Steve Pond's Blog, page 1989
February 9, 2020
Oscars Winners by the Numbers: ‘Parasite’ Feasts
The 2020 Oscars were a big night for Bong Joon Ho and his “Parasite.” “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and “1917” didn’t exactly go home empty handed either.
“Parasite” was named Best Picture on Sunday. The film also won Best Director, Best International Film and Best Original Screenplay. Those four wins made the South Korean film the most honored movie at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Sam Mendes’ World War I epic “1917” won three trophies tonight. “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” “Ford v. Ferrari” and “The Joker” each claimed two.
Those five films were all of the multiple award winners. Representatives from the following movies (including shorts) made it on stage once apiece: “Toy Story 4,” “Hair Love,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “The Neighbors Window,” “Little Women,” “American Factory,” “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “Marriage Story,” “Bombshell,” “Rocketman” and “Judy.”
Also Read: 14 Best and Worst Moments of the 2020 Oscars (Photos)
“Joker” entered the evening with 11 nominations, the most of any movie. The film won for Best Original Score and lead actor Joaquin Phoenix was named Best Actor.
Renee Zellweger won Best Actress for her playing Judy Garland in “Judy.” Laura Dern was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Marriage Story,” and Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar for his supporting role in “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”
Find all of the winners here.
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14 Best and Worst Moments of the 2020 Oscars (Photos)
Sunday’s 92nd Academy Awards were an eventful evening filled with both fantastic and cringeworthy moments. From Eminem’s surprise performance to James Corden and Rebel Wilson dressing up as cats, here are the best and worst moments of the 2020 Oscars.
Best: Janelle Monae’s Opening Number
First, the “Dirty Computer” singer put on a Mr. Rogers-style red cardigan and sang “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Then she sang another number accompanied by backup dancers dressed as recent popular movies, some of which were not nominated for Oscars this year, including “Midsommar,” “Us” and “Dolemite Is My Name.”
Best: Chris Rock and Steve Martin
The pair of comedians joked that they’ve been “demoted” from their previous roles as hosts, and that the reason the Oscars are hostless now is because of “Twitter.” Other highlights include shouting out Jeff Bezos (“great actor!”) and telling Martin Scorsese to his face that “The Irishman” is “a great Ray Romano movie.”
Best: Brad Pitt’s Acceptance Speech
The “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” actor got political in his best supporting actor acceptance speech. “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds longer than they gave John Bolton this week,” Pitt said, referencing the impeachment trial. “I’m thinking maybe Quentin [Tarantino] does a movie about it. In the end, the adults do the right thing.” He lightened the mood with a nod to his friendship with co-star Leonard DiCaprio. “Leo, I’ll ride on your coat tails any day, man. The view’s fantastic.”
Best: “Hair Love” Emphasizes Representation
While accepting their win for best animated short film, Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver emphasized the importance of representation, especially in animated films, which directly impact the way children see themselves. Cherry also dedicated the award to Kobe Bryant — “May we all have a second act as great as his was.”
Best: “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen”
Idina Menzel — which is “pronounced exactly as it is spelled,” according to Josh Gad, who introduced her — sang the song, with an assist from women from countries all over the world including Thailand, Germany, and Castilian.
Worst: Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves
Though they were in “Something’s Gotta Give” together, that doesn’t make them a good Oscar-presenter duo. Keaton babbled incomprehensibly while standing directly in front of the mic, forcing Reeves to stand awkwardly to the side and barely get a word in edgewise. Then Keaton almost dropped the envelope when announcing “Parasite” as the winner for best original screenplay. The only thing that salvaged the moment was Bong Joon Ho staring lovingly at his Oscar.
Worst: “The Conners” Crashes the Oscars
After a commercial break, the camera went behind the couch of the family from the “Roseanne” spinoff series to capture their reactions to “Parasite’s” big win, at which point they realize they’re watching themselves on TV. Too bad literally all of their jokes fell flat. Here’s one of Sara Gilbert’s lamest quips: “Oh yeah, can’t wait to watch how to elect a millionaire while I superglue the sole back on my shoe.”
Best: Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph
The pair sang a medley of songs in ear-splitting harmony right before announcing the winner for best costume design. Billie Eilish’s face may have looked unimpressed and slightly confused, but we’re still calling this one a highlight.
Eminem’s Surprise “Lose Yourself” Performance
It wasn’t super clear why the rapper and “8 Mile” star was at the Oscars this year, although it does mark the 17th anniversary of the time he refused to show up to accept his Oscar or perform the song at the 2003 awards show. But there’s no debating one thing: Everybody’s knees were weak and their arms were heavy in the Dolby Theater that night.
Best/Worst: James Cordon and Rebel Wilson in Cat Suits
This could be the best or the worst, depending on how you feel about “Cats.” The pair came out dressed in furry cat-suits and poorly-done makeup to make fun of themselves before announcing the winner for the best visual effects award. “As cast members of the motion picture cats,” Wilson said, “Nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects,” finished Corden. Then they batted around the mic stand in true feline fashion.
Best: Cynthia Erivo Performing “Stand Up” from “Harriet”
The twice-nominated “Harriet” actress came through with a chillingly beautiful performance, complete with high notes that could break glass and desert-colored backup dancers swaying in front of a sunset — emblazoned with a photo of Harriet Tubman herself.
Best: Bong Joon Ho Thanks Fellow Directors
The “Parasite” director thanked “The Irishman” director Martin Scorsese while accepting the Oscar for best director. He also shouted out “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” director Quentin Tarantino, “1917” director Sam Mendes and “Joker” director Todd Phillips, earning warm smiles from all.
“If the academy allows I would like to get a Texas chainsaw to split the award… and share it with all of you,” the “Parasite” director said.
Best: Billie Eilish Sings “Yesterday”
Billie Eilish sang the classic Beatles song while her brother Finneas O’Connell accompanied her on piano, as a montage of all the stars we’ve lost this year played behind them.
Best: Joaquin Phoenix’s Acceptance Speech
From quoting a touching lyric from his late brother River Phoenix to going on an odd crusade about the immorality of stealing cows’ babies, the “Joker” star never disappoints when he’s placed in front of a microphone at an awards show.
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Oscars 2020: Women Have Record-Breaking Night Following Female Director Shutout
Women had another record-breaking night at this year’s Oscars, accounting for one-third of the awards handed out on Sunday night.
Across the 24 categories, 13 women and 26 men took home statuettes this year, an uptick from the previous record set last year when women accounted for 27.8% of the 54 winners. Though there were two fewer female winners compared to last year’s 15, the overall amount of winners was down 28% from 2019.
In addition to Renee Zellweger, who took home Best Actress for her role in the Judy Garland biopic “Judy,” and Best Supporting Actress winner Laura Dern, for “Marriage Story,” the following women earned Oscars on Sunday:
Karen Rupert Toliver, “Hair Love” (Best Animated Short Film)
Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh, “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (Best Production Design)
Jacqueline Durran, “Little Women” (Best Costume Design)
Julia Reichert, “American Factory” (Best Documentary Feature)
Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva, “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)” (Best Documentary Short Subject)
Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker (Best Makeup and Hairstyling)
Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Joker” (Best Original Score)
Kwak Sin Ae, “Parasite” (Best Picture)
A total of 67 women were nominated for Oscars this year, accounting for 32% of the nominees. That was up from last year’s similarly record-setting year, in which 27.5% of the nominations went to women (individuals who were nominated in more than one category were counted more than once).
Those record-setting percentages came in a year when the Oscars took heavy criticism — including a subtle dig from nominations announcer Issa Rae — for the all-male field of best director nominees. Female directors including “Little Women’s” Greta Gerwig, “The Farewell’s” Lulu Wang and “Atlantics” helmer Mati Diop were all overlooked by the Academy, continuing a trend of awards bodies failing to achieve gender parity among nominees.
You can find all the Oscar winners here.
Related stories from TheWrap:
Luke Perry, Sid Haig and Cameron Boyce Not Included in 2020 Oscars In Memoriam
Oscars 2020: James Corden and Rebel Wilson Savagely Poke Fun at 'Cats' (Video)
Who Is Utkarsh Ambudkar, the Guy Who Just Freestyle Rap Recapped the Oscars?
Luke Perry, Sid Haig and Cameron Boyce Not Included in 2020 Oscars In Memoriam
The Academy Awards paid tribute to many famous faces who passed on over the last year with its In Memoriam segment on Sunday night, but at least three notable names were omitted from the list: Luke Perry, Sid Haig and Cameron Boyce.
Recently deceased legends Kobe Bryant, who died Jan. 26, and Kirk Douglas, who passed on Feb. 5, did make it into the 2020 Oscars’ slideshow honoring the deceased, which was accompanied by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s performance of “Yesterday” at the Dolby Theater.
Other noteworthy stars in the 92nd Annual Academy Awards In Memoriam segment included Doris Day, John Singleton, Peter Mayhew, Agnes Varda, D. A. Pennebaker, Peter Fonda, Diahann Caroll, Rip Taylor, Robert Forster and John Witherspoon, among many more. You can watch the tribute via the video above.
Also Read: Oscars 2020 Winners: The Complete List
The Academy did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on the exclusions of Perry, Haig and Boyce from the segment. The three are included in the Oscars’ online gallery, which you can view here.
Best known as Dylan McKay from “Beverly Hills, 90210” and Archie Andrews’ father, Fred Andrews, from The CW’s “Riverdale,” Perry died on March 5, 2019 after suffering a stroke. He was 52.
Boyce, a star of the Disney Channel’s “Descendants” films, died July 6, 2019 at the age of 20 after suffering an epileptic seizure.
Haig, who was a cult favorite actor for playing the part of Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s “House of 1000 Corpses” trilogy, died Sept. 21, 2019. He was 80.
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Oscar’s Longest Losing Streaks: 12 People With 10-Plus Nominations and No Wins (Photos)
As of the 2020 Academy Awards, Diane Warren and Thomas Newman are still among the most-nominated Oscar contenders who have yet to win the award. Both lost in their categories this year, bringing them up to 11 and 15 losses respectively. Here are some other unlucky Oscar nominees.
Greg P. Russell (16 nominations)
Veteran sound mixer Greg P. Russell earned his first nomination for 1989’s “Black Rain.” He almost earned a 17th nomination, for 2016’s “13 Hours,” but his nomination was rescinded after he “violated Academy campaign regulations that prohibit telephone lobbying.”
Roland Anderson (15)
The longtime art director picked up his first nomination for “A Farewell to Arms” in 1934 — and then lost for such classics as 1961’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and 1963’s “Come Blow Your Horn.”
Alex North (15)
Composer Alex North was recognized with an honorary Oscar in 1986 — but he never won despite scoring such classics as “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Cleopatra” and “Spartacus.”
Roger Deakins (14)
Cinematographer Roger Deakins earned the first of 14 nominations for 1994’s “The Shawshank Redemption” — and even earned two nods in 2007 for Best Picture winner “No Country for Old Men” as well as “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.”
Loren L. Ryder (14)
Veteran sound engineer Loren L. Ryder picked up nominations for his sound work on classics like “Double Indemnity,” “The War of the Worlds” and “Rear Window” — but never won a competitive Oscar. However, he did win eight non-competitive honors from the Academy, including honorary prizes and technical achievement awards.
Thomas Newman (15)
The composer earned two nominations in 1995, for “Little Women” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” His most recent nod: 2016’s “Passengers.”
George J. Folsey (13)
The cinematographer earned an unlucky 13 nominations for such movies as 1944’s “Meet Me in St. Louis” and 1954’s “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” — but came up short each time.
Federico Fellini (12)
The beloved Italian director received an honorary Oscar in 1993 but was passed over a dozen times for both his direction and screenplays.
Rick Kline (11)
The veteran sound mixer earned 11 nominations for such hits as “Terms of Endearment,” “Top Gun” and “Air Force One.”
Anna Behlmer (10)
Behlmer is a 10-time nominee for sound mixing such films as “Braveheart,” “L.A. Confidential” and 2009’s “Star Trek.”
Walter Lantz (10)
The veteran animator was best known for Woody Woodpecker but he was forever the bridesmaid at the Oscars — until collecting an honorary award in 1979.
Walter Scharf (10)
The composer earned 10 nominations over the years for films like “Funny Girl” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but never took home an Oscar.
Diane Warren (11)
The songwriter earned her 11th nomination in 2020 for “I’m Standing With You” from “Breakthrough” — one year after getting a nom for “I’ll Fight” from the documentary “RBG.” But so far, she has yet to take home the prize.
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Oscars 2020: James Corden and Rebel Wilson Savagely Poke Fun at ‘Cats’ (Video)
James Corden and Rebel Wilson came out on stage in their “Cats” makeup and costumes at the Oscars to present the award for best Visual Effects and poked fun at their movie.
“As cast members of the motion picture ‘Cats’ no one understands the need for good visual effects better than we do,” Corden and Wilson said. After the nominees were announced, Corden and Wilson swiped at the mic stand like real cats.
Tom Hooper’s movie musical “Cats,” topped this year’s Razzie nominations list for the worst movies and performances of 2019, scoring eight nominations. Other “honorees” on this year’s list include the remake of “Hellboy” starring David Harbour, John Travolta in the thriller “The Fanatic” and the James Franco-directed period drama “Zeroville.”
Also Read: 'Cats,' 'Rambo: Last Blood,' Final 'Madea' Film Top Razzie Nominations for Worst Movies of 2019
Critics have disparaged “Cats,” which stars Francesca Hayward, Taylor Swift, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson and Idris Elba, among others. The film received a C+ CinemaScore and was slapped with a 19% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
TheWrap’s Robert Abelle called “Cats” painful.
“Tom Hooper’s jarring fever dream of a spectacle is like something that escaped from Dr. Moreau’s creature laboratory instead of a poet’s and a composer’s feline (uni)verse, an un-catty valley hybrid of physical and digital that unsettles and crashes way more often than it enchants,” he wrote in TheWrap’s review of the film.
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Academy Museum to Open December 2020
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science finally has an opening date for their soon-to-be-completed museum, as Tom Hanks announced at the Oscars that the Academy Museum will open its doors on December 14, 2020.
“We cannot wait to welcome the whole world to the Academy Museum. When our doors open on December 14, our thrilling combination of exhibitions, screenings, and public and educational programs will create unparalleled experiences for movie lovers everywhere,” said museum director Bill Kramer.
Also Read: Who Is Utkarsh Ambudkar, the Guy Who Just Freestyle Rap Recapped the Oscars?
Hanks will serve as a co-chair the museum’s campaign alongside Annette Bening and Disney CEO Bob Iger. Located along the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, the museum will feature four floors of exhibits with more details on the museum’s contents to come.
“The dream of this museum will finally become a reality — a gathering place for filmmakers and movie fans from around the world, where we can share the Oscars legacy and further fulfill the Academy‘s mission to connect the world through cinema,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.
Related stories from TheWrap:
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Who Is Utkarsh Ambudkar, the Guy Who Just Freestyle Rap Recapped the Oscars?
If you were like us, you probably were wondering who was that guy who showed up in the middle of the Oscars on Sunday, only to rap-recap the first half of the show. Luckily, that’s what we’re here for.
That was Utkarsh Ambudkar, who is best known as a member of the freestyle live performance rap group, “Freestyle Love Supreme.”
Back in 2003, future Tony-winning director Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”) helped form the group with other soon-to-be stars, including Christopher Jackson (“Hamilton”) and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Ambudkar joined the group in 2005, and performed in the group’s self-titled Broadway show last year. You can read a recap of that show here.
Also Read: Here's Why Eminem No-Showed the 2003 Oscars When He Won for 'Lose Yourself'
Ambudkar was actually the original Aaron Burr on “Hamilton,” performing the role in the developmental readings at Vassar Workshop. He was replaced by Leslie Odom Jr. when it went to Off-Broadway, then later becoming a massive hit on the Broadway stage.
Ambudkar is also known for his roles on “The Mindy Project” and ABC’s short-lived “The Muppets” series. He has also appeared in films “Pitch Perfect” and “Brittany Runs a Marathon.” He will play the con-artist Skatch in Disney’s upcoming live-action “Mulan.”
Before all that? Ambudkar was an MTV VJ (back when those were still a thing) for MTV Desi.
You can watch Ambudkar at the Oscars below.
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February 8, 2020
‘SNL': Larry David’s Bernie Has an Easy Solution for Those Iowa Caucus Problems (Video)
Another Democratic primary debate on Friday means we got another parody in the “SNL” cold open this week. This is actually a bit unusual for the sketch series, which has typically done its debate parodies this season later on in the show, reserving the cold open for whatever madness happened with the Trump Administration during the week.
Regardless of that detail, this debate sketch was like the previous ones with its parade of celebrity cameos in many of the candidate roles. We had Larry David as Bernie Sanders, as we’ve seen numerous times during season 45. We had Rachel Dratch as Amy Klobuchar. And Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, a role he’s gone back and forth with Woody Harrelson on.
And there was also a very brief appearance by Fred Armisen as Mike Bloomberg.
Also Read: 'SNL': Alec Baldwin Returns for the Trump Impeachment 'Trial You Wish Had Happened' (Video)
A bunch of “SNL” cast members filled out the rest of the candidate list: Pete Davidson as Tom Steyer, who showed up to the debate “tripping balls”; Kate McKinnon as Elizabeth Warren; Colin Jost as Pete Buttigieg; and Bowen Yang as Andrew Yang.
Larry David, as is usually the case with everything he shows up in, stole the show as Bernie, and in his opening statement he addressed that whole thing with the Iowa caucuses this week.
“I can’t believe all this mess happened in Iowa because of an app. Hey, I have an idea for an app. it’s called no apps,” David’s Bernie said. “No apps, no computers, no gadgets, no gizmos. You show up to your polling place, you take a number like you do with the butcher, they call your ticket, you walk up to the counter and say to the guy, ‘give me a pound of whatever’s about to go bad.’ “
Also Read: 'SNL': Jon Lovitz as Alan Dershowitz Joins Adam Driver's Jeffrey Epstein on Satan's Podcast
The candidates talk Iowa at the New Hampshire Democratic Debate. #SNL pic.twitter.com/18ZDr5k5q4
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 9, 2020
Later in the sketch, Bernie discussed the, ah, intensity of his fanbase.
“I don’t know how or why it happened, but I am king of an army of internet trolls called ‘Bernie Bros’,” he said. “Could I stop them in their tracks? Of course! Should I? Yes. Will I? Eh. Hillary Clinton says nobody likes me. Then let me ask you this: How come I am the most popular guy on 4chan?”
Independent Spirit Awards: A Very Sane Aubrey Plaza and Michael Shannon Parody ‘The Lighthouse’ (Video)
After singing and dancing her way into the show during her monologue, host Aubrey Plaza sat down with Michael Shannon for a very sane conversation about her hosting duties to that point. It played out in a parody of one of the year’s weirder films, “The Lighthouse.”
In the skit, the duo played lighthouse keepers who just don’t get along, and when Plaza sees Shannon writing something in his log and asks him what he’s writing, Shannon tells her, “Nautical things.” She grabs the log and sees that he clearly didn’t like her opening monologue — and he especially didn’t like that she called out Shia LaBeouf and his career in her opening.
“Ye rewrote all me jokes,” Plaza laments.
Shannon, in one of the funnier references to the film, justifies rewriting Plaza’s jokes by saying the seagull, which sits atop the statue for the Independent Spirit Award never laughed. That was before he began farting up a storm… you’d really have to see the movie.
Also Read: Independent Spirit Awards 2020: Aubrey Plaza's Best Jokes
Directed by Robert Eggers, the off-kilter horror film stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe. “The Lighthouse” has been acclaimed since it premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It is the follow-up to Eggers’ satanic period piece “The Witch,” and follows a pair of lighthouse keepers whose grip on sanity slowly dwindles as they grapple with the isolation that comes with being in a tiny tower surrounded by stormy weather. Filmed in black and white and in 4:3 ratio, Eggers’ direction and Dafoe and Pattinson’s performance drag the audience into the claustrophobic reality these two face.
Dafoe won the Independent Spirit for Best Supporting Male for his role in the film. Click here to see the full list of winners.
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Independent Spirit Awards 2020: The Complete List of Winners
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