{"id":2387,"date":"2017-02-27T09:34:20","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T17:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=2387"},"modified":"2017-02-27T09:34:20","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T17:34:20","slug":"5-ways-politics-could-steal-the-show-at-oscars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=2387","title":{"rendered":"5 ways politics could steal the show at Oscars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s supposed to be a celebration honoring Hollywood\u2019s finest in film, but this year, politics is in the spotlight at the Academy Awards.<\/div>\n
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With countless stars taking the stage at recent awards shows to voice their opinions on President Trump and current events, speculation is running rampant that Sunday\u2019s Jimmy Kimmel-hosted spectacle could turn into a political rallying cry when it airs on ABC.<\/div>\n
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Here are five things to watch for at the 89th annual Oscars.<\/div>\n

Political cameos<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Unexpected cameos are a hallmark of any Oscars broadcast, but could this year\u2019s show pack an extra punch from some political surprise guests?<\/div>\n
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In 2011, then-President Obama appeared as part of a \u201cman on the street\u201d-style video montage. His wife, Michelle Obama<\/a><\/span>, made headlines two years later when she took part in the 2013 broadcast. The former first lady, with service members behind her, was shown via video introducing the \u201cBest Picture\u201d nominees and winner. That same year, former President Bill Clinton<\/a><\/span> stunned the audience at the Golden Globes when he took to the stage to introduce \u201cLincoln,\u201d one of the nominees for Best Motion Picture Drama.<\/div>\n

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Kimmel has a history of yukking it up with at least one unanticipated political VIP: At last year\u2019s Emmy Awards, 2016 GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush pulled up in a pre-taped sketch as host Kimmel\u2019s \u201cUber driver<\/a>.\u201d<\/div>\n
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For his part, Kimmel is remaining tight-lipped about a potential political stunner, recently\u00a0telling Variety<\/a>\u00a0he wouldn\u2019t rule out a cameo by former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton<\/a><\/span>.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019m not saying that to be coy. I\u2019m saying that because I don\u2019t know,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
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Kimmel monologue<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
With the heated political climate, it\u2019ll likely be difficult to avoid talking about Washington in the first few minutes of the awards ceremony.<\/div>\n
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First-time Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has said he doesn\u2019t expect the show \u201cwill be very political\u201d \u2014 although, he told Variety, \u201cthere will be some element of that.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI haven\u2019t decided exactly how much I will dwell on that,\u201d Kimmel told\u00a0People<\/a>\u00a0earlier this month. \u201cA lot of it depends on what happens that week [before the show].\u201d<\/div>\n
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Kimmel has had experience playing the Hollywood-meets-the-Beltway balancing act. As the 2012 White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner performer, Kimmel \u201cplayed it safe<\/a>,\u201d according to The Hollywood Reporter, which wrote at the time while he \u201cmay not have gotten the loudest laughs\u201d of recent hosts, he left \u201cwith the satisfaction of knowing he didn\u2019t bomb.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Celebs who might speak out<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Anticipation is running high that there might be a sequel to Meryl Streep\u2019s now-famous Golden Globes speech. The renowned actress slammed Trump\u2019s campaign rhetoric during her emotional remarks at the awards ceremony last month.<\/div>\n
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The Oscars is packed with plenty of left-leaning entertainers who may use the awards stage as a political platform. Scarlett Johansson, singer Janelle Monae and Charlize Theron are all poised to present at Sunday\u2019s show. Both Johansson and Monae appeared at the Women\u2019s March in Washington last month, while Theron led the march at the Sundance Film Festival.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHamilton\u201d star Lin-Manuel Miranda has been tapped to perform his Oscar-nominated song, \u201cHow Far I\u2019ll Go\u201d from the film “Moana,” at the show. Miranda recently wrote in\u00a0The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>\u00a0that he expects political statements to take center stage this Sunday: \u201cIt\u2019s a political time, so I imagine the Oscars will look exactly like your Twitter or Facebook feed.\u201d<\/div>\n
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John Legend, an outspoken Clinton supporter during last year\u2019s campaign, wouldn\u2019t rule out taking a political stand when he performs a pair of songs from \u201cLa La Land\u201d at the show.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll speak out at the Oscars, but anyone who knows me knows how I feel, and I\u2019ll continue to speak out,\u201d Legend\u00a0told ITK<\/a>\u00a0this week.<\/div>\n
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Legend \u2014 who railed against mass incarceration while accepting a trophy at the 2015 Academy Awards \u2014 added, \u201cI think you use the time as you think you should use it.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Other presenters to keep an eye on include: \u201cSaturday Night Live\u201d star Kate McKinnon, who plays Hillary Clinton and White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway on the NBC sketch comedy show; Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson, who\u2019s flirted with his own potential political bid over the years; Gael Garc\u00eda\u00a0Bernal, a Mexican actor who\u2019s been critical of Trump; and Leonardo DiCaprio, who met in December with the then-president-elect to talk climate change.<\/div>\n
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Political fashion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
It\u2019s the gowns that face the most flashbulbs at each year\u2019s Oscars, and this year, red and blue evening wear could take on a whole different meaning.<\/div>\n
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Singer Joy Villa turned heads earlier this month when she\u00a0donned a dress<\/a>\u00a0emblazoned with Trump\u2019s campaign slogan \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d at the Grammy Awards.<\/div>\n
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She wasn\u2019t the only one to make a political fashion statement. At the same awards ceremony, Katy Perry sported a \u201cPersist\u201d armband as she performed her latest politically infused hit, \u201cChained to the Rhythm.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cBig Bang Theory\u2019s\u201d Simon Helberg held up a sign that read, \u201cRefugees welcome\u201d as he posed for photos on the red carpet at this year\u2019s Screen Actors Guild Awards. Helberg\u2019s wife, Jocelyn Towne, stood beside him with the message \u201cLet them in\u201d written on her chest.<\/div>\n
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Trump\u2019s tweets<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Trump has been known to count himself among the viewers tuning in to see all the action at the Oscars, one year even live-tweeting his reactions to the annual Hollywood affair.<\/div>\n
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In 2014, the then-\u201cCelebrity Apprentice\u201d star offered to emcee the ceremony,\u00a0writing on Twitter<\/a>, \u201cI should host the #Oscars just to shake things up \u2014 this is not good!\u201d<\/div>\n
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The Twitter-loving commander in chief has also pounced on celebrities who have criticized him. After Streep\u2019s Golden Globes speech, Trump fired back on social media, calling the performer \u201coverrated<\/a>.\u201d<\/div>\n
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But there\u2019s a chance Trump\u2019s Twitter feed could\u00a0stay silent<\/a>\u00a0about any Academy Awards-related brouhaha \u2014 the White House has said the president and first lady Melania Trump will be attending the annual Governors Ball the same night as the Oscars.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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