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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

