we re just under an hour out from the red carpet coverage of tonight s academy awards. and while minorities and women remain woefully underrepresented as leads, creatives and industry gate keepers, 2018 was nonetheless a banner year for on-screen inclusion, driven largely by the game-changing success of marvel s black panther, up for six oscars tonight, including the top prize for best picture, a first for a superhero film. also dancing with history tonight, i m pleased to say my brooklyn brother, spike lee. here he is, seconds ago on the red carpet, who may become the first african-american to win as best director and receive the best director oscar for brilliant and timely black
president, known in spike speak as agent orange. spike, thanks for, first of all, doing this. thank you, my brooklyn brother. yes, sir. we come up, same generation in brooklyn. yes, sir. which is why i know there it was important to you for this blockbuster film to come out around the first anniversary of charlottesville. yes, i wanted the film to be released, blackkklansman, on the one year anniversary. i knew people would be talking about it, i wanted to shed light on what happened, and also, reverend, what that guy did, he had a chance, i don t say his name, i call him agent orange, shout out to he s referring to the president. yes, shout out to busta rhymes, he came up with that, he had a chance to condemn hate, racism, the alt-right, the klan,