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OSCARS RECAP: Hostless Oscars was nearly flawless, here is the full winners list and historic Black moments

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 24: Diversity and inclusion won at the 91st Annual Academy Awards.  This photo of top winners showing all minorities resembles an NAACP gathering. Rami Malek (Best Actor in a Leading Role: Bohemian Rhapsody), Olivia Colman (Best Actress in a Leading Role: The Favourite), Regina King (Best Actress in a Supporting Role: If Beale Street Could Talk), Mahershala Ali (Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Green Book) pose in the press room at the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo credit should read John Rasimus / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

 By Mona Austin 
If there was an award for the most flawlessly executed award show on "auto-pilot",  the hostless Academy Awards would win it.  The Oscars aired on Sunday, Feb. 24 departing from the traditional hosted format and the host was not missed.   

 A quick recap. . .

 Diversity and inclusion won at the 91st Annual Academy Awards.  Top winning actors and actresses were  all minorities, resembling an NAACP gathering or more aptly what America looks like.

 The audience started the show standing on their feet singing "We Will Rock You" with a performance by Adam Lambert and the remaining members of Queen and the positive energy continued throughout the telecast.  

 The evening was historic for African American films with "Green Book" taking home the Oscar for Best Picture in a cloud of controversy and its star Marhershala Ali winning his second Oscar. Long-timers like Spike Lee (director), Ruth Carter (costume designer) and Regina King (actress) won their first Academy Awards after many years in the entertainment industry. Carter had been preciously nominated for her work on "Amistad" and Lee's "

 "Marvel may have created the first black superhero. But through costume design, we turned him into an African king," said Carter.

 Hannah Beachler, became the first Black person to win an Oscar for Set Design.  She said to up and coming artists in emotional 

 From intensely beautiful moments like the duet with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper that had everyone waiting for them to kiss, to the intensely awkward acceptance speech of the unknown British  "The Favorite" actress Olivia Colman, who toppled Meryl Street for he Best Actress win, the Oscars was appropriately drama-filled.  
Overall the tone of the event was humorous and heartfelt. Something about the conduct of the audience and presenters made it feel like a more elite affair without feeling "stuffy"  or too casual as it has been in recent years.  Bringing the balance to the luxurious nature of the event, there were numerous funny moments as comedians (such as Jordon Peele nodding to "Mary Poppins" by descending above the Dolby Theater audience  holding a black umbrella) were interwoven as presenters throughout the show, which helped a program that can often be long and boring  flow better. Hollywood collectively did what it does best -- entertain us.  It was the best Oscars I have seen in 10 years.  
I've summarized the ups and downs of this year's Oscars who thusly. . .


The Big Ups: 


Legendary film maker Spike Lee, an avid basketball fan, said the "ref made a bad call" when overlooking him for the Best Director Oscar Sunday night. Lee won the golden statue for Best Screenplay, but had hoped to win for directing BlacKKKlansman after 30 years of critically acclaimed work. At the end of his acceptance speech he urged voters to prepare for the 2020 election, after giving a history lesson about African American people toiling from the day slaves arrived 400 years ago. Apparently, Pres. Trump took the statement as a personal jab and "racist hit" since he tweeted that Lee should be nice because he has done more for African Americans than almost any other president, citing a lower unemployment rate, criminal Justice reform, and lowering taxes. Spike didn't pay Trump no mind.  (Translation: Lee ignored the president's comment.)



Ruth Carter, who won the Oscar for her work as the "Black Panther" costume designer, thanked Spike for her first job in the film "Do the Right Thing." That was 30 years ago.  

In this moment Black History, particularly in movie entertainment unfolded right before our eyes.  Its a happy ending to an otherwise somber Black History Month and as Spike Lee said, the word of the evening in that moment was "irony."  He arguably is the man that tied all that laborious, aggravating history together for just about every black actor/actress in the room. To finally witness Spike Lee get his just due and deliver a speech that never be forgotten was priceless. 

Regular Ups: The Academy got the memo on diversity and inclusion.  African Americans and Mexicans were well represented.  It was the icing on the cake for African Americans during a Black History Month that many labeled depressing due to the negativity towards Blacks and racism in the media.  The score card reflected diversity and the balance of presenters.  For Blacks in particular, this was progress.  It says to Black Hollywood and the rest of the fans and activists who stood in protest against the Academy for the lack of Black acknowledgement and representation in recent years: "We heard you. We see you."  
"Green Book" won for Best Picture, but the acceptance was "complicated" and low energy because the family of Dr. Shirley whose story the movie was based upon was not happy with it.  It took decades to birth this film and family members of Dr. Donald Shirley did not approve because they said he did not want the film produced.  The controversy stifled the casts victory cry.  

The Glen Close snub was a huge upset. 

 The Downs:

 "Black Panther" did not win for Best Picture. Spike Lee did not win for Best Director.  The collective groan of disappointment was heard and felt  in all of social media. Truly, it was sad to see a movie that greatly pleased consumers get snubbed by the Academy.  The reactions strongly indicate that many people believe Producer Ryan Coogler deserved the win.  The star of the movie, Chadwick Boseman was visually disappointed.


The winners  are highlighted here:

Best supporting actress

Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)
Amy Adams (Vice)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) 
Marina De Tavira (Roma)

Best makeup and hair

Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice 

Best documentary

Free Solo 
Minding the Gap
RBG
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Of Fathers and Sons

Best costume design

Black Panther (Ruth E Carter) 
The Favourite (Sandy Powell)
Mary Poppins Returns (Sandy Powell)
Mary Queen of Scots (Alexandra Byrne)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Mary Zophres)

Best film editing

Bohemian Rhapsody (John Ottman) 
Vice (Hank Corwin)
BlacKkKlansman (Barry Alexander Brown)
The Favourite (Yorgos Mavropsaridis)
Green Book (Patrick J Don Vito)

Best production design

The Favourite (Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton)
First Man (Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas)
Roma (Eugenio Caballero and Barbara Enriquez)
Mary Poppins Returns (John Myhre and Gordon Sim)
Black Panther (Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart) 

Best cinematography

Roma (Alfonso Cuaron) 
Cold War (Łukasz Żal)
Never Look Away (Caleb Deschanel)
The Favourite (Robbie Ryan)
A Star Is Born (Matty Libatique)

Best sound editing

First Man
A Quiet Place
Bohemian Rhapsody 
Black Panther
Roma

Best sound mixing

A Star Is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody 
First Man
Roma
Black Panther

Best foreign language film

Roma (Mexico) 
Cold War (Poland)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Never Look Away (Germany)

Best supporting actor

Mahershala Ali (Green Book) 
Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best animated feature


Best live action short

Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin 

Best animated short

Animal Behaviour
Bao 
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

Best documentary short

Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence. 

Best visual effects


Best original screenplay

Green Book (Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga) 
The Favourite (Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara)
Roma (Alfonso Cuarón)
Vice (Adam McKay)
First Reformed (Paul Schrader)

Best adapted screenplay

If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins)
A Star Is Born (Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters and Eric Roth)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty)
BlacKkKlansman (Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott) 
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen)

Best original score

If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell)
Mary Poppins Returns (Marc Shaiman)
Isle of Dogs (Alexandre Desplat)
BlacKkKlansman (Terence Blanchard)
Black Panther (Ludwig Goransson) 


Shallow (A Star Is Born) – 
All the Stars (Black Panther)
I’ll Fight (RBG)
The Place Where Lost Things Go (Mary Poppins Returns)
When a Cowboy Trades his Spurs for Wings (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Best actor

Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) 
Christian Bale (Vice)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)

Best actress

Glenn Close (The Wife)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite) 
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)

Best director

Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) 
Adam McKay (Vice)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

Best picture


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