The Oscars are just over a week away, and Bill Maher offered his take on this year’s decidedly unusual Academy Awards ceremony, which for just the second time ever will be held without a host.
During his “New Rule” segment on Friday’s edition of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”, the caustic comedian urged Democratic presidential candidates to not “eat our own” as an increasing number of Dems continue to throw their hats into the ring.
He used that discussion to segue into the Oscars, declaring that the annual awards gala is being wrecked by what he describes as “ridiculous purity tests.”
“This is a real problem in our society, looking to dump someone good because there must be someone more perfect,” Maher said. “And sometimes, what you end up with is no one to host the Oscars at all.”
Maher also went after liberal criticism of some of this year’s nominated films, pointing out that some people have said that Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” is “flawed because it’s gay, but not gay enough. Really, that’s what they’re saying,” Maher noted. “It’s insensitive to the extremely gay. What? For years, the beef about gay characters in movies was they were reduced to their sexuality. Now, the sexuality is pushed to the background and it’s, ‘Where’s the d**k-sucking?’”
He also singled out “Roma,” which “delivers such an authentic portrait of a Mexican housekeeper, Arnold Schwarzenegger tried to impregnate it.”
In addition, he tackled criticism of “Green Book”, which he described as “a movie made by liberals, for liberals, bursting at the seams with liberal values — not good enough!”
Maher also referenced an article criticizing “A Star Is Born” because of the power imbalance between the characters played by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
“That is what you got out of ‘A Star Is Born?’” he asked incredulously, referencing the scene when Cooper’s drunken rock star wets his pants onstage during the Grammys. “‘Cause all I learned was, don’t wear khakis onstage when you really have to pee.”
