Expect Politics, Celebrity to Collide at Oscars

But will President Trump be watching as usual?
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 24, 2017 12:01 PM CST
Expect Politics, Celebrity to Collide at Oscars
Oscar statues for the 89th Academy Awards red carpet stand on Wednesday in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

This year's Golden Globes ceremony turned out to be quite the political affair, and Sunday's Oscars will likely be no different, especially with Donald Trump critic Meryl Streep in attendance. Here's what to expect:

  • Will host Jimmy Kimmel mention Trump? It's a safe bet. He tells the New York Times he likes to talk about "what people are talking about," and Trump "is Topic No. 1, 2 and 4" at the dinner table.
  • Stars appearing on stage are likely to reference Trump, too, reports the BBC. It lists Streep as one of several celebrities that might make a political statement. Mahershala Ali and Casey Affleck are two others.

  • Should they use their time on stage to talk politics, they certainly won't be the first. The Verge looks at the historical role of politics at the Oscars, but notes that while a political speech is generally accepted today, it wasn't always that way.
  • The Los Angeles Times likewise identifies the 11 "most notable political moments" at the Oscars, including the time in 1993 that Richard Gere opted to discuss China. The list gives the impression that such moments are becoming more frequent.
  • But no matter what happens at this year's ceremony, there's a good chance Trump won't like what he sees. He tweeted frequently about previous shows, and the New York Daily News rounds up some of his slams, including: "I should host the #Oscars to shake things up—this is not good!" in 2014, when Ellen DeGeneres was hosting.
(More Oscars stories.)

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