3 Big Takeaways And Our Favorite Photos From The 2019 Oscars
No matter what people expected from the 2019 Academy Awards, there wll always be those who feel happy, surprised, disappointed or encouraged during and after the Oscars are broadcast. Here are 10 takeaways that made the 2019 Oscar telecast, Hollywood’s biggest annual celebration of achievements in motion pictures, a night we won’t soon forget.
#OscarsSoDiverse
There was a clear effort by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – the group that gives out the Oscar trophies – to be inclusive this year. African-American representation was on full display, especially on the presenters’ side, with a long list of talented black and brown people, including Angela Bassett, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah, celebrity chef José Andrés, Diego Luna (speaking almost totally in Spanish), Pharrell Williams, Javier Bardem, Jennifer Hudson, Amandla Stenberg, and many more. There were few times that people of color were not seen on the stage, even including music director Rickey Minor, former bandleader of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. And of course everyone looked fantastic.
That doesn’t necessarily mean black people won
Yes, it began with a surprise (but well-deserved) victory for Regina King, who won Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk, and who everybody in America should love. And it continued with Oscars for Ruth Carter (Costume Design; "Black Panther"), Hannah Beachler (Production Design; "Black Panther"), Mahershala Ali (Best Supporting Actor; "Green Book"), and Spike Lee (Adapted Screenplay; "BlacKkKlansman"). But that’s a total of five black Oscar winners this year, out of a field of 24, which is just above 20 percent. It was easy to miss that if you were focusing on how many African-Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Asians and other people across the spectrum of racial diversity were seen onstage. That said, it was still a great night for overall diversity and victories for people of color, with winners that included Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek who won for his leading role in "Bohemian Rhapsody," Chinese-Canadian animator Domee Shi, and lots of women – from Lady Gaga to the creators of a menstruation documentary called “Period. End of Sentence.”
ATL definitely won
ATL’s own John Lewis was given a well-deserved standing ovation as he introduced "Green Book" to the audience. "Black Panther," which was heavily filmed in Atlanta, came away with three awards, and everbody knows we’re the closest thing to an actual Wakanda in existence. The Atlanta University Center was also represented well, with actor Brian Tyree Henry ("If Beale Street Could Talk", "Atlanta") introducing the Best Costume Design award category, and when Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee – who finally got his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman" – shouted out Morehouse and Spelman College.
