WILSON
THE BILLBOARD
SPRING 2017 ISSUE 1
WILSON COLLEGE
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
89th Oscars: Confusion in the “Moonlight”
Emma Stone and her Oscar By Francesca Giustini
Original artwork by Francesca Giustini
Across nations, many recognize the Academy Awards as the most prestigious award given for excellence in cinematic achievements, handing out golden Oscar statues to winners in 24 categories each year. Broadcast in over 225 countries around the world, people will remember this past Sunday’s ceremony as the most bizarre, but also groundbreaking in its 89-year history. Jimmy Kimmel best summed up the 2016 Cinema when he stated, “Black people saved NASA and white people saved jazz—that’s what you call progress.” However, despite honoring progressive films, the show itself turned the Oscars into a joke. It was like watching the Hindenburg disaster and it was at the hands of one man who would not stop tweeting to do his actual job. As first-time Oscar host, Kimmel forwent the usual pre-taped cold open, instead starting the telecast with Justin Timberlake dancing through the Dolby The-
ater singing his Best Original Song nominee “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” Despite the fact that even Timberlake is tired of his song from “Trolls,” his performance was energetic and had everyone up on their feet. When Kimmel finally began his monologue, he addressed the need for unity saying, “If every one of you took a minute to reach out to one person you disagree with, someone you like, and have a positive, considerate conversation — not as liberals or conservatives, as Americans — if we could all do that, we can make America great again.” Despite this, he then went to harass his fake arch nemesis, Matt Damon, a running gag throughout the night. After requesting a standing ovation for Meryl Streep in honor of her 20th acting nomination, Kimmel, in what would be the first in a series of jokes aimed at the POTUS, thanked President Trump for making the Oscars seem less racist. The #oscarssowhite scandal of the past few years was trumped (no pun intended) this year when six African American actors and one Indian actor were nominated. This is the first time all four acting categories have had diversity among its nominees. The night’s Best Supporting Actor winner, Mahershala Ali, is not only African American but also the first Muslim actor to ever win an Oscar. Although Ali is only in the first vignette of “Moonlight,” his presence is beautifully felt throughout the other two. This was an exceptionally wonderful week for Ali since his daughter was born a few days before the awards. Best Supporting Actress went to the multitalented Viola Davis, who is now the first African American to win an Emmy, Oscar and Tony for acting. There was controversy that Davis’ powerful performance in “Fences” was category fraud since she won a Tony for leading actress in the same role on Broadway.
Nonetheless, Davis was the overwhelming favorite to win, many feeling she was robbed when her performance in “The Help” lost the Oscar for Lead Actress in 2012 in an upset by Streep. The Best Actor prize was a heated race between Casey Affleck and Denzel Washington. Some, however, thought Viggo Mortensen of “Captain Fantastic” would pull off a win a la Adrien Brody in 2003. In the end, Affleck won for his heartbreaking and nuanced performance in “Manchester By the Sea.” After receiving a bearhug from his equally famous, Oscarwinning brother Ben, he took to the stage and credited Washington as an inspiration in his speech. When the camera cut to the two-time Oscar winner Washington, he looked unamused, ungrateful for the tribute and all around pissed. Moretensen, on the other hand, was all smiles with his son. Emma Stone from “La La Land,” triumphed as Best Actress over giants such as Streep and French actress Isabelle Hubert. Stone’s speech showcased the charm, wit, class, and maturity that she also brought to her Oscar winning performance. In the non-acting categories, frontrunner “La La Land” and its 14 nominations majorly underperformed. One of its wins, though, was Best Director Damien Chazelle. And after 21 nominations, sound mixer Kevin O’Connell finally won for his work on Hacksaw Ridge, beating out the musical that seem like a shoe-in to win. “La La Land” also lost Best Original Screenplay to Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Kenneth Lonergan whose “Manchester By the Sea” script was praised for its incredibly realistic dialogue and fusion of literal laugh out loud moments into a heartbreaking story of loss. “Moonlight,” which breaks itself into three vignettes, tells the story of an African American boy learning to accept and understand society and
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 2017
IN THIS ISSUE...
Editorial 2
Judge Character, Not Politics
Opinion 3
Concern for Palestinians
Politics 4-5
Trump/Russia Controversy Celebrity Politicians
News 6-7
Chambersburg Pride Parade
Sports 8-9
Senior Players Honored
Campus 10-13 Muhibbah Dinner Preview Common Hour
Entertainment 14-15
Switchfoot Concert Oscars (continued)
Calendar 16
his sexuality, was awarded Best Adapted Screenplay. Its director, Barry Jenkins, wrote the script with Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote the source material for a play called “In the Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.” Best Animated Feature went to Disney’s “Zootopia,” beating out Laika’s “Kubo and the Two Strings.” In one of the most politically charged moments of the evening, Best Foreign Film went to “The Salesman” of Iran. According to a letter read by Anousheh Ansari, his stand-in, on stage, “Salesman” director, Asghar Farhadi, did not attend the ceremony due to the previous Muslim ban. The letter warned that, “Dividing the world into the ‘us’ and ‘the enemy’ categories creates fear. A deceitful justification for regression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries in which have themselves have been victims of aggression. Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions.” (Continued on page 15)