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April 1, 2022 • Schneps Media
BIG APPLE BUZZ
BY FLO ANTHONY
The entire world is still in shock after
watching Will Smith walk on the stage
at the 94th Academy Awards on March
27, then smack Chris Rock in the face, after
the comedian joked about seeing Smith’s
wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in a possible “G.I.
Jane 2,” because of her close shaved head.
Jada suffers from alopecia, which attacks
hair follicles resulting in bald spots and hair
loss. When Smith sat back down, he yelled,
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing
mouth!”, at Rock. A source told People that
Smith was still angry about Rock’s joke about
Jada at the Oscars in 2016.
“When Chris hosted the Oscars in 2016,
Jada was boycotting because of ‘Oscars So
White.’ In his opening monologue, he made
fun of her, saying she can’t boycott something
she wasn’t invited to,” the insider explained to
People. Chris had said, “Jada boycotting the
Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna‘s panties.
I wasn’t invited.”
Meanwhile, following the slap, Bradley
Cooper, Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington,
were all seen talking to Will Smith. The shocking
incident didn’t stop Smith from celebrating
his win for Best Actor for his role as Venus and
Serena Williams‘ father, Richard Williams, in
“King Richard.” He was later spotted dancing
with the Oscar statuette to his song “Gettin’
Jiggy Wit It” at the Vanity Fair Oscar party.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel Air star also
posted on Instagram, “You can’t take people
from Philadelphia (his hometown) and Baltimore
(Jada’s hometown) anywhere,’ and told
sources, Washington advised him, “Remember,
the devil calls when you are at your highest
point.”
Rock is not pressing charges against
Smith. The funnyman “declined to file a police
report,” said the LAPD. On March 28,
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences issued a statement, “The Academy
condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last
night’s show. We have officially started a
formal review around the incident and will
explore further action and consequences in
accordance with our bylaws, standards of
conduct and California law.”
In other Oscar news, Questlove won Best
Documentary for his directorial debut of
“Summer of Soul,” the Hulu film about the
1969 Harlem Cultural Festival………
Top left: The slap heard ‘round the world at the Oscars. Above: Selena Gomez and
Martin Short, two stars of “Only Murders in the Building.” At left: Jimmy Fallon
Tonight Show cover-up?
OK! is reporting that there is a “cover-up in
the corridors of 30 Rock!” A high-level source
allegedly told OK!, The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon showrunner, Jamie Granet-Bederman,
was “let go and did not quit.”
It was announced on March 25 that Granet-
Bederman, who had worked with Fallon for 13
years, was “transitioning to develop a number
of new projects” with the late-night host.
“These last 13 years working with Jimmy
have been such a gift. It’s been an honor to
have helped him launch not one but two latenight
shows, and I will be forever grateful to
my amazing Tonight Show family,” Granet-
Bederman said in an exit statement……
‘Little Hollywood’
Last week, the Upper East Side was dubbed
“Little Hollywood” due to three high profile
TV series shooting scenes there, including
Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,”
starring Rachel Brosnahan; “Only Murders
in the Building” on Hulu, which stars Selena
Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short;
and the upcoming series Jesse Eisenberg‘s
AP AND REUTERS
“Flieshman is in Trouble.”
Now, Upper East Site reports that on
March 28, “The Equalizer,” the crime drama
starring Queen Latifah, took over parts of
Yorkville to film scenes. Rented trailers for
cast members and the director reportedly
lined the Second Avenue bus lanes between
90th and 91st streets.
The production also filmed scenes by Asphalt
Green on York Avenue, and then moved
to a second filming location on East 91st
street between York and First avenues. ……..
We hear
Mayor Eric Adams paid tribute to Reverend
Jesse Jackson Sr. at the 25th Annual
Wall Street Project Economic Summit on
March 21 at the Sheraton New York Times
Square Hotel.
“There is no greater ally in the fight for
equality than you,” said Mayor Adams. He
continued, “I have said it time and time again:
social justice and the prosperity of New York
City go hand in hand. We cannot have one
without the other. My administration knows,
we can, and we must do both.”……….
Oscar smackdown
More fallout from Will Smith-Chris
Rock Oscar slap, Tonight Show turmoil