It was always bound to be one of the most politically charged Academy Awards ceremonies in history. With the #TimesUp movement constantly gaining momentum, as well as the Academy inviting Jimmy Kimmel and his whip-fast wit back to host for a second year, the 2018 Oscars was a recipe for political jabs and passionate calls for change.
Despite one of the awards’ producers, Jennifer Todd, telling The Times the Academy hoped for significance to be placed on the “films, not the cultural moment around them,” as well as the 90th anniversary of the ceremony, A-listers took aim at the White House and Harvey Weinstein.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars monologue
Jimmy began his opening monologue by paying tribute to the Time’s Up movement, calling the shift “long overdue” and announcing things are “changing for the better.”
Of course Jimmy wouldn’t miss an opportunity for a joke. While pointing out the persistent inequities in Hollywood, the host pointed to the over-sized gold Oscar statue on stage and said, “Just look at him. He keeps his hands where you can see them. Never says a rude word. And most importantly, no penis at all. He is literally a statue of limitations. And that’s the kind of men we need more of in this town!”
Jimmy made a gag about the larger-than-life Oscar statue on stage.
Jimmy addressed the elephant (not) in the room, disgraced film executive Harvey Winestein, who was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last October.
“The only other person to be expelled from the Academy — ever — was a character actor named Carmine Caridi,” Jimmy said. “In 2004 he was kicked out for sharing screeners. Carmine Caridi got the same punishment as Harvey Weinstein for giving his neighbor a copy of ‘Seabiscuit’ on VHS.”
“The world is watching us. We need to set an example. And the truth is, if we are successful here, if we can work together to stop sexual harassment in the workplace, if we can do that, women will only have to deal with harassment all the time in every other place they go,” he quipped.
Host of the affair, comedian Jimmy Kimmel took to the stage to deliver his monologue.
Changing his tone, Jimmy said, “Only 11% of movies are directed by women. And that is nuts. We still have a very long way to go in that department, and a very long way to go when it comes to equal pay.”
Of course the comedian couldn’t leave the stage without taking a swipe at The White House. Referring to a film about a same-sex romance, he said, “We don’t make films like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ for money. We make them to upset Mike Pence.”
The Time’s Up movement
Key members of the Time’s Up movement, Ashely Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Selma Kayek.
American actress Ashely Judd, Italian-American actress Annabella Sciorra and Mexican actress Selma Kayek took to the stage to deliver a powerful speech that hinted at the Time’s Up movement, before introducing a film montage featuring Hollywood A-listers giving words of encouragement.
“The changes we are witnessing are being driven by the powerful sound of new voices, of different voices, of our voices, joining together in a mighty chorus that is finally saying time’s up,” said Ashley Judd. Her statement was greeted by a loud applause from the crowd.
An emotional Salma Hayek followed, saluting those “unstoppable spirits” who broke the barriers and “perceptions against their gender, their race and ethnicity to tell their stories.”
Ashely added: “We work together to make sure the next 90 years empower these limitless possibilities of equality, diversity, inclusion and intersectionality. That is what this year has promised us.”
Emma Stone’s not so subtle dig
Emma Stone didn’t miss her opportunity on stage make take a swipe at gender inequality in Hollywood. While presenting the Academy Award for Best Director, a category dominated by men, the former Oscar winner introduced the nominees saying, “these four men, and Greta Gerwig, created their own masterpieces this year.”
The crowd roared and applauded, while Emma smiled cheekily.
Only one woman has won in the Best Director category in the award show’s 90-year history. Previously, Kathryn Bigelow won for The Hurt Locker. Ladybird director Greta Gerwig lost out to director Guillermo del Toro who took home the statue for his film The Shape Of Water.
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