2022 academy awards

[WATCH] Jazzy Jeff Defends Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock

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One of the most popular duos in Hip Hop history is the Grammy Award winning DJ jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, who even after three decades, still have each other’s back and that is proven after what Will Smith’s longtime DJ and friend had to say about “the slap heard around the world.”

On a segment of Closed Sessions Legend Conversation at Dorian’s Through the Record Shop in Chicago, Jeff Townes aka Jazzy Jeff touched on the topic of slapping Chris Rock at this year’s Academy Awards by defending Smith’s actions, but at the same time admitting that the move was out of character of the otherwise comedic actor.

“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of,” Jazzy Jeff said. “It was a lapse in judgment, you know? I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him. I can name 50 times that [Smith] should’ve smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn’t. So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”

See video footage of the interview below.

The post [WATCH] Jazzy Jeff Defends Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Video Shows Jada Pinkett-Smith Laughing After Will Smith Smacked Chris Rock

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After the smack that was heard around the world went viral, there is new footage that has surfaced showing Jada Pinkett-Smith laughing after her husband slapped comedian Chris Rock.

Actor Michael Rapaport shared the footage on his Twitter. Just when Chris says, “Will Smith just slapped the sh*t outta me,” the veteran actress appears to lean over and laugh as Will casually walked back to his seat. The slap silences the audience as its realized that the slap was not a part of the show’s program.

The post [WATCH] Video Shows Jada Pinkett-Smith Laughing After Will Smith Smacked Chris Rock appeared first on The Source.

Chris Rock’s Brother Tony Rock Doesn’t Accept Will Smith’s Apology

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Diddy said that Chris Rock and Will Smith were still good following the slap heard around the world, but his brother comedian Tony Rock said don’t break out the olive branches just yet.

Chris Rock’s younger sibling Tony Rock held a Q&A on Twitter yesterday, where he answered questions about his brother Chris getting slapped on stage at the Oscars on live television. When one of the participants asked Tony whether he accepted the apology, Tony replied matter of factly with a resounding, “No.” Asked by another if he and his brother were going to “fight fire with fire” or take “the professional route,” Rock responded, “It’s on bro.” 

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Rock himself finally addressed the ordeal during a stand-up set at The Wilbur in Boston and told the audience, “I’m still trying to process what happened.”

The post Chris Rock’s Brother Tony Rock Doesn’t Accept Will Smith’s Apology appeared first on The Source.

[WATCH] Steve Harvey Thinks Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock Because “He Know He Can’t Do Nothing”

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Many people have weighed in on the infamous slap Will Smith laid on comedian Chris Rock shortly before accepting his Oscar for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. There are a plethora people who supported Smith in the move to protect the honor of his wife, but fellow comedian/talk show host Steve Harvey says that Will Smith should’ve and could’ve handled it another way.

Harvey called the slap by Smith a “Hollywood move”because being that it was on national TV, it was highly unlikely that Chris Rock was going to retaliate. Harvey believes that if the Academy Awards Best Actor would’ve handled it like a man backstage in the press room, the end result may have been completely different.

Listen to Harvey’s POV below.

The post [WATCH] Steve Harvey Thinks Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock Because “He Know He Can’t Do Nothing” appeared first on The Source.

Questlove Got Emotional Accepting His Best Documentary Oscar For ‘Summer Of Soul’

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Chris Rock was supposed to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 94th Academy Awards last night. He did do that, but that wasn’t the takeaway from his time on stage, given that after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith got on stage and slapped him.

After the incident, though, Rock did manage to present the award, giving it to Questlove’s film Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised). In an already emotionally charged atmosphere, Questlove (who shook Smith’s hand and hugged him on his way to the stage) gave an acceptance speech, in which he too got emotional.

Pausing on multiple occasions, Questlove said:

“It’s not lost on me that the Harlem Cultural Festival should have been something that my beautiful mother… and my dad… should have taken me to when I was 5 years old, and… This is such a stunning moment for me right now. But this is not about me. This is about marginalized people in Harlem that needed to heal from pain. And just know that in 2022, this is not just a 1969 story about marginalized people in Harlem. This is a story of… I’m sorry, I’m just overwhelmed right now. I’m going to get myself together and thank everyone properly when I get off stage. […] I’m so happy right now, I could cry. Thank you.”

During a recent Late Night With Seth Meyers interview, Questlove noted the success of the movie has exceeded his expectations, saying, “At least I know with music what a goal is, but with the movie world, I just had no clue. I just wanted to make something really cool and hopefully they were gonna show it in a few classrooms, and then maybe discover it 20 years from now, like, ‘Yo, you know Questlove did this thing?’”

Watch Questlove’s acceptance speech above and find the full list of this year’s Academy Award winners here.

[WATCH] Will Smith Cries, Apologizes To The Academy For Slapping Chris Rock While Accepting Best Actor Oscar

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Everyone from celebrity attendees to the fans watching the Academy Awards at home are still shocked at actor/Hip Hop legend Will Smith slap the black off of comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. The Fresh Prince later apologized to the fans and the Academy for the brazen move which will always be remembered in Academy Award show history.

Will still took to the stage shortly after the altercation with Rock to accept his Best Actor Award for his starring role in King Richard, in which Smith plays the father of legendary tennis star sisters Venus and Serena Williams. Smith sobbed as he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees and even said he hoped that the Academy would still invite him back to future award shows despite his volatile action.

The LAPD released a statement about the assault on live TV, but no charges will be filed.

The post [WATCH] Will Smith Cries, Apologizes To The Academy For Slapping Chris Rock While Accepting Best Actor Oscar appeared first on The Source.

Questlove’s ‘Summer Of Soul’ Is Nominated For A 2022 Oscar Award And He’s Pretty Pumped About It

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Despite only being a first-time director, The Roots’ drummer Questlove has already entered rarified air as one of the nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards. he’s nominated for Best Original Documentary for his debut film, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which captured the subversive energy and vibrant performances of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The documentary is also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Film, an impressive achievement for the veteran musician.

Questlove himself seemed pretty pumped about the new nomination online — to the point of incoherence. He tweeted out an unintelligible string of characters before he was able to compose himself enough to write a tweet genuinely expressing his excitement. “Oscar Nominated Film Director Questlove……I just need to see this in print,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, he needed the help of some archival video to tell his followers “THIS IS HOW I FEEL.” “Man I’m so happy about this,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you to every last soul that assisted in this journey from 1969 to tomorrow!!!”

Should Questlove win the category (out of a field that also includes Ascension, Attica, Flee, and Writing With Fire, he’ll be halfway to an EGOT — and with Black Thought’s musical Black No More still in the works, there’s time for Quest to attach his name and position himself for a potential Tony as well. Then all he’ll need is for John Oliver to take a season off and that EGOT’s in the bag.

Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, And More Are Shortlisted For Best Original Song At The 2022 Academy Awards

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The 2022 Academy Awards are less than three months away. Shortlists for ten of the show’s categories were recently revealed, including the one for Best Original Song. Members of the music branch voted to reduce the initial group of 84 songs to the 15 that appear on the shortlist. Among those who made the cut are Jay-Z and Beyonce, the former for “Guns Go Bang,” his collaboration with Kid Cudi, the latter for her single “Be Alive.”

Beyonce’s “Be Alive” appears in King Richard, which features Will Smith as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. Jay-Z’s “Guns Go Bang,” on the other hand, appears in The Harder They Fall, which he helped to executive produce. The song also marks Cudi’s second appearance on the shortlist, as “Just Look Up” from Don’t Look Up, his collaboration with Ariana Grande, is on the list, too. If he’s nominated, he would be the first songwriter in 36 years to be nominated multiple times with songs from two different films.

Also on shortlist are Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “No Time To Die,” Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Dos Oruguitas,” HER’s “Bruised Woman,” Diane Warren’s “Somehow You Do,” Jennifer Hudson’s “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” U2’s “Your Song Saved My Life,” and more.

You can view the full 2022 Oscars shortlist here.