Rising costs are impacting day to day living for many Americans. In the Thai community in Los Angeles, many are having to make some hard choices. Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol has a story reported by Supakit Pattarateranon.
Camera: Supakit Pattarateranon
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Comedian Chris Rock will not be pressing charges against actor Will Smith following a physical altercation at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Smith slapped Rock across the face during a live broadcast of the ceremony after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, poking fun at her shaved head.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report,” said the LAPD in an official statement to the press. “If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Ahead of presenting the award for best documentary, Rock directed a comment to Pinkett Smith saying: “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” apparently drawing a comparison to actress Demi Moore’s shaved hairstyle in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane.
While Pinkett Smith was shown rolling her eyes following the comment, her husband walked over to the stage and slapped Rock across the face during the live broadcast, a moment that went viral shortly after.
After taking his seat again, Smith directed profanity at the comedian, demanding him to not speak of his wife.
Pinkett Smith, 50, has previously been vocal about her struggles with hair loss due to the autoimmune disease alopecia. She publicly shared her diagnosis in 2018 during a segment of her Facebook talk show series Red Table Talk.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a statement via its Twitter account after the ceremony ended, but did not share whether it would take further action against Smith.
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form,” the tweet said.
“Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Award winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
Later in the evening, Smith was awarded an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in the film “King Richard.”
During his acceptance speech, Smith appeared emotional and apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but did not directly mention Rock.
“Love will make you do crazy things,” Smith said, addressing his behavior.
“Thank you. I hope the Academy invites me back.”
0In a case that could help clarify when and how artists can make use of the work of others, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide a copyright dispute between a photographer and Andy Warhol’s estate over Warhol’s 1984 paintings of rock star Prince.
The justices took up the Andy Warhol Foundation’s appeal of a lower court ruling that his paintings – based on a photo of Prince that photographer Lynn Goldsmith had shot for Newsweek magazine in 1981 – were not protected by the copyright law doctrine called fair use. This doctrine permits unlicensed use of copyright-protected works under certain circumstances.
Goldsmith sued Warhol’s estate in 2017 in Manhattan federal court over Warhol’s unlicensed paintings of Prince. Warhol, who died in 1987, often based his art on photographs. Goldsmith, who has said she did not learn about the unlicensed works until after Prince died in 2016, asked the court to block Warhol’s estate from making further use of her work and for an unspecified amount of money damages.
A judge ruled that Warhol’s works were protected against Goldsmith’s infringement claims by the fair use doctrine, finding they transformed Goldsmith’s portrayal of Prince as a “vulnerable human being” by depicting him as an “iconic, larger-than-life figure.”
After Goldsmith challenged that decision, the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year found that Warhol’s paintings had not made fair use of the photo, allowing Goldsmith’s case to proceed.
The 2nd Circuit decided that a transformative work must have a “fundamentally different and new artistic purpose and character,” and that Warhol’s paintings were “much closer to presenting the same work in a different form.”
The Andy Warhol Foundation asked the Supreme Court in December to overturn the 2nd Circuit decision, arguing that it created “a cloud of legal uncertainty” for an entire genre of art like Warhol’s.
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The 94th Academy Awards ceremony ended in a climactic way, giving the Oscar for Best Picture to “CODA,” a seeming underdog that celebrated deaf representation. Other highlights included an unexpected scuffle and women sweeping the Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Song. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.
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After a movie year often light on crowds, the Academy Awards named an unabashed crowd-pleaser, the deaf family drama “CODA,” best picture Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a streaming service for the first time.
The feel-good moment came after one of the most shocking moments in Oscars history: Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The moment shocked the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home.
The winners at the Academy Awards on Sunday:
Best picture: “CODA”
Best actor: Will Smith, “King Richard”
Best actress: Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Documentary feature: “Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Original song: “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die,” music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Best supporting actor: Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Best international film: “Drive My Car,” Japan
Costume design: “Cruella”
Original screenplay: “Belfast”
Adapted screenplay: “CODA”
Best supporting actress: Ariana DeBose
Cinematography: “Dune”
Visual Effects: “Dune”
Best animated feature: “Encanto”
Sound: “Dune”
Documentary (short subject): “The Queen of Basketball”
Best animated short film: “The Windshield Wiper”
Live action short: “The Long Goodbye”
Music (original score): “Dune”
Film editing: “Dune”
Production design: “Dune”
Makeup and hairstyling: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
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Troy Kotsur made history on Sunday as the first deaf man to win an Oscar for his role in “CODA,” and Ariana DeBose took the supporting actress trophy for “West Side Story” as Hollywood returned to all-out glitz at this year’s Academy Awards.
In “CODA,” an acronym for “child of deaf adults,” Kotsur played Frank Rossi, the father of a teenager who struggles to help her family’s fishing business while pursuing her own aspirations in music.
“This is amazing to be here on this journey. I cannot believe I am here,” Kotsur said in a heartfelt speech delivered in sign language as he accepted the supporting actor honor.
“This is dedicated to the deaf community, the ‘CODA’ community and the disabled community. This is our moment,” he added.
The only other deaf person to win an Oscar was Kotsur’s “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin. She won best actress for her role in 1986 romantic drama “Children of a Lesser God.”
Supporting actress went to DeBose for playing the spirited Anita, who sings “America” in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic musical.
As she held her gold statuette, the Afro-Latina actress asked the audience to imagine her as a young girl “in the back seat of a white Ford Focus.”
“You see a queer, openly queer Latina, who found her strength in life through art. And that’s what we’re here to celebrate,” she said.
“So, anybody who’s ever questioned your identity. Or find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us,” she added, referencing the moving song from “West Side Story.”
DeBose also thanked “divine inspiration” Rita Moreno, who earned the best supporting actress award in 1962 for playing Anita in the original movie version of the musical.
Beyonce opened the show by performing “Be Alive,” an Oscar-nominated song from the movie “King Richard,” about the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. She and her backup dancers, clad in sparkling yellow gowns, performed from a tennis court in the sisters’ hometown of Compton, California.
After going three years without a host, a trio was chosen to guide Sunday’s ceremony: Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.
“This year, the Oscars hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” Schumer joked.
“And for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night,” added openly gay Sykes, referring to legislation in the state that limits LGBTQ discussion in schools and has been labeled by critics in Hollywood and elsewhere as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
A dark Western, “The Power of the Dog,” is battling the feel-good drama “CODA” for the prestigious best picture prize. A win by either movie would mark a milestone by handing the statuette to a streaming service.
Netflix Inc NFLX.O released “Power of the Dog” while “CODA” streamed on Apple TV+ AAPL.O.
Producers said they planned an upbeat show but will acknowledge the crisis in Ukraine, which has killed thousands and driven a quarter of Ukraine’s 44 million people from their homes. Actor Mila Kunis, who was born in Ukraine, is among the night’s presenters. Jason Momoa wore a handkerchief in the colors of the Ukrainian flag: blue and yellow.
Jessica Chastain, Nicole Kidman and other nominees donned a rainbow of colors for a ceremony with 2,500 gown- and tuxedo-clad attendees and free from last year’s pandemic restrictions. Nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee wore a light blue suit, while Chastain picked a lavender and gold gown with giant ruffles on the skirt. Kirsten Dunst and Marlee Matlin chose bright red.
After past complaints about a lack of diversity, two of this year’s four acting accolades may go to people of color. Will Smith is likely to earn his first Oscar for “King Richard,” awards watchers say, as is Ariana DeBose for “West Side Story.”
In a bid to draw more viewers, especially younger ones, after years of declining ratings, the show will add two awards, the results of fan votes for favorite film and scene. Some winners were announced ahead of the live show with their speeches edited into the show.
The best picture race hinges on whether the 9,900 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences back a gothic psychological thriller or an uplifting story.
“Power of the Dog,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a repressed cowboy who torments his brother’s new wife, outpaced all movies with 12 nominations. It had been considered the leader until “CODA” landed top honors from the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild.
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