Oscars 2024
Politically, as rarely, ProSieben embarrasses itself
Remembering the Oscar speedster 50 years ago: Jimmy Kimmel (l.) and John Cena.
© getty/[EXTRACTED]: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
After a slow start, the 96th Academy Awards convinced with the beautifully reserved Jimmy Kimmel. But ProSieben disappoints.
The highlight of the intro: In the (film) year of the actors’ and writers’ strike, the show paid tribute to the people in the background. Drivers and set workers were allowed to wave from the stage.
Supervised television with Steven Gätjen
The presentation of the first category was also slow. For the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, former winners of this category appeared as sponsors of the individual candidates, from Jamie Lee Curtis (65) to Rita Moreno (92). A nice idea, but one would have preferred to see scenes from the nominees instead of slow anecdotes from the presenters. The win ultimately went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph (37) for “The Holdovers”.
Then the peak of tenacity: During the commercial break on US TV, ProSieben showed Steven Gätjen (51). He retold Kimmel’s monologue again in deadly seriousness. Supervised television with the dynamics of a telecollege.
After that, the show picked up a bit, Steven Gätjen became more relaxed, also because he had a co-commentator and social media wingman in Paul Luca Fischer (25). The categories were handled very tightly. Still, there was time for some nice gimmicks: an indigenous dance in honor of “Killers of the Flower Moon.” An appreciation of stunt people. The (almost) naked John Cena (46), who awarded the Oscar for best costume design, is only wearing the envelope with the winners in front of his golden boy – a reminiscence of Robert Opel, who flashed naked across the Oscar stage 50 years ago.
A highlight was Ryan Gosling’s (43) performance of the “Barbie” song “I’m Just Ken”. He started alone in the audience, was then accompanied on stage by several co-Kens – and finally by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash (58). The audience sang karaoke, including “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig (40) and leading actress Margot Robbie (33). The Oscar for best song went to Billie Eilish’s (22) “Barbie” song “What Was I Made For?”
Ukraine and Gaza: Oscars more political than ever
Political messages are generally undesirable at the Oscars. This year, however, the world situation could not be ignored. This was unavoidable given the award for the best documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”. Director Mstyslav Chernov wished on stage that he hadn’t had to make his disturbing film about the Russian attack on Ukraine. Before the in memoriam segment, a video quote from the recently deceased Kremlin critic Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny was shown.
Of course, it was not noticeable that, according to Steven Gätjen, pro-Palestinian demonstrations were taking place outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. However, some stars wore a red button that called for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Things briefly became controversial during the acceptance speech by Jonathan Glazer (58), who received the Oscar for best international film for the concentration camp drama “The Zone of Interest”. The Jewish-British filmmaker mentioned the situation in the Gaza Strip, indirectly equating it with the Holocaust.
Towards the end, the otherwise inconspicuous Jimmy Kimmel made fun of the former and perhaps future President Donald Trump (77). The Academy Awards have rarely been this political.
Well meant is not well done: ProSieben is embarrassing itself
However, the broadcast from ProSieben was disappointing: the idea of having Steven Gätjen comment on the award ceremony during the US commercial breaks was not a bad one. In this way, viewers who are not so deeply immersed in the subject matter were given a hand.
But the beginners were misled because the tips presented by Gätjen and Fischer were way past the favorites and the bookmakers’ odds. And the fact that Gätjen’s unsuspecting partner didn’t even know “Twins” with Arnold Schwarzenegger (76) and Danny DeVito (79) – the two celebrated a reunion at the Oscars – is unforgivable.