The 90th annual Oscars aired Sunday, March 4 and Black stars showed up and showed out. In case you missed it, read below to catch the top five moments you should have seen at the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted ceremony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVmuTIQBoio
Jordan Peele Makes History
Jordan Peele won Best Original Screenplay for his work on the 2017 racial satirical thriller “Get Out.” The honor made him the first Black screenwriter to receive the award and Peele was more than thankful to moviegoers who spread the word about the flick.
“This means so much to me,” he says. “I stopped writing this movie 20 times because I thought it was impossible. I thought it wasn’t going to work. I thought no one would ever make this movie. But I kept coming back to it because I knew if someone let me make this movie, that people would hear it and people would see it.”
https://youtu.be/VsRKWVNW6So?t=1m17s
Kobe Bryant Wins an Oscar
In another first, former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant won his first Oscar for Best Animated Short for “Dear Basketball.”
“I don’t know if it’s possible. I mean, as basketball players, we are really supposed to shut up and dribble,” he says, referencing viral comments a Fox News host made about LeBron James and Kevin Durant. “But I am glad we do a little bit more than that.”
https://youtu.be/OtOvZscbNN0?t=5s
Mary J. Blige Brings Down the House
Performing her song “Mighty River” from her Netflix film, “Mudbound,” the singer belted the Best Original Song nominated tune with her usual gospel-tinged vocals. Flanked by a choir, she had the likes of Zendaya and Meryl Streep applauding her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsfxLUUrqjY
LaKeith Stanfield’s “Get Out” Moment
“Atlanta” star LaKeith Stanfield got to put back on his “Get Out” duds for a gag that host Jimmy Kimmel said would occur if filmmakers took too long thanking their loved ones.
“This year, if your speech goes too long, we’re not going to play you off stage,” Kimmel says before Stanfield rushes out on stage. “Instead of music, you will see and hear this…”
https://youtu.be/X8hpFbW1gUY?t=28s
Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph Assure Crowd Oscars Are Still Very Much White
Comedians Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph graced the stage to present the awards for documentary short and live-action short and after making some jokes about their tired feet during awards season, they addressed concerns about diversity.
“A few years ago, people were saying that Oscars were so white and since then some real progress has been made,” Rudolph says.
“But when we came out together, we know some of you were thinking, ‘Are the Oscars too Black now?’” Haddish adds.
The two assured the majority white audience that there are “tons of ’em back there” [behind the curtains] — including some with clipboards.
