Spring has just arrived; yet the drama within the entertainment industry is already in full bloom. Sprouting in February with the Grammys, the drama only intensified in March with the Oscars. In both cases, most of the controversy has less to do with the awards themselves and more to do with egos those trying to take the stage.
Despite the fact that the Grammys were over a month ago, people on TikTok are still chattering about the attention-getting stunts of that night, such as Kanye’s wife Bianca Censori dropping her fur coat on the red carpet to reveal a totally sheer dress. The naked truth is that Bianca wanted to be in the limelight that night–and she was. In shock, viewers went straight to TikTok to shame-talk Bianca for her “public indecency.” Most noted how “weird” and “disturbing” it was, and articles from even foreign news outlets such as bbc.com started circulating, questioning if the couple would be kicked out of the event. Some still wonder about that. “Why would she even put that kind of dress on!” questions sophomore Kylee White, who had been a fan of the awards program. “If I’m being honest, you’re embarrassing yourself in front of many people online and on national television. Why put on a sheer dress when you know you’re going to be made fun of online or even bashed?”
Bianca should have taken a cue from several women at the Oscars. The red carpet buzz from that event went in a different direction, with Mikey Madison becoming the season’s “fashion darling,” showing up in an elegant black velvet and pink Dior gown. “Mikey’s outfit was cute and looked fabulous on her,” White offers. “But, I wouldn’t wear it, and in my opinion, I don’t think she should have been considered this season’s ‘fashion darling,’ because there were better outfits than hers on the carpet.” Yet, at just 25, Madison was deemed the epitome of “class.” Meanwhile, Demi Moore used her “sultry silver gown” as a nod to her character in The Substance and to prove that there is no age limit on class.
Likewise, Wicked co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande produced high-fashion homages to their characters in everything from prize-vintage to custom-couture. While at the Oscars, the duo performed “Defying Gravity.” Toward the end, Erivo finished off with her famous riff, which had become a meme all over the internet. With Grande in a red, sparkly dress bringing to mind ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, and Erivo in a cute, white dress with purple and pink flowers, the two also sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Home.” Check out what dailycardinal.com had to say about this! White stated, “Ariana and Cynthia’s performance was very nice, and I love the songs they chose to sing! I also loved the outfits that they wore, because Ariana wearing a dress that looks like the ruby slipper from the Wizard of Oz is creative and fun, and I love the flowers that were on Cynthia’s dress!”
There were some additional classy moments at the Grammys, as well. Comedian Trevor Noah–host of the event–took the opportunity to shine light to a devastating cause. Raising over $7 million donations for the California wildfires, Noah escorted Los Angeles County Fire Captain Joshua Swaney and other fellow firefighters in with him on the red carpet. It was a very visual way to remind the world about the fire devastation in LA.
Furthering the rally of support for this cause, the Los Angeles band Dawes–two brothers whose homes were destroyed by the fires–joined on stage with former Grammy winners Sheryl Crow, John Legend, Brad Paisley, and Brittany Howard to perform “I love LA,” which reflected the moment for the city and how they became LA’s unofficial ambassadors in the fire’s aftermath.
During the award presentations themselves, however, the drama continued at the Grammys, leaving country music stars speechless when Beyonce took Best Country Album. Additionally, outrage ensued with Billie Eilish fans stating that she was “set up” and “the whole thing was rigged,” claiming that her Hit Me Hard And Soft album was way better than Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. White stated, “When I heard that Billie lost against Beyoncé, I was in shock because personally I thought that Billie’s Hit Me Hard and Soft album was better than Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter album. But,” she adds, “it is my opinion, so maybe some did like Beyonce’s album more–or some may have liked Billie’s. Who knows!”
Moreover, the same kind of situation occurred at the Oscars when actor Timothée Chalamet lost the Best Actor Award to Adrien Brody. Online, enraged fans stated it “wasn’t fair” or it was “rigged.” They thought Chalamet should have won the award. Chalamet may have thought so, too. However, he reacted in a more dignified manner, adjusting his sitting position and beginning to applaud for Brody’s win. Had Chalamet won, he would have been the youngest winner of the award. In the end, it’s all political. “He should have won instead of Adrien Brody,” White insists, “because, honestly, he’s a good actor–and better than some other actors!”
Grammy winner Chappell Roan also gave a political speech about the music industry, arguing that record labels should support artists with a liveable wage and health care. Roan recounted how she was dropped by Atlantic Records in 2020. In the days following the awards, singer Halsey lambasted former executive Jeff Rabhan’s criticism of Roan. Calling Rabhan’s op-ed “boot licking behavior,” Halsey pointed out that what the singer was calling for wasn’t unwarranted. Likewise, Tatum Allsep–founder of Music Health Alliance–was said to be jumping on his couch when he heard Roan’s speech and thanking her for making the situation more public.
Oscars host Conan O’Brien, trying to “avoid” any politics in his speeches, just couldn’t resist the temptation–making a joke that was pointed to actress Mikey Madison, whose character in Anora confronted a Russian oligarch. O’Brien said, “I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.” O’Brien continued the awkwardness referencing a series of old X posts by the Spanish star for making disparaging remarks about Muslims, knocking diversity at the Oscars, and calling George Floyd a “drug addict swindler.” Someone should have just taken his mic away. White agrees. “What Conan had said was insane, especially the whole George Floyd comment, because who even says that on national television and to thousands of people? He also shouldn’t have said anything towards Mikey. At least she’s brave enough and has the guts to stand up to somebody who’s powerful–even if it is just in the movies!”
The point to all of this is that the Grammys and the Oscars are not intrinsically good or bad. But, when one’s ego and sense of self-importance overshadows the importance of the event itself, it’s time for them to consider choosing a different platform to do so. Or, maybe, it’s just time to say good-bye to this type of awards event.
It will be interesting to see what happens at the May 8 Academy of Country Music Awards…
