Smile in the Face of Adversity:

How the 2017 Awards Season Made Us Smile

Awards season has made the otherwise dull month of February into a vibrant and entertaining time of the year. On February 12th, the Grammys celebrated the success of the music industry with memorable performances and award winners. The show was exciting and kept you engaged throughout its entirety. Perhaps, the most exciting parts of the Grammys were the memorable performances by multiple popular artists.

Here are some moments that made me smile!

Beyonce took to the stage with an enchanting performance equipped with a large screen behind her that projected lifelike images. The performance was also a beautiful visual experience that proved to be the most talked about moment of the Grammys. In addition to the Queen Bee, Bruno Mars took the stage to make a tribute performance for the late rock ’n’ roll icon, Prince. Not only did Mars perform Prince’s hits, but he also performed his own recent hits from his newest album and worldwide tour.

My personal favorite performance was Katy Perry’s new song, “Chained to the Rhythm”. Katy has always been one of my favorite celebrities because even though she has found great success, she remains grounded and authentic. The performance was interesting because it featured a white picket fence wrapped around a spinning platform raised from the stage. Adele also stole the show with her great success, picking up 5 Grammys! Even with a vocal mishap in the midst, she still stood out in her performance of “Hello” and her George Michael Tribute.

The Academy Awards were exciting, too, to say the least!

Not too far off came the Oscars which acknowledged the film industry and all the people behind the scenes that made these projects possible. It was no surprise that La La Land picked up many awards including best actress, Emma Stone. Moonlight also took home Best Picture, and Casey Affleck garnered his first Oscar for Best Actor in Manchester by the Sea. The host, Jimmy Kimmel, brought his late-night expertise to the Oscar stage and kept every moment lighthearted and comical.

Although the Oscars focuses on the movie industry, the show was full of exciting entertainment including performances by Justin Timberlake, John Legend, and the voice of Moana-Auli’i Carvalho from the recently released film, Moana. It was a beautiful merge of both industries to celebrate the arts.

Aside from all the typical awards show activities, this year’s Oscar celebration might become best known for a blunder in the announcement of Best Picture. The wrong film was announced as the winner, and the incorrectly announced La La Land nominated members took the stage, only to find out there had been a mistake – the true best picture winner was Moonlight. What stuck out most to many was the mistaken announcement. What stuck out most prominently to myself and to the Dr. Smiles team, however, was the graciousness that La La Land producer, Jordan Horowitz, showed when he acknowledged that a mistake has been made. Horowitz stated into the microphone, “I’m going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight.”

The sense of support for each other shown among the performance arts community was inspiring, and it shined a silver lining on one of the largest mistakes ever in entertainment awards.

The 2017 awards season was full of entertaining moments that had us smiling bright. What was your favorite part of the awards season?