Oscar Winner Octavia Spencer Supported After Billy Crystal Comments
Billy Crystal hosted the Oscars for a record 9th time, but many fans are not thrilled with the long standing host after some questionable comments he made during the show.
Viewers also expressed their disappointment with the show with some calling it the "most boring Oscars ever." Critics also explained that with Crystal the show "showed its age."
Nikki Finke, founder of Deadline Hollywood, was blogging throughout the ceremony. "Billy Crystal tweeted before the show, 'Opening number changed. War Horse broke his leg, had to put him down.' Funnier line than anything onstage now."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The first incident of controversy came during the host's opening number. He paid tribute to "Midnight in Paris" during a 1920s pre-recorded skit in which Crystal portrayed Sammy Davis Jr. in blackface.
Crystal had portrayed the entertainer several times in the past on Saturday Night Live, but after this performance there were a wide-range of Twitter reactions.
The real head-turner of the night came when Crystal made an off-color remark about black women in Beverly Hills after Octavia Spencer won the award for Best Supporting Actress.
She played a maid in "The Help," which is set during the Civil Rights era in 1960s America.
Crystal said: "After I saw 'The Help' I just wanted to hug the first black woman I saw, which from Beverly Hills is about a 45 minute drive."
One furious Twitter posted: "Well, I Happen To Be A Black Woman Who Resides In Beverly Hills. Should I Have My Assistant #Alert Billy Crystal?"
Comedian Paul Scheer also took to his Twitter account to comment after Octavia Spencer scooped the Best Supporting Actress award.
He wrote: "Octavia Spencer's win shows just how far we've come since Billy Crystal performed in Blackface."
Another expressed their outrage on Twitter as well: "That Billy Crystal joke about wanting to hug the first black woman he saw is EXACTLY why I refuse to support it."
