From the Dolby Theater in Hollywood
it's BET @ the Oscars with host King Keraun.
I tell you this, Black Twitter's on alert tonight.
Black Twitter alert, Black Twitter alert.
Black History Month's been saved by the Oscars.
I mean we went from "Oscars so white"
to Oscars so ... Black Panther.
We got Trevor Noah in the building.
Trevor, how you doing?
I like how you were like, "Trevor! It's BET!"
Yeah.
You better come by here.
Man, how do you feel today? How does it feel to be here?
It's my first Oscars.
Okay.
And not only is it the first time that I'm here,
I get to present.
Not only do I get to present, I get to present
Black Panther for best picture. Are you kid ...
I'm hashtag winning like never before in life.
And like one thing I appreciate about you dog
is that you talk just regular, you talk like one of us
and to see one of us be able to make it
to where you make it shows the inspiration.
I appreciate the kind words bro. For me,
I only know one way to talk, you know what I'm saying?
I like that though. I like that about you.
But it's been great, I've been able to work with people
that take me as I am
and are able to respect me and it's been a blessing.
You know, I know it hasn't always been like that
in this industry, you feel me?
Who do you think of the make up of the film industry
right now for black people?
Well, I think that the millennials are starting
to tell their stories now.
I think that the technology is allowing them to do that.
All you got to do is point your camera now and do a movie.
So, it's very exciting.
That's dope. Is there anybody you want to see win tonight?
Someone I want to see win?
Um
I mean, as Issa Rae said best, everybody black.
I'm rooting for everybody black.
Well you could be the first black person
to win best costume design. How does that feel?
That feels like I'm knocking that door down.
I'm like boom! That's how it feels.
You know, this was in important film.
Look how many people it touched.
Look how they dressed to go to the movie theaters.
Look how people are trying to change their wardrobe
to be a little more Wakanda. Look how many people understand
what African is from Black Panther.
That's more than a movie.
We've had a rough Black History Month.
It's been real rough, you know?
And we thinking about rescheduling it.
If you could move Black History from February to another month,
what month would that be if it was you?
You know what, I would probably pick June
because it has Juneteenth in it,
which is when a lot of the enslaved people in the South
were finally freed and they found out late.
And so, I think we should start there
and run all the way through July
and then maybe end with Essence Fest
or something like that.
Okay. March. That's my birthday month.
Okay. You a Pisces?
Yes sir. Yes sir.
Okay. Alright.
March 13 October
'cause that's when my birthday is.
Okay. October.
I'm gonna pitch maybe, I don't know, like maybe a June?
You like the second person to say June.
Yeah! I say we move it to June,
we make it a bit warmer, we have a good time, you know?
That's my pitch. I say we do that.
We need one that has more than 28 days.
Which one is the longest?
We need more days. Or two months.
Alright. Two months.
Alright.
I don't have any particular month
whether it's 28 days, it needs to be every single day.
Black history's every month, man. Every month, every day.
We just have to celebrate who we are,
all the positiveness of who we are and the strength of that.
So, that's what we have to do.
If you could give one hood black classic movie
an Oscar what movie would it be?
Sounder. Shaft.
Shaft. Yeah, I'm actually ...
in Toronto there was always a soul cinema festival
and so with Austen Powers 2,
with Foxy Cleopatra, I wanted to ...
that was my fantasy, was to be in a soul cinema film.
I would give it to Menace to Society.
That's one of the most prolific films ever.
It told a story that ... you know what it was?
It was a film that neither glamorized nor vilified
what it meant to grow up in the hood.
I love Lady Sings the Blues too.
Okay, Lady Sings the Blues?
I've gotta give Diana Ross, who is a living legend,
that performance gets a double thumbs up.
Yeah, I mean, all of the classics, you feel me?
They already won the best award their is,
that's our hearts, you know what I'm saying?
I just was [inaudible 00:04:23] the other day.
I think a lot about Friday a lot,
you know what I'm saying, as far as Friday.
Sounder. Cicely Tyson.
Okay. Sounder, for sure.
Do the Right Thing.
okay.
You know, Spike deserves all the press,
all the recognition in the world.
So, I would go back and give him a whole handful of Oscars.
Do the Right Thing.
Okay. You the third person to say Do the Right Thing.
Without question.
You know, I'm hoping that this is
Spike's year for Best Director because it is long overdue.
But that movie came out thirty years ago
and it was never recognized the way it should be.
It changed the game.
A lot of people have been saying that Do the Right
Thing should have been your first Oscar.
How does it feel to finally be here today?
Well, it's been a long wait my brother.
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Do the Right Thing came out in 1989.
That year I was nominated for Best Screenplay.
It's been a slim pickings since then.
Okay.
But I'm back. We're here, we're here.
I passed a newsstand the other day
and the newsstand had six magazines.
Black women were on each cover and that I never saw before..
Okay.
Okay. That's progress.
Man, it's 2019, you know what I'm saying?
Look around. Look around.
Just to be around people that I respect so much
and see what's going on and be able to be included
in that is really a highest honor.
So, the fact that we're here today is saying,
hey, let's open that door nice and wide and let some people in.
What do you think about the progress of diversity?
Here's the thing, the best way for me to answer that question,
ask me that same question next year.
Let's see if we have the same numbers here next year.
Alright. There's no guarantee.
And we cannot go back. We have to go forward.
I tell young people all the time,
when you see something that is not right,
not fair, not just, say something, do something.
Question is, how do you feel with creating "Oscars so white,"
how do you feel about the diversion now in 2019?
I think we are seeing that we're moving forward
but the progress is definitely not fast enough for me.
Until we see everyone represented
both in front of and behind the camera,
regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity,
disability,
Indigenous people in this country,
I will still say "Oscars so white."
That's a wrap from the Oscars red carpet.
We came, we saw, and we killed. Thanks for watching.