Jeff Bezos is sort of nominated for an Oscar tonight, as Amazon was the one of two distributors for Best Picture nominee Manchester by the Sea. He was shouted out in host Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue.
"If you win tonight, you can expect your Oscar to arrive in two to five business days," Kimmel said. Good one, honestly. Better than Kimmel’s cracks about how almost no one has seen Moonlight, which came right after an extended bit about his 2006 faux-feud with Matt Damon. This segment of the awards show is typically dedicated to roasting well-known actors and directors, so it was a little odd to see a tech CEO and streaming service shouted out by the host.
Amazon is the first streaming service to receive an Academy Award nomination — edging out Netflix, which campaigned aggressively for Beasts of No Nation last year to no avail.
Congratulations to Jeff, who seems to be having a great time, and now joins the proud ranks of actors and directors who get tepid roasts while everybody pretends the Oscars are daring.
