It's Not Gossip, It's Commentary
The 91st Academy Awards seemed to be in dire straights with the Kevin Hart debacle, but the host-less ceremony went off without a hitch and even saw a slight uptick in ratings. Does that mean we should forgo a funnyman/woman next year? I’m not sure, but it certainly had to happen this year. No comedian wanted to go near the ceremony after Kevin Hart stepped down, and that was likely the right decision.
Forgive me for minimizing Kevin Hart’s Oscar debacle with a petty analogy, but the man reminds me of every guy I’ve ever dated who is allergic to apologizing. So allergic in fact that he says things like, “I’m sorry IF I offended you,” or “How many times are you going to mention the same thing. I’ve already apologized.” Lastly, “Can’t we just focus on the future, not the past?” When combined with fame, social media, and the a rightfully offended LGBTQ+ community, it gets even worse.
Keep on reading!The 2017 Oscars are in full force, which means the fashion extravaganza has begun. Though I’ve been mostly disappointed with the less-than-innovative designs, there are a few winners, and it’s surprisingly the most simplistic silhouettes. In fact, sometimes beauty is at it’s height when most toned-down, which means Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson win the award. Get your fix of fashion photos below, and hover over the images to see each name.
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Not a day goes by where I don’t appreciate living in Los Angeles. My most recent appreciation is sparked by my night at The Groundlings to see The Crazy Uncle Joe Show, a long-form improv-comedy show that is based on suggestions from the crowd. Though every cast member of The Groundlings is astoundingly talented, Jim Rash stole the show tonight. If you don’t know Rash, aside from an Oscar winning resume, he’s the guy who made fun of Angelina Jolie’s ridiculous leg-pose at the Academy Awards by sticking out his own leg on stage. I didn’t realize at the time that his sharp decision to poke fun at Jolie isn’t surprising given his stint at The Groundlings, which involves a million sharp comedic choices in the span of an hour. It’s no wonder that Saturday Night Live has so many cast members from The Groundlings. These guys are incredible.
I hope the Academy just learned a lesson about the ramifications of being puritanical hypocrites. Eddie Murphy predictably stepped down as Oscar host after learning that his friend, Brett Ratner, “resigned” as the show’s producer. The Academy likely fired Ratner without realizing the risk of losing Murphy. The Ratner debacle began with a series of loose-lipped interviews, most notably his quote that “rehearsal is for fags.” Had they fired Ratner immediately after he made the bigoted remark, I’d be fine with it. But that’s not why he was fired. Ratner was fired because of his candid Howard Stern interview, in which he detailed his sex life, including making Lindsay Lohan get an STD test prior to sleeping with her and being “in love with eating pus*y.” Though I detest Brett Ratner, there’s an underlying lesson to be learned here — you can use bigoted words, but you can’t openly discuss your sex life. You know . . . because that’s inappropriate. And despite my Ratner hatred, losing Murphy as a host should have been enough to keep Ratner. I predict a very boring Academy Awards this year.