Will Smith assaults Chris Rock LIVE at the Oscars

[SIY]

Not sure if this has reached the lowest point of all the awards shows over the years but it has to be pretty close.

I'd say the opposite. The Oscars were dying as people were increasingly tuning out for various reasons. This stunt spiked the ratings and has everyone suddenly talking about them. It was a major success in rescuing a badly fading event. Whoever thought of this is an unsung genius.

Disclaimer: I have no dog in this hunt, I haven't seen any of the movies that were part of the awards deal and haven't been in a movie theater for perhaps 15 years.

 

[voodooless]

I'd say the opposite. The Oscars were dying as people were increasingly tuning out for various reasons. This stunt spiked the ratings and has everyone suddenly talking about them. It was a major success in rescuing a badly fading event. Whoever thought of this is an unsung genius.

Both can be true at the same time though It can be a major success and a major low point. This is not at all uncommon for Hollywood.

If this was actually scripted, it's marvelously stupid writing. Why make one of them the bad guy? Seems totally unnecessary.

On the other hand, Hollywood has given us "The Last Jedi" among many other abominations in the last few years, so nothing is beyond them at this point

 

[SIY]

If this was actually scripted, it's marvelously stupid writing. Why make one of the bad guy? Seems totally unnecessary.

Remember Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler. Remember that these are all people whose profession is playing make-believe. And much modern TV and cinema is not tightly scripted- the actors are given the scene outlines, maybe a few written lines, then improvise the actual dialog. Think Christopher Guest's films or Curb You Enthusiasm.

 

[JSmith]

The title is a bit misleading, it's quite balanced in opinion;

JSmith

 

[voodooless]

Remember Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler. Remember that these are all people whose profession is playing make-believe. And much modern TV and cinema is not tightly scripted- the actors are given the scene outlines, maybe a few written lines, then improvise the actual dialog. Think Christopher Guest's films or Curb You Enthusiasm.

That may be, but potentially changing the outcome from two good guys to one good, and one bad, goes way beyond the scope of a potential outline. It would be beyond stupid, but not beyond Hollywood.

 

[SIY]

That may be, but potentially changing the outcome from two good guys to one good, and one bad, goes way beyond the scope of a potential outline. It would be beyond stupid, but not beyond Hollywood.

Does it make money? Yes. Full stop.

 

[voodooless]

Does it make money? Yes. Full stop.

Not if the same could have been done by not potentially endangering one of the actors' careers. Unless that is also part of the conspiracy and he is in no actual danger at all

 

[SIY]

Not if the same could have been done by not potentially endangering one of the actors' careers. Unless that is also part of the conspiracy and he is in no actual danger at all

Heels in pro wrestling make just as much money as faces.

Of course there was no actual danger.

 

[voodooless]

Heels in pro wrestling make just as much money as faces.

That is not equivalent

Of course there was no actual danger.

We'll see how it goes. Nothing will surprise me...

 

[raif71]

 

[mhardy6647]

If this was actually scripted, it's marvelously stupid writing. Why make one of them the bad guy? Seems totally unnecessary.

Are you familar with professional wrestling by any chance?

(EDIT: As usual, I espied @SIY's post only after posting the above... but the good guy-bad guy trope is pretty deeply entrenched and certainly can be... as they say... monetized.)

 

[voodooless]

Are you familar with professional wrestling by any chance?

(EDIT: As usual, I espied @SIY's post only after posting the above... but the good guy-bad guy trope is pretty deeply entrenched and certainly can be... as they say... monetized.)

I really fail to see any relevance other than that some dude got a wack...
- With professional wrestling, you know upfront that it's fake
- The people are actually actors playing out a character, arguably an actor is always in character, but still, not the same
- Whatever happens has for sure zero consequence in real life

 

[mhardy6647]

I really fail to see any relevance other than that some dude got a wack...
- With professional wrestling, you know upfront that it's fake
- The people are actually actors playing out a character, arguably an actor is always in character, but still, not the same
- Whatever happens has for sure zero consequence in real life

1) I am pretty sure there are (still) folks who would disagree re: pro wrestling's fakeness. There are folks who think "we" never landed on the moon.,
2) So, those folks at the Oscars -- what do they do for a living? Oh yeah, I know. Act.
3) Does this have any consequence in real life (especially if it were staged for effect, press, and ratings)?

We shall see...
My guess is this will play out as having been full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (to quote Shakespeare, or whomever that dude was who signed the name Shakespeare to a bunch plays...)

 

[Rick63]

I'm still torn as to whether it was real or staged. Either way I'm disappointed it happened at all because I like both of those guys a lot.

If it was indeed staged and that the hope/plan was to increase viewership, I doubt it will have any effect on next year's show ratings. I don't care about that anyhow because it's probably been 20 years since I watched the Academy Awards or any other awards shows. Between the Oscar's and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I'm not sure which has fallen more...

 

[SIY]

 

[voodooless]

1) I am pretty sure there are (still) folks who would disagree re: pro wrestling's fakeness. There are folks who think "we" never landed on the moon.,

Or the ones buying $1000 power cords

2) So, those folks at the Oscars -- what do they do for a living? Oh yeah, I know. Act.

Yeah, I said a much. For sure, an actor acts out all the time in public, playing advanced persiflages of themselves.

3) Does this have any consequence in real life (especially if it were staged for effect, press, and ratings)?

It already did. Smiths' living corpse got dragged through piles of shit all over social media.

We shall see...

That is my whole point

 

[Slayer]

While not 100% guaranteed fact, it would appear the slap was real. According to those who attended and those at the table with Will and Jada. Seems as if Will originally thought it was funny, till his wife asked him if he was going to do something about it. Geez, hasn't this woman already emasculated him enough in public already. Hate to say it, but she seems to have total control over him. She has messed with his mind so much; he doesn't know how he should act (as their past public appearance admissions would indicate).

While I can somewhat feel a little sympathy for him, it's still no excuse. He needs to get a grip and take back control over his personal life issues, instead of lashing out at others for his stored-up anger.

Can you imagine if Ricky Gervais had hosted, what things he might have said? Jada may have expected Will to take even more drastic measures.
Simply put, when you attend these kinds of events, you know and expect the host comedian to be roasting people.
If your ego is too fragile, you have issues with self-control and may be having personal issues in your life, it's probably best you do not attend such events.

 

[voodooless]

If your ego is too fragile, you have issues with self-control and may be having personal issues in your life, it's probably best you do not attend such events.

That would be refreshing.. An empty room

 

[Laserjock]

That would be refreshing.. An empty room

Lol, truer words..

 

[luft262]

I feel sorry for all the fools who think what Will Smith did was somehow justified. Any and all violent physical contact with another person that wasn't in self defense is assault. Legally and morally if someone says something you disagree with your only recourse is to ask them to stop or get a restraining order from the police. We live in a country with freedom of speech. If you hit someone at Target they'll kick you out permanently. If you hit someone at the doctor's office they'll kick you out permanently. In some states if you hit someone and they don't press charges the state will anyway. This is for good reason, because as a society we don't need people solving their problems with violence like a bunch of idiots who can't tell the difference between a movie and real life. The Oscar People failed when they didn't immediately remove Will Smith from the premises and permanently ban him from the academy and all future events. His status and privalage superceded their better judgement and no regular person would have been given that kind of treatment. He should keep his award, because his acting performance is separate from his personal actions off set, but he should not have been allowed to stay on the premises after assaulting an employee to accept it. He is very lucky he didn't spend the night in jail and face a law suit from Chris Rock, which Mr. Rock could easily win given the evidence and circumstances against Mr. Smith. He is a poor example for husbands, sons, and men everywhere. But everyone is redeemable if they put in the work so I won't write him off and I don't believe in cancel culture.