The Oscars: Winner mix up, Defamation, Boycott, First Muslim Oscar winner Politics and entertainment .What a night

The glamour, the anticipation, the politics, the fashion  and what an Oscar ceremony it was this year.  It gave us a bit of everything. The first Muslim Oscar winner, a ‘fashion spat’ a boycott and  the piece de resistance  a mix up in announcing the winner for the Best film Winner.  And of course a  Presidential tweet. I loved it.
 
Opening with Justin Timberlake who began his performance outside the theatre then dancing down through the isles to the stage getting  some of the stars up from their chairs and dancing along. Charlize Theron, Javier Bardem who is Penelope Cruz husband were just a few of those jiggling away to the music. What a night of pure entertainment both on and off the show.
 
First we had the mix up of who had won the Best Film Oscar. Was it La la land or Moonlight. In fact it was Moonlight.   The Presenters of the highest award the legendry Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty looked confused at the envelop they were handed by Cooper  Price Waterhouse  and duly announced the winner as La la land.
 
The scene that then followed was  reminiscent of the mix up at the Miss Universe were the wrong contestant was announced crowning Miss Colombia when in fact the winner was Miss Philippines.
 
 “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz handled it  superbly not just at the time but subsequently when he said with elegance and humor  that at least he got to give the speech and thank his wife and family  and to hand the Oscar to the real winner  Moonlight a small budget film which is very good. . Wish certain politicians had that same grace. Are you listening Donald Trump?
 
Secondly, we had that delicious and very false allegation made by Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld who incorrectly claimed that actress Meryl Steep wasn’t wearing his design because she had demanded a payment. Totally untrue and he had to apologies to Meryl for that fictitious allegation. But what a rumpus. Meryl who looked fabulous in   a gown by Lebanese designer Elli Saab  was quiet rightly angry at the defamation to her integrity.
 
 The Fashion and films  industries are a huge huge huge businesses. Sometimes designers will pay up to 250,000 US dollars to get an actress to wear their design as the publicity for the brand is potentially very lucrative. The endorsement of a mega star translates into serious money for the brand and the effort the big designers make to interest a major star is very competitive.
 
Thirdly we had the first Muslim  Oscar winner Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a drug dealer in “Moonlight. His performance was a tour de force.
 
Last but by no means least we had eminent Iranian director Asghar Farhadi  boycott the event because of Trumps travel ban .  He said he wanted not only to stand by his fellow Iranians but also for all the other countries that had been banned because it was ‘disrespectful’ to humanity. He won the coveted Oscar for  Best Foreign film  “The Salesman,” .
 
 The world of entertainment  is not simply fluff and puff. It’s the area where politics, business, fashion, and causes collide and merge .Beyond the glamour and hype I think films and actors contribute  much to society both artistically and politically. Anyone who mistakes Hollywood for a bit of whimsy is mistaken.
 
Films not only entertain us  but also highlight important and relevant issues . Often celebrities will use their fame to draw attention to issues that would remain under the radar for most of the public.

Actors have frequently, used the Oscars to highlight issues around the world. Who can forget in  1977 Vanessa Redgrave support  of the  Palestinians. Because of that support and the documentary she made of the same name the Jewish Defense League objected to her nomination and picketed outside  the Oscar ceremony.
 
In 2015 Actress Patricia Arquett made an impassioned speech on  unequal pay for women. Sean Penn in 2009 used his platform to decry California’s proposition 8 which banned same sex marriage. The great late Marlon Brando refused to attend the ceremony in 1973 though he accepted the Oscar for his role  as Vito Corleione in the Godfather  as he objected to the treatment of American Indian in the film industry.
 
 Actors can and do use their fame to voice their protest and sometimes they pay a heavy price for the support they give to causes. The Hollywood Blacklist of the late 40’s instigated by the House Committee on Un- American Activities targeted many in the film industry as communist. Ten leading film makers were jailed for a year for refusing to cooperate. Many times actors who have supported the Palestinian cause have been reprimanded including Javier Bardem  Selina Gomez  and Rihhanna for their public condemnation of Israel’s bombing of Gaza. There was an outcry when Scarlett Johansson advertised SodaStream which has a large factory in Mishor Adumin a large illegal  Israeli settlement. She had to resign her position with Oxfam the anti poverty charity as she refused to back out.
 
 The field of politics and entertainment are irrevocably meshed and actors can send out powerful messages by their stand. Last year none of the Oscar winners accepted the free gift by Israel’s tourist office of Luxury holiday in Israel except for Jennifer Lawrence  who used the tickets for her parents. Matt Damon Leonardo di Caprio  have not taken up the offer and Mark Rylance publicly turned down the gift . Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman both cancelled their trip to a Jerusalem film festival in 2012 after Israel’s raid on Gaza.
 
The outcry last year at the zero nominations of Black actors ensured that this year the academy was more embracive with  Viola Davis  winning Best Supporting Actress  for Fences . In short the world of films and politics are deeply intertwined with the medium being used as an art form to enlighten provoke  and highlight stories that  make us think and reflect. Individually Actors have a powerful tool o draw our attention to issues which are not perceived sometimes as worthy of mainstream news.
 
More recently we have had actors up in arms at President Donald Trump policies . Many refused to attend or perform at his inauguration. His response to Meryl Streep criticism of him at the Golden Globes resulted in Trump refereeing to one of the leading actresses of her generation as ‘overrated’. This just demonstrates the power that Actors can exercise by their comments. The Donald simply could not resist tweeting  that the mix up of the winners  was due to the actors ‘focus on politics”. Need I say more.