Jimmy Kimmel returned as the Oscars host for the second time and in a pointed monologue he targeted disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, while lauding the Times Up and Me Too movements for bringing about a "positive" change for women in the industry.
The 50-year-old talk show host opened with a joke on last years goof-up when the wrong film was announced as the Best Picture winner. "Some of you will be going home tonight with an Academy Award. This year, when you hear your name called, dont get up right away," he joked, adding that Academy had asked him whether he would like to do a comedy bit with the accountants.
He said he declined the offer last year but the accountants went ahead and "did comedy on their own". Kimmel turned serious to address the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood and the post-Weinstein era that saw women uniting and opening up about their experiences, which led to the fall of many of Hollywoods high and mighty. "Oscar is the most respected man in Hollywood - he keeps his hands where you can see them, never says a rude word and, most importantly, no penis at all. He is literally a statute of limitations, and thats the kind of men we need more of in this town. "What happened with Harvey and whats happening all over was long overdue. We cant let bad behaviour slide away. The world is watching us and we need to set an example here. And the truth that if we are successful here, we can work together to stop sexual harassment at workplace. If we can do that then women only need to deal with harassment all the time at every other place they go," he added. Kimmel also hailed the box office successes of "Wonder Woman" and "Black Panther", both fronted by a woman and an African-American, respectively. "Black Panther is one of the positive stories this year, especially for African-Americans and Bob Iger (Disney Chairman). Black Panther and Wonder Woman are massive hits because I remember the time the major studios did not believe that a woman or a minority can open a superhero movie and the reason I remember all this is because it was March last year," he said. "Ceilings have been shattered," he added. Sam Rockwell was the first winner of the night as he bagged the Best Supporting Actor trophy for his role in "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". (With pti inputs)