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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

No Oscars For 'Hillbilly Elegy,' But Glenn Close Wins The Night

glenn close
Chris Pizzello
/
AP
Glenn Close arrives at the Oscars on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles.

Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy didn't win any Academy Awards, but the Hollywood Reporter was quick to declare that Glenn Close "won the night"with her dance during ABC's 93rd Academy Awards Sunday.

In a rare moment of entertainment during the dull three-hour live telecast – in which the Oscar-nominated songs were not performed on stage – the Hillbilly Elegy star participated in a game of "guess that song" with DJ Questlove and segment host Lil Rel Howery. 

Close correctly answered that "Da Butt" from Spike Lee's School Daze was not nominated for an Academy Award. Then https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990000","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38" target="_blank">she demonstrated the dance by shaking her booty during the telecast from Union Station in Los Angeles. 

https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990000","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990000","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38","_id":"0000017a-3b58-d913-abfe-bf5c28990001","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/jvpfdSK_f38

The comedy bit was scripted, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which declared in its headline: "Glenn Close Wins The Oscars By Dancing To 'Da Butt.' " The story ended by saying, "There is little doubt Glenn Close won the night."

For the record, Nomadland won the night with Oscars for best picture, best actress (Frances McDormand) and best director (Chloe Zhao).

Credit Lacey Terrell / Netflix
/
Netflix

Anthony Hopkins won for best actor for Father, in a category many thought the late Chadwick Boseman would win for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

See thecomplete list of winners here.

Close lost the best supporting actress category to Yuh-Jung Youn in Minari. Her eight failures to win an Oscar tied her with Peter O'Toole, according to USA Today.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom won for best hair and makeup, not Hillbilly Elegy.

Close played Mamaw Vance, the foul-mouthed, chain-smoking Middletown grandmother of Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance. Only one week was filmed in 2019 in Middletown,where Vance grew up and graduated from Middletown High School in 2003. Most of the $45-million film was shot in Georgia, which had unlimited tax credits for filmmakers.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.