Sometimes, the Oscars get things wrong. But sometimes, the awards get something very right. Host Scott Detrow discusses the best Oscar moments of years past with Michael Schulman of The New Yorker.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
And now it is time for our weekly look at the Oscars. The big night takes place on March 10, and in the lead up, we are casting a critical eye at the Oscars of years past. Last week, we talked about all the times that Oscars got it wrong. There was a lot to talk about. But this week we want to focus on the times that Oscar got it right, from the awards to the ceremony itself. So for that, we called up Michael Schulman, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of the book “Oscar Wars: A History Of Hollywood In Gold, Sweat, And Tears.” Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
MICHAEL SCHULMAN: Hi. Thanks for having me.
DETROW: Off the top of your head, what’s a year or what’s an award where you think, yep, they got that right; that holds up?
SCHULMAN: I would say that “Moonlight” winning best picture in 2017 has really held up well. And not just that – I mean, I like “La La Land.” Of course, it was an insane way that it all played out with the envelope mix-up.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JORDAN HOROWITZ: There’s a mistake. “Moonlight” – you guys won best picture.
(APPLAUSE)
MARC PLATT: “Moonlight” won.
HOROWITZ: This is not a joke.
PLATT: This is not a joke. I’m afraid they read the wrong thing.
SCHULMAN: I like a best picture winner that is not only just, you know, the – a movie that holds up and stands the test of time, but a win that kind of is – feels a little spicy and new and kind of redefines what a best picture winner looks like. And I felt like “Moonlight” really did that.
DETROW: Do you feel like that would have been a statement no matter what? – because it was certainly a statement when they said, it’s “La La Land” – just kidding, it is a wildly different movie; it’s Moonlight.
SCHULMAN: I mean, not…
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