LGBT Recap Of The 2019 Academy Awards

The 2019 Oscars saw lots of love for films featuring LGBTQ characters and stories, including Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite and A Star is Born.

Green Book, which chronicles the story of the friendship between gay jazz pianist Don Shirley and his white driver in 1960s America, took home Best Picture, and Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali.

Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her performance as Queen Anne in the lesbian dramedy,The Favourite.

The big winner at the Oscars was the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which took home four awards including Best Actor for Rami Malek, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

“I think to anyone struggling… we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself. The fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this,” said Malek in his acceptance speech.

A Star is Born, starring openly bisexual Lady Gaga, took home Best Original Song for “Shallow."

Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed the song live at the awards ceremony, the clear highlight of the broadcast. Not only were the duo on point, the decision to have them come up from the audience and then continue the performance in one long steady cam shot was beautiful.

As a side note: Glenn Close's work in The Wife is one of the most extraordinary, artful performances I've seen in years. I'm stunned Close did not take home the Oscar tonight. Stunned.

My opinion.

Deadline reports that the ratings for last night's Oscars (sans host) were up 9% over last year's awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Adam Lambert & Queen Announced To Perform At 2019 Oscars

Adam Lambert (image via Flickr/Tatianka1986)

The Oscars are promising a virtual homo-goulash of LGBTQ music artists and favorites when the 91st annual Academy Awards take place on Sunday, February 24.

This morning, the Academy announced that iconic rock band Queen, fronted by out singer Adam Lambert, will stage to the stage at the 2019 Oscars.

The Academy paired the lyric, “Is this real life? Is this just fantasy?,” with video footage of Lambert and Queen performing “We Will Rock You” in a post on Twitter Monday morning.

Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
We welcome @QueenWillRock and @adamlambert to this year's #Oscars!https://t.co/7uDf42FbjJ

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 18, 2019

Lambert first met and performed with original Queen band members Roger Taylor and Brian May while competing on the talent competition American Idol in 2009. In 2012, the band invited Lambert to tour as frontman.

The appearance will clearly be a tribute to the Freddie Mercury musical biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, which is nominated in five categories on Sunday including Best Picture, Best Actor (front runner Rami Malek), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.

The rockers will join previously announced performers Bette Midler, Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Hudson, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who will perform songs nominated for Best Original Song.

Midler , a two-time Oscar nominee (The Rose, For The Boys) tweeted her news this weekend, writing, “So, (drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be chanteusing (that's singing) on the Oscars on Feb 24...the nominated song from ‘Mary Poppins’…’The Place Where Lost Things Go’ ...so excited!!”

So, (drum roll) Ladies and Gentlemen, I will be chanteusing (that's singing) on the Oscars on Feb 24...the nominated song from "Mary Poppins"..."The Place Where Lost Things Go" ...so excited!!

— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) February 17, 2019

Gaga and Cooper will reprise the Grammy and Golden Globe-winning duet, “Shallow” from A Star is Born (a pretty sure bet to win the trophy); Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) will perform “I’ll Fight” from the documentary RBG; and nominees Rawlings & Welch will sing “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.

Tune in this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT for the 91st Academy Awards on ABC.

(h/t Hollywood Reporter)

Nominations For 2019 Academy Awards Announced

Tracee Ellis Ross and Kumail Nanjiani  announced the nominations for the 91st Academy Awards, and Roma and The Favourite head up the pack with 10 nods each.

A Star is Born snagged 8 nominations and Black Panther received 7 noms.

Black Panther is the first super-hero movie to receive a Best Picture nod.

And should Roma win, it would be the first film to be named Best Picture with zero ticket sales since Netflix doesn't release its films in a traditional manner.

Bohemian Rhapsody got some love from the Academy too. The Freddie Mercury biopic was nominated for Best Picture, while Rami Malek was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Queen lead singer.

As expected, Lady Gaga got her nods for Best Original Song and Best Actress for A Star is Born,

I'm not happy that Bradley Cooper was snubbed in the Best Director category.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the biopic of lesbian biographer Lee Israel, played in the film by Melissa McCarthy, got 3 nominations.

McCarthy received a Best Actress nod, Richard E. Grant scored a nomination for Supporting Actor, and the film’s third nod was for Adapted Screenplay.

The Favourite is the big winner for LGBT-themed films scoring the most nominations, with 10 in total. All three female leads - Olivia Coleman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz - all received nominations.

The film has received kudos from LGBTQ groups for its depiction of a lesbian love triangle.

More than half of this year's Best Picture nominees - The Favourite, Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, Green Book, and Vice - this year are LGBTQ-inclusive.

Other LGBT-related nominations include Mahershala Ali Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the openly gay pianist Dr. Don Shirley in Green Book.

Troye Sivan will have to be happy with his Golden Globe nod for his song “Revelation” from Boy Erased, as he was left out of the Best Original Song category. Look for Gaga’s “Shallow” to be the front runner in this category.

Check out the full list of nominees below and tune in for

The 91st Academy Awards air on ABC , Sunday, February 24.

Best Picture
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

Best Actor
Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Vice)
Marina de Tavira (Roma)
Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Best Directing
Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Adam McKay (Vice)

Best Adapted Screenplay
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born

Best Original Screenplay
The Favourite
First Reformed
Green Book
Roma
Vice

Best Animated Film
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mira!
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Cinematography
Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
Roma
A Star Is Born

Best Costume Design
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots

Best Documentary Feature
Free Solo
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG

Best Documentary Short Subject
Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence

Best Film Editing
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice

Best Foreign-Language Film
Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
Roma
Shoplifters

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice

Best Original Score
Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns

Best Original Song
“All the Stars” (Black Panther)
“I’ll Fight” (RBG)
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” (Mary Poppins Returns)
“Shallow” (A Star Is Born)
“When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Best Production Design
Black Panther
The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Best Animated Short Film
Animal Behaviour
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

Best Live-Action Short Film
Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin

Best Sound Editing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma

Best Sound Mixing
Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born

Best Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

RuPaul For Oscar Host!

Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the 2019 Academy Awards this morning after homophobic language from the past came to light.

"I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists,” he wrote on Twitter. “I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.”

“I'm sorry that I hurt people. I am evolving and want to continue to do so,” Kevin continued. “My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.”

I have made the choice to step down from hosting this year's Oscar's....this is because I do not want to be a distraction on a night that should be celebrated by so many amazing talented artists. I sincerely apologize to the LGBTQ community for my insensitive words from my past.

— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018

I'm sorry that I hurt people.. I am evolving and want to continue to do so. My goal is to bring people together not tear us apart. Much love & appreciation to the Academy. I hope we can meet again.

— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) December 7, 2018

The Academy is now looking for a new host for the February 24th event on ABC.

I personally nominate 3-time-Emmy Award winner RuPaul :)

90th Academy Award Nominations

Via Variety:

Oscar nominations for the 90th annual awards were announced on Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” continued its awards show streak, leading the pack with 13 nominations. Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” followed behind with nine nods and “Dunkirk” with eight. All three films earned best picture nominations. 

The rest of the category was rounded out by “Call Me By Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Get Out,” “Phantom Thread,” “Lady Bird,” and “The Post.”

The Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 4.

The nominations for the Best Picture 

• “Call Me by Your Name”
• "Darkest Hour"
• “Dunkirk”
• "Get Out"
• "Lady Bird"
• "Phantom Thread"
• "The Post"
• "The Shape of Water"
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
• Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
• Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
• Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
• Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
• Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
• Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
• Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
• Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
• Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
• Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
• Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
• Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
• Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
• Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Best Director

• “Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan
• “Get Out,” Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
• “Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
• “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Best Original Screenplay 

• “The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
• “Get Out,” Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh
• “The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor

Best Adapted Screenplay

• “Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
• “The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
• “Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
• “Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
• “Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Best Animated Feature

• “The Boss Baby”
• “The Breadwinner”
• “Coco”
• "Ferdinand"
• “Loving Vincent”

Best Original Song

• “Mighty River” from “Mudbound”
• “Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name”
• “Remember Me” from “Coco”
• “Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall”
• “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman”

Best Documentary Feature

• "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail"
• “Faces Places”
• “Icarus”
• "Last Men in Aleppo"
• “Strong Island”

Best Documentary Short Subject

• “Edith+Eddie”
• “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405”
• “Heroin(e)”
• “Kayayo: The Living Shopping Baskets”
• “Knife Skills” “Traffic Stop”

Best Foreign Language Film 

• “A Fantastic Woman”
• “The Insult”
• “Loveless”
• "The Wound"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Darkest Hour”
• “Victoria & Abdul”
• “Wonder”

Best Film Editing

• “Baby Driver”
• “Dunkirk”
• “I, Tonya”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Visual Effects

• “Blade Runner 2049”
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
• "Kong: Skull Island"
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
• “War for the Planet of the Apes”

Best Original Score

• “Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
• “Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
• “The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
• "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," Carter Burwell

Best Production Design

• “Beauty and the Beast”
• “Blade Runner 2049”
• “Darkest Hour”
• “The Shape of Water”
• "Dunkirk"

Best Cinematography 

• “Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
• “Darkest Hour," Bruno Delbonnel
• “Dunkirk," Hoyte van Hoytema
• “Mudbound," Rachel Morrison
• “The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Costume Design 

• “Beauty and the Beast”
• “Darkest Hour”
• “Phantom Thread”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Victoria and Abdul”

Best Sound Editing

• "Baby Driver"
• "Blade Runner 2049"
• "Dunkirk"
• "The Shape of Water"
• "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

Best Sound Mixing 

• “Baby Driver”
• “Blade Runner 2049”
• “Dunkirk”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”

Best Animated Short Film 

• “Dear Basketball”
• "Garden Party"
• "Lou"
• “Negative Space”
• “Revolting Rhymes”

Best Live Action Short Film

• “DeKalb Elementary”
• “The Eleven O’Clock”
• “My Nephew Emmett”
• “The Silent Child”
• “Watu Wote/All of Us”

Gay-Themed Animated Short Film "In A Hearbeat" Makes Shortlist For Oscars

Ten films have made the shortlist out of 63 that qualified for this year's Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

One of those ten is the acclaimed In A Heartbeat chronicling the charming tale of a schoolboy who's heart leads him to face his same-sex school crush.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote to select five nominees in January.

Watch the charming animated short below.

News Round-Up: March 3, 2017

Fitness model Dmitry Averyanov

Some news items you may have missed:

• Fitness model Dmitry Averyanov (above) wishes you a Happy Friday!

• This year's Oscar-winning "Best Picture" Moonlight is playing out to more than 1,500 theaters this weekend, the widest distribution the indie flick has seen. In 20 weeks of release, the gorgeous, coming-of-age film has grossed about $22 million at the domestic box office.

• This out Asian man says he only dates white guys because they are "the gold standard of desirability." I find him "the gold standard of icky." It won't surprise you to find that, armed with that outlook, he hasn't found his soul mate yet...

• The suspect in the Key West hate crime against two gay men thinks he can avoid extradition from North Carolina. Umm, he was identified using a rented scooter with his drivers license. You're going down pal. 

• Texas Republicans are fighting to deny married same-sex couples the employment benefits extended to heterosexual married couples in Houston. Here's a hint to a verdict: SCOTUS' Obergefell ruling guarantees that all marriages be treated equally. All.

• The two accountants responsible for the red envelope mix up for "Best Picture" at this year's Academy Awards have been booted from working the event in the future.

• Ellen DeGeneres, Lady Gaga and Pharrell are taking part in "The Love Project" for Revlon. The cosmetics company has committed $1 million to charities like The Born This Way Foundation, The Trevor Project, From One Hand to AnOTHER and The Women’s Heart Alliance. Watch the spot that ran during the Academy Awards below:

Academy Awards' TV Ratings Continue to Slide

Bad news for ABC: La La Land/Moonlight "Best Picture" flub aside, this year's Oscars drew only 32.9 million viewers with a 9.1 rating among adults 18-49. That's a nine year low for Hollywood's biggest night.

From USA Today:

The Oscars high point came in 1998, when 55 million watched blockbuster Titanic win best picture; its low, a decade later, in 2008, when 32 million watched No Country for Old Men win in the midst of a bitter writers strike that saw many boycott the ceremony.

The more recent high was 43.7 million in 2014, in a ceremony hosted by Ellen DeGeneres that honored 12 Years a Slave as best picture.

Academy Awards - "Moonlight" Wins Best Picture

OMG - my pick for "Best Picture" at the Oscars tonight won in a surprise upset.

Initially, Academy Award winners Warren Beaty and Faye Dunaway announced La La Land as the winner, but it appears they were handed the "Best Actress" envelope that named Emma Stone as "Best Actress."

Warren Beatty was confused looking at the envelope. Showing it to Faye Dunaway she saw La La Land, and so read that title.

But in the middle of acceptance speeches, it became clear the true winner of the "Best Picture" title was Moonlight.

I'm over the moon. This small, indie pic chronicling a young gay African-American boy's coming-of-age story was clearly an underdog in the Oscar race. I never in my dreams this gorgeous film would win "Best Picture."

In the end, Moonlight won a total of three Oscars - Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali. Watch Team Moonlight in the press room moments after the win, and the trailer for the film, below.

One of the craziest whoa moments in the history of live event television #Oscars #Moonlight pic.twitter.com/ybxEAQe1UD

— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 27, 2017

The 2017 Academy Award Nominations Announced

Full list of the 2017 Academy Award nominations at Variety.

The blockbuster La La Land received 14 nominations.

My personal favorite, the coming of age film Moonlight, received 8 nominations including "Best Picture!"

Best picture:
“Arrival”
“Fences”
“Hacksaw Ridge”
“Hell or High Water”
“Hidden Figures”
“La La Land”
“Lion”
“Manchester by the Sea”
“Moonlight”

Lead actor:
Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Andrew Garfield, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Ryan Gosling, “La La Land,”
Viggo Mortensen, “Captain Fantastic”
Denzel Washington, “Fences”

Lead actress:
Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Natalie Portman, “Jackie”
Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Meryl Streep, “Florence Foster Jenkins”

Supporting actor:
Mahershala Ali, “Moonlight”
Jeff Bridges, “Hell or High Water”
Lucas Hedges, “Manchester by the Sea”
Dev Patel, “Lion”
Michael Shannon, “Nocturnal Animals”

Supporting actress:
Viola Davis, “Fences”
Naomie Harris, “Moonlight”
Nicole Kidman, “Lion”
Octavia Spencer, “Hidden Figures”
Michelle Williams, “Manchester by the Sea”

Best director:
Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Mel Gibson, “Hacksaw Ridge”
Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight”
Kenneth Lonergan, “Manchester by the Sea”
Denis Villeneuve, “Arrival”

Oscar Winners 2016

A rather predictable Academy Awards ceremony, apart from Chris Rock's constant hard hitting on the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.

The artists honored for the "Big Six" were all completely worthy for their amazing work.

Probably the biggest upset was Lady Gaga's loss for "Best Song" to Sam Smith's Bond film tune. Surprisingly, Smith made note that he was perhaps the first openly gay person to win an Oscar without doing a simple Google search.

Obviously, readers here will know that Dustin Lance Black, Melissa Etheridge, Elton John, and Stephen Sondheim have all previously won Oscars.

Be that as it may, Gaga's performance was clearly the highlight of the evening.

A very emotional and powerful performance by @LadyGaga performing 'Til It Happens To You'. #Oscars #9Today https://t.co/BNvmFA1JdL

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) February 29, 2016

Sir Ian McKellen: Concerns About Underrepresented Minorities In Studio Movies Are "A Legitmate Complaint"

Sir Ian McKellen says he "sympathizes" with minorities who feel underrepresented in studio movies

Openly gay Sir Ian McKellen was asked his thoughts about the current brouhaha regarding the lack of diversity in this year's Academy Award nominations.

Via The Press Association:

“I think you have to live in Hollywood where the Oscars means so much more than they do elsewhere to understand why people’s feelings are running so high, and the fact that black people feel underrepresented in studio movies and big movies. Well, it’s what women thought for a long time. It’s what gay people like myself still think. And it’s a legitimate complaint and the Oscars has become the focus of those worries. So I sympathize.”

Ever Wonder What It's Like To Win An Oscar?

Clip description:

Have you ever imagined what it'd be like to be an Oscar winner? Me too.

Welcome to the fake Oscar prank. In it, I pretend to be a celebrity and walk around with a fake Oscar to see how people treat me.

Pretending to be famous has its perks because it turns out people treat you like a real Oscar winner. You may have seen fake celebrity pranks and pretending to be famous before, but I think being a fake Oscar winner is the craziest prank of these yet!

I don't condone lying. At all.

But it is fascinating to view the culture in Hollywood that would bend over backwards for someone perceived to be an Oscar winner.

Lady Gaga At The 2015 Academy Awards

Lady Gaga stunned a world audience with her tribute to The Sound of Music at the 2015 Academy Awards.

Watch below - it's pretty fantastic :)

Post by ABC Television Network.

Neil Patrick Harris Hosts The 2015 Academy Awards Tonight

In case you've been living under a rock, Neil Patrick Harris hosts the 2015 Academy Awards tonight beginning at 7pm ET/4pm PT on ABC.

Who's going to win? Predictions?

I'll go with these. These are not who I think will win, but who I think should win.
We'll see if I get any right :)

Best Picture: Birdman
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman
Best Actor: Michael Keaton for Birdman (Redmayne will probably win)
Best Actress: Julianne Moore for Still Alice
Best Featured Actor: J.K. Simmons for Whiplash
Best Featured Actress: Patricia Arquette for Boyhood