What is the new Oscars Crisis team and what have they already been called on for?
The Oscars is a ceremony designed to celebrate the year’s best films and the people who made them, but often the awards themselves get overshadowed by other events.
In recent years we’ve seen the wrong film announced as best picture, #Oscarssowhite trending on social media and of course, last year’s now infamous slap by Will Smith, who later went back on stage to accept the award for best actor.
This year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who are behind the ceremony, have for the first time implemented a crisis team who will be on hand should anything unexpected happen.
In preparation the team have been tasked with running practice scenarios, with the intention that they will react instantly should something controversial take place.
But it’s not something that seems to have impacted plans for the show itself.
Speaking at a press conference, the executive producer and showrunner of this year’s Oscars, Glen Weiss, says at the many events he’s worked at there have always been teams in place to deal with difficult moments, but it’s not something he’s focusing on.
“We put on the entertainment, the secret service takes on the other stuff,” he said.
Last month the Academy’s new president (she took on the role last summer) Janet Yang told attendees at the Oscars Nominees Luncheon (an annual event that takes place in the weeks before the awards for those nominated) that she thought changes were necessary following what she described as last year’s “unprecedented event”.
“What happened on stage was wholly unacceptable and the response from the organisation was inadequate,” Ms Yang said.
“We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions and particularly in times of crisis.”
Will Smith accepts the award for best actor after slapping Chris Rock. Pic: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
“We must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry – you should and can expect no less from us going forward.”
“We are committed to maintaining the highest of standards while creating the changes we wish to see in our industry.”
So, with a crisis team now in place, what are the chances they will actually be called upon? It’s not as if anyone could have predicted the slap ahead of last year’s Oscars.
But Academy CEO Bill Kramer, who is also new, having been in the position since last July, has told Time they have already in fact been put to work after the nominations came under fire following a very short and targeted campaign for Andrea Riseborough.
It saw a week of heavy promotion on social media for the actress’s performance in To Leslie by Hollywood heavyweights including Jennifer Aniston, Ed Norton and fellow nominee Cate Blanchett.
When she was shortlisted for the lead actress award, some critics queried whether the nominations process is fit for purpose.
Mr Kramer told Time the Academy was “much more ready to handle the campaign regulations discussion” thanks to the crisis team.
“That happened on a Tuesday and, six days later, we were able to issue our formal statement from the board that really carved out a plan for us,” he said.
“So you never know exactly what’s going to happen.”
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Mr Kramer added: “But you have to have the teams and frameworks in place and the processes in place, to come together to figure things out quickly.”
“But also making sure that you have the right groups of members and leaders and stakeholders who can come together to have a voice in this conversation.”
The Academy has faced criticism in the past for being slow to change, but it seems perhaps lessons have now been learned, and with the Oscars still pulling in millions of viewers around the world (despite declining viewing figures) all eyes will be on the organisation – and its crisis team – should the unexpected happen.
You can watch the Academy Awards on Sunday 12 March from 11pm exclusively on Sky News and Sky Showcase.
Plus, get all the intel from our Oscars special Backstage podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts, from Monday morning.
They’re getting through 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It’s just the second time a Grand Tournament has been held outside of Japan – and this is a sport that has records going back more than 1,500 years.
It’s 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous such event on foreign soil – and the appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.
Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to attain the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the quickest wrestler to achieve the rank in the modern era.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu told Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came here to London as a yokozuna which he didn’t, so I’m even happier.”
The two are already great rivals.
Onosato Daiki became the quickest ever to achieve yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
At the recent Aki Basho – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the pair finished with identical records after 15 days of bouts.
It all came down to a final play-off between the two yokozuna – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.
Hoshoryu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favourite players are going back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early starts and a hearty stew: The life of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous training regime.
They live in communal blocks called stables and practice starts early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and for the younger rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat together.
The staple of their diet is chankonabe, a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who have come over for the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, said: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is just 4.55m in diameter and quite small when two giant wrestlers leap at each other.
The aim of the fights is to either get your opponent onto the floor – or, more spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may be getting extremely up-close to the wrestlers.
The last time the tournament was in Britain, the massive Konishiki, known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring towards you.
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The Royal Albert Hall may be firstly a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the next five days, the cream of the world of sumo will be thrilling the crowds – provided a new noodle supplier is found.
What is a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo, with its name meaning “horizontal rope” and refers to the rope worn around a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
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