Is Chris Rock in a position to ‘heal wounds’ as Oscar host?

“We would not be here today without the heroic efforts of our reporters”, said producer Blye Pagon Faust.

Academy Awards host Chris Rock hasn’t fully addressed the controversy surrounding #OscarsSoWhite, other than a promo where he refers to it as “The White BET Awards”.

As comedian and actor Chris Rock prepares to host the Oscars, “that sends a awful message that African Americans are only good enough to entertain us and give white people awards but they are not worthy enough to be nominated to receive Oscar awards”, Ali said.

Rock insured that the topic remained at the forefront throughout the evening, usually finding hearty laughs in the process.

The Revenant star seemed to have the world behind him in the run up to the biggest night in the film industry, but nothing could be taken for granted as the 41-year-old actor had previously been nominated for five Oscars, but had been pipped at the post each time.

It’s a balancing act for Rock, who is under pressure to bite the hand that feeds him but presumably doesn’t want to burn bridges in Hollywood with years of his career still ahead of him.

“Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right Hollywood is racist. It’s like: We like you Rhonda, but you’re not a Kappa”.

Sunday’s Academy Awards promise a three-way race for best picture, performances by Lady Gaga, Sam Smith and the Weeknd, and the likelihood of first Oscar wins ever for Leonardo DiCaprio and Sylvester Stallone.

Leonardo DiCaprio, the forgone best-actor victor for “The Revenant”, used the platform to talk about his life’s passion outside of acting – climate change, which got a “thank you” from the official White House Instagram account.

“Let us not take our planet for granted”, said DiCaprio.

“I feel so overwhelmed with gratitude for what happened tonight, but I feel there is a ticking clock out there” demanding action, he said.

Rock was chosen to host Sunday’s event at the Dolby Theatre for a second time last October – long before the #OscarsSoWhite row erupted. It’s a feat matched by only two other filmmakers: John Ford and Joseph L. Mankiewicz. (Sorry, “Manta Ray” and “Simple Song #3.”) There will nearly certainly be a splashy opening skit, an Oscar tradition since Billy Crystal hosted the show.

“Inside Out”, led by the voice of Amy Poehler, gets Best Animated Film, while “Amy”, a look at the late British singer Amy Winehouse, wins Best Documentary Feature. So I look at that and go, ‘Great, ‘ because everybody’s thinking about that now.

“It’s not about the Academy Awards because that’s just a little statue”.

Brie Larson is the Oscar favorite for her performance in “Room”, which took in only $12.6 million.

Best supporting actress: Of the acting categories, this is the most unsettled, but oddsmakers are leaning toward “The Danish Girl’s” Alicia Vikander.

Chris Rock surely won’t be the only person speaking out about diversity at the Oscars. They’re destined for writing awards – “The Big Short” for Adapted Screenplay, and “Spotlight” for Original Screenplay.