Image courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.netImage courtesy of Danilo Rizzuti at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
March 4, 2016
Did you watch? What are your thoughts about Chris Rock’s opening monologue, the skits, and winners? Chris’ monologue jokes addressed each side of the racial issues recently mentioned by some actors, fans, and moviegoers. The 88th Academy Awards show really pushed the envelope; the skits showcased more African-Americans than ever and bleeped many curse words. It didn’t stop there; the audience was shocked when Chris Rock introduced Stacy Dash as The Academy’s Director of the new Minority Outreach Program, created to assist African-Americans to book more acting jobs. Chuckles were heard across the auditorium and some clapped while others waited for dialogue. Dash began with an uncomfortable laugh, expressed her eagerness to work with Black people and closed with saying, “Happy Black History Month,” which Dash has publicly announced she’s against having a Black History Month. A few people laughed, as Dash exited the stage, and some applauded. The video can be seen in the article, “Watch Stacy Dash’s Oscars 2016 Moment,” by Marisa Dabney. Another highlight of the night, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles participated by having the opportunity to sell a record amount of cookies to a star-studded audience, raising $65,000 in sales and donations, which Rock announced during the close of the show.
According to Deadline’s article, “Oscar Ratings: Chris Rock’s Return as Host Draws 34M Viewers In 8-Year Low,” by Dominic Patten; reveals record low ratings. Chris Rock first hosted the Oscar’s in 2005 and 41.5M tuned in to watch.
Rocks’ second time around to host the Academy Awards, just happened to be the second year in a row, the Academy Voters excluded African-American nominees and this resulted with many actors announcing they wouldn’t attend or watch The Oscars. Therefore, determining whether the low viewership was due to the boycott called or because of the exclusion of African-American nominees is difficult.
Here’s a little insight on the Academy Membership requirements for actors to become one of the 6,000 plus members. The Oscar’s website states the following from the Academy Bylaws:
(a) have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflects the high standards of the Academy,
and/or
(b) have been nominated for an Academy Award in one of the acting categories,
or
(c) have, in the judgment of the Actors Branch Executive Committee, otherwise achieved unique distinction, earned special merit or made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor.
In other words, the actors’ role must be credited in a feature film (name must appear on rolling credits), a minimum of three films approved to meet The Academy’s standards (at least one film released within the last five years), have been nominated in the past, or cast in a blockbuster and if not, the actor’s other possibility of becoming a member is to have received some type of impressive recognition deemed acceptable by the Actors Branch Executive Committee.
The Atlantic website’s article, “Oscar Voters: 94% White, 76% Men, and an average of 63 Years Old” by Derek Thompson, reports the voters’ percentage breakdown showing minorities have low voting power. The article includes a tweet by Khaled Beydoun, which provides the percentage breakdown showing the Black and Latino members each, only make up 2% of the voters. For instance, out of 6,000 voters, only 240 members are Latino and Black. Moreover, keep in mind the voters’ average age, 63 years and the majority are Caucasian.
Perhaps, the statistics mentioned above clarify why minority actors and certain movies aren’t received by The Academy. Consequently, one can’t be for certain, if an increase in minority membership occurs, whether movie lovers will see more minority actors and urban-based films acknowledged. However, one thing is for certain, only time will tell.
References:
Oscar Ratings: Chris Rock’s Return As Host Draws 34M Viewers In 8-Year Low
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/03/oscar-voters-94-white-76-men-and-an-average-of-63-years-old/284163/
https://twitter.com/KhaledBeydoun/status/440264235369521152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
http://www.oscars.org/about/branch-requirements/actors
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/03/01/oscars-2016-girl-scouts-chris-rock-money-raised
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/02/29/stacey-dash-explains-oscars-appearance-blog-post/81099220/
http://oscar.go.com/news/oscar-news/watch-stacey-dashs-oscars-2016-moment-2