Will Smith wins best actor trophy at Oscars, apologises for punching comedian Chris Rock
Los Angeles, Mar 28: Hollywood star Will Smith ended his dry run at the Oscars as he lifted the best actor trophy for "King Richard" minutes after he punched comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
The punch will go down in the Oscars history as one of the wildest moments after the 2017's mix up when "La La Land" was mistakenly named as the best picture instead of "Moonlight".
The confrontation took place after Rock joked to Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to G.I. Jane , Pinkett-Smith's movie.
The actor strode up to the stage and slapped Rock.
When he sat down, Smith was heard shouting "keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth."
The actor referenced the incident his emotional acceptance speech, summing it up as "love will make you do crazy things".
"I'm being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people... You got to be able to take abuse, you got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you got to be able to have people disrespecting you and you got to smile and you got pretend like that's okay.
Thank you Denzel (Washington), who said to me a few minutes ago... he said, 'at your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you.'
The actor thanked tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams for trusting him with the story of their father.
"I just hope they didn't see that on TV. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for trusting me with your story. That's what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern. I want to apologise to the academy. I want to apologise to my all my fellow nominees.
"...Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things," the actor said by way of explaining his anger at Rock, who had also mocked Pinkett-Smith in his 2016 Oscars monologue as a host.
It was third time lucky for the 53-year-old star who was previously nominated in the same category twice -- "Ali" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" -- but couldn't go all the way.
In the category, Smith was up against Benedict Cumberbatch of "The Power of the Dog", Andrew Garfield of "Tick, Tick... Boom!", Javier Bardem of "Being the Ricardos" and Denzel Washington of The "Tragedy of Macbeth".
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the biopic on tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard Williams, who guided his prodigal tennis playing daughters from the Compton courts to preeminence in the sport.
Smith delivers a towering perfomance as Williams and paints a sympathetic portrait of the tennis stars' father, who was shaped by poverty, violence and discrimination.
As Williams, Smith was charismatic and overwhelming. He is showns as obstinate, bold, savvy, pugnacious and selfless.
The actor came into Oscar night as a clear favourite, having collected trophies at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Awards.
The Oscar trophy is definitely a high in Smith's career during which he established himself as one of the most bankable stars of Hollywood with films and franchises like "Independence Day", "Men in Black" series, "I am Legend" and "Bad Boys".
But while he delivered commercially with these films, the actor also shined with his performances as boxer Muhammad Ali in "Ali" and later as American businessman and motivational speaker Chris Gardner in "The Pursuit of Happyness".
#badboys3 #gijane2 #willsmith #chrisrock #oscars #besttvever
— Guy Springthorpe (the pistol slug) (@GuySpringthorpe) March 28, 2022
Can't believe what I just saw live on screen pic.twitter.com/YiijPRQENt
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
