The 88th Academy Awards were this past Sunday, February 28th, 2016. The big winners of the night included Spotlight for Best Picture, Leonardo DiCaprio for best actor, and Brie Larson for best actress. If you missed the show, don’t worry! I’ll recap some key moments for you.
Chris Rock’s opening
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the Oscars this year about the lack of diversity in nominations, and there was no way Chris Rock was going to ignore this! Rock addressed the issue with humor, saying: “Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right it’s racist!”. He even poked fun at Jada Pickett Smith, who was boycotting the show: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”. Ouch..
Stacey Dash
Most people know Stacey Dash as Cher’s BFF Dionne in Clueless. Recently, though, she made people upset when she criticized “Oscars So White” – a boycott of the Oscars and the lack of diversity in light of Black History Month. When Chris Rock introduced the “new director of diversity outreach” during the show, Dash walked out to wish everyone a “Happy Black History Month” – something none of us would’ve predicted! Chrissy Teigans reaction is how we all felt during this cringe worthy moment.
Diversity Bits
Following his opening, Rock continued to address the lack of diversity throughout the show. In one skit, black actors were inserted into some of the nominated films – one being Tracy Morgan as “The Danish Girl” (which I highly suggest looking up on YouTube).
Another notable moment was when Rock interviewed black moviegoers about this year’s nominees. While most interviewees had never heard of some of this year’s nominated movies, they all saw Straight Outta Compton and agreed it was great.
Rock also gave people the chance to give their own Oscar speech, which was funny!
Chris Rock Sold Girl Scout Cookies
Did your parents ever try to sell Girl Scout cookies for you at their work? Well, Chris Rock was just like a lot parents… except he asked a bunch of millionaires to buy cookies during the biggest award show of the year! He raised the $65,243. Leonardo DiCaprio was too happy to dig into his shortbread cookies.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga was nominated for her original song “Til it Happens to You” from the documentary The Hunting Ground. Not only did she perform this song at the Oscars, but she was joined on stage by dozens of sexual assault survivors. It was a very powerful performance.
Leo Finally Winning his Oscar
Yes, Leo finally won an Oscar… and the memes can officially stop now. I was hoping Leo was going to address the ongoing joke of him never winning an Oscar, but he took a more serious tone like the classy guy he is. He encouraged the audience to “work together and stop procrastinating” when it comes to climate control.