LOS ANGELES – From the White House, first lady Michelle Obama joined Jack Nicholson to help present the best picture prize to Ben Affleck’s Argo during Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony. But one might understand if, like many other movie fans, she and her presidential husband were lamenting Oscar’s snub of African-American actors.
Jamie Foxx? Samuel L. Jackson? Kerry Washington? In the final analysis their critically acclaimed Django Unchained performances went unrecognized on Sunday, having not even garnered Oscar nominations. Meanwhile Quentin Tarantino snagged his second Oscar for the Django screenplay, a category he previously won for Pulp Fiction.
Six-time nominee and two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington also was back Sunday. But the Flight star too was passed over as Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for Lincoln.
President Barack Obama and his date-night partner no doubt were rooting for the year’s youngest Oscar nominee, Beasts of the Southern Wild star Quvenzhané Wallis.
But Oscar considered Silver Linings Playbook’s Jennifer Lawrence the best actress.
Joining the first lady in helping the Academy Awards to avoid appearing monochromatic, Halle Berry introduced a tribute to the James Bond franchise, in which she has co-starred, as the British super-spy celebrated his 50th anniversary on the big-screen last year with the latest adventure Skyfall.
Shirley Bassey sang her classic theme song to the 1960s Bond hit Goldfinger. And 2006 Oscar recipient Jennifer Hudson delivered a rendition of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, from Dreamgirls.
Academy officials said all performances were sung live.
*Pictured above is Kerry Washington
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