The Oscars Thread

I didn't watch most of the Oscars last night, so I don't have much of a review, other than: Yay for Lupita Nyong'o, who won Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave, and gave a beautiful acceptance speech:

Thank you to the Academy for this incredible recognition. It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's. And so I want to salute the spirit of Patsey for her guidance. And for Solomon, thank you for telling her story and your own.

Steve McQueen, you charge everything you fashion with a breath of your own spirit. Thank you so much for putting me in this position; it's been the joy of my life. [Tears, applause.] I'm certain that the dead are standing about you and watching and they are grateful and so am I.

Chiwetel, thank you for your fearlessness and how deeply you went into Solomon, telling Solomon's story. Michael Fassbender, thank you so much. You were my rock. Alfre and Sarah, it was a thrill to work with you. Joe Walker, the invisible performer in the editing room, thank you. Sean Bobbitt, Kalaadevi, Adruitha, Patty Norris, thank you, thank you, thank you — I could not be here without your work.

I want to thank my family, for your training [laughs] and the Yale School of Drama as well, for your training. My friends the Wilsons, this one's for you. My brother Junior sitting by my side, thank you so much, you're my best friend and then my other best friend, my chosen family.

When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you're from, your dreams are valid. Thank you.

Your dreams are valid. Blub.

Major wevs to Jared Leto winning Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a trans woman. If anyone was going to win for that role, it should have been one of the many trans actresses who should have been cast in the first place. Of course, the Academy is way more inclined to reward a cis-het man for his "bravery" in being willing to play a trans woman than to reward the actual bravery of an out trans woman forging a visible career in a deeply transphobic industry.

Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor for the same film, Dallas Buyers Club, in which he played a straight white man with AIDS at the dawn of the HIV/AIDS movement, who transforms from a bigot to a saint, or whatever. (Which reportedly does not even accurately reflect the life of the man on whom the character is based.) "All right all right all phbbbbbt."

And major eyerolling at Cate Blanchett for her display of cognitive dissonance during her acceptance speech for Best Actress, for talking about paying attention to women and telling women's stories while thanking Woody Allen, the architect of a campaign of not listening to his own abused daughter. Good grief, Cate Blanchett. GOOD GRIEF.

Anyway. So Jordan Catalano won an Oscar. Next year, they'd better give one to Skippy Handelman!

A complete list of winners is here. Discuss.