Edited April 1, 20223 yr by sivad40

Q: Could the Academy file criminal or other charges against Will, even if Chris declines to?

Will Packer's interviews today were cringe worthy.

First, he goes on GMA, and when they ask about why people clapped for Will when he won, Packer says that he has a "unique perspective" because he "knows these people" and "above all they respect talent." 

Oh really, Will? 

Did you meet Nicole Kidman while you were producing the Wendy Williams bio-pic for Lifetime?  And did you run into Dame Judi Dench while making Jamie Gidden's Ambitions?  Or do you vaguely know Jada Pinkett because she was in your movie Girl's Trip?

Let's face it the Academy hired Packer because nobody else wanted to be associated with a show that fell 50% in the ratings last year.  It wasn't like there was a choice between Spielberg and Packer and the Academy went with Packer.

Then, they asked whether Will was told to leave the ceremony, and he says that he "wasn't a part of that conversation."

So which is it?  Is he connected enough to know everyone in Hollywood or is someone who was lucky to get the gig, but not powerful enough to consult with when an emergency occurred?

Edited April 2, 20223 yr by j swift

https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/summer-of-soul-chris-rock-oscars-1235219657/

Bruce Willis: Razzies cancel 'worst performance' award over health issues

The news about Bruce Willis' condition hits me particularly hard, as I've always loved his work (opposite Cybill Shepherd) on "Moonlighting."  To me, it was better than any performance he gave on film.

Kevin Smith, to his credit, gave a very passionate defense of Willis' comic skills on Moonlighting, etc. the other day at a convention, and Bruce as a song and dance man. They famously fell out while filming Smith's flop Cop Out and Bruce allegedly behaving very badly. But he was touched to learn that Willis has allegedly regarded him highly since then. I have very little patience for Kevin Smith generally, but it was moving to read about.

Edited April 2, 20223 yr by Vee

JMO but I doubt the Academy would have expelled Will, they would likely have suspended him for a year or two. It’s unlikely that he would have won another Oscar for acting anyway, so I doubt he is that pressed about his departure. And his leaving simply means he won’t be eligible to vote for nominees, he can still be a nominee in future, should lightning strike twice.

Hopefully the media can move on to other things, I mean Alec Baldwin shot and killed someone and I don’t think that issue has been resolved as it pertains to what restitution has been made to her family.

1 minute ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Hopefully the media can move on to other things, I mean Alec Baldwin shot and killed someone and I don’t think that issue has been resolved as it pertains to what restitution has been made to her family.

Agree.  I don't want to minimize the severity of WS' actions, but there ARE bigger, more important issues that we need to talk about.

3 hours ago, I Am A Swede said:

Bruce Willis: Razzies cancel 'worst performance' award over health issues

I don't have as much hate for the  Razzies as some do, other than finding them to be tired, but this does bother me. I imagine some of the people involved in this have ties to various Hollywood names. It seems to have been an open secret in recent years among Hollywood people that Bruce was not doing well. If they knew and still gave him that award, it is beyond tasteless.

8 minutes ago, Khan said:

Agree.  I don't want to minimize the severity of WS' actions, but there ARE bigger, more important issues that we need to talk about.

The only one that Smith really has to make amends to is Chris Rock. All the folks screaming about “what about the children who were watching” don’t seem to realize that at those dismal ratings, hardly anyone was even watching let alone young, impressionable children, who, even if they live on the West Coast were likely to be playing video games not watching  this overlong ceremony.

But yeah, the Academy awards committee has a real problem with relevance or looming irrelevance, and it’s not going  away anytime soon.

Edited April 3, 20223 yr by DramatistDreamer
For heaven’s sake, this formatting issue I’m having

14 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

But yeah, the Academy awards committee has a real problem with relevance or looming irrelevance, and it’s not going  away anytime soon.

At some point, I feel the members of the Academy will have to bow to changing tastes and recognize movies that maybe, once upon a time, they could have ignored.  If only so, as you could say, they can stay relevant.

I mean, I don't like the idea of a DC or Marvel comic book movie being up for Best Picture, let alone winning the statuette, but if that's what it takes....

Edited April 3, 20223 yr by Khan

16 minutes ago, Khan said:

At some point, I feel the members of the Academy will have to bow to changing tastes and recognize movies that maybe, once upon a time, they could have ignored with no problems.  If only so, as you could say, they can stay relevant.

I mean, I don't like the idea of a DC or Marvel comic book movie being up for Best Picture, let alone winning the statuette, but if that what it takes....

Ultimately, the recognition from the Academy has to matter. Fan-voted stuff doesn't count. It's got to come from Academy voters and it's got to be in big categories (picture, acting, director, maybe even screenplay). It's not like there hasn't been precedence: the Oscars have spanned the transitions from the studio system to New Hollywood to Miramax to the IP era. I suspect that, similar to politics, the shift won't happen overnight and there's going to be resistance from those who benefit from the status quo.

15 minutes ago, Franko said:

It's not like there hasn't been precedence: the Oscars have spanned the transitions from the studio system to New Hollywood to Miramax to the IP era. I suspect that, similar to politics, the shift won't happen overnight and there's going to be resistance from those who benefit from the status quo.

Agree.

For years, those who produce the Oscar telecast have been at a loss over how to stop the ratings decline.  They've tried just about every bell and whistle you could think of - multiple hosts! no hosts! female hosts! hosts with color! more categories! fewer categories! more live performances! no live performances! - but, if you ask me, the answer is simple.  It's because most of the folks out there in TV land don't give a toss about films like "CODA" or "King Richard" or "The Power of the Dog."  I'm sure they're all good and Oscar-worthy films, but the majority of viewers or potential viewers simply don't care.

53 minutes ago, Khan said:

I'm sure they're all good and Oscar-worthy films, but the majority of viewers or potential viewers simply don't care.

And that sentiment never really goes away. I can remember family members commenting on it when I was a boy.