Slap in face for British comedy
SOON after the slap that was heard around the world, a friend texted asking: “Is Will Smith the first bloke to win an Oscar by a technical knockout?”
In truth, Peggy Mitchell slapped Pat Butcher harder. But comedians on US TV had a field day.
“Will Smith can’t take a joke – Chris Rock can take a punch,” quipped James Corden, adding:
“Will was handed an
Oscar and a WWE Smackdown belt.”
Jimmy Kimmel quipped: “Nobody did anything to help… Spider-Man was there, Aquaman was there, Catwoman… all sitting on their hands.
“Even Kanye was like, ‘You went on stage and did what at an awards show?’”
British TV had nothing. The “Fresh Punch Of Bel-Air” reminded us that we need nightly topical comedy shows as much as the Oscars need controversy to distract us from how dull and out of touch they’ve become. ITV bungled The Nightly Show five years ago by having hosts who weren’t comics and letting wet producers censor the jokes.
The prissy “you can’t say that” mindset kills comedy dead and sucks the joy out of life.
Why not commission five great comedians, old school and new, with their own writing teams, to go out on different weeknights?
The edge of competition would do wonders for ratings. So take risks and send us all to bed laughing. It couldn’t be as lame as The Last Leg.
The Oscars have less authority than Jackie Weaver. They’re unsavable as long as they’re more concerned with box-ticking than talent.
Awards should go to the best. Nothing else matters.
Will Smith’s King Richard, above, was his finest performance since Ali. What a shame his lasting legacy will probably be awards hosts using stunt doubles. Let’s hope Trevor Noah wears a gumshield at the Grammys.