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Thursday, May 6, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS
Few events are as exciting or
significant to a film writer as the
Oscars. Normally, the event offers the
chance to meet with talented actors
and filmmakers during a celebration
of some of the year’s biggest films.
Yet in a year filled with delays and
accommodations, it’s no surprise
that things didn’t quite look the
same at this year’s Academy Awards.
The typical January date, along
with the usual timeline for eligible
films, was postponed by three
months. The setting was, for lack
of a better word, intimate: Rather
than inviting all of Hollywood’s
elite, the ceremony was made up of
nominees, presenters and plus-ones
only, held in Los Angeles’s Union
Station with nominees clustered
around small tables, as well as
satellite locations around the world.
The event was regulated by COVID-
19 protocols determined by a team
of epidemiologists (most of whom
Oscars producer Steven Soderbergh
had met during the creation of his
film “Contagion”). And, unlike in
normal years, press were not allowed
into the in-person backstage area,
but instead brought into a Zoom
meeting — Michigan Daily writers
newly amongst them.
Despite
Zoom
snafus
and
awkward silences, being at this
year’s Academy Awards was an
incredible chance to view the inner
workings of the Academy and the
press — an experience that we
truly appreciated and enjoyed. For
one thing, watching a live feed of
the event without being subjected
to ads was nice; for another, it was
an honor to be present for some of
the inspiring words from winners
that only the press got to hear
and cherish. So even as we were
frantically switching between the
ceremony
and
the
“backstage”
interviews — truly, catching the
tail end of Glenn Close shaking her
booty while switching back from an
interview about production design
was unexpected — it was certainly
an experience to remember. Here
are some of our favorite moments
from the night. For a full list of
winners, click here.
Recognizing those who are giving
Recognizing those who are giving
back in Hollywood
back in Hollywood
The Academy awarded two Jean
Hersholt Humanitarian Awards this
year, with one going to the Motion
Picture and Television Fund and
another to Hollywood superstar
Tyler Perry. MPTF and Perry join
the likes of Frank Sinatra, Audrey
Hepburn and Oprah Winfrey as the
40th and 41st winners of the award,
which is named for a Danish-born
actor, philanthropist and one-time
MPTF president. MPTF, a mutual aid
organization for the entertainment
industry, is celebrating its 100th
year in 2021. MPTF also operates a
number of health and senior centers
in Los Angeles exclusively for those
in the industry. The award was
accepted by Bob Beitcher, current
president and CEO of MPTF, who said
in his remarks, “We really and truly
take care of our own.”
Tyler Perry, the producer, director
and star of the “Madea” films, was
awarded
for
his
philanthropic
work,
which
includes
picking
up seniors’ grocery bills, paying
Rayshard Brooks’ funeral expenses
and opening Camp Quarantine to
keep Tyler Perry Studios employees
working during the pandemic. Perry
gave a moving acceptance speech,
encouraging his audience to “refuse
hate.” He said that he is dedicating
the award to those who “stand in
the middle,” adding, “that’s where
healing
happens.
That’s
where
conversation happens. That’s where
change happens.”
Everything’s
Coming
Up
Everything’s
Coming
Up
Nomadland
Nomadland
Nomadland
was
the
most
awarded film at this year’s Oscars,
winning in three of its six nominated
categories, including Best Picture.
Critics and bettors were fairly certain
that Nomadland would win, and
The Daily predicted it too. There’s
something about that sweeping
yet subtle narrative and grand
imagery of the American landscape
that was sure to win the hearts
of the Academy’s voters. Frances
McDormand produced and starred
in Nomadland, so she took the stage
twice, also winning for Best Actress
in a Leading Role.
At the end of the group Best Picture
acceptance speech, McDormand
paid tribute by howling at the moon
to Nomadland production sound
mixer Michael Wolf Snyder, who
recently died at age 35. Chloé Zhao
won the Oscar for Best Directing as
the second woman and first woman
of color recognized with this award.
In her remarks, she dedicated the
win to “anyone who had the faith
and the courage to hold on to the
goodness in themselves, and to hold
on to the goodness in each other, no
matter how difficult it is to do that.”
Speaking to the press backstage,
Zhao’s message was clear: “It’s pretty
fabulous to be a woman in 2021.”
I sit in my pajamas across from my
laptop. On the screen sits another man
alone in his bedroom, strumming a
guitar. At the whim of my residence
hall’s intermittent Wi-Fi connection,
my
stream
looks
more
like
a
PowerPoint presentation than a video,
and my laptop’s dingy speakers make
the audio sound more like a phone call
than a concert. When I ordered tickets
to SpringFest, I didn’t receive a sheet
of paper with a barcode, but rather a
digital link. My fellow concertgoers
aren’t cheering and dancing around
me. My only knowledge of their
presence is through tiny avatars in
a comment section. This is what it’s
like to attend a music festival during
a pandemic. It is our best attempt to
make a typically in-person experience
virtual.
Every year, hundreds of students
flock to the Diag to participate in
SpringFest, a charity music festival run
by MUSIC Matters, a U-M non-profit
focused on creating local change
through music. The day is filled with
performances by local artists, various
activities put on by clubs and massive
fundraising projects. The headlining
act — which has previously been
artists like J. Cole, Migos and A$AP Ferg
— takes the stage last to end the night.
All the proceeds from the festival go
to benefit many of MUSIC Matter’s
charitable programs like the Michigan
Overnight Experience program and
the Big Thinkers Scholarship.
This year especially, the cliché
rings true: The show must go on, and
SpringFest is no exception. This year’s
SpringFest was presented virtually
over HeySummit + Remo. Although
virtual, the day was still filled with the
usual giveaways, performances and
presentations. At night, the festival was
sent off by the band Hippo Campus, a
Minnesota-based indie rock band.
I was initially concerned about
attending a digital music festival.
Being unfamiliar with the platform,
I
encountered
many
technical
difficulties in my initial attempts.
However, once I was watching my
first musical performance, all my
anxieties were quickly washed away
with a charismatic performance by
Oren Levin. It was at that moment I
discovered the greatest advantage
of hosting a digital concert — the
intimacy. In between songs, Levin, who
performed from his bedroom, talked
about his hopes for future musical
ventures. He mused at length about
his switch to online performances
to replace live concerts. He even
interacted with fellow concertgoers
who exuded overwhelming positivity
in the comments section. By being
completely separate from the artist
physically, I received an incredibly
candid performance that would not
have been possible on stage.
This experience continued with
Steve Banks, the schoolteacher and
Detroit-based rapper also known as
This Life. We Lead. Fresh home from
work, Banks’s performance felt like a
friend eagerly showing you his new
beats. He skipped around folders on
his computer, his eyes lighting up
whenever he saw a beat he wanted to
rap over. It was refreshing to watch a
performer who seemed to genuinely
have fun in a less formal setting.
The festival closed off the night
with Hippo Campus. I fell in love with
the band after discovering “Bambi”
while deep in a YouTube rabbit hole
earlier this year. Knowing the band
was famous for their stage presence,
I was excited to see them live. Hippo
Campus’s performance was simply
a pleasure to watch, and their
sound brought immeasurable joy
to my lifeless dorm room. Although
completely alone, I couldn’t help from
bobbing my head to “Buttercup” or
humming along to “Way It Goes.” I was
especially impressed with the band
members’ sense of humor during
the live performance. In between
songs, members held a groove
while bandmates quipped on facts
from the University of Michigan’s
Wikipedia page. While a lesser artist
may have made the virtual format
dull or impersonal, Hippo Campus’s
performance was just plain fun.
The Daily goes to the Academy Awards
SpringFest: Attending a virtual music festival
KARI ANDERSON, SABRIYA IMAMI &
ROSS LONDON
Daily Arts Writers
KAI BARTOL
Daily Arts Writer
Design by Sarah Chung
Krislam Chin (The Academy)
Read more at michigandaily.com
Read more at michigandaily.com