The slap is still felt a year after the Oscars

NEW YORK (AP) — The Oscars are on Sunday, but are the Oscars over yet?

When Hollywood gathers again at the Dolby Theater for the 95th Academy Awards, the ceremony could lead to a lot. The probable triumph of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (“Everything everywhere at the same time”). A possibly historic night for Asians and Asian Americans in the film industry. Perhaps a record number of “Cocaine Bear” jokes.

But for many, nothing will be stronger than returning to The Smackdown site. In a way, we are all still living in that moment frozen in time. Chris Rock’s face twisted to one side. Will Smith’s arm extended dramatically. There was dead silence over the Dolby Theater.

A new low point for the Oscars, but a high point of public fascination. The SmackDown was immediately etched in the collective memory, and its shock continued to resonate. On Sunday Rock, in a stand-up comedy special, offered his fiery rebuttal, adding a new volley to the still-ongoing discourse on the incident.

For the first time, two sequels, “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” are nominated for Best Picture. This year’s Oscars, whether the academy likes it or not, will also be a sequel, just without the presence of its best stars. Smith was banned from academy activities for 10 years. The rock remained standing.

Host Jimmy Kimmel, who was on the same stage at Dolby in 2017 when the Best Picture winner’s fake envelope scandal broke, a moment of Oscar infamy now all but forgotten, said he would tackle at The SmackDown. It would be “ridiculous” not to, he told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is also making preparations. After a slow response to Smith’s actions, which Academy President Janet Yang called “inappropriate,” the Oscars will have their first “crisis team” to respond to potential surprises. Kimmel, who has hosted twice before, was brought in in part to get a firm hand on the broadcast, which will restore all categories of the live show. Kimmel is the first solo presenter of the televised ceremony in five years, the previous one being just him.

“We learned from this that the academy needs to be completely transparent and accountable in our actions,” Yang said at the nominees luncheon last month. “And especially in times of crisis, you must act with speed, compassion and determination for us and for our industry.”

Kimmel’s challenge will be to reference The SmackDown without allowing other Oscars to be defined by him. Last year, after Smith’s coup and the ensuing shouting from his theater seat, the Oscars confusedly stumbled over the remains of a sweltering ceremony, distracting from the drama’s historic victory with deaf actors. ) and the documentary “Summer of Soul”, the award Rock was going to present to Questlove when the incident occurred. Smith also won his first Oscar, for “King Richard” (“King Richard: A Winning Family”). He did not apologize at the time, but did in a statement the following day. Shortly thereafter, Smith resigned his membership in the academy.

This year, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” arrives as the most nominated with 11 mentions. While initially not shaping up to be an Oscar favorite, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Multiverse is set to take home Best Picture after scooping Top Film Syndicate awards. The Daniels, as they are known, are favorites to beat Steven Spielberg in the Best Direction category. Former child star Ke Huy Quan is considered the top contender in the best supporting actor category. Michelle Yeoh could become the first Asian winner in the best actress category.

CAN SOMETHING STOP “EVERYTHING”?

A24’s popular indie film had an enviable Oscar run, winning the Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild, Directors Guild and Writers Guild Awards. History emphasizes that nothing can beat it. However, some doubts persist that goofy action-comedy just isn’t Oscar-winning material, and that the German WWI film “Im Westen nichts Neues” (“All is silent on the front”), which won the BAFTAs from the British Academy of Films and has nine nominations, it could surprisingly win the award for best picture. Netflix’s heartbreaking anti-war film resonated particularly in Europe, where the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. The nominated documentary “Navalny”, about imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is directly linked to current affairs in Eastern Europe.

WHAT ABOUT THE BEST ACTRESS CATEGORY?

By far the fiercest and most controversial category this year is Best Actress. It looks like a clash of heavyweight contenders with first-time nominee Yeoh and two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett nominated for “Tár.” Anyone could walk away with the trophy. But much of the drama came in the nominations, where Andrea Riseborough was nominated for a drama few have seen, ‘To Leslie’, after a host of celebrities led an endorsement campaign for the British actress. . At the same time, two acclaimed black actresses, Danielle Deadwyler of “Till” (“Till: Justice for My Son”) and Viola Davis of “The Woman King” (“The Woman King”), were left out, triggering a debate on the influence of social ties, money and race on rewards campaigns. Just when everything seemed to be coming to an end, hours before the final Oscar vote, Yeoh posted screenshots of a Vogue article on Instagram Tuesday defending her about Blanchett. Academy rules prohibit “any tactic that singles out ‘the competition’ by name or titles.” Yeoh deleted the post. Still, throughout awards season, she and Blanchett celebrated each other heartily.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STREAMING SERVICES?

Last year’s winner “CODA” marked the first time a streaming service, Apple TV+, won Hollywood’s top prize. Many pandemic candidates were shipped quickly, or almost immediately, upon release at home. This year, it’s a whole different story. Only one of the 10 films nominated for best picture comes from a streaming service: Netflix’s “Im Westen nichts Neues”. This film is expected to win awards on Sunday, including Best International Film and Best Cinematography. Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” a Netflix film, is also a big favorite to win the Best Animated Feature award. But after years of Oscar breakthroughs, Netflix and Co. could see a pullback in major categories. This matches the decline of the streaming industry after years of torrid growth.

WILL THE BOX OFFICE RELEASE INCREASED RATINGS?

It’s been years since the Best Picture nominees have performed so well at the box office. “Top Gun: Maverick” has grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, with Spielberg even being heard telling Tom Cruise he “saved Hollywood” at the Oscar nominees luncheon. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is the third highest-grossing film of all time with nearly $2.3 billion in ticket sales. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (with $858.8 million) could earn him, with the nomination of Angela Bassett, the first Oscar in an acting category for a Marvel film, although the shortlist of supporting actresses remains one of the most difficult to predict. , viewership grew based on the popularity of the nominees. Last year’s ceremony, perhaps prompted by those rushing to watch La Bofetada sequels, drew 16.6 million viewers, 58 % more than the 2021 edition which was affected by the pandemic (it was watched by an all-time low of 10.5 million viewers), but is still far from the ratings of several years ago . Last year’s telecast was heralded as a return to normal for the Oscars, at least before, well, you know what. This year will go a long way in determining what the next normal will be for Oscars television broadcasting.

WHAT ABOUT BETS ON SLAPS?

As Kimmel pointed out, you can bet on anything at the Oscars, including whether someone will give the host one.

“If you bet $100 on yes, you win $1,200,” Kimmel said on her late night show late last year. “What I think is they’re tricking someone with a gambling problem into slapping me, aren’t they?” ___ Jake Coyle is on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP