oscars

Smith also resigned from the Academy over his slap of Chris Rock.

“I was out of line and I was wrong.”

President Donald Trump is going after director Spike Lee, who used his Oscar acceptance speech to urge mobilization for the 2020 election.

During WW II Hollywood got behind the war effort. Celebrities sold war bonds, did USO tours, made movies about war heroes. Those days also ended long ago.

Do I really want actors doing my thinking for me? Sadly people do. Meryl Streep had no problem calling out the president during the Golden Globe Awards.

While the Academy Awards may leave a sour taste in the mouths of those who think artists shouldn’t be forced to compete, there’s no denying that an Oscar nomination is still a powerful piece of validation for a lot of filmmakers, especially those from other countries. Filmmakers like Asghar Farhadi  —  whose 2016 film The Salesman will be seen by many Americans due to its Best Foreign Language Film nomination  —  should be able to take this time to engage with audiences about the importance of this work. Instead, Farhadi will have to watch the Academy Awards on television like the rest of us.

Check out the full list of 2016 Oscars winners here.

DiCaprio won Best Actor at the 2016 Academy Awards on Sunday night (February 28).

Brie Larson won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 2016 Academy Awards on Sunday night (February 28).

Alejandro G. Inarritu won the Oscar for Best Director at the 2016 Academy Awards on Sunday night (February 28).