I usually write an Oscar wrap-up post. I’m not feeling it this year other than to quote, and praise, Chris Rock:
But here’s the real question. The real question everybody wants to know, everybody wants to know, in the world, is Hollywood racist? Is Hollywood racist? You know, that’s — that’s a — you know, you got to go at that at the right way. Is it burning cross racist? No. Is it fetch me some lemonade racist? No, no. It’s a different type of racist.
<snip>
That’s right. Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right Hollywood’s racist. But it isn’t the racist you’ve grown accustomed to. Hollywood is sorority racist. It’s like — “We like you, Rhonda, but you’re not a Kappa.” That’s how Hollywood is.
Sorority racist. That’s spot-on. Now if he’ll only tell us who Rhonda is. The Kappas may be soon singing a different song. You know the one, Help Me, Rhonda. Of course, that’s pretty damn white too…
Remember all the earnest political types telling Chris Rock to boycott the telecast? They were wrong. It’s the same sort of person who told Bernie Sanders to mention Cornel West to every African-American audience: earnest and clueless. I hate earnestness in the same way that Lou Grant hated spunk. Btw, try googling Cornel West + Obama. That will clearly help Sanders with black voters.
Back to the Oscars. Chris Rock was brilliantly idiosyncratic as always. The upset win of Spotlight over the bear movie was a delight as were the drunk Aussies who won technical awards for Mad Max: Fury Road. Those wins gave me hope that my countryman George Miller (originally Miliotis) would win best director. Those hopes were dashed, and now Iñárritu is only the third director to win back-to-back Oscars. He’s in good company: Joseph Mankiewicz and John Ford are the others. Does anybody really think he’s a John Ford calibre director? I have my doubts. At least Sean Penn wasn’t there to make a bigoted bro joke this year.
The real winner of the 2016 Oscars was Chris Rock. Bring him back, y’all.