Eoghan McDermott has weighed in on the much talked about Oscar nominations debacle.
Speaking about the issue which has caused many actors to boycott the event over the lack of diversity amongst the nominees at the awards, the 2fm host admitted the announcements “were a big bone of contention”.
“There’s no denying the absolute failure of the Academy to reward a diverse pool of talent regardless of race on a consistent basis,” he said.
Opinion: Eoghan has given his opinion about the Oscars | VIPIRELAND.COM
“Although, given that the majority of Academy voters are old, white and male, this should not be viewed as a dramatic revelation.
“Rich, old, white American dudes might be a little bit racist. Sing it from the rooftops,” he said in his The Sun column.
“People were pointing to the likes of 12 Years A Slave, The Help and Selma as examples of black filmmaking that has been acknowledged.
“While this is true, many commentators also point out that it only appears to be films that centre around slavery, civil rights or black suppression that tend to be rewarded,” he said.
Host: Eoghan said he’s looking forward to watching Chris rock at the award | RTE
“In other words, white people feel guilty about the subject matter, so they praise the film.
“This creates a vacuum for other movies. For example, the widely praised Creed only managed one nomination he — for the only white guy in the film, old Sly Stallone,” he added.
“Straight Outta Compton, about the formation of iconic rap group NWA, managed one nomination for best screenplay — four white dudes.”
After throwing in his two cents about the highly publicised race debate, the 32-year-old admitted he’s looking forward to watching US comedian Chris Rock host the awards.
“The one redeeming feature of this year’s Oscars is the return of Chris Rock as host. Watch this space,” he said.
