Dear Gossips,

What did you think of the set at the Oscars? It was gorgeous, right? They used 45 million Swarovski crystals – more details here with online reaction. The set was definitely not a problem. I didn’t, however, love how some of the shots were set up. They were shooting the presenters, at times, from a lower angle probably so that we could see more of the set. In doing so though, I’m not sure it was flattering to the people who were actually on camera. Which reminds me of a conversation I recently had with a friend who is a set and lighting designer. He does great work. And the lighting on his shows are always, always first class. His approach is to light to the person first, to adjust the lighting to accommodate the person, to make sure the person looks best before worrying about everything else, even if the set is spectacular. His reason: because people have feelings, the set doesn’t have feelings. Isn’t that the best answer? 

Oscar ratings hit an all-time low this year. What would happen to the Oscar ratings if blockbuster movies were in contention? Even before this year’s Oscars people were already speculating about Black Panther’s Oscar chances and whether it would be the blockbuster superhero movie to finally break through at the Academy Awards in both technical and non-technical categories. Could Black Panther save the Oscars?

You know who’s a big Black Panther fangirl? Sandra Bullock. She was interviewed on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday and was asked why Black Panther means so much to her. Sandy’s already predicting that Black Panther will be at the Oscars next year. “There’s no doubt in my mind,” is what she said. Sandra is a member of the Academy. It sounds like she’d be leading that campaign. It sounds like she’s already put in her vote. 

Thank you so much for visiting the site and checking out our Oscar recaps yesterday. Thank you for sending your emails and tweeting at us. It was a 12,000 word day and it was so worth it to know that you were reading. 

Yours in gossip,

Lainey