Common & John Legend
This years Oscars was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, February, 22 2015
Host Neil Patrick Harris put it right on the table. “Tonight, we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest — excuse me, brightest,” he said.
It drew a knowing laugh, and no small amount of parsing.
Was Harris tweaking Hollywood for an embarrassing shortcoming? Or was he making fun of the people who have raised it as an issue of concern?
Obviously, the Oscars are an entertainment program and hosts are expected to make jokes, said Eric Haywood, a writer on Fox’s hit drama “Empire.” Yet jokes can also make people feel that their concerns are not being taken seriously, he said.
"As it stands, the joke is likely to be reduced to a meme, which the Academy is in no way obligated to address and can easily dismiss," said Robert Jones, a Brooklyn writer and creator of the social justice blog, Son of Baldwin. "It is, after all, just a joke, right?"
Here is a list of some of the winners of the 87th Oscar Awards:
Best Picture:
Selma
American Sniper
Birdman
Best Actress:
Felicia Jones
Resse Witherspoon
