So happy Moonlight won, but I can't back clowning on the La La Land producer who said "We lost, by the way." Imagine being on stage having just achieved what many believe to be the highest honor in your field and then not only finding out you didn't, but finding it out in the most embarrassing way possible? Completely unfair to hold someone to normal standards of good sportsmanship when it happened like that, and so fast. It's accurate that La La Land winning would have been crappy given the biases the academy has traditionally held (and how perfectly these films exemplify the two sides of that equation) as well as the simple fact that Moonlight was a better film. But that doesn't make the people who made La La Land bad people for not being the people who made Moonlight, and as such I think they deserve some empathy in what was no doubt a really tough moment to be in their shoes. That said, I hope the story here quickly evolves beyond the envelope fuckup, because it's tremendous to see the voters get it right and get it right with a movie that means as much as it does for representation and two marginalized communities. It's an incredible film and among the most deserving winners in a long time. edit: that Alyssa Rosenberg piece is pretty spot on
I had a pretty well-developed metaphor about winning 400 games in a row typed out that I decided to scrap and I don't know what you're referring to....but I also don't need to. Listen you and anyone else can defend the actions of some other dude all you want, but what you absolutely cannot do is disassociate actions from racism in a historically racist environment. If you want a metaphor, look at every heroic, david v goliath-esque story where you are rooting for the hero that overcame everything history could muster in opposition and still won. Now defend goliath copping a tone when it turns out he loses.
It's unfair as fuck to throw that kind of condescension at me but I'm not articulate enough or nuanced enough to defend myself without coming off like the person a couple pages ago who didn't know when to quit while behind arguing their weird false equivalence eminem metaphor. Like, re-read my post again and tell me it's an apology for white people more than an acknowledgment how great it is that the deserving movie won, and amazing that the deserving movie won in spite of the racial and heteronormative odds stacked against it?
I'm not throwing anything at you aside from the imperative...when someone says a thing someone said is racist, maybe don't get all up in arms about defending the "alleged" racist and instead get up in arms about all the fucking racism. Listen I'm pissed when I lose too, but when you're on stage at a live broadcast for millions of people your actions matter. I wholly oppose anyone's attempt to use sympathy as a vehicle for apologetically defending anything said or done on stage at an event as widely broadcast as the oscars. He chose to say something. If there was a question as to whether or not he was going to act shitty he shouldn't have been on stage.
I agree with literally everything you're saying but it almost feels like you're responding to points I didn't make (points which I do not back). I mean first off I didn't even see anyone call the LLL producer racist when I was defending him, it was merely a vague reference to posts a couple pages ago saying fuck him. Also I edited my post, I really don't have a problem being thrown the imperative and truly appreciate it as a learning experience, but your initial response was really condescending in a way that represented my argument in a light I did not intend. I really don't want to turn this into an argument because I'm in no position to speak on whether or not it was racist for Fred Berger to express his anger/disappointment the way he did. All I was saying is that while Moonlight is for real a David and La La Land the film a Goliath, it's reasonable to question whether that makes the people behind La La Land embodiments of Goliath themselves, and as I don't believe it does, I empathize that they were put in the uncomfortable position of losing on stage rather than in their seats.
Yeah I'm not really sure what the issue with the OG post was. I was messing around about the "We lost" guy, as I said I feel for them.
I mostly just thought it was weird that he gave a speech after knowing they lost and then kind of snarkily said "We lost, by the way" after.
I'm not trying to demonize you and you are right in that I'm responding to points you didn't make, not because I'm attributing them to you, but because they are related in ideology to the point you did make. My intention in my original response was not to be condescending, but I also can't apologize for it. The metaphor I didn't describe was a parallel to the centuries of oppression that I was referring to.
Just watched it again, you can see him say no as Marc Platt calls him to the podium. Seems like in the confusion of the moment he very quickly chose (wrongly) right there to get his thank yous in anyways. Wish I saw this all live, wild stuff to wake up to though.
Yeah that part was baffling, didn't catch that until a rewatch. He knew they hadn't won, gave his speech and then said "We lost, by the way". I have sympathy for them as a whole but he seemed like a dick
Especially agree with the last part about moving on past the fuck-up because Moonlight is the most important Best Picture winner in the last however many years. It's important it receives due credit for being the film it is and what that can do (especially after winning such an award) for the marginalized communities depicted.
Yeah because the first La La Land producer clearly had no idea what was going on because the Oscars crew were telling everyone while he was talking. But once that guy got to the mic he should've done what the third La La Land producer did and said Moonlight really won. Instead he tried to have his moment anyway and then act like an ass about it.
This is actually an interesting sociology moment. While Beatty didn't read the winner, was clearly confused and explained himself after, no one will link Faye Dunaway to what happened. 25 years from now we will remember this as Warren Beatty reading the wrong winner at the Oscars.
It's clear that Beatty was confused about the card, so the question is, why didn't he say something, like 'I think I have the wrong card' before making (or allowing) one of the biggest mistakes on live television? The whole thing could have been prevented by just saying something.
Also this: She's a treasure and the epitome of class, but still, wouldn't have faulted her for saying/doing something either.
I chalk it up to a show that hasn't learned in over half a century that running long is an inevitability and so maybe it's time to rethink cramming the biggest awards at the end. Everything is so rushed once we get to the real big ones that by the time they get to best pic it seems very rushed every year.
Sort of like Justin Timberlake coming out of Nipplegate unharmed despite the fact he was the one who pulled part of Janet Jackson's costume off
I understand he was up on stage and in front of like a billion people. But how hard would it have been to say "we were given the wrong envelope, this is for Best Actress and not Best Picture." Faye clearly didn't give a shit and just read it as quick as possible since she thought he was joking around haha.