As CB noted the other day, I had finished writing up my thoughts on Lucasfilm studio head Kathleen Kennedy lobbying hard for her business daddy, Disney CEO Bob Iger, to be given an honorary Oscar, when the Academy went ahead and announced this year’s awardees (none of whom were named Bob Iger). And the four recipients who will be feted at the Governors Awards in November are: production designer Wynn Thomas, actor/director/choreographer Debbie Allen, singer/songwriter/actor Dolly Parton, and actor/producer/stuntman/cult member Tom Cruise. Guess years of handing out all those Christmas coconut cakes has now paid off for Tom! Here’s more on the honorees:
Academy president, Janet Yang, called them “four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our film-making community continue to leave a lasting impact” in a statement.
The honorary Oscars are given “to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy”.
It will mark Cruise’s first Oscar after the actor has been nominated on four occasions for performances in Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia and Rain Man, and for producing best picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick. This year has seen him returning to the role of Ethan Hunt in the eighth Mission: Impossible film.
Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award to recognise how she has brought “credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities”. Previous winners have included Richard Curtis, Michael J Fox, Tyler Perry and Angelina Jolie.
The singer and actor has previously been nominated for two Oscars for best original songs from 9 to 5 and Transamerica.
Allen has previously won five Emmys and been nominated for two Tony awards. She is known for starring in Fame and Grey’s Anatomy and also for directing and producing with credits including A Different World, Empire and Insecure. She has also worked as a choreographer for the Oscars ceremony on multiple occasions.
As production designer, Thomas’s credits include films such as Hidden Figures, Do the Right Thing, Da 5 Bloods, A Beautiful Mind and Malcom X. In a statement, Yang said that he has brought “some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft”.
I can’t lie, when I first saw the list I wrote to CB right away and said, “Ugh, not Xenu Cruise!” Look, I understand how he qualifies; he’s been in the business for 40 years, he’s a prolific producer, he’s known for giving astute advice to colleagues, and he advocates for people going to the theater to see movies. These are all great qualities that have made for a long, fruitful career. I just can’t look past the Scientology of it all. To me, it undercuts all of his good works, as I’ve commented here before. (And ok yes, I also hold a grudge against him for the way he treated Nicole Kidman during their divorce.)
But I have no reservations whatsoever in giving my full-throated congratulations to Wynn Thomas, Debbie Allen, and Dolly Parton! And yes, The Guardian wrote that correctly, Dolly has been nominated for Best Original Song only twice, and never won. “Travelin’ Thru,” the song she wrote for Transamerica, is a gorgeous song that I still listen to regularly. It lost to “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” which is the perfect illustration of apples and oranges. Those songs cannot be compared! And to tie everything together, guess what “9 to 5” lost to? “Fame,” from the film starring Debbie Allen.
Photos credit: Jimmy James/Avalon, Cover Images, Jules Annan/Avalon, Getty Images for Netflix, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Backgrid