Oscars Surprise

2.10.20

Picture from Rolling Stone

As you can probably tell by my blog, I am much more knowledgable and interested in music, rather than film. However, I wanted to watch the Oscars, to check out all the crazy outfits. That lasted about 60 seconds til I shut it off from lack of interest in old people attempting to public speak.

What would you know? Moments after I decide to go run some errands, my phone blows up with message “are you seeing this!?,” “your man is on!,” “nailed it, per usual!” And I’m typing back so fast like, who!? What man!? Who is it!? Then I get the video. Eminem surprise performance, and I just missed it. But better believe I found all the replays and reviews and I have a lot to say.

Yes the Oscars are for film, but there were plenty of musical performances throughout the night. Billie Eilish, Elton John, a ton of other oldies. Eminem was not random. He actually made the most sense out of them all. In 2003, Eminem won an Oscar for “Best Original Song (in a movie).” At this point in time, Eminem had never thought he’d win an award like this, this wasn’t his type of people. He was not there, or even watching, waiting to see that he had won. You remember that one line ..

“You think I give a damn about a Grammy?
Half of you critics can't even stomach me, let alone stand me”

Different award show, same vibe, I’d say. Anyways, seventeen years later, it just so happened that the Oscars decided to do a tribute to those whom have won this award in the past. There was a visual montage for everyone to witness scenes from the different winners over the years. The final one, being a clip from 8 Mile, playing “Lose Yourself”, as Marshall and gigantic live band began to perform the song, live at the Oscars. Not only is Eminem deserving of getting his Oscar recognition where he had missed out on it in the past, but he had just put out a new album less than four weeks prior - the timing was spot on.

I do not like the media that has been going around saying everyone was in shock, didn’t get it, and made horrible faces at the performance. Really, I would say that the cameras are just swiping the crowd, and you can’t always be ready for the camera when sitting down in one seat for so long. Sure Billie Eilish looked unamused, but she doesn’t smile. I don’t know that lady in the pink dress that looked scared for her life, but she probably was waiting for Eminem to come out with the chainsaw like he did when he performed for his type of crowd in the early 2000s.

I do think something weird technical was happening at the beginning. But overall, outstanding performance. He received a standing ovation, and everyone else was smiling and bobbing their heads ecstatically.