Another Scandal Rocks Awards Season |
This wild, unpredictable awards season took another dramatic turn last weekend at the BAFTA Awards, when presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to present the first award of the night—and guest John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, shouted the N-word from his seat in the auditorium.
It was an unsettling moment, one that led to dramatic fallout and apologies from Davidson, BAFTA, and the BBC (after the slur aired in the broadcast). I’m Rebecca Ford, and over the past few days, I’ve spoken to various industry insiders about what happened, trying to analyze if this event will have any impact on the Oscars race. After all, Academy Award voting opened just yesterday; many voters may have Sinners at the front of mind right now. Ryan Coogler’s film was already considered a real contender for several wins, and with so many acting races feeling very unpredictable at the moment, there’s room for several Sinners actors to perhaps head to the front of the pack.
That’s why I’ll be watching closely this weekend. The upcoming PGA Awards and Actor Awards (formerly known as the SAG Awards) could either throw the race further into chaos, or solidify some true front-runners in several hotly contested races. If, for example, Timothée Chalamet wins at the Actor Awards, he will feel solidly set for the best-actor Oscar. He won at the SAG Awards last year, and it’s rare for this voting body to give out back-to-back wins—which would mean he’s very solidly in first place. But if, say, Michael B. Jordan wins, that means the race might be too close to call.
The PGA Awards are also the only other awards show that uses a preferential voting system, like the one used for the Oscars’ best-picture category. This complicated system makes it more difficult to predict a winner when there’s several films in close competition. But if One Battle After Another wins at the PGA (which I think it will), I will feel comfortable saying that One Battle will also win best picture at the Oscars.
There are plenty of other surprises that could unfold this weekend. Hopefully, none are as startling as what happened at the BAFTAs. But if there’s one thing I can say, it’s that this award season refuses to be boring. |
