The annual Governors Awards, presented honorary awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are usually a celebratory event. This year’s 15th annual awards ceremony was also a joyous occasion, but due to the death of one of the honorees, Quincy Jones, on November 3, the ceremony was held on Sunday, November 17 at the Ray Theater That fact soured the atmosphere two weeks ago.
Jones’ daughter, actress Rashida Jones, spoke on behalf of the family when accepting the award. “Tonight was a difficult decision for our family in some ways, but we felt we wanted to celebrate his wonderful life and career,” she said. “His music did define an entire century of culture – jazz, disco, film, pop, hip-hop, but the real thread in his music is that it was all infused with his love.”
This year’s other winner is Casting Director Juliet Taylor, chosen by a vote of the Academy’s Board of Governors and announced in June. Filmmaker and philanthropist Richard Curtis (Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award); producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli Best known for the James Bond film series (Irving G. Tolberg Memorial Award).
Jones’ award “recognizes his artistic genius, tireless creativity and pioneering legacy in film music.” Curtis was honored for his “extraordinary philanthropic work that has transformed lives around the world.” Taylor was honored for his “extensive work and indelible impact on the field of film casting.” Wilson and Broccoli won the award for “consistently high-quality, high-impact filmmaking.”
The event is produced by Jennifer Fox for the sixth consecutive year. Rickey Minor serves as musical director.
Here are eight highlights from the 2024 Governors Awards.
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Jennifer Hudson takes us to church
Jennifer Hudson leads a 12-member gospel choir in singing “Maybe God Is Tryin’ to Tell You Something'” from the 1985 film exciting version of Purplefor which Jones received three of his seven career Oscar nominations. What goes unsaid is that Hudson’s career and EGOT status would be unimaginable without Jones’s pioneering efforts before Hudson was even born.
(In July 2023, Hudson performed Jones’ hit “You Don’t Own Me,” produced by Lesley Gore, at Jones’s 90th birthday concert at the Hollywood Bowl.)
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Jamie Foxx talks about how Jones helped him play Ray Charles
Jamie Foxx played Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic rayhe called Jones, a teenage friend of Charles’s, to see if he could offer any guidance. Jones invited him to his home and rummaged through a box to find a tape of an old Charles performance – something Fox found helpful once he found the tape recorder. Foxx won an Oscar for her performance.
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Daughter’s tribute
Rashida Jones said: “Our father passed away two weeks ago today. Four of the seven [Jones’ children] Here we have our beautiful family in the audience, and he had a lot of friends in this room – well, probably in every room if I’m being honest, because wherever he went, he was with everyone. Individuals bonded. He had this gift for dealing with people. He knows how to stay present, stay curious, and stay loving.
Jones also urged viewers to explore Jones’ music beyond just the soundtracks and triumphs of famous films by Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra.
“In his seven decades of music, the universe is waiting for you, and when you listen, you hear how he put love into every second of the music he made. That is his true legacy. He loved Life. He always said ‘Live every day as if it were your last and one day you will be right.
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In Jones’ own words
Rashida Jones said her father “really, really, really wanted to be with us tonight.” She added, “We’ve been preparing for a speech for the last month. So here’s to using it on its own.” words.
The highlight of Quincy Jones’ speech was a review of changes in the film industry. “We’ve come a long way in the industry. When I was a young film composer, you couldn’t even see the faces of people of color working in the studio system. I’m very, very proud that my name and I am very grateful to have contributed to the evolution of today.
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Q Proof of Lasting Impact
Even before the program began, there was evidence of Jones’ lasting influence. From the speakers, we heard popular songs like Janet Jackson’s “When I Think of You” and Whitney Houston’s “How Did I Know.” Jones didn’t produce any of the records—Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced Jackson’s hits; Narada Michael Walden produced Houston’s songs—but they are the first to admit they were influenced by Q’s sound and style people.
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Richard Curtis performs hits from Queen and David Bowie
Briton Richard Curtis was the first to comment on the recent US presidential election. “It’s been a very strange two weeks,” he said. “To all those who are sad,” he dedicated a song that fit the current mood – Queen and David Bowie’s 1981 hit “Under Pressure.” He said he was a good person to recommend a song because his movies “often stick with pop songs.”
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Family business thrives
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, 20 years after their father, Albert Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli has received this honor for 43 years. These descendants keep the James Bond franchise alive and relevant compared to when the series first launched in 1962. , Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” and Billie Eilish’s “No Time to Die” – all under the supervision of Wilson and Broccoli. Daniel Craig, who has starred in the past five Bond films, presented the award to Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
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Adjustment of Governor’s Awards
Richard Curtis and one of his top stars, Hugh Grant, display a faux-thorny relationship, having some fun with the Governors Awards and whether they should count as Oscars.
Grant became an international star with the 1994 film Four weddings and a funeralcomposed by Curtis and had another hit in 2003’s Ensemble true loveCurtis wrote and directed the film Will We Call It an Oscar? It’s kind of like the Oscars. This is better than no Oscars.
Curtis more or less agreed as he accepted the award. “This is an Oscar for someone who never made a movie good enough to win an Oscar.”
