Several Academy governors have reportedly chimed in on the ongoing debate about categories, as reported by THR.
First first Oscar nominees luncheon was hosted at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City because of Ebola. Regardless matter how the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on March 27 will focus on certain categories, no one appeared to mind the hundreds of nominees in attendance. Instead, it appeared that everyone was having a great time with each other.
A current or past Academy governor or president is expected to join them at the table this year, along with other nominees and winners from their respective categories. As a married couple, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz attended the Academy Awards, where Steven Spielberg was nominated for best director, Sian Heder for best adapted screenplay, Emilia Jones attended as her date, and former Academy President Sid Ganis was in attendance.
Spielberg, Heder, and Ganis were all in attendance because of their nominations. Hundreds of other players rushed to meet and greet Spielberg during a brief pause in the action. Everyone he came into contact with was touched by his generosity.
During the luncheon, Packer showed a short video starring Kate McKinnon as an elderly Hollywood celebrity. Governors were also told to bow their heads and thank Packer and congratulate Packer’s departing CEO in the presence of Packer himself (Spielberg is one of them).
Branches governor Alfred Molina appeared on one of two platforms in the room and urged each contestant to meet with other candidates for group photographs that would later be digitally combined to resemble a regular class portrait. Perhaps because of COVID issues, smaller clusters were more popular.
When the list of best actor candidates was unveiled, Denzel Washington and Will Smith got up and danced. In a split second, everyone burst into applause as they saw Kristen Stewart and Billie Eilish sitting next to each other.
The Power of the Dog” and “CODA,” both nominated for best documentary short, were applauded by Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, as did several deaf persons in favor of “Audible.” Two recognized best supporting actress nominees, Aunjanue Ellis and Ariana DeBose, were applauded from the front row (West Side Story).
Additionally, there is a previous or current Academy governor or president who serves on the jury. They will be seated with their visitors in a group. They sat right next to Steven Spielberg and Sian Heder, who were both nominated for best picture and best adapted screenplay for their respective films. Sid Ganis, the former president of the Academy, was also in attendance. During gaps in the action, a number of other individuals approached Spielberg to shake his hand, pose for a picture, or even bow to him. He was really approachable and kind to everyone he met.
It was Packer’s idea to portray an aging movie actor telling the candidates that if they won, they shouldn’t deliver long, boring speeches. Rubin praised Packer and outgoing CEO Dawn Hudson, and requested the Academy’s board of governors to bow down to them as well, since he is stepping down as president (Spielberg is one of them).
Each nominee’s name was read out by Alfred Molina while he stood on one of the two stages in the room. After that, he had them take individual photographs of themselves and the other nominees, which he would later combine to create a class portrait. Because of COVID worries, small clusters may have been favored.
When their names were called as best actor nominees for King Richard and Macbeth, they danced to the music. Kristen Stewart (Spencer) walked over and sat down next to Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die). The CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, was delighted when The Power of the Dog received the most nominations.
Applause erupted from the CODA and Audible user communities. Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) were receiving applause from a section of the audience at a table in the middle of the room.
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