In this week’s late night edition of handle with care, the Oscars!!!! Plus, Harry Styles’ new album and an Important Ryan Gosling Update.
The Academy Awards aired earlier today with its three hosts and some controversy. Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes opened the show and traded off hosting duties during the evening. And Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the middle of the show. Lots to unpack on that front!!
The biggest headline of the evening isn’t that “CODA” won Best Picture, or the incredible firsts from Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur, but the beef between Will Smith and Chris Rock will be all anyone remembers from the 2022 Oscars. And it’ll be tabloid fodder for weeks, I can tell you that much. I really thought it was a bit at first until the delay. That smack did not sound real to me for some reason! Then the whole thing went mute, and my household started putting the pieces together.
Chris Rock was presenting the award for documentary feature when he said, “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” referring to Jada Pinkett Smith’s haircut. She has been open about her journey with alopecia, and appeared to dislike the joke. And so did Smith, because he got up with a purpose: to slap Rock across the face. When he returned to his seat, he said (twice), “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Soon after that, he accepted the Best Actor Oscar in tears, and apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees.
There are certainly lines comedians should not cross in my eyes, and making fun of people’s autoimmune diseases is just not it, and this was the second time Rock has said something about Pinkett Smith’s hair. Smith did what anyone who loves their partner would do: he defended her. The TL is already divided over how it was handled, some (mostly white people) calling it an “assault,” but I don’t think Smith needs to justify his actions. Like if anyone ever spoke bad about me, I would want someone to defend me!! Don’t blame him…
Oscars Fashion: How do you solve a problem like Chanel?
I love sitting on the couch watching E!’s red carpet coverage and judging the fashion choices, it’s in the top five of my favorite activities behind peeling a clementine and watching this Timothée Chalamet video. I also looked through Teen Vogue’s red carpet gallery, and decided to highlight five looks from earlier today.
I thought Saniyya Sidney was the best dressed actor in the room tonight, in Armani Privé. The aquamarine gown had floral embellishments made of every color she’s worn throughout this awards season. Lily James also looked beautiful in her lacy pink Versace dress. Spring vibes baby!!! I’m all about it!!
Olivia Colman wore a silver pleated gown by Dior with dramatic sleeves, and the styling was perfect! I actually liked Penélope Cruz’s Chanel gown; the bow motif was functional as a halter neckline and acted as jewelry. It was the opposite of Kristen Stewart’s Chanel look, which… was a choice! I loved Jada Pinkett Smith’s dark green Jean Paul Gautier gown. It looked like kale!! It was a similar style to the vintage Gareth Pugh gown she wore at the SAG Awards, but I think I liked tonight’s more.
And finally: Chelsea’s Oscar ✨highlights✨
Youn Yuh-Jung signing Troy Kotsur’s name to announce his Best Supporting Actor win, and being precious in general.
Megan Thee Stallion’s rap during the “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” performance.
Beyoncé performing “Be Alive” at the Tragniew Park tennis courts in Compton, CA.
Laverne Cox asking Andrew Garfield who he would play on “Snatch Game,” the “Match Game”-inspired challenge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” on the red carpet. He thoughtfully replied, “Meryl Streep.”
Architectural Digest-core
Harry Styles announced the title, album art, and release date for his upcoming third album, “Harry’s House.” I love his little Molly Goddard outfit; I used to wear a similar top in high school.
The announcement is on the heels of stans sleuthing a Discord and Twitter account related to the album. I feel like the sound will be similar to his eponymous debut album, but it will take a lot to dethrone “Two Ghosts” as my favorite song. Anyway… I’m excited!
More good news!!
Amanda Bynes’ conservatorship was terminated this week. In a statement to People, Bynes said she will “continue to prioritize [her] well-being in this next chapter.” She is currently working towards her degree at FIDM.
GRAMMY Awards briefs
In other awards season news, the Recording Academy added to their slate of performers for the next week’s ceremony. H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, Nas, and Jon Batiste will perform. There will also be a tribute to Stephen Sondheim during the In Memoriam segment, with Cynthia Erivo, Ben Platt, Leslie Odom Jr., and awards season icon Rachel Zegler. The Foo Fighters are also scheduled to perform, but it is unclear what will happen after the sudden loss of drummer Taylor Hawkins.
I finally watched “West Side Story” (TW: sexual assault)
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the musical based on “Romeo and Juliet” was stunning. I feel like Ariana DeBose’s recognition for best supporting actress is well deserved, and I only wish that David Alvarez (who plays Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), and Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino) could’ve gotten more love too. Rachel Zegler was incredible, and I’m excited to see her in future projects, like “Shazam 2” and “Snow White” (!!!). The continuous shot before the dance in the gym was just *chef’s kiss*.
Of course, the only cloud over it was the Ansel Elgort of it all. ICYMI, Elgort was accused of sexual assault by multiple women (who were underage at the time of the assault) in 2020, after production wrapped, making him a persona non-grata among the rest of the cast. Although he still participated in some promotional activities, he was never asked about the allegations. I’m also mad because I love the soundtrack, but simply can’t stand to hear him sing “Maria,” one of my favorite songs from the musical!
If you didn’t already know, I am eagerly awaiting Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie. Ryan Gosling will be the Ken to Margot Robbie’s Barbie, and I think this is the first time Gosling has been seen with his new hair.
Platinum blond… hot take, but there’s just something about it! Maybe because it reminds me of “Dress” by Taylor Swift (IYKYK). Or maybe I’m into the silver fox look and this is my awakening! We’ll find out how into it I really am when this movie is released.
Thank you for reading!!! I wasn’t sure how late this would arrive in your inboxes, so thank you for your patience. And please excuse any typos I may have made. With that said, I think I’ll do this again after the GRAMMYs next week, so see everyone then!! 💚