Tag: Will Smith

  • Will Smith would face little more than a slap if charged

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Will Smith’s slap seen around the world at the Oscars was clearly a crime, legal experts say, but the chances of prosecution are slim and even if convicted he’d likely face little more than a slap of his own — on the wrist.

    Smith left millions of witnesses stunned Sunday when he marched onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre and smacked Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was sitting with the actor in the front row.

    The Los Angeles Police Department has said it was aware of the incident but was not investigating because Rock declined to file a police report.

    While police could technically open an investigation based on the Academy Awards broadcast, they wouldn’t do so without Rock’s participation, said defence lawyer Alan Jackson, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor who oversaw high-profile cases.

    “Would they ever in a practical world do that when Chris Rock is saying, ’I won’t cooperate with a criminal investigation?’ Not in a million years,” Jackson said. “LAPD is probably breathing a relative sigh of relief that they don’t have to get involved with two high-profile actors duking it out on a world stage.”

    The Los Angeles city attorney’s office, which prosecutes misdemeanour crimes, declined to comment but said it couldn’t bring charges without a police referral.

    “If he’s going to be charged, I can’t speak to what the charge would be,” spokesman Rob Wilcox said.

    News of celebrities in trouble has been a fixture in LA since Hollywood’s early days, and questions frequently arise about whether the rich and powerful receive a different brand of justice.

    “The celebrity thing is coming into play, unfortunately,” said former LA District Attorney Steve Cooley. “If some Joe Blow committed this act in front a police officer, would he be able to walk away from it? Probably not.”

    If Smith is not charged, it could imperil the justice system’s credibility, said Jody Armour, a law professor at the University of Southern California.

    “How can what appears to be an obvious criminal act committed in the open publicly not result in any criminal consequences?” Armour asked. “Do different standards apply to celebrities and noncelebrities? Apparently, we seem to all recognize that is the case. But what does that recognition say to us about the legitimacy and credibility of our criminal justice system?”

    While the famous can use their status to influence decision-makers, their fame can work against them if the prosecutor decides to make an example of a crime by someone well-known.

    “I would be surprised if the city attorney does not seriously consider it because it was so public,” said Alison Triessl, a criminal defence lawyer who has handled many misdemeanour battery cases. “Are they sending the wrong message if they don’t prosecute him?”

    Triessl said there’s no question a crime was committed, and there’s no need for the victim to file a report. Charges are routinely brought in domestic violence cases without cooperation from the victim because the crime is against the state for violating its penal code.

    “It sends a message that you can commit a crime and you won’t be punished,” she said. “This was a very wrong message.”

    Defence attorney Adam Braun said it’s unrealistic Smith would face charges in the absence of serious injuries and without support from Rock.

    “Although a prosecution is not likely, the wild card here is that the evidence is overwhelming and the incident was witnessed live by millions,” Braun said. “Prosecutors could feel compelled to prosecute Will Smith, regardless of Chris Rock’s preference, to avoid creating the impression that a wealthy actor is above the law.”

    If Smith were charged, he would face a misdemeanour battery count, which carries a penalty of up to six months in jail. Even if prosecuted and convicted, it is unlikely he would face incarceration and there are alternatives to going to court that could lead to a penalty as light as having to attend anger management classes.

    Cooley said if he were advising Smith, he’d have him voluntarily enroll in anger classes and then try to convince prosecutors not to bring charges in the interest of justice because he had recognized his problem and was dealing with it.

    Cooley said he’d want more information on the case as a prosecutor before making any decisions. He said LAPD was premature in announcing they weren’t getting involved.

    Stephen Downing, a retired LAPD deputy chief, said a case could be brought. But he said it was reasonable not to waste resources when Rock apparently wasn’t injured or ruffled enough to file a complaint.

    “Rock carried on as if nothing happened to him,” Downing said. “He didn’t even put a hand to his cheek. There didn’t appear to be an injury. If he had knocked him to the floor and rendered him unconscious, I think action would have been taken.”

  • Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence after Oscars slap

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: Jada Pinkett Smith took to Instagram on Tuesday in her first public comments since husband Will Smith slapped comic Chris Rock at the Oscars.

    “This is a season for healing and I’m here for it,” she wrote in a post that had been liked more than 65,000 times within the first couple of hours.

    There was no elaboration and comments on the post were restricted.

    The brief statement came less than 24 hours after Smith issued an apology to Rock over the attack at Sunday’s glitzy Hollywood ceremony.

    In a shocking episode broadcast live around the world, Smith stormed onstage and hit Rock for a joke about his wife’s closely cropped head.

    Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a condition that causes her to lose hair.

    Stunned Oscar attendees were initially unsure if the powerful slap was part of a skit, until Smith shouted profanities from his seat.

    Rock managed to return to the awards, but the atmosphere at the event had shifted unmistakably.

    Moments later, Smith won the Oscar for best actor, giving a tearful speech in which he claimed: “Love will make you do crazy things.”

    Trade title Variety reported Tuesday that the TV audience grew by more than 600,000 during Smith’s speech.

    On Monday, as the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences said they were probing the assault with view to possible sanctions, Smith said sorry.

    “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” the “King Richard” star wrote on Instagram.

    “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith said.

    There has been no public comment so far from Rock and no immediate reply to AFP queries to his representatives.

    Meanwhile, takes on the incident have continued to spiral on social media, with YouTube personality and boxer Jake Paul offering $30 million for the two men to get in a ring.

    “I got $15m for Will Smith and $15m for Chris Rock ready to go,” he wrote on Twitter.

    “Let’s do it in August on my undercard.”

    While neither man has ever boxed professionally, Smith played Muhammad Ali in the 2001 biopic “Ali.”

  • Oscars ratings bounce back as Will Smith hooks viewers

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: The Oscars were in desperate need of a ratings boost, and, on a night when Will Smith stunned viewers by slapping Chris Rock on stage, some 15.36 million Americans tuned in.

    Preliminary audience figures, revealed by broadcaster ABC on Monday, represent a significant recovery from last year’s record-low 9.85 million live viewers, although they are still the second-lowest in televised Academy Awards history.

    The moment when Smith struck comedian Rock for quipping about his wife’s hair-loss condition immediately went viral online, launching countless memes and opinions both defending and condemning the best actor winner.

    “Does the Academy want this kind of publicity? No, they don’t. They don’t want the kind of publicity that says violence takes place at the Oscars,” Variety’s Marc Malkin told AFP. 

    “That said, does it make more people talk about the Oscars in the Academy? For certain. I’m just not sure this is the way they want to be talked about.”

    The TV ratings recovery mirrors those of several other awards shows including television’s Emmys in September and the recent Screen Actors Guild award ceremonies.  Many award shows were forced to stage virtual or low-key ceremonies in 2021 because of the pandemic, and drew unusually low audiences.

    ALSO READ | Will Smith apologizes for his behaviour at Oscars 2022

    Oscars figures last year fell by around 50 percent from the previous ceremony’s 23.6 million, which was already a record low, as award shows struggle to remain relevant in an era of social media and binge-watching on streaming networks.

    Academy producers this year resorted to innovations such as pre-taping the announcements of winners in several less starry Oscars categories, and adding a “fan favorite” prize for a film voted by Twitter users.

    Sunday night’s show also ended with a historic win for “CODA,” which featured a mainly deaf cast, and was the first best picture triumph for a streaming service.

    But it was an unscripted and highly controversial moment that created the Oscars’ talking point Sunday, as Smith strode onto the Oscars stage and slapped Rock for a joke comparing his wife Jada Pinkett Smith to the character “G.I. Jane.” Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, a condition causing hair loss.

    Malkin said the planned changes to the schedule of the show ultimately “didn’t turn the Academy Awards upside down and on its head.” 

    “It’s hard to even look at those changes now, with what happened after the awards,” added Malkin, referring to the incident with Smith and Rock. “It is sort of like, ‘Okay, that didn’t happen!’” Official ratings will be released on Tuesday. 

  • Will Smith apologizes for his behaviour at Oscars 2022: ‘I was out of line and I was wrong’

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: The day after slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars stage and upending the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions are “not indicative of the man I want to be.”

    The fallout from Smith’s actions during Sunday’s ceremony continued Monday as Hollywood and the public continued to wrestle with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith striking Rock, who had made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and said it would launch an inquiry.

    Later in the day, Smith gave a stronger apology than he did in his best actor acceptance speech, which notably hadn’t included an apology to Rock.

    “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” said Smith in a statement issued by his publicist and posted on Instagram. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

    The 53-year-old actor added apologies to the film academy, producers of the telecast, attendees, viewers and the Williams family. Smith was honored Sunday for his role as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, in “King Richard.”

    “I am a work in progress,” added Smith.

    After calling a board of governors meeting Monday to discuss the incident, the film academy said that it review Smith’s actions and “will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.” The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday it was aware of the incident but was not pursuing an investigation because the person involved declined to file a police report.

    Smith shocked the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage after Rock, appearing as a presenter, joked: “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”

    The joke touched a nerve. Pinkett Smith, whose head is shaved, has spoken publicly about her alopecia diagnosis. Smith strode on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted for Rock to “get my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.”

    His words echoed clearly throughout the Dolby, though broadcaster ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds. Within an hour, Smith won best actor, receiving a standing ovation. During his five-minute acceptance speech, Smith spoke about defending his family. He also apologized to the academy.

    Rock’s joke wasn’t part of his routine during the rehearsals leading up to the show, according to two sources close to production who were not authorized to speak publicly.

    But Rock had joked about Pinkett Smith before. He hosted the 2016 Oscars, when some were boycotting the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, including the Smiths. Said Rock then: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”

    Smith’s actions rattled a pivotal Oscar ceremony. Until that moment, producer Will Packer had steered an orderly and lighthearted telecast that the academy hoped would restore the Academy Awards following last year’s record-low ratings. Sunday’s ceremony reached an estimated 15.36 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen company numbers Monday. While a marked improvement over the 9.85 million that watched last year, it was still the second-least viewed Oscars.

    Some academy members, like writer-producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith.

    “He disgraced our entire community tonight,” wrote Herskovitz on Twitter. Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy’s board of governors, said Monday on “The View”: “We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I’m sure.”

    The Screen Actors Guild also weighed in. The film, television and radio union called the incident “unacceptable.” SAG said that it had been in contact with the academy and ABC, and it doesn’t comment on the guild’s own disciplinary process.

    A sense of disbelief hung in the air at the Dolby Theatre after Smith’s assault. Not only was it a hard-to-fathom break with decorum on live national television an incident so dramatic, even movie-like, that many initially assumed it was a staged bit  it seemed wildly out of character for one of Hollywood’s most relentlessly upbeat stars. And it came less than an hour before Smith reached possibly the pinnacle of his career, winning his first Oscar, for best actor.

    “In a way, I feel bad for Will Smith, too, because I think he let his emotions get the better of him, and this should have been one of the great nights of his life,” said former Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel on Bill Simmons’ podcast. “And now it’s not. Was there anyone who didn’t like Will Smith an hour ago in the world? Like no one, right? Now he doesn’t have a single comedian friend — that’s for sure.”

    Some questioned whether Smith should have been allowed to continue to sit front and center after smacking Rock. Several stars rushed to counsel and calm Smith, including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry. But the timing was intensely awkward because the best actor category was due up soon after, and Smith had long been considered a lock for the award.

    “I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment,” wrote Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, on Twitter.

    The drama overshadowed some historical wins at the Oscars. The deaf family drama “CODA” became the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. For the first time, a streaming service, Apple TV+, took Hollywood’s top honor, signaling a profound shift in Hollywood and in moviegoing. Wins for Ariana DeBose of “West Side Story,” Troy Kotsur of “CODA” and Jane Campion, director of “The Power of the Dog,” all had made history.

    ALSO READ | Jane Campion wins directing Oscar for ‘Power of the Dog’ 

    Others came to Smith’s defense, including Tiffany Haddish, who co-starred with Pinkett Smith in “Girls Trip.”

    “Maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,” Haddish told People magazine.

    ALSO READ | Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ wins big at Oscars 2022

    After the show, Smith posed for photographs with his family outside the Vanity Fair party. Inside, cell phone videos captured him dancing to “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” while clutching his Oscar. Their son Jaden tweeted: “And That’s How We Do It.” On Instagram, Smith posted: “Me ’n Jada Pinkett Smith got all dressed up to choose chaos.”

  • Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at Oscars brings focus on alopecia disorder

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Hollywood star Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars is making global headlines but the incident has also brought the focus on alopecia — a medical disorder that leads to varying degree of hair loss.

    During the Academy Awards ceremony, Smith slapped Rock on stage after the latter cracked a joke about the Hollywood star’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.

    The joke was in reference to Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head because of autoimmune disorder alopecia but it apparently didn’t go down well with Smith, who went up to the stage and slapped Rock.

    Dermatologists and hair care experts from Delhi to Mumbai concurred that as the disorder entails loss of hair, it often “affects the self-image and self-esteem” of people suffering from it.

    Doctors at leading hospitals in Delhi said alopecia could be “scarring” or “non-scarring” or alopecia areata, triggered by autoimmune conditions.

    Mumbai-based dermatologist and hair transplant surgeon Dr Sonali Kohli said there are multiple kinds of alopecia, largely depending on the degree of autoimmune disorder.

    The most common type is “alopecia areata”, which occurs in about one out of 1,000 people.

    “In this type, there could be a single or multiple patches of hair loss and both adult and children can get it.

    Alopecia is a genetic disorder, so children have the susceptibility of getting it even if one of their parents have it, but the degree of susceptibility could be different,” she told PTI.

    Other types of alopecia are — alopecia totalis (when entire scalp turns bald); alopecia ophiasis (when even the hair loss is also on occipital, temporal, and parietal regions of the scalp); and alopecia universalis (when the hair loss happens across the entire body), doctors said.

    Kohli said in this disorder, essentially the immune system attacks hair follicles and causes hair loss.

    Kohli said she was aware of the incident that took place during the Academy Awards ceremony when actor Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage after he cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.

    Kohli said unlike a disease like cancer which wrecks the body of a patient, this condition is such that it affects the “beauty” and “self-image” of a person due to loss of hair, and while in case of alopecia areata, some people wear a cap or something, and in case of alopecia totalis, many wear a wig or a hairpiece, it makes people conscious of their image.

    Smith, who later won the Best Actor award, tendered a tearful apology on stage, and said, “Love will make you do crazy things”, as his wife looked on sitting in the audience.

    As the incident has brought alopecia back under spotlight, many doctors said some of the Indian celebrities also have it, but they generally do no acknowledge it in public, as “actors in India ar considered God-like”.

    Dr D M Mahajan, senior consultant, dermatology, Apollo hospitals in Delhi said, both male and female are equally susceptible to this condition.

    In one type, there could be male-pattern alopecia or baldness or female-pattern alopecia or baldness.

    Also, non-scarring alopecia is “reversible” but scarring alopecia is “not reversible”, he said.

    “Also, people who have certain allergies are more susceptible to it,” the doctor said.

    Dr Rashmi Sharma, consultant, dermatology at Fortis Hospital at Vasant Kunj said while alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder largely, depression, anxiety and stress can also trigger it.

    “Every person has two per cent risk of developing this disorder or one in 1,000. And, both male and female are are equally susceptible, as are adults and children,” she said.

    Doctors said its treatment, depending on varying degree of disorder, could be use of topical ointment or intra-lesional steroid injection, among other interventions.

  • Oscars 2022: Will Smith, Jessica Chastain wins Best actor, Best actress; ‘CODA’ wins Best picture

    By AFP

    HOLLYWOOD: Deaf family drama “CODA” won best picture honors at the Oscars Sunday, the first ever triumph for a streamer, in a ceremony that was overshadowed by best actor-winner Will Smith striking comedian Chris Rock on stage for making a joke about his wife.

    Tinseltown’s biggest night began with a performance by pop megastar Beyonce, and touched on politics with a moment of silence over the Ukraine crisis.

    But before the final awards were handed out, the shocking Smith-Rock altercation went viral, and changed the mood of the night.

    “CODA”, a feel-good indie drama starring deaf actors in lead roles, had been presumed a longshot for Hollywood’s biggest prize until very recently, but pulled off a remarkable late surge to emerge triumphant. 

    The film bagged the historic prize for Apple TV+, a relative newcomer in a streaming market dominated by rivals like Netflix.

    “Thank you to the Academy for letting our ‘CODA’ make history tonight,” said producer Philippe Rousselet.

    Taking its title from the acronym for child of deaf adult, the movie also won for best adapted screenplay, and best supporting actor for Troy Kotsur, who plays the father of a teenage girl who can hear and wants to pursue a career in music.

    Kotsur dedicated his golden statuette to the deaf and disabled communities. “This is our moment,” he said.

    Jessica Chastain won best actress for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” in which she played a real-life televangelist who became an unlikely champion for the LGBTQ community.

    “We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country… in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love,” she said.

     ‘Art imitates life’ But Hollywood’s biggest night was dominated by a shocking moment in which Smith — who won best actor for his work on “King Richard” — slapped Rock on stage, before returning to his seat alongside his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and shouting profanities.

    “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” yelled Smith, forcing the producers to bleep out several seconds of audio from the televised broadcast in the United States.

    Rock, presenting the best documentary prize, had compared Jada’s tightly cropped hair to Demi Moore’s appearance in the film “G.I. Jane.” Jada suffers from alopecia, a condition causing hair loss. The moment left stunned viewers questioning if it had been scripted or genuine. 

    But when he returned to the stage to accept his award, a tearful Smith lamented “people disrespecting you” in Hollywood, and apologized to the Academy “and all my fellow nominees.”

    Smith, who plays the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams in “King Richard,” added: “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams.”

     ‘Diverse characters’ Until recently it had appeared that dark, psychological Western “The Power of the Dog” was fated to earn Netflix its much-coveted first best picture statuette.

    As it turned out, the film won only best director for Jane Campion. She is only the third woman to do so in Oscars history, just a year after Chloe Zhao became the second (“Nomadland”). Kathryn Bigelow was the first for “The Hurt Locker.”

    Kenneth Branagh’s childhood-inspired “Belfast” — another presumed best picture frontrunner — triumphed for best original screenplay.

    Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress for playing Anita in “West Side Story,” and Disney’s “Encanto” was named best animated feature.

    DeBose, who first made her name on Broadway, celebrated her historic win for “an openly queer woman of color, an Afro-Latina.” Yvett Merino, producer of Colombia-set “Encanto,” said she was “so proud to be a part of a film that put beautiful, diverse characters in front and center.”

    “Summer of Soul” won best documentary for musician Questlove’s first movie about the huge “Black Woodstock” festival that took place in 1969 Harlem.

    Japan’s “Drive My Car,” a Japanese arthouse film based on a short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami, was named best international film.

    Powerhouse music Beyonce began the televised broadcast with her nominated tune from “King Richard,” from the Compton courts where Serena and Venus trained as girls. But the award for best original song went to Billie Eilish for her James Bond theme song “No Time to Die.”

    In another musical highlight, viral sensation “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was performed live, with Megan Thee Stallion adding an Oscars-themed verse to the “Encanto” hit song.

    Hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall kicked off proceedings inside the Dolby Theatre — where the Oscars returned after a year away due to the pandemic — with an opening skit that poked fun at everything from sexism in Hollywood to Florida’s “Don’t say gay” bill.

    “This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” said Schumer.

    Sykes added: “We’re going to have a great night tonight. And for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night.”

    Sci-fi epic “Dune” ended the night with the most wins, earning six in craft and technical categories — best sound, score, editing, production design, visual effects and cinematography.

    Devastation The annual “in memoriam” paid tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot dead by Alec Baldwin in a tragic accident on the set of Western “Rust” last year.

    Recently deceased Hollywood greats also honored in the segment included Sidney Poitier — the first, and for many decades, the only Black man to win best actor.

    The gala held a moment’s silence for Ukraine, while presenter Mila Kunis — who was born in the country — said it was “impossible not to be moved” by the resilience of “those facing such devastation.” Several attendees wore blue ribbons reading #WithRefugees.

  • Oscars 2022: Will Smith, Jessica Chastain win Best Actor, Best Actress; ‘CODA’ wins Best Picture

    By AFP

    HOLLYWOOD: Deaf family drama “CODA” won best picture honors at the Oscars Sunday, the first ever triumph for a streamer, in a ceremony that was overshadowed by best actor-winner Will Smith striking comedian Chris Rock on stage for making a joke about his wife.

    Tinseltown’s biggest night began with a performance by pop megastar Beyonce, and touched on politics with a moment of silence over the Ukraine crisis.

    But before the final awards were handed out, the shocking Smith-Rock altercation went viral, and changed the mood of the night.

    “CODA”, a feel-good indie drama starring deaf actors in lead roles, had been presumed a longshot for Hollywood’s biggest prize until very recently, but pulled off a remarkable late surge to emerge triumphant. 

    The film bagged the historic prize for Apple TV+, a relative newcomer in a streaming market dominated by rivals like Netflix.

    “Thank you to the Academy for letting our ‘CODA’ make history tonight,” said producer Philippe Rousselet.

    Taking its title from the acronym for child of deaf adult, the movie also won for best adapted screenplay, and best supporting actor for Troy Kotsur, who plays the father of a teenage girl who can hear and wants to pursue a career in music.

    Kotsur dedicated his golden statuette to the deaf and disabled communities. “This is our moment,” he said.

    Jessica Chastain won best actress for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” in which she played a real-life televangelist who became an unlikely champion for the LGBTQ community.

    “We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country… in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love,” she said.

     ‘Art imitates life’ But Hollywood’s biggest night was dominated by a shocking moment in which Smith — who won best actor for his work on “King Richard” — slapped Rock on stage, before returning to his seat alongside his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and shouting profanities.

    “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” yelled Smith, forcing the producers to bleep out several seconds of audio from the televised broadcast in the United States.

    Rock, presenting the best documentary prize, had compared Jada’s tightly cropped hair to Demi Moore’s appearance in the film “G.I. Jane.” Jada suffers from alopecia, a condition causing hair loss. The moment left stunned viewers questioning if it had been scripted or genuine. 

    But when he returned to the stage to accept his award, a tearful Smith lamented “people disrespecting you” in Hollywood, and apologized to the Academy “and all my fellow nominees.”

    Smith, who plays the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams in “King Richard,” added: “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams.”

     ‘Diverse characters’ Until recently it had appeared that dark, psychological Western “The Power of the Dog” was fated to earn Netflix its much-coveted first best picture statuette.

    As it turned out, the film won only best director for Jane Campion. She is only the third woman to do so in Oscars history, just a year after Chloe Zhao became the second (“Nomadland”). Kathryn Bigelow was the first for “The Hurt Locker.”

    Kenneth Branagh’s childhood-inspired “Belfast” — another presumed best picture frontrunner — triumphed for best original screenplay.

    Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress for playing Anita in “West Side Story,” and Disney’s “Encanto” was named best animated feature.

    DeBose, who first made her name on Broadway, celebrated her historic win for “an openly queer woman of color, an Afro-Latina.” Yvett Merino, producer of Colombia-set “Encanto,” said she was “so proud to be a part of a film that put beautiful, diverse characters in front and center.”

    “Summer of Soul” won best documentary for musician Questlove’s first movie about the huge “Black Woodstock” festival that took place in 1969 Harlem.

    Japan’s “Drive My Car,” a Japanese arthouse film based on a short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami, was named best international film.

    Powerhouse music Beyonce began the televised broadcast with her nominated tune from “King Richard,” from the Compton courts where Serena and Venus trained as girls. But the award for best original song went to Billie Eilish for her James Bond theme song “No Time to Die.”

    In another musical highlight, viral sensation “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was performed live, with Megan Thee Stallion adding an Oscars-themed verse to the “Encanto” hit song.

    Hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall kicked off proceedings inside the Dolby Theatre — where the Oscars returned after a year away due to the pandemic — with an opening skit that poked fun at everything from sexism in Hollywood to Florida’s “Don’t say gay” bill.

    “This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” said Schumer.

    Sykes added: “We’re going to have a great night tonight. And for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night.”

    Sci-fi epic “Dune” ended the night with the most wins, earning six in craft and technical categories — best sound, score, editing, production design, visual effects and cinematography.

    Devastation The annual “in memoriam” paid tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot dead by Alec Baldwin in a tragic accident on the set of Western “Rust” last year.

    Recently deceased Hollywood greats also honored in the segment included Sidney Poitier — the first, and for many decades, the only Black man to win best actor.

    The gala held a moment’s silence for Ukraine, while presenter Mila Kunis — who was born in the country — said it was “impossible not to be moved” by the resilience of “those facing such devastation.” Several attendees wore blue ribbons reading #WithRefugees.

  • Oscars 2022: Will Smith punches Chris Rock over joke about wife Jada Pinkett

    By ANI

    LOS ANGELES: American actor Will Smith punched comedian Chris Rock after he got miffed at the latter’s joke directed at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith during the 94th Academy Awards.

    After slapping Rock, Smith walked back and used expletives, saying: “Keep my wife’s name out of your *** mouth”. As per Variety, Rock appeared on stage to present the Oscar for documentary feature and he then made a joke about Jada-Pinkett Smith (Will Smith’s wife) being in ‘G.I. Jane’ because of her shaved bald head.

    Initially, Smith was laughing but Jada clearly looked affected by the joke. Smith then took to the stage to punch Rock.

    Many in the ceremony looked stunned by the altercation. Diddy, who was the next presenter addressed the situation by saying: “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family. Right now we’re moving on with love. Everybody make some nose.”

    Last year, Jada Pinkett Smith had announced that she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia. Talking about Will Smith, the actor is nominated in the Best Actor Category for ‘King Richard’.

    The 94th Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and the ceremony is being hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes. The nominations for the Oscars were announced on February 8 this year by actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan.

  • Oscar 2022: Will Smith wins best actor Oscar for ‘King Richard’

    By AFP

    UNITED STATES: Will Smith on Sunday won the Oscar for best actor for portraying Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard in the tennis biopic “King Richard,” taking home the trophy minutes after he went viral for slapping presenter Chris Rock onstage.

    “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said through tears.

    “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”

    Not long before he earned his golden statuette, Smith sparked controversy at the gala by storming onstage and slapping Rock, who made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

    “I’m hoping the Academy invites me back,” Smith said to close his speech.

    Smith beat Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”), Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick…BOOM!”) and Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”).

    After the altercation and Smith’s speech, host Amy Schumer returned to the stage, saying: “Did I miss anything? there’s like a different vibe in here.”

  • There’s no infidelity in my marriage, says Will Smith

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star Will Smith has said that there has “never been infidelity” in his marriage and nothing that has happened within his relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith has come as a surprise.

    The ‘King Richard’ star’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, spoke in 2020 about her “entanglement” with singer August Alsina but the 53-year-old actor insisted nothing that has happened within their relationship has come as a surprise, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

    He said: “There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever.”

    Smith doesn’t care if people speculate about his marriage and instead he encourages the “chatter” in the hope it will spark meaningful debate.

    He told Gayle King on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’: “I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people. Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation and to be able to truly explore if some of the things in your heart are loving or poisonous.”

    In September, the ‘Aladdin’ star said that his wife wasn’t “the only one engaging in other sexual relationships” outside of their marriage.

    However, he declined to go into detail, particularly because his mindset has changed in recent years.

    He explained: “It may seem hard to believe, but I would lose sleep over not giving you the answer that I know you could use. I want to help you, I want you to succeed, I want you to have a headline.

    “But by the same token, I don’t want to deal with the backlash of that in the world. To say I don’t want to talk about that three years ago would have been f****** excruciating for me.”

    Smith said the 50-year-old actress never “believed in conventional marriage” so they spent a long time figuring out their relationship boundaries.

    He said: “Jada never believed in conventional marriage. Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship.”

    “So she grew up in a way that was very different than how I grew up. There were significant endless discussions about, what is relational perfection? What is the perfect way to interact as a couple? And for the large part of our relationship, monogamy was what we chose, not thinking of monogamy as the only relational perfection.”

    The ‘Men in Black’ star said their approach isn’t for everyone.

    He said: “We have given each other trust and freedom, with the belief that everybody has to find their own way. And marriage for us can’t be a prison.”

    “And I don’t suggest our road for anybody. I don’t suggest this road for anybody. But the experiences that the freedoms that we’ve given one another and the unconditional support, to me, is the highest definition of love.”