|
| Protestors gather outside of the offices of WABC-TV to rally for more diversity in the film industry Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, in New York. |
LOS ANGELES
(AP) -- Hollywood is bracing for an Academy Awards that more than
any in recent memory, has the feel of a high-stakes showdown.
After
a second straight year of all-white acting nominees prompted
industry-wide scrutiny, viewers and stars alike are hanging on the
opening words of host Chris Rock. The Dolby Theatre ceremony, heavily
guarded by security, stands at the center of a swirling storm over
diversity in the movies and at the Oscars, with the Rev. Al Sharpton
leading a protest near the red carpet and some viewers planning a
boycott of the broadcast.
The Academy Awards,
normally decorous and predictable, are this year charged with enough
politics and uncertainty to rival an election debate. Attendees were
streaming down the red carpet at the 88th annual Academy Awards, with
the ceremony to kick off at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC. With the sun out on a
warm California day, organizers removed the roof above the red carpet.
Down
the street from the Dolby Theatre, Sharpton led several dozen
demonstrators in protest against a second straight year of all-white
acting nominees. Demonstrators held signs reading "Hollywood Must Do
Better" and "Shame on You."
"This will be the last night of an all-white Oscars," Sharpton vowed at the rally.
The
night's top honor, best picture, is considered one of the most
hard-to-call categories. The three major guild awards - the Screen
Actors, the Directors and the Producers - have spread their top honors
among three films seen as the front-runners: Alejandro Inarritu's
frontier epic "The Revenant," Adam McKay's financial meltdown tale "The
Big Short" and Tom McCarthy's newsroom drama "Spotlight."
"The
Revenant," buoyed by big box office and a win at the BAFTAs, is seen as
the one with the most momentum and has the best odds in Las Vegas. Its
star, Leonardo DiCaprio, appears to be a shoo-in to land his first
Academy Award in his fifth nomination. Back-to-back best picture wins
for "Birdman" director Inarritu would be unprecedented.
But the headlines this year haven't been driven by the nominated films and performances nearly as much as the ones that weren't.
The
nominees restored the hashtag "OscarsSoWhite" to prominence and led
Spike Lee (an honorary Oscar winner this year) and Jada Pinkett Smith to
announce that they would not attend the show. Several top African
American directors - Ryan Coogler (whose "Creed" is expected to land
Sylvester Stallone a best supporting actor) and Ava DuVernay ("Selma") -
won't be at the Oscars, but will instead host a live benefit in Flint,
Michigan, for the water-contaminated city.
In a
quick response to the growing crisis, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of
the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, pushed ahead reforms
to the academy intended to diversify its overwhelming white and male
membership. But those changes (which included stripping older,
out-of-work members of their voting rights) precipitated a backlash of
its own. A chorus of academy members challenged the reforms. Others have
cast doubt on how effective the changes will be.
Isaacs
defended the changes on the red carpet ahead of the show. "We are going
to continue to take action and not just speak," Isaacs told ABC.
In
the academy turmoil, focus on diversity has spread beyond the academy -
which can only nominate films that get made - to the studios. A report
released last Monday by the University of Southern California's
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism gave a failing grade
to all six major studios for their racial, ethnic and gender
inclusiveness in front and behind the camera.
All
the while, Rock has remained mum. The comedian, considered one of the
most frank commentators on race in America, hasn't granted the usual
pre-show interviews. Rock, who first hosted the Oscars in 2005, on
Friday mysteriously tweeted a video of television static that he tagged
"blackout." ''See you Sunday," he wrote.
How
the controversy will affect ratings for ABC is also one of the night's
big questions. Last year's telecast, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, slid
16 percent to 36.6 million viewers, a six-year low. While the appeal of
seeing Rock face Hollywood's diversity crisis head on should help drive
curious viewers, a long night of dutiful speeches on the issue could
turn away others more interested in glamour and celebrity.
The
film academy has also rolled out a new wrinkle to the show. The Oscars
will introduce a new "thank you" crawl for winners in an effort to trim
acceptance speeches of long lists of names.
While
smaller, independent films have in recent years dominated the Oscars
(the last two years were topped by Fox Searchlight releases "Birdman"
and "12 Years a Slave"), five of this year's eight best picture nominees
come from major studios. That includes the hits "The Martian" and "Mad
Max: Fury Road," but, alas, not "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." J.J.
Abrams' movie, the biggest box-office smash of the decade, earned five
nods in technical categories.
Security around
Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue is especially heightened because
Vice President Joe Biden will be attending to give a special
presentation with Lady Gaga aimed at combating sexual violence.
