THE NEW YORK AMSTERDAM NEWS
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Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes to co-host Oscars 2022 By LAPACAZO SANDOVAL and SUNIL SADARANGANI Special to the AmNews The 94th Academy Awards are March 27 returning with three co-hosts, two of which are African American women: Regina Hall, Wanda Sykes, and Amy Schumer. Let’s not forget that the award ceremony is produced by Will Packer and Shayla Cowan. We are predicting that the show will be well-received despite the controversy regarding the trimmed-down event due to the pandemic. This year in an effort to keep safe, all attendees in the audience need to show proof of vaccination and at least two negative PCR tests. Performers and presenters, however, will only be required to undergo testing before taking the stage. The list of familiar faces taking the stage on Oscars night continues to grow but at the time of filing confirmed presenters include Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”) who won the best supporting actor award (2021) for his role as Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman in “The Batman”), Lupita Nyong’o who won an Oscar for her feature film debut in “12 Years A Slave,” Rosie Perez who was nominated for the best supporting actress (1993) for “Fearless,” Wesley Snipes (“White Men Can’t Jump”) and Chris Rock, a two-time Oscar host who will soon be seen in David O. Russell’s next film. This past weekend Oscar watchers followed two awards ceremonies that often predict key categories. The Directors Guild of America Awards awarded Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) as best director. And across the pond, the BAFTA Awards, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, “The Power of the Dog” also won the best film. In the documentary category “Summer of Soul” won. Will Smith won best actor for “King Richard,” Afro-
Regina Hall (Derek Blanks with crowdMGMT photo)
Latina and proud lesbian, Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress for “West Side Story.” The award season is coming to an end, with Oscar voting getting underway March 17. The industry buzz to win best picture is Wanda Sykes (Derek Wood photo)
leaning towards Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” which is currently playing on Netflix. The Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre, in Los Angeles, on ABC on March 27 at 8 p.m. E.T./5 p.m. P.T.
March 24, 2022 - March 30, 2022 • 15
Pg. 18 Your Stars
This Sunday, it’s Oscar time By LAPACAZO SANDOVAL and SUNIL SADARANGANI Special to the AmNews
fearless leader that Packer is, he answered the questions around trimming the show and explaining that the winners of eight categories would be announced an hour before the show and that those acceptance speeches would be edited into the live ABC telecast in an exclusive interview with Variety’s Clayton Davis. The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
This weekend uber-producer Will Packer jumped on Instagram Live to cut it up before the Oscars roll out, live in Los Angeles, March 27, with his team members and the very funny Wanda Sykes, who is one of the three hosts. I’m delighted to share that we’ve been invited back to cover the events, and have been invited since 2014. There is excitement in the air both in the industry and with film lovers with Packer at the helm despite the controversy Follow the Academy and major changes coming to www.oscars.org this year’s show. Known for de- www.facebook.com/ livering time and time again, TheAcademy Packer’s goal is to find the bal- www.youtube.com/Oscars ance between entertainment www.twitter.com/TheAcademy and respecting the artistry that www.instagram.com/ is at the core of filmmaking. TheAcademy Let’s talk turkey, so to speak. Packer is a prolific film producer whose credits include “Girls Trip,” “Ride Along,” “Night School,” and “Think Like a Man,” and to be considered “prolific” you have to earn money which he does. You could feel the wind of changes sweeping through when the three hosts—Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes—were chosen to keep the March 27 telecast bouncing along. Packer admits that producing the Oscars isn’t the easiest gig but admitted that he is a fearless man and was grateful for the Uber producer Will Packer jumped on challenge and opInstagram Live to discuss producing the portunity. 94th Oscars. (Lapacazo Sandoval photo) And being the
