Sunday, 26 February 2017

The Oscars Take Over Los Angeles & Chance the Rapper Gives Back to Chicago

For those of you who weren’t lucky enough be treated by Chance the Rapper or invited to be a part of Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars skit, here’s what you missed over the weekend.

 

And The Winner Is...

Stars descended on Los Angeles Sunday evening for the 89th annual Academy Awards, hungry for the opportunity to be recognized for their stellar work in film and to take home the coveted, gold statue. Host Jimmy Kimmel made sure to bring the laughs to this year’s stage, knowing how judgmental spectators can be. "This is my first time here and the way you people go through hosts, it's probably my last time." Kimmel kept the politics to a minimum, trying to keep the spirit of the Oscars relatively lighthearted. "I want to say thank you to President Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That's gone, thanks to him." Not only did he incorporate his ongoing “feud” with Matt Damon, but no Kimmel production would be complete without his “Mean Tweets” segment.


Like any awards show, the night was full of surprises and upsets. La La Land won six Oscars for Best Production Design, Original Song, Original Score, Director, Cinematography and Actress (Emma Stone). The musical’s director, Damien Chazelle, is the youngest person to ever win the award at a mere 32 years old.

The controversial Casey Affleck defied the odds and took home the evening’s award for Best Actor in Manchester by the Sea. Poor Viola Davis is going to have to figure out where to store all of her trophies, as she took home yet another award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fences. Though audiences knew early on that Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director of The Salesman, wouldn’t be in attendance due to his protesting of Donald Trump’s travel ban, it was bittersweet hearing his name announced for Best Foreign Language Film.

The worst upset of the evening happened when presenter Warren Beatty accidentally confused La La Land for Best Picture. There was a bit of premature celebration before the cast realized that accolade was meant to go to Moonlight. Oh well, it happens to the best of us — just ask Steve Harvey. Congratulations to all of the night’s winners! 

 

Chance the Rapper Giveth

As if we needed yet another reason to love Chance the Rapper, the recent Grammy-winning hip-hop artist gave us one on Sunday when he decided to give back to his hometown, Chicago, in the silliest, most selfless way possible. It all started with his recent trip to the movies to check out comedian Jordan Peele’s new thriller, Get Out. The film, which debuted this weekend, has been widely praised for its take on modern-day racism, comedy and good, old-fashioned horror. Chance loved it so much that he expressed his excitement (in all caps) directly to Peele via Twitter.


So, what would any movie enthusiast with endless amounts of cash and connections do? Buy all of the tickets of course. Yes, Lil Chano purchased all of the open seats for Chatham Theatre’s showings of Get Out on Sunday and tweeted for the locals to come and enjoy a free screening of the film on him. Peele has been beyond humbled by the success and support of the film in its opening weekend. If box office numbers made him blush, then Chance’s actions probably brought the first-time director to tears. Don’t ever change, Chance.

 

The Great American Race

Fans and celebrities alike left the cold weather behind and flocked down to the sunny beaches of Florida for NASCAR’s 59th annual Daytona 500. Actors Keanu Reeves and Owen Wilson put on their best blazers and joined Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski at the Speedway for an afternoon of sports history. Television personality and restaurateur, Guy Fieri, went to offer his support for driver Clint Bowyer, while rapper Waka Flocka Flame attended for more personal reasons. He said to USA Today’s For The Win:

“I’m 30, I’m an ‘80s baby, so us growing up, all we had was fast and furious NASCAR games – Sega and NASCAR was major when we were kids – Commodore 64, it was amazing. Just to come here is different. I thought it was just a bunch of oil changes, tires and car crashes, but actually, it’s a real sport.”

For many, Sunday’s race held more than just nostalgic significance. It also meant the heroic return of NASCAR veteran, Dale Earnhardt Jr. After suffering his fifth concussion, Earnhardt was forced to sit out the last 18 races of the 2016 season. Fans and fellow drivers welcomed the two-time Daytona 500 winner back with boisterous cheers and applause.



However, Earnhardt’s comeback didn’t go according to plan. During Stage 2, Kyle Busch’s vehicle lost a tire, resulting in a multi-car collision that also took Earnhardt, Matt Kenseth and Erik Jones out of the race with 94 laps remaining. By the end of the third and final Stage, only five cars remained that hadn’t been wrecked or damaged. Kurt Busch — older brother of Stage 1 winner, Kyle — managed to break through and take the lead, making him the first driver to ever in the prestigious event with only a one-lap lead.

 

Oh, Leslie...

Comedian and Saturday Night Live star Leslie Jones found herself in hot water for mocking the support that white women have shown the Black Lives Matter movement. During her three-night residency at Carolines on Broadway in New York City, Jones brought up the hipster-centric neighborhood of Williamsburg and her experiences walking through it, stating:. “If I see another 45-year-old white woman from Williamsburg saying ‘black lives matter,’ I'm going to punch you in the mouth. Stop doing that.” While the joke allegedly left the audience in stitches, many were left confused as to why she would not only call out the movement’s advocates because of their nationality, but also why it was acceptable for her to also threaten them with violence.

Jones left no stone unturned, as she then went after black women for their lack of participation in standing up for themselves against President Trump: “Not one black woman out there [protesting]. Black woman at home watching ‘[Real] Housewives of Atlanta.’” Speaking of Trump, she then spoke on how the feather-ruffling President is impacting her romantic endeavors. On the prospect of becoming lucky in love, she explained: "I want to be in love. I want to do that, but it's 2017, and we got a pig in office. The world is about to end." Perhaps the stand-up routine as a whole was indeed funny, but for many supporters of Jones, the punchlines all seemed a lot like low-blows.

 

Busy on the weekends? Get more at our What You Missed Over The Weekend page!



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