In Defense of Ariana DeBose’s Rap: BAFTA Producer Slams Twitter Criticism as ‘Incredibly Unfair,’ Claims ‘Everybody Loved It’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Everyone in Hollywood can project and predict, but no one knows who will be named the winners at the 95th Academy Awards, to be presented Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Interested parties have a hard enough time just guessing who will be nominated.“Seems to be that Viola, Michelle, Danielle & Cate are a lock for their outstanding work,” wrote actress and Academy member France Fisher in one of several controversial social media posts earlier this season, encouraging fellow awards voters to consider the performance by Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie for a nomination in the Leading Actress category.As Danielle Deadwyler and Viola Davis know all too well, Ms.

Ariana DeBose is not listening to the haters. The 32-year-old actress quickly became the center of attention after her performance at the 2023 BAFTA Awards started to go viral, and while many criticized the star for her original rap in honor of the female nominees, many others described it as a campy moment for Ariana.Now the actress has finally shared her thoughts after briefly deactivating her social media. Ariana says she achieved what she wanted from her performance during a recent interview with BBC Radio.

Ariana DeBose knows how to «do the thing» when it comes to poking fun at herself.The Oscar winner took the stage alongside Diego Luna to present at the 2023 SAG Awards on Sunday. First, the pair shared a laugh about how to quiet down the crowd — in both Spanish and English, before DeBose beckoned to Luna to read the list of nominees.«Diego, do the thing,» she said, poking fun at her viral musical clip from the 2023 BAFTAs.The moment was made even better by a perfectly-timed cutaway to Angela Bassett herself, who proved once again that she's in on the joke, sharing a laugh with DeBose.Ariana DeBose: «Diego, do the thing.» #SAGAwardspic.twitter.com/2Rc0xzFy30The reference is to DeBose's opening for the 2023 BAFTA Awards, in which she performed «Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves» and «We Are Family,» and the infamous original rap where she shouted out the awards show's female nominees, including the line, «Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis, my woman king.» Bassett herself even poked fun at the new meme when she accepted her Entertainer of the Year award at the 2023 NAACP Awards on Saturday.«I guess Angela Bassett did the thing,» she quipped to the audience's laughter.The 2023 SAG Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb.

Taking it all in. Angela Bassett reached out to Ariana DeBose after the West Side Story star’s BAFTAs rap went viral.

gushed to Deadline Saturday night, explaining that the lack of enthusiasm on the crowd’s face was in part due to cameramen shoving cameras into the actor’s faces.Both DeBose, 32, and Curtis were in attendance at Sunday night’s SAG Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles, California. Curtis dazzled in a low plunging red gown while DeBose was pretty in pink in a two-piece suit.“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” DeBose, 32, rapped at the opening of the BAFTAs, which quickly became a meme.The clash of applause and critique from the internet prompted the Golden Globe-winning actress to deactivate her Twitter account.“She is a fantastic talent, these people should shut the f–k up, back the f–k off and let this woman shine just her light,” Curtis chided the haters.Her comments join in the chorus of praise for the performance amidst the online disgust – even BAFTA showrunner Nick Bullen slammed the critics, saying they probably “don’t like change.” “The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music,” Bullen told Variety.

Ariana DeBose's now-infamous rap performance at the 2023 BAFTA Awards has officially come full circle. During Saturday night's 54th NAACP Image Awards, the breakout star of DeBose's viral rap, Angela Bassett, proved she knows how to carry a joke while accepting her Entertainer of the Year award onstage.«I guess Angela Bassett did the thing,» she quipped to the audience's laugher.«I guess Angela Bassett did the thing» — Angela Bassett as she accepts her entertainer of the year award at the #NAACPImageAwardspic.twitter.com/mevSTcKhUSThe reference is to DeBose's opening for the 2023 BAFTA Awards, in which she performed «Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves» and «We Are Family,» and the infamous original rap where she shouted out the awards show's female nominees. “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my 'Woman King,' Blanchett Cate you're a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang DeBose. The camera panned to the women as they were name-dropped. Memes quickly made their rounds on social media among a wide range of responses, which seemingly led DeBose to deactivate her Twitter account. But on Instagram DeBose reacted graciously, commenting on a carousel of memes with, «Honestly I love this.»In a preview for an upcoming interview on BBC Radio 2's  posted on TikTok, the  star brushed away the criticism and focused on the love she's received.

J. Kim Murphy Angela Bassett has simply done the thing once again. After being name-dropped by Ariana DeBose in a rap that opened the BAFTA Film Awards, the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star tells Variety that she reached out to DeBose in the aftermath to check in on her. “I DM’d her last night. I did. It was beautiful,” Bassett told Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday evening. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay because, you know, it’s a lot of attention. And she is A-Okay.”Angela Bassett DM'd Ariana DeBose. "I just wanted to make sure she was okay, because it's a lot of attention." https://t.co/JAcEviI0Qj pic.twitter.com/anzVhOZ0cc Bassett’s mention was one of the catchier lyrics in DeBose’s opener. DeBose, who won last year’s BAFTA and Academy Award for best supporting actress for her performance in “West Side Story,” kicked off the British Academy Film Awards on Feb. 19 with a rap that name-dropped several of the evening’s nominees, including directors honored in debut feature and women competing in both the lead actress and supporting actress categories. The production also featured renditions of “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” and “We Are Family.”

Ariana DeBose is speaking out for the first time since her “Angela Bassett did the thing" rap performance at the 2023 BAFTA Awards went viral.In a preview for an upcoming interview on BBC Radio 2's  posted Saturday on TikTok, the star brushes away the criticism and instead chooses to focus on the love she's received. Ball's among DeBose's fans who loved the performance, saying «it was a woman, singing and dancing, being magnificent, celebrating women onstage.»«You know what, you might be one of the few [who loved the performance],» DeBose said. «I'll take it, because you're my people!»DeBose, who opened the 2023 BAFTA Awards performing “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” and “We Are Family,” as well as an original rap where she shouted out the awards show's female nominees, shared a bit about how the performance came about.«Honestly, it's not like I'm like, 'Hey BAFTA, let me in.' They actually called me, believe it or not,» she said.

Jimmy Buffett is returning to venues all over North America to entertain Parrotheads from coast to coast from March through May this year on his ‘Second Wind Tour.’And you wouldn’t believe it but we found some tickets to the “Cheeseburger In Paradise” crooner going for as low as $12 before fees on Vivid Seats.That’s cheaper than a cold one at a concert.Heck, while we’re at it, it’s probably less than what it costs to grab a margarita at one of Buffett’s Margaritavilles.(Editor’s note: It is. The ‘Uptown Top Shelf Margarita’ at the Times Square Margaritaville costs $14.75).It really is “Five O’ Clock Somewhere.”So, if you want to make the pilgrimage to catch one of music’s most durable stars live this year, here’s everything you need to know.All prices listed above were found at the time of publication and are subject to fluctuation.A complete calendar including all upcoming tour dates, venues and links to the cheapest tickets available for each show can be found below.(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time.

Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock, Sigourney Weaver in sci-fi horror Alien 3 and appeared in Doctor Who, tweeted: 'The BAFTA awards were an embarrassing travesty.  'Cutting deserving winners' speeches for toe-curling non-interviews. Poor Richard E Grant pretending to arrive in a Batmobile and no Bernard Cribbins in memoriam.

British actor Phil Davis says he has resigned his membership from BAFTA in the wake of Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards which he called “an embarrassing travesty.” 

Ariana DeBose was this year’s opener at the BAFTA Awards, one of the most prestigious awards shows in the film industry. DeBose kicked off the evening with a song and a rap that celebrated some of this year’s performers, including some of the women of color that earned nominations this year. The opening number has been met with some controversy, particularly in Twitter, where many memes have been shared.

BAFTAs awards producer Nick Bullen has described the criticism of Ariana DeBose’s opening performance as “incredibly unfair.”DeBose began the ceremony with renditions of ‘Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves’ and ‘We Are Family’, before breaking into an original rap paying tribute to the awards’ female nominees.“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my Woman King, Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang the West Side Story star as she danced around the stage.The performance immediately received a backlash on social media, with many describing it as “awkward” and “painful” to watch. DeBose has since deactivated her Twitter account.Sisters are doing it for themselves! The incredible @ArianaDeBose opens the 2023 #EEBAFTAs with an iconic performance! ✨ pic.twitter.com/G9YgKN2e1t— BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 19, 2023Speaking to Variety, Bullen explained that the DeBose put the “whole piece together” with her team, working closely with musical director and choreographer, and didn’t deserve the criticism.“I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank.

Ariana DeBose has seen the memes about her viral BAFTAs rap performance and «loves» them as well! The  star took to Instagram on Monday to react to a carousel of memes that are a nod to her saying «Angela Bassett did the thing» on the awards show stage. «Honestly I love this,» DeBose commented under a post from writer Evan Ross Katz. A post shared by Evan Ross Katz (@evanrosskatz)On Saturday, DeBose performed the opening number at the 76th British Academy Film Awards in London. Her mash-up included “Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves” and “We Are Family,” as well as an original rap where she shouted out the awards show's female nominees. “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my 'Woman King,' Blanchett Cate you're a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang DeBose.

A song gone wrong? Ariana DeBose instantly received the meme treatment after her viral performance at the 2023 BAFTAs — but the jokes seemingly didn’t sit well.

Organisers behind this year’s BAFTAs have addressed criticism over the absence of late actor Bernard Cribbins in its ‘in memoriam’ tribute section.

Ariana DeBose has deactivated her Twitter account after online commentators attacked her opening number at the 2023 BAFTA Awards. However, one of the event's producers was quick to come to the  star's defense, calling the backlash «incredibly unfair.» DeBose performed “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” and “We Are Family,” as well as an original rap where she shouted out the awards show's female nominees. Sisters are doing it for themselves! The incredible @ArianaDeBose opens the 2023 #EEBAFTAs with an iconic performance! ✨ pic.twitter.com/G9YgKN2e1t“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us,” sang DeBose.

The 2023 BAFTAs on Sunday were supposed to be about the awards, but social media is focused on just one musical performance from the evening.

#film industry behind the scenes and the supremacy that it flaunts in my face so much, day by day, so it's not a surprising result, but in 2023, it is deeply regressive and uncalled for ↓ https://t.co/j9aT8ZHcKWBAFTA member and film and TV commentator Ashanti Omkar said she was “disappointed” but not surprised.“I’ve felt this deep pain in the pit of my stomach of late, as I’m seeing the #film industry behind the scenes and the supremacy that it flaunts in my face so much, day by day, so it’s not a surprising result, but in 2023, it is deeply regressive and uncalled for,” she added.Omkar had replied to a tweet from BuzzFeed UK head of culture Ada Enechi who wrote: “2 steps forward, 10 steps back #EEBAFTAs.”“Not even Oscar/GoldenGlobe winners Michelle Yeoh, Angela Basset, Viola Davis or Ke Huy Quan could break through. All judging systems have biases but this is broken,” BAFTA member and Naughty Dog senior character artist Del Walker said.

Ariana DeBose went viral for all the wrong reasons when she opened the 2023 BAFTAs with a rap