News Analysis India

Tag: Academy

  • Suriya, Kajol invited to join the Oscars’ Class of 2022

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Popular Tamil star Suriya, Bollywood actress Kajol, award-winning filmmaker Nalin Kumar Pandya aka Pan Nalin, Oscar-nominated documentary makers Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas, and Indian American ‘Deadpool’ and ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ producer Adiya Sood have been inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body that presents the Oscars each year.

    Suriya is the first South Indian actor to be inducted into the Academy to date.

    On Tuesday, the Academy released the list of 397 distinguished artists and executives it had invited to join the organisation in 2022. The Academy said the new members had been selected on the basis of their professional qualifications and their “ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity”.

    ‘Variety’ notes that if all of this year’s invitees accept membership, it will bring the total number of Academy members to 10,665, with 9,665 eligible to vote for the 95th Oscars set to take place on March 12, 2023.

    The new invitees, 50 per cent of whom are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States, include 71 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners.

    Some of the big names invited are recent winners Ariana DeBose (‘West Side Story’) and Troy Kotsur (‘CODA’), and nominees Jessie Buckley (‘The Lost Daughter’), Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee (‘The Power of the Dog’).

    Also invited, according to ‘Variety’, are a slew of global artists such as Robin de Jess (‘Tick, Tick … Boom!’), Olga Merediz (‘In the Heights’) and Vincent Lindon (‘Titane’), director Reinaldo Marcus Green (‘King Richard’), screenwriters Jeremy O Harris (‘Zola’) and Jon Spaihts (‘Dune’), and pop star Billie Eilish, who also sang for ‘No Time to Die’.

    Lindon, incidentally, was the president of the competition section jury of the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

  • Will Smith responds to Academy’s 10-year ban after 2022 Oscars slap incident

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Actor Will Smith has responded to being banned from Academy events for 10 years after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony.

    The Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, on Friday, voted to ban the ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’ star from all the Academy events for 10 years.

    Minutes after the decision was announced, Smith responded by saying, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” to Page Six.

    “The Board of Governors has decided, for a period of 10 years, from April 8, 2022, Mr Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” the Academy announced on Friday, through an official statement.

    The statement continued, “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.” Smith, 53, will keep the Oscar he won this year for his role in ‘King Richard.’

    ALSO READ | Will Smith gets 10-year Oscars ban over Chris Rock slap 

    For the unversed, while presenting the best documentary feature award at the 2022 Oscars, Chris Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

    Rock said he couldn’t wait to see Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia areata, star in ‘G.I. Jane 2’ which led Smith to go up on stage and slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!”

    A few minutes after the incident, Smith was announced Best Actor at the 94th Academy Awards. While accepting his first-ever Oscar for best actor (leading role) in ‘King Richard’, Smith apologized to the Academy and fellow nominees but did not mention Rock.

    However, after receiving backlash for his disorderly behaviour, Smith issued an apology to Chris Rock and Academy on his social media handle. On March 29, there was a short virtual meeting between Smith, Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, initiated by Smith.

    A few hours later, Smith announced his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, claiming he “willfully accept any and all consequences for my conduct.” 

  • Academy begins disciplinary proceedings against Will Smith for his behaviour at Oscars 2022

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Appears like Oscars 2022 slap controversy is not over yet. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday began disciplinary proceedings against actor Will Smith for misbehaving at the 94th Academy Awards held on Sunday.

    For a recap, while presenting the best documentary feature at the Oscars, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

    Rock said he couldn’t wait to see Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia, star in ‘G.I. Jane 2′ which led Smith to go up on stage and slap Rock. Smith returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fu**ing mouth!”

    After the incident, Smith who was announced Best Actor at the Oscars, was asked to leave the show but refused to do so; The Hollywood Reporter reported.

    The actor’s actions were in violation of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, “including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted the statement released after a Board of Governors meeting.

    The statement revealed that Smith could face suspension, expulsion or other sanctions if the board chooses to take action at the next scheduled meeting on April 18.

    Additionally, Smith will receive 15 days’ notice of a vote as well as an opportunity to be heard by written response beforehand.

    “Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted Academy.

    The Academy also apologised directly to Rock in the statement, as well as nominees, guests and viewers. For the unversed, while accepting his first-ever Oscar for best actor (leading role) in ‘King Richard’, Smith apologised to the Academy and fellow nominees, but did not mention Rock.

    The Hollywood Reporter reported that the officers of the organisation’s Board of Governors had an emergency meeting a day later, and the full board met on Wednesday to discuss the incident.

    One board of governor said there was broad support for Smith to be suspended or expelled from the Academy. “I think everyone unanimously feels what he did was out of control,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    “People want real consequence. Every member of every branch is reaching out to all their governors. It was an assault — and not only a physical assault, but an assault on the community,” told the source to The Hollywood Reporter.

    The source added that “images of Smith and his family celebrating and dancing at the post-Oscar Vanity Fair party as if nothing had happened was an additional insult.” Following a rage of backlash over social media, including from the Academy, Smith took to Instagram on Monday to apologise to Rock.

    The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Rock declined to press charges against what happened at the Oscars 2022 ceremony.

  • Register to stay in academy by February 9, learn hockey, archery and athletics for free

    Khelo India Center of Excellence is being started in Bilaspur. The center will be a residential sports academy, in which boys and girls of hockey, athletics and archery will be given free training in sports. State level sports academy is being started by the Sports Department in Bilaspur as well as Raipur. In which sports of hockey, athletics and archery will be trained.

    The academy will be run by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department under the Government of India’s Khelo India Scheme in Bilaspur. Boys, girls, who will get admission in sports academies of Raipur and Bilaspur, will be provided accommodation, food, educational expenses, sports apparel, accident insurance, sports training facilities for free.

    Boys and girls in the age group of 09 to 17 years will be given opportunity to enter the academy of Raipur and Bilaspur. Those interested in hockey, athletics, archery can get sports training by staying in Bilaspur or Raipur regularly. They may be involved in the selection process.