Links. And Not *Just* Oscar Post-Mortems
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 2:05PM The Playlist Jessica Chastain joins the increasingly star-studded cast of The Huntsman - pretty soon no one will remember this started as a Snow White franchise (which is probably why they keep adding big stars).
Vanity Fair Katey wonders if Netflix can stay in the original programming business when its obsessed with nostalgia
Empire Calista Flockhart and Laura Benanti join TV's Supergirl for the fall as boss and mom respectively (sigh). Benanti is so mega-talented and freaking hilarious. Doesn't anyone want to build a series around her?
US Weekly AHS's "Meep" actor Ben Woolf has died after being hit by a car
My New Plaid Pants you're probably giving Bryan Singer some side eye for casting yet another super twink beauty in X-Men: Apocalypse. Meet Ben Hardy.
i09 looks at the troubled comics history of Aquaman and the challenges Warner Bros faces in resurrecting him
i09 Something hilarious you've never thought of. The designers on Guardians of the Galaxy spent a lot of time worrying about Groot's crotch.
Oscar Oscar
Slate on Graham Moore's problematic but well intentioned acceptance speech for Best Adapted Screenplay
IndieWire why the Spirit Awards need to stop mimicking the Oscars
LA Times was Boyhood, an unusually quiet unfolding drama, undone by the usual outsize Oscar campaigning?
The Carpetbagger bids the season "adieu"
Awards Daily I'm with Sasha on this one. Patricia Arquette has been treated horribly after her speech with people willfully misunderstanding. Our outrage culture is doing no one, least of all the progressives (who are so easily outraged and willing to turn on their own) any good. A real pity since Patty has been a wonderful activist over the years. The people leading the hate brigade would do well to step back for a little perspective: guarantee you she was fighting for trans awareness and other social causes before they were.
In Contention sings the praises of Fox Searchlight and New Regency. They've got two back to back Best Picture winners now. And that aint easy to do.
The Dissolve just two days after the Oscars, the American Sniper trial ended with a guilty verdict for the man who killed Chris Kyle
Vulture Michael Keaton stashing his acceptance speech when his name isn't called *sniffle*
Variety Iñárritu on his own Oscar wins
And this just in...
The stunt-casting veers away from Oscar winning/nominated beauties of a certain age to...
Make your reservation now. #GagaAHSHotel https://t.co/o9ixi5TaFy
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 25, 2015
Apparently they are promising a major renovation to the American Horror Story brand this October. I hope said renovation is giving up that infinitely tired and kinda misogynistic in its relentlessness storyline about the faded vain beauty who wishes she was still in her prime. Is this Gaga peak, Is that enough for you to make reservations after this season's expected downward spiral?
Reader Comments (22)
I'm not so sure about the Lowder piece on Graham Moore. Seeing how quick everyone was to assume Graham Moore was gay--based partially on his words and on the film in question, but also (let's admit it) partially on mannerisms and stereotypes--I think it's reasonable to acknowledge that he MAY have been the victim of homophobic bullying as a teenager. The fact that he is straight does not take away from the experience of homophobia and gender policing. As someone who was bullied for reading gay LONG before I had any sense of my own sexual orientation, I can assure you that those scars wouldn't have just gone away if I'd really been straight. Homophobia is homophobia. Childhood trauma is childhood trauma.
I would have loved to have heard Michael Keaton's acceptance speech. I know it would have been heartfelt and beautiful. Now I'm depressed again.
here's a Pre-Oscar Mortem of mine
-> Couple of months back I rubbed shoulders with a woman who looked like Rosamund Pike near Islington Town Hall. She had a baby with her and I thought "I don't remember hearing anything about Rosamund giving birth! Plus, what would she be doing walking around Upper Street in this cold weather." Well, it turns out she gave birth to a baby boy in December and lives in Islington :P
My Oscar post-mortem:
The Dissolve also had a very nice piece about How Boyhood Won by Losing (sniff!)
https://thedissolve.com/features/honorable-mentions/934-how-boyhood-won-by-losing/
I hear you when it comes to Laura Benanti, but she has a nice role in Nashville,(which she loves) and is very busy at Radio City Music Hall. She needs to host SNL or the Tony's, meantime she has one of the best Twitter feeds out there.
Watching the internet explode with nit-picking and faux outrage about Patricia Arquette was stomach turning. But she will survive it, sensible women including Emma Watson, (He for She) have supported her, the storm will subside. And women in Hollywood will love her forever for saying something.
perhaps Ross Matthews is heterosexual too? My Gaydar is way off :/
Graham Moore lives in a glass closet.
Totally co-sign the Slate article. It seems like most people just don't get it, though. I think there's something to be said for speeches that are just "thank yous."
What has happened to Jessica Chastain?
I expect chastain to comment on arquette's speech.
Marcelo - Chastain already retweeted approvingly one of Patty's tweets on wage inequality.
Thanks for supporting Patty, Nathaniel. I work in public admnistration and get so tired of the progressive circular firing squad. Honestly, the need to debate LBJ's portrayal in Selma rather than celebrate the film itself was another film-related example of it. Liberals could do so much good if they stopped this pettiness and focused on the bigger picture. It's disheartening.
When I first saw the photos of Keaton and his speech, I thought it was just the internet looking for another juicy, viral story. I couldn't believe that anyone would actually be so certain of winning (or maybe so wanting to make sure that if they DID win they were so completely 100% prepared?) that they'd actually pull their speech out in anticipation of that win occurring. But indeed, that is a piece of paper in his hand. It'd be really interesting to hear Keaton's comments on what was going through his mind at the time.
I find this Slate article incredibly disingenuous on so many levels.
Not just because of the delightful silliness of that when he was presumed gay it was a great, inspirational speech and now that's he's straight it's being offensive to gays which is highly bizarre since his self referential speech only invokes gay parallels unless you're being particularly implicit in your reading of it.
This has way more to do with the reader than the writer superimposing the idea of gayness on to his use of the word which is beyond me because, only way a child could be weird?
Of course, the obvious interjection is that the film is based on a gay person so if he's mentioning weirdness it's in relation to that, BUT the issue of the film's perceived lack of appreciation for its gay centre has already been exorcised and the Slate piece's inference rankles not for any significant love for the film but even including the film's shrouding of Alan's sexuality the tenet of Alan as a child (which is when Graham points to feeling "weird") is found in his weirdness NOT homosexuality but inability to relate to other humans. Child Turing isn't weird because he's gay, but unable to relate to humans even before then. The more obvious relation of the speech to the film is in the sense that, it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight childhood is tough for everyone, thing. (The film's issue with adult Turing and keeping his gayness in is a whole different issues.
Further, on top of that the entire point of his speech is that he "thought" he was weird because of people, so he's imploring people to stay "weird" in the eyes of others as in not conform. But I probably shouldn't be spending so much words on this "weirdness" ---- my word for this entire speech kerfuffle.
And perhaps, the overzealous x-rays of this speech is perhaps the last vestiges of the 2014 award season before we call it a year and move on.
Mr Singer has a very busy casting pool...I thought the Spirit Award were for low budget indie films.
So, only gays are entitled to feel weird and misjudged. Great for you.
Andrew, I think sane/critical people can disagree on this, and we do. Those who dismiss it by boiling the issue down to some incendiary nugget (see above) are missing the point, either intentionally or not--makes no difference in the world of Internet commenting.
I liked both speeches. Quite a lot. I'm sure Graham's speech helped someone. It would have helped me.
I'm confused as to why people don't understand why people were upset with Arquette's backstage comments. She said that POC and LGBT need to fight for this as well. Like we're not women also. I'm sure she didn't mean any harm, but in a year where we constantly praised White feminists and criticize those who are not . Her words were extremely problematic.
I find the whole Graham Moore thing absolutely fascinating on a cultural level. Mostly because nearly every gay person I know took that speech as speaking directly to the gays - mostly due to the film and the fact that Moore has said in interviews that he identified with Turing, who was gay - but also, let's face it, due to Moore's presentation of himself. I'm not saying it's fair, but there it is. Meanwhile, the thought that he was gay or speaking directly to gay people never crossed the minds of most straight people I've talked to. I don't know what exactly to read into all this, but it's interesting to think about.
Anjelica Huston for AHS. That is all.
don't get people who are outraged at the outrage? it's not like anyone was calling for patricia arquette's execution. WOC and gay feminists basically came out and stated the obvious, which is that we need to stop framing feminism in terms exclusive to white women, which is a pretty important issue, considering that women who are non-white have been sidelined in feminist debates and representation since the very beginning of the feminism movement. (also true for just about every civil rights issue). i don't think there's anyone who didn't appreciate or doubt her intentions, but come on, it's 2015. we need to move beyond intentions. this is not failing to see the larger picture; this IS the larger picture. i'm glad that arquette received the criticism respectfully and acknowledged the issue on twitter. see? no harm done.
mallory -- i think harm was definitely done. the haters soiled a learning moment for Americans who aren't as political as they should be rather than rallying behind her. She never said "only white women" she said "women" and last time I checked that meant half the population including the women of color and the gay women.
I just don't get why everyone wants to pounce and hate and get angry AT THE PERSON SAYING THE WORTHWHILE THING when we have this great woman who will always get in people's faces about progressive causes.
and fwiw the larger issue of women's rights (which encompasses all these other things since half of people are women) DOES always take a backseat to causes for more specialized groups such as gay rights, civil rights for people of color or whatever. I get that people don't like being called out on saying they're not doing enough but i think it's pretty obvious that this is the case. At least it is within the gay community. the lesbians fought so hard for gay men over the years and when lesbian issues come up... crickets.
it's a shame because if feminism ever truly took hold it would fix a lot of the other prroblems too. I mean homophobia also springs from sexism in quite obvious ways.