From Hollywood’s illusion factory, some unexpected reality

By TED ANTHONY
AP National Writer

In the minutes and hours after Will Smith accosted and slapped Chris Rock before a live Oscars audience of millions, many people hurried to social media platforms. They had a breathless and emphatic hot take. Surely, they insisted, the whole thing was staged. Hollywood, the illusion factory, had churned out some unexpected reality. And — surprise — a lot of people thought it was another illusion. This is America in 2022. It has dealt with years of immersive special effects, reality TV and now an era of misinformation. And the question those things produce is more pertinent than ever: What around here is real?