Hostless Academy Awards delivers historical firsts
Movie posters for “Black Panther” (Left) and “A Star is Born” (Right)
February 14, 2019
With many record-breaking and notable nominations, the 91st Academy Awards taking place Feb. 24 in Hollywood will be a night to remember.
The Academy Awards will go without a host for the first time in 30 years. Comedian Kevin Hart was originally supposed to host but stepped down after receiving backlash for homophobic comments he made in the past. He tweeted and apologized for his comments and announced he was not going to host the Oscars anymore. Due to the fact that it was so late in the process, the Academy decided it would be best to go hostless.
Even without a host, the show must go on, and some nominees like “Black Panther” are making history.
With a primarily black cast, the Marvel movie became a powerful example for the black community. It’s nominated for six Oscars including best picture, becoming the first superhero movie to ever be included in this category. It was released Feb. 16, 2018, and became the third-highest grossing film of all time.
Additionally, “The Favourite,” a star-studded comedy, and “Roma” lead with 10 nominations each followed by “A Star Is Born” with eight. Although it does not have the most nominations, the fourth remake of “A Star Is Born” featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga was declared the film to beat this season due to its success in the box office and strong reviews. Although “A Star Is Born’’ was nominated for five awards the 2019 Golden Globes, it only took home one, Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “Shallow.”
Unlike “A Star is Born,” “Roma” won two of its three Golden Globe nominations. As for the Oscars, in addition to being one of the most nominated films, “Roma” also became the first movie produced by a Latin American woman to be nominated for best picture. The film could also be the first to win both best picture and best foreign picture.
After being awarded an honorary Oscar in 2015, Spike Lee has been nominated for Best Director for “BlacKkKlansman.” Despite his long career, this is his first nomination for the award, becoming one of six black men to ever be nominated for the category.
