The Oscars 2017.

Last night saw the 89th awards of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences - the Oscars - held in Los Angeles, California.

If the February 5th (5/2/17) Super Bowl marked the start of America's social/political season than the Oscars really marks its end.

As with the Super Bowl this year's Oscars have been somewhat subdued by the fact they come just 38 days after the inauguration of a new President. This presents even more of a problem for the Oscars than it does for the world of American Football.

In the film industry it is often five to six years between a movie going into production and it being released and nominated for awards. Any production that's completed within two years is considered rushed. 

The 2016 US Presidential Election has widely been recognised as one of the most unpredictable ever. So being able to correctly predict the outcome just after the 2012 election had taken place represents an almost super human task.

Despite this two of this year's movies did manage to tackle the 2016 election directly;

La La Land: Going into production in 2011 this lavish 1950's-style musical centres around Mia a waitress and aspiring actress played by Emma Stone. She meets and has an on-again, off-again relationship with Sebastian - played by Ryan Gosling - a struggling musician who also dreams of stardom. Eventually the two fall in love and their Hollywood dreams are realised.

As such La La Land serves as a mockery of liberal Hollywood's support for Hillary Clinton and the post-truth, hope, dreams and feelings are better than facts style of politics she represents.

For example we all know that in real life people don't spontaneously break into song and carefully choreographed dance routines. However we're all happy to suspend our disbelief because it makes us feel better about ourselves.

Likewise by any traditional measure presiding over several genocidal wars that have killed hundreds of thousands, driven tens of millions from their homes and left tens of millions more on the brink of manmade famine does not make you a nice person. Let alone a vaguely competent Secretary of State.

However millions of Hillary Clinton supporters seem perfectly happy to overlook all that and instead clap their hands and sing in the streets; "Refugees Welcome Here" because it makes them feel better about themselves.

The movie's much talked about opening sequence takes place amid the traffic congestion and road rage of an LA highway. However the frustration is broken by everybody breaking into song; "Another Day of Sun."

This serves as a particular piece of self-mockery of last year's Oscars at which Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar for single handily saving the world from Climate Change.

Last year's Oscars were dominated by the main political theme of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

Within meetings such as that lots of focus is given to designing cities in such a way that people live close to where they work and do leisure activities such as shopping. The idea being to reduce Greenhouse Gas (ghg) by reducing the distances people have to travel in their daily lives.

The city of Los Angeles has gone in completely the opposite direction. It's founding principle was to build massive highways and allow the city to spring up around them. As a result nobody in LA walks and you have to drive huge distances from your home to work and then from work to the shops before driving another huge distance home again.

So while the image often projected in the movies is of some highly attractive person driving their beautiful sportscar along an open and winding road the reality of life in LA is constant traffic congestion and constant road rage.

So the start of La La Land seems to be going;

"Who cares about global warming. Obama said he's fixed it and Leo won his Oscar!"

La La Land's main advantage is that it is all about Hollywood. This makes it extremely useful at the parties packed with small talk and gossip that surround the Oscars. After all everybody knows a 'Mia' and everybody knows a 'Sebastian.'

Jackie: Originally entering production in 2010 this is a biography of the early part of Jackie Kennedy's life with her husband John F. Kennedy (JFK) - the 35th President of the United States who was assassinated in 1963.

The Kennedy dynasty hold an almost cult-like status within American politics - particularly amongst supporters of his Democrat Party. Apart from his death at a glamorously young age this popularity is fuelled by stories of his apparently happy marriage to Jackie Kennedy and their supposedly happy children. This is often dubbed; "Camelot" after the 1961 musical from the era which seems to have so inspired La La Land. 

The truth though is that the Kennedy's marriage was deeply unhappy and deeply dysfunctional. JFK was an alcoholic and drug addict who was physically abusive his wife Jackie and had frequent affairs including with some women he's rumoured to have had murdered. In order to punish him Jackie Kennedy herself would have frequent affairs which she would tell him about including with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis whom she went onto marry.

Primarily taking the form of a one-on-one interview with a journalist the movie Jackie is really about the collusion between the Democrats and the liberal media that helped to create this false myth of Camelot.

For example Jackie Kennedy - played here by Natalie Portman - frequently tells the journalist about the dark and salacious details of their marriage but then tells him that he can't publish them. Massively compromising his journalistic integrity the journalist agrees.

Throughout the interview Jackie Kennedy smokes almost constantly but every time she lights a new cigarette or stubs one out she tells the journalist to report that she does not smoke. He does and the myth of Jackie Kennedy as a non-smoker is born.

As such the movie serves as a strong rebuke of the collusion between the liberal media and that other Democrat dynasty - the Clintons - the run-up to the election.

For example it's well established that Hillary Clinton committed 110 offences of espionage against the US as Secretary of State. However the coverage was not about how she was able to avoid prosecution by apparently bribing a deputy director of the FBI but why the FBI were daring to attempt to uphold US law to begin with.

Just on Thursday (23/2/17) the news broke that on February 14th (14/2/17) the New York Times published an entirely false story linking President Trump's election campaign to the Russia intelligence services. However the call from the liberal media has not been for the New York Times to retract their false story but for special prosecutors to be appointed to impeach Trump so Hillary Clinton can be anointed President.

During this Oscars broadcast the New York Times who have very much emerged as the "Pravda" of the Hillary Clinton campaign actually ran a commercial highlighting the importance of truth within journalism. As so often happens they seem to have rather missed the point.

Jackie also provides me with an opportunity to remind you all that Natalie Portman named her first child; "Aleph". In Hebrew this is how you say the letter; "A."

So this Israeli born actress and comic book nerd has literally named her first child; "A Portman." Which is both the height of lazy parenting and absolutely hilarious.

Natalie Portman is currently pregnant with her second child and the naming pool is now open. If she gets to a third we'll know her career really is in trouble.

In what is something of a thin year the floor has been thrown wide open to that issue that has dogged the Oscars since 2014. The absence of black talent and the; "Oscars So  White" campaign.

One of the main problems with having black actors and black stories told at the Oscars is really the type of movies that the Oscars like to reward. They're very fond of big movies about important historical figures such as 2012's "Lincoln." Alternatively they're fond of movies about ordinary people who've done extraordinary things. Such as 2016's "Spotlight."

Up until the mid-1960's black people were pretty much excluded from mainstream American society. Either through slavery or segregation. As a result there aren't really the black stories to make into Oscar worthy movies. After all there are only so many horrifically historically inaccurate movies you can make about Martin Luther King or about slavery before the source material is exhausted and everybody gets very bored.

This year's Oscars contenders feature two films that tell some of the lesser known stories of black America.

Hidden Figures: Entering production in 2015 this tells the story of three black female mathematicians who were drafted into NASA's space program in 1961.

Portraying a Virginia which is still racially segregated the three woman have to battle to the twin challenges of being both black and women in the workplace. Although the women were essential in helping the US level the space race with John Glenn's 1962 launch into orbit they have until now been omitted from the official version of events. Thus making them the hidden figures of history.

The problem is that the story is in no way historically accurate. The Octavia Spencer character Dorothy Vaughan was appointed a supervisor in the NACA - the predecessor of NASA - all the way back in 1948. When NACA became NASA in 1958 segregation was abolished. So the sequences in the movie featuring Taraji P. Henson having to use a coloureds only bathroom in another building exist only in the writer's imagination.

In any other year that gross rewriting of history is the sort of thing that would have seen Hidden Figures entirely ruled out from Oscars contention.

Loving: Entering production in 2015 this tells the story of George and Mildred Loving. In 1967 they brought a case before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to have their interracial marriage recognised by the State of Virginia and across the United States.

As with Brown v Board of Education (1954) and Roe v Wade (1973) Loving v Virginia (1967) is one of the Supreme Court cases that defined America in the second half of the 20th century. As such the Loving's story certainly fits the criteria of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

From a filmmakers perspective though the story is a difficult one to tell. When the Loving's return to Virginia following their marriage they are faced with all sorts of bigotry and hatred. However they then move back to Washington D.C where interracial marriage is legal. As a result the bulk of the movie is just a normal married couple living their lives while waiting for a letter from their lawyer.

This is the type of challenge that Oscar voters very much like. Keeping the viewer interested whilst not very much is happening requires a huge amount of skill from the actors and the director.

At around 11:50 on 27/2/17 (UK date) this is obviously going to grow and change throughout the day.

Edited at around 14:25 on 27/2/17 (UK date) to add;
 

Moonlight: Entering production in 2013 - the year before the "Oscars So White" campaign began - this tells the story of contemporary black America through a fictional child's - Chiron - journey into adulthood.

In telling the story the director - Barry Jenkins - uses three actors to play Chiron at different stages of his life. This is actually a very difficult thing to do because even in a TV series let alone within the confines of a movie when a character's physical appearance changes dramatically it can easily break your concentration reminding you that you are simply watching a piece of fiction. The fact that Jenkins has largely avoided this trap is testament to his skill as a director.

Moonlight also focuses on the type of characters who are often overlooked in movies. Take for example Mahershala Ali's much talked about portrayal of the drug dealer "Juan." Normally in movies Juan would be a one dimensional character who simply sells drugs and behaves like a bit of a thug. In moonlight Juan has that side to him but also has a relatively normal home life with his girlfriend Teresa (Janelle Monae). Teresa and Juan sensitively almost adopt Chiron raising him while his drug addict mother Paula (Naomie Harries) can't.

The other significant element is that as he grows up Chiron realises that he is gay. Gay black men are certainly under represented onscreen in movies and they are often hidden away within the black community itself. The homophobia of the black community raises the question of whether the "Oscars So White" campaigners are fighting for equality or supremacy. After all while they're demanding that their perceived rights are respected they don't seem particularly good at respecting other people's rights.
 

Due to the physical similarity between the actors it is tempting to say that Jenkins has simply looked at the black, gay, drug dealer character "Omar" from the 2005 TV series; "The Wire" and copied it for the Juan character. However Moonlight has taken the idea and then done much more with it.

The contrast between Hidden Figures, Loving and Moonlight poses a tough question about black America in the post Civil Rights era of the 1960's.

Although they're hampered by segregation and prejudice the women in Hidden Figures are all highly educated professionals. Likewise the Lovings are a stable nuclear family. In Moonlight it's all broken homes, high school dropouts, crime and violence.

Therefore the question is really what went wrong with black America following the civil rights era. This is a question that Bill Cosby has posed many times and found himself vilified by the "Oscars So White/Black Lives Matter" campaigners.

In part the problem is that the 1960's were a period of immense social change. Often for the better. Across all sections of American society traditional marriage and careers were replaced with more unconventional lifestyles. 

This has had a particularly negative impact on black America and some have suggested that it's a way to continue to oppress black Americans now that the traditional tools of slavery and segregation can no longer be used. 

It has also been suggested that the entertainment industry - particularly the music industry - has played a key role in this new form or oppression by promoting trashy and thuggish rappers. In short these days everybody wants to be Beyonce and nobody wants to be Dorothy Vaughan.

Towering over all three of these movies we have Fences.

Fences: Entering production in 2016 this movie based on a stage play of the same name tells the fictional story of Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington). He lives with his wife and son in racially segregated 1950's Pittsburgh.

Although at the time of the movie Maxson is a working man in his younger days he was a thug and a robber who spent time in prison. As such the movie explores the contrast between black men as hard workers and as thugs.

While Maxson is married to Rose (Viola Davis) and raising their son together he is also having an affair which leads to an illegitimate child. Maxson also has another illegitimate son from a previous relationship. As such the movie demonstrates the contrast between stable black families and broken homes.
 

Maxon's eldest son Lyons (Russell Hornsby) is constantly visiting to borrow money as he tries to live out his dream of being a musician. Maxson constantly chastises him telling him to get a job instead. As such the movie examines the impact of the music industry on post civil rights era black America.
 

In his younger days Maxson was a somewhat talented baseball player playing in the Negro league. However he never made it into the big time of Major League Baseball. Those around him think this is because he was never really talented enough and was too old when he started playing. However Maxson remains convinced it was racism that stopped him living out his dream.
 

This really does to the heart of the "Oscars So White" campaign. Is it racism that's keeping black faces out of the Oscars or is it simply that the movies being made by those black faces simply not good enough to win Oscar nominations?
 

Maxson's grudge against his imagined racism ruins his relationship with his middle son Cory (Jovan Adepo). Cory is offered a college scholarship to play American Football. Fearing that he too will become subject to the racism he imagined Maxson instead forces Cory to get a job causing him to miss his big chance destroying the relationship between father and son.
 

This really touches on the issues raised in the 2015 Oscar nominated movie "Concussion" starring Will Smith.
 

That really dealt with the way that young black men are exploited by the US College sports system where the Colleges make huge amounts of money while the players have to risk their health for free.
 

When you get into the professional NFL black players like Michael Vick (to name but one) seem almost encouraged to behave as badly as possible setting extremely bad role models for the young black men who look up to them.
 

So there is an element of Fences looking at Hidden Figures, Loving and Moonlight and going;
 

"Oh yeah. We've done your movies in our movie. Then we did a few others too."
 

Therefore the slip-ups about the movie; "Hidden Fences" might not be slip ups after all.
 

The prevalence of what I suppose you have to term black movies has caused a particular controversy in the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories. Across the two categories there are three black nominees - the most ever.
 

Of those actresses the one I'm going to pick on here is Irish actress Ruth Negga.
 

I am sadly familiar with Ruth Negga's 2004 debut in the British TV soap; "Doctors." I am also familiar with her 2010 performance in the Irish TV series; "Love/Hate." I am even familiar with her roles in the 2011 British TV movie; "Shirley" and in the 2013-2015 US TV series; "Marvel's Agents of Shield." Let's just say that clearly something spectacular has happened between then and her being nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
 

Then of course you have Amy Adams. An extremely talented actress Amy Adams has been Oscar nominated numerous times for movies such as 2010's "The Fighter" and 2013's "American Hustle." However she has never actually won an Oscar. This year Amy Adams appeared in "Arrival" in which she is said to give the performance of her career.
 

As such it was a shock to many that Amy Adams wasn't even nominated in year where less talented black actresses have been.
 

This suggestion of Affirmative Action goes to the Oscars controversial response to the "Oscars So White" campaign. 

Essentially they're kicking out white members of the organisation in order to make way for black people who haven't gone through the traditional recruitment process of doing work worthy of Oscar recognition. That is certainly a touchy subject amongst the white members who are getting kicked out or anyone worried about maintaining standards.
 

In the Best Actress category the nominations issue was really moot. Even if Amy Adams had been nominated it was still widely accepted that the Oscar would go to Natalie Portman for her role in Jackie. After all she has completely inhabited the character of an extremely well known and famous person. A huge challenge for any actor.
 

However in a shock move the Oscar actually went to Emma Stone. Like Amy Adams Emma Stone is gingerhaired. As is US Ambassador to the UN under former President Obama Samantha Power.
 

Emma Stone's Oscar victory comes alongside Mahershala Ali winning Best Supporting actor. Ali is being hailed as the first Muslim winner of an acting Oscar. This is simply not true.
 

As with Muhammad Ali the boxer Mahershalalhashbaz Ali to give him his full name is not a Muslim but a member of the Nation of Islam (NOI).
 

Members of the Nation of Islam believe that black people are an alien race - the Shabazz - who shaped the Earth with their motherplane spaceships and are slowly being wiped out by the evil Jews. Muslims do not believe this.
 

Particularly in America there has been some confusion because like Muslims members of the Nation of Islam proclaim that there is no god but Allah. However when they say it members of the Nation of Islam believe that "Allah" is the group's founder Elijah Muhammad.
 

That was the whole thing with the famous Malcolm X. He was a member of the Nation of Islam who converted to Sunni-Islam. So the Nation of Islam murdered him for converting to Islam.

It also comes alongside "White Helmets" winning Best Documentary Short.
 

So the spectacle of an Israeli Jew being snubbed in favour of that ginger bint from La La Land does pose further questions about the intolerance of black supremacist groups and the Democrats inability to distinguish between Muslims and violent hate groups.
 

After all the type of morons who will clap their hands and chant; "Refugees Welcome Here" or "Hands Up; Don't Shoot" are exactly the same sort of morons who'll believe that the White Helmets' motto; "To save one life is to save all of humanity" comes from the Qur’an rather than the Torah.
 

Of course if you were to mention to them that the Torah is essentially a prequel to the Qur’an their heads might explode.         
 

At 16:40 on 27/2/17 (UK date) clearly I have some formatting issues to resolve.

Repaired and replaced at 17:40 on 27/2/17 (UK date).