The 90th annual Academy Awards show kicked off with Jimmy Kimmel as the host, second time in a row. Oscars 2018 didn’t wear the politically charged fervour that the Golden Globes exuded with an all-black dress code acknowledging the #MeToo movement but it tried to make up for that sartorial paucity with some biting socio-political jabs.
Here’s a roundup of those references.
Orange is the New Black
Just like the omnipresent Time’s Up pin in the Golden Globes Awards, some of the Oscar A-listers were seen wearing orange pins from gun control group Everytown to underscore gun violence prevention.
Jimmy Kimmel #FTW
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel opened the 90th Academy Awards with references to the sexual harassment scandal that rocked Hollywood. His monologue was rife with political statements. He kickstarted the ceremony with a speech taking on the Republican party, Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence.
His tone maintained a fine balance between straight-talking and satire. “The stunning Lupita Nyong’o, she was born in Mexico and raised in Kenya. Let the tweetstorm from the President's toilet begin!” said Kimmel. He also made a comment on the gay romance nominated for the category of Best Picture - “We don’t make films like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ for money. We make them to upset Mike Pence.”
“We Hope ‘Icarus’ is a Wake Up Call”
Icarus, a documentary crediting claims of Russian state-sponsored athletics doping pocketed an Oscar on on March 5. Director Fogel made a brief political comment while accepting the award.
“Rodchenko is a fearless whistleblower who now lives in grave danger. We hope Icarus is a wake up call, yes about Russia, but in the importance of telling the truth, now more than ever.”‘Icarus’ director Bryan Fogel
DACA & The Dreamers
The fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration program hangs in the balance after Trump announced it’s end last fall. The program made it possible for young undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children (touted as Dreamers) to shed their oblivion and fear of deportation and openly receive work permits and drivers’ licenses and attend school.
Lupita Nyong'o, a Kenyan-Mexican said, "Like everyone in this room and everyone watching at home, we are dreamers. We grew up dreaming of one day working in the movies. Dreams are the foundation of Hollywood, and dreams are the foundation of America,"
"To all the Dreamers out there, we stand with you," added, Kumail Nanjiani a Pakistani-American stand-up comedian from Iowa. He even referred to the places they both hailed from as "two places that nobody in Hollywood can find on a map."
‘Stand Up For Something’
Activists like Cullors, of Black Lives Matter, Stevenson, of Equal Justice Initiative and Janet Mock, of #GirlsLikeUs amongst many others joined Common and Andra Day on stage in the performance of the song ‘Stand up for something.’
He referred to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people dead in February.
“These days we dance between love and hate..... A President that trolls with hate. He don’t control our fate because God is great. When they go low we stay in our heights. I stand for peace, love and women’s rights.”Sang Common
New Voices, Different Voices, Our Voices
Salma Hayek, Annabella Sciorra and Ashley Judd, the three women who came out with their allegations against Harvey Weinstein took to the stage to introduce a video featuring A-listers and others from the industry advocating diversity in Hollywood.
“The changes we are witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, different voices, of our voices, who are joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying Time’s Up,”Ashley Judd
“If this poem is the only thing that survives me, tell them this is how it happened: Tell them I built me a throne. Tell them when we discovered life on another planet it was a woman and she built a bridge -- not a border. I heard that this is how you make history. This is how you create a new world.”The message on the #HereWeAre Twitter card
I am an Immigrant: Del Toro
Guillermo Del Toro’s win as Best Director at the 90th Academy Awards for The Shape of Water makes him the third Mexican director to win in the most coveted category after Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu. Leading the list of nominations, the film bagged a total of four awards.
“In the last 25 years, I’ve been living in a country all of our own. The greatest thing our industry does is to erase lines in the sand. We should continue to do that.”Del Torro
Keep Puerto Rico in the Conversation
Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is set to reprise his role as Alexander Hamilton for a special three-week run in San Juan, Puerto Rico in January 2019. In 2017, he released a star-studded song, "Almost Like Praying," to raise funds for Puerto Rico. During the Oscars night, he urged people to visit the hurricane ravaged Carribean island.
“I know there’s no shortage of things in the news, but keep Puerto Rico in your hearts.”Lin-Manuel Miranda
Source: With inputs from CNN
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