WILL OSCARS BE CANCELED?
Sexual misconduct scandals have cast a pall over Hollywood at a time when the entertainment industry celebrates itself
As movie fans have been hit by an onslaught of stories about powerful Hollywood men sexually harassing and abusing others, one entertainment critic suggested a radical idea: Just cancel the Oscars.
“If the ceremony goes on as planned, everything about it is going to remind us of the ‘Pervnado’ that has left Tinseltown reeling,” wrote Kyle Smith, a critic for the New York Post and the National Review.
Maybe Smith was just being cheeky. But I have to admit, I’ve been in enough of a down- on- Hollywood mood lately to wonder if it would be the right thing to do.
Just this week, The New York Times published another exposé about disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. This story detailed his “complicity machine” — a network of agents, producers, media mo- guls, entertainment writers and celebrities who long knew he was an alleged sexual predator but kept quiet. The story paints a picture of amisogynistic industry rife with abusive behavior that maybe doesn’t deserve to throw itself a big party on March 4.
Still, it’s not easy to imagine not having an AcademyAwards. For movie fans, the Oscars are our Super Bowl. We love the hoopla leading up to the big
night. That includes other big awards events such as the Golden Globes, which take place Jan. 7.
Of course, the best part of the Oscars trajectory is that most of the best movies of any year come out in the fall. Even better, this year’s strong slate of Oscar contenders challenges the boys- club tradition of filmmaking that helped give cover to the alleged abuses by Weinstein, Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Dustin Hoffman, as well as director James Toback and others.
These films are not by, or about, straight white men: Jordan Peele directed the racially charged “Get Out”; Sacramento-reared Greta Gerwig finally told a universal coming-of-age story from the female perspective in “Lady Bird”; gay Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino made the poignant romance “Call Me by Your Name”; and Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” a harrowing World War II- era drama about poor black and white farmers in Mississippi, could earn her the first nomination of an African-American woman for best director. So there are great movies, froma diverse range of voices, that deserve to be celebrated. It’s just a question of how.
The scandals have impacted the public personas of such Academy Awards fixtures and frequent Weinstein collaborators as George Clooney, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. And what about Casey Affleck?
BenAffleck’s little brother won a best actor Oscar for last year’s “Manchester by the Sea,” even though he has hadhisown issueswithsexual harassment allegations. According to Oscars tradition, Casey Affleck is supposed to present the award to this year’s best actress. A lot of people aren’t happy about that, and two petitions have gathered a combined 40,000 signatures to make him stay away.
Of course, there’s no way the Oscars could avoid ad- dressing the scandals when thewholeworld iswatching. Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel told Vulture that he would “probably” say something. “It’s not really a laughing matter,” he added. “There’ll be a lot of people in that roomwhomaybe have been through experiences with (Weinstein), and that’s not something I want them to relive on the night they get their Oscar.”
If anyone should give a rousing Voice of Hollywood speech at this year’s Oscars, it’s Meryl Streep. For one thing, she’s given rousing, of-the-moment speeches before, including at theGolden Globe Awards in January. For another, she recently announced an initiative with other prominent actresses to demand the industry expand opportunities for women and people of color in the roles of directors, producers and studio chiefs, according to People.
So, yes, there could be ways for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tomake a big, bold statement without canceling its big party. They in- clude:
• Nominate artists who represent a diverse range of voices. That means producing a slate of nominees, especially in the influential directing category, that includes women and people of color.
• For the ceremony itself, ask Casey Affleck to stay away.
• Ditch any pretentious speeches, montages or musical numbers that reek of self- congratulation, and choose presenters who stand for the principles by which the academy wants to define itself for the rest of the 21st century.
• For the big inspirational moment, pay tribute towomen in the industry— including Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie andAnnabella Sciorra — who have spoken out against Weinstein’s alleged abuses orwho have otherwise been visible in the #MeToo movement. After all, thesewomenwere just named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, and they have plenty of star power to draw view- ers who want to celebrate their achievements.
In these ways and others, the academy needs to rebuild the public trust so that movie fans can feel OK about loving the Oscars again.