THE NO CHILL ZONE Oscars Report

First of all, let me say that I did not watch the 88th annual Academy Awards on ABC last night.

However, it was less because of an intentional boycott, and more because of an inability to pick up the local television station(s) in my area, and no access to cable.

However, thanks to the Internet and social media, I know some of the highlights from last night's broadcast.

Alejandro Inarritu won the Best Director Oscar for "The Revenant."

Leonardo Dicaprio (finally) won his first Oscar for Best Actor, also in "The Revenant."

Brie Larson won Best Actress for her role in the movie "Room."

"Spotlight" won the Oscar for Best Picture.

"Mad Max:  Fury Road" won the most Oscars last night.

Vice President Joe Biden made an appearance, along with Lady Gaga (who performed "Til It Happens To You"), to talk about rape culture in Hollywood.

But the night belonged to host Chris Rock, whose opening monologue raised a lot of eyebrows.

And we even had a brief appearance from controversial actress, FOX News personality, and Patheos columnist Stacey Dash.

Congratulations to all the winners at the ceremony.  Many will say that your trophies are well deserved.

That being said, do I wish that the nominees were more diverse?  Absolutely!  But was I really surprised when they failed to nominate people of color for two years in a row?  No.

The unfortunate fact is, the people who have been nominating films and individuals have been reflected in who even gets a shot at a trophy in the first place.  Most of them, according to many figures (you can Google them if you'd like) are white, male, and old.
New Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has promised to diversify the nominating body of the Academy, and I hope she follows through. 

There are good actors and directors of color there; the Academy (and Hollywood, generally) just have to give them a fair chance.  There have also been some good films with actors of color.  Again, just give them a chance, not just because they are black or brown, but perhaps because they are worthy.

Maybe at next year's Oscars we will see some progress, if not necessarily wins, for people of color in Hollywood.  Until then, we must keep up the fight to be seen and heard.

Are there any other major stories from last night's broadcast that I may have missed?  Leave them in the comments section.