling, La La Land; Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic; Denzel Washington, Fences
Actress in a leading role
Isabelle Huppert, Elle; Ruth Negga, Loving; Natalie Portman, Jackie; Emma Stone, La La Land;
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
Actor in a supporting role
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight; Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water; Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea; Dev Patel, Lion; Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
Actress in a supporting role
Viola Davis, Fences; Naomi Harris, Moonlight; Nicole Kidman, Lion; Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures; Michelle Williams,Manchester by the Sea
Directing
Damien Chazelle, La La Land; Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge; Barry Jenkins, Moonlight;
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea; Denis Villeneuve, Arrival
Documentary (feature)
13th, Fire at Sea, I Am Not Your Negro, Life Animated, O.J.: Made in America
Foreign language film
Land of Mine, Denmark; A Man Called Ove, Sweden; The Salesman, Iran; Tanna, Australia;
Toni Erdman, Germany
Animated feature film
Kubo and the Two Strings; Moana; My Life as a Cougarette; The Red Turtle; Zootopia
For the full list of nominations, visit www.oscars.com.
For heightened drama watch those scary moments when winners exit the stage all pumped with adrenalin and are ambushed by Kelly Ripa sticking a mike in their face.
At www.oscars.org, check out the full list of nominees and play against your friends in the Official Oscars Challenge; and participate in Oscars Backstage 2017, a second screen experience where you choose from four channels pulling from more than 20 cameras on the red carpet and backstage at the Dolby.
Ellis Nassour is an Ole Miss alum and noted arts journalist and author who recently donated an ever-growing exhibition of performing arts history to the University of Mississippi. He is the author of the best-selling Patsy Cline biography, Honky Tonk Angel, as well as the hit musical revue, Always, Patsy Cline. He can be reached at ENassour@aol.com.
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